Redline

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Red line

Japanese: REDLINE

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Information

Type: Movie

Episodes: 1

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Aug 14, 2009

Producers: Tohokushinsha Film Corporation

Licensors: Anchor Bay Films

Studios: Madhouse

Source: Original

Genres: Action, Sci-Fi

Themes: Adult Cast, Racing

Duration: 1 hr. 42 min.

Rating: R+ - Mild Nudity

Statistics

Score: 8.28¹ (scored by 204,335 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #281²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #617

Members: 378,507

Favorites: 5,624

Available At

@REDLINEJP

Resources

AniDB

ANN

Synopsis

Every five years, an exhilarating race called Redline is held, and the universe's most anticipated competition has only one rule: that there are none. Racers are pushed to their absolute limit—a feeling that daredevil driver JP knows all too well. Having just qualified to participate in Redline, he is eager to battle against the other highly skilled drivers, particularly the beautiful rising star and the only other human that qualified, Sonoshee McLaren.

But this year's Redline may be far more dangerous than usual—it has been announced to take place on the planet Roboworld with its trigger-happy military and criminals who look to turn the race to their own advantage. However, the potential danger doesn't stop the racers; in fact, it only adds to the thrill. Relying solely on his vehicle's speed, JP prepares for the event to come, aiming to take first place in the biggest race of his life.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Redline took a full seven years to create and used more than 100,000 frames in production. When finally complete, it made its debut at the 2009 Locarno International Film Festival, more than a year before it came to Japanese theaters.

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Related Anime

Character:	Trava: Fist Planet
Alternative version:	Redline Pilot

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

JP

Main

Kimura, Takuya
Japanese

McLaren, Sonoshee

Main

Aoi, Yuu
Japanese

Shinkai

Supporting

Morishita, Yoshiyuki
Japanese

Anister, Travastila

Supporting

Tsuda, Kanji
Japanese

Tetsujin, MachineHead

Supporting

Ishii, Kouji
Japanese

Frisbee

Supporting

Asano, Tadanobu
Japanese

Lynchman

Supporting

Gashuin, Tatsuya
Japanese

BoiBoi

Supporting

Sakai, Akane
Japanese

BosBos

Supporting

Kobayashi, Akemi
Japanese

Deyzuna Otouto

Supporting

Miyake, Kenta
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Matsuo, Ryouichirou

Producer

Koike, Takeshi

Director, Storyboard, Character Design, Animation Director, Mechanical Design, Key Animation, Background Art, Layout

Ishii, Katsuhito

Director, Sound Director, Script, Theme Song Lyrics, Mechanical Design, Planning, Original Character Design, Character Design, Original Creator, Background Art

Shimizu, Youji

Sound Director

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Opening Theme

No opening themes have been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding an opening theme here.

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Ending Theme

"REDLINE DAY" by James Shimoji feat. Rob Laufer

Reviews

Feb 23, 2011

Touka

Recommended

Takeshi Koike's debut feature; seven years in the making. Redline is an anime about racing, only presented like nothing seen before. Produced by Madhouse, with second key animation from Gainax, music from James Shimoji and a cast and crew pumped with everlasting potential, this is certainly one of - if not the - most adrenaline filled anime film to date.

As a film about racing, the plot is fairly standard fare, but the larger than life presentation coupled with the sheer imagination and creativity that has gone into Redline is second to none. The story - despite cliches - is both exhilarating and incredibly well paced. ... The action is, as you would imagine; fast, fantastic and full of adrenaline. The drama is at times cheesy, but it fits well with the films over-the-top attitude. The crazy antics in Redline make it clear the film isn't to be taken too seriously; it isn't a production that sets out to challenge our minds, but rather an exhilarating thrill-ride that's sole purpose is to entertain. In that respect, the story delivers and then some.

The tagline for Redline during its release was 'Witness the Future of Animation' and it's safe to say the studio never doubted the creativity of the team behind the film. Madhouse handled the production, with second key animation from Gainax - the films full development totaled seven years, with over one hundred thousand hand-made drawings. The amount of action and detail on screen at any one time is so vast the film begs for repeat viewings. The animation - in a word - is mind-blowing. The film is full of colour, detail and beauty like no other, the art style is vigorous and unique, and the character designs are fresh, exuberant and interesting.

