METROPOLIS (2001)
In the late 1940s, long before "Astro Boy" and "Kimba the White Lion" established Osamu Tezuka as the godfather of manga, the legendary illustrator penned this story of man against machine set in the grand, futuristic city-state of Metropolis where humans and robots co-exist in a strictly segmented society. Detective Shunsaku Ban and his sidekick Kenichi search for a nefarious rebel scientist who, unbeknownst to them, is protected by Duke Red, the eccentric genius who rules Metropolis with an iron fist. During their hunt, they meet a beautiful young girl, but they are unaware that she is a robot who is part of a sinister plan by Duke Red involving the mysterious new Ziggurat at the heart of Metropolis. A spectacularly rendered retro-futuristic cautionary tale from a trifecta of anime powerhouses: director Rintarō (GALAXY EXPRESS 999), screenwriter Katsuhiro Otomo (AKIRA) and animation studio Madhouse (PERFECT BLUE, VAMPIRE HUNTER D, WOLF CHILDREN) – plus an infectious jazz score by composer Toshiyuki Honda! DIR Rintarō; SCR Katsuhiro Ōtomo, from the manga by Osamu Tezuka; PROD Masao Maruyama, Yutaka Maseba, Iwao Yamaki. Japan, 2001, color, 108 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. RATED PG-13