The music - chiefly a variety of electronic compositions - is sublime. It blends seamlessly with Redline's fast-paced visuals, the sound editing is first-rate and the vocal tracks leave warm, fuzzy feelings - especially the ending song. The vocal talent is superb and particularly noteworthy; the film employs actors rather than seiyu in the leading roles. The leading man - JP - is voiced by Takuya Kimura, a member of the pop group SMAP and veteran actor who starred in Yoji Yamada's The Hidden Blade, part of the directors Oscar nominated samurai trilogy. The leading lady - Sonoshee - is portrayed by none other than Yu Aoi; an actress with many award-winning films under her belt, multiple of which were directed by national treasure and acclaimed auteur Shunji Iwai. Lastly, JP's right-hand man Frisbee is handled by Tadanobu Asano, one of few Japanese actors making a name for himself in Hollywood (recently he starred in Marvel's Thor). To quote journalist Helen McCarthy; "casting him was a stroke of genius."

The main characters all very much fit into conventional archetypes, but they're not made to be complex, deep, thoughtful beings. The characters, like the story and presentation, are themselves larger than life, quite literally. JP and Sonoshee alone make up about half the human population in the entire film; all of the other characters belong to their respective alien races, besides two other humans. The characters are written to be entertaining, to build the scale of the film and to perform as the archetypes we know and love, but that's not to say they're by any means flat; the main characters receive a sufficient amount of development, and the supporting cast is comprised of an exceedingly rich, varied, exciting and incredibly fun horde of wonderful characters.

Redline is a film not to be taken too seriously and anyone doing so has certainly missed the point. Needless to say, if you want a realistic racing film then you have come to the wrong place. However, if you want a fast, funny, eye-watering, explosive experience that will suck you into a world which words barely do justice, this is the film you're after. But, more than a film, Redline is an experience. Every element works in melody, bouncing off and complementing one another, ultimately creating a tremendous overall work that is magical to behold, completely unlike any other anime production to date.

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Aug 20, 2011

Uriel1988

Mixed Feelings

Redline is excellent proof that you can have too much of a good thing. Especially when you neglect everything else in the process.

The first 10 minutes do an excellent job of letting viewers know what’s in store for them. It’s here that the film treats us to an intense and gorgeously animated race sequence and equally beautiful backgrounds and character models. From there on out it’s clear that the films intent is to overwhelm the viewer with adrenaline-filled races brought to life with mouth-watering animation and sound. Storyline and character development are of the lowest priority.

It’s no surprise, then, that Redline sticks closely to ... the usual 3 act structure. We’re first given a taste of things to come while the personalities and motivations of the major players are established, topped off with introducing the long term goal. The second act is all about the preparation with some rudimentary attempts at character development while act 3 is the main attraction: a 40-minute onslaught of non-stop racing packed with over-the-top, high speed moments and more explosions than 3 Michael Bay films put together.

Sounds good on paper. But Redline goes so overboard with its spectacle that it somehow becomes a bit dull. It’s simply too much.

First off, there are too many characters. The main characters are pretty forgettable and the only contestant who was somewhat cool was the established champion. The film further hurts itself by introducing subplots and characters who aren’t related to the race. A sizable chunk of screentime is reserved for a b-story involving an evil government (basically space-China) that’s out to stop the race and dig up some ancient weapons or something. Ultimately they’re only there to cause tons of explosions and other kinds of destruction. This in a film that’s already filled to the brim with explosions and spectacular set pieces.

This is Redline’s second excess. There is simply too much going on in the third act. A big race alone would have made for a wonderfully thrilling climax but Redline throws in an obligatory mafia subplot as well as the aforementioned evil government. What it all leads to? Stuff getting blown up and more stuff getting blown up.

This wouldn’t have been so bad if there was a reason to care or even some sense of urgency but there isn’t. All the cars race at impossible speeds and run just fine even after taking enough damage to wreck 10 spaceships. The result is that tension is basically nonexistent in this film. Nobody of note dies and damage to the vehicle is shrugged off so easily that one gets the feeling the only thing at stake is the film’s running time.

It’s a real pity seeing as the film is brilliantly animated and incredibly stylish. The film had a production history of 7 long years and you can tell when watching it that all that time was well spent in honing the stunning visuals to perfection. It’s no exaggeration that this is a new benchmark in terms of pure animation. The film’s many characters have detailed, instantly distinguishable models and are fluidly animated, machines roar and rush over surfaces with incredible speed and there’s even the occasional use of deformed animation for stylish effect that’s very effective. The visuals in Redline are a labor of love and the best part is that it overwhelms the senses in a way that seems difficult (perhaps impossible) to replicate in another medium.

In the end, that makes it all the more tragic that these gorgeous visuals aren’t telling a story worth caring about. Worse yet, its main hook (the visuals) simply can’t be used to carry a 100-minute feature film. Some serious editing could have reduced it to have its length and it would’ve made for a better-flowing and much more enjoyable viewing experience.

As it is, Redline is a stunningly animated but overlong film with such incompetent storytelling that it cannot reach its full potential. One can only hope that first-time director Takashi Koike’s next project will be a lot more polished. As it is, the talent is there. It simply needs to be honed and guided properly.

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Apr 4, 2018

Knightmare_YK

Not Recommended

“Life’s overrated” – JP
“Redline’s overrated” – Me
Me : 1
Redline : 0
Oh, and yeah, this is a spoiler free review, not that it means anything because that would imply Redline has something to spoil.
Redline……. is an enigma.
Hailed as a masterpiece by some, it definitely is a deviant piece of work, I’ll give it that. Now, coming to the actual movie itself, it is a movie about …. about some cars in a race crashing into each other while vying for the top finish for …. eh, it really doesn’t matter. Because Redline is not the kind of movie you watch for the plot, and Redline is ... aware of that. It doesn’t really expect anybody to watch it for the plot, instead relying on its visuals to seal the deal for it, and I’m pretty cool with that. Redline wasn’t meant to be a plot heavy show after all, it was supposed to be a beacon of inspiration for Studio Trigger.
Seriously, if somebody was to describe ‘over the top’ in the most ‘over the top’ fashion, they would have to but come up with a single word : Redline.
And is that a good thing, well, its debatable. You see, Redline is too flashy for its own good, there is only so much things flying into each other I can take without getting a headache. And not only with the visuals, but the actual storyline is a mess as well. And no, the storyline is not ‘just’ complicated, it is balls out stupid, unnecessary, and just there for the sake of it, I kid you not when I say it beats Your Name for the flimsiest storyline ever. But as I’ve already mentioned, Redline is not meant to be taken seriously, but that does not excuse it for its sorry ass excuse of a story.
Mafia subplot? Check
Fanservice? Check
Exxxxplosioons!!!! Check
Jiggle physics? Check
Mechas disguised as cars? Check
Authoritative regime? Check
Neeeed for speeeed? Check
“Friendship” and Betrayal? Check
Trippy Visuals? Check
Cohesive story line? Nah, who cares.

Its almost as if a bunch of animators were locked in a room with a bottle of liquor and some drugs and told to draw cars flying around and Voila! Redline.
Coming to the characters, none of them matter or stick out, except the main characters JP, his gal (she has little personality otherwise) and maybe his (sorta?) friend, Frisbee, who is only memorable because of his FANTASTIC English VA (yeah, I watched it dubbed).
Now coming to the part which Redline IS about, Visuals… Now, I am aware Redline is universally acclaimed for its animation, and the animation is good, but its nothing spectacular. I guess the art style doesn’t really appeal to me much.
Sound: This is one area where Redline knocks the ball out of the fucking park. This has to be one of the most impressive OSTs I have heard. The sounds got me hyped everytime, and although there wasn’t any tension in the anime, the sound created them when needed. All the English VAs were fantastic and top notch. It has an amazing dub and it fit well with the characters themselves.
Overall: It would be incorrect to say Redline is a ‘bad’ movie, because it is not. Most of the strengths of the movie, like the psychedelic visuals, just didn’t appeal to me, I guess. An incoherent storyline doesn’t help, I guess. I would also like to say that if you are interested in this movie then go ahead and give it a watch, because this is unlike anything you have (probably) seen, and this is an experience difficult to explain. Just don’t go in with high expectations, and I’m sure you will be delighted.
Enjoyment Level: Mildly Disappointed, but its okay as a whole I guess.
Oh, and I forgot to mention this is only my 8113rd review and English is my 427th language so please ignore all mistakes, grammatical or factual.
[spoiler]In case you didn’t get it, I’m kidding. Yes I know, my humour sucks, thank you.[/spoiler]

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Poll: Redline Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) De-JaY - Aug 20, 2010	352 replies	by Cammell »» Mar 31, 2:10 PM
Delisted DrFluffyUnicorn - Mar 6	4 replies	by amermelao »» Mar 13, 2:08 PM
Whay did Sonoshee... SinDrake - Mar 5	1 replies	by DoobieSam »» Mar 5, 6:01 PM
Poll: dub or sub Sunproof21 - Jul 15, 2023	10 replies	by HenryLeo123 »» Feb 7, 2:08 PM
How has no one acknowledged this movie's crazy Jojo vibes? coreynj - Feb 14, 2023	23 replies	by YahiyaX777L »» Oct 5, 2023 5:02 AM

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