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Regularly scheduled disclaimer: I don't believe in the MAL rating system, so ignore everything but the overall score if you actually want to know my opinion for some reason.

Natsu e no Tobira is, like many films from this era, more interesting from a historical perspective (in this case as one of the earliest depictions of gay characters and perhaps the first proper BL anime). Unfortunately unlike films like Ashita no Joe in a similar position, its characters are lacking the core appeal they need to make the growing pains of anime as a medium more tolerable, and ultimate there isn't much to actually say ... about the film as a piece of art beyond its historical context. It is, at times, very pretty, but its style doesn't particularly convey a depth of character or an interesting enough aesthetic to really justify the existence of the film. None of the characters are necessarily unlikable per se, and I actually do think that thematically it is fairly interesting: an exploration of the passion of love and youth and the inability to rationalize them, the way neglect can prime people who think they know better for abuse, etc. However there's just not enough substance or nuance here for me to say that those themes are explored well.

To keep it short, this film certainly has historical interest, and isn't particularly long, so if you're curious about the origins of BL and want to observe fairly pretty art for a while, it is worth checking out. From a purely artistic perspective, though, it ultimately falls short.

Regularly scheduled disclaimer: I don't believe in the MAL rating system, so ignore everything but the overall score if you actually want to know my opinion for some reason.

Here's the short version: Ginga Tetsudou 999 is fun and gorgeous and absolutely worth watching.

The most obvious appeal is the visuals: it's directed by Rintaro, and you can tell. Every single sequence in the movie is beautifully animated and expressive. The big action set pieces are just plain fun to watch if only to marvel at how great they all look. The opening scene is in particular a standout, especially because it (like the entire film) has ... beautiful character animation that gives you an immediate sense of the personality and attitude of every key player. Tetsuro in particular is instantly likable, even before you learn anything about his backstory, purely because the animation makes watching him move and talk and make faces so enjoyable. Once the film gets going, Rintaro uses character animation judiciously to develop Tetsuro and Maetel's relationship, which is just charming and lovely to watch. The beautiful settings and environments, especially

A contrast with the Ashita no Joe film is illustrative here: both are movie adaptations of very long classic 70s anime, with excellent (though very different) character designs by Sugino Akio (who also designed a number of other classic 70s shows and would go on to do work on Black Jack and, most famously, Legend of the Galactic Heroes.) 999 makes the smart decision to cut the majority of planets and leave behind the most powerful ones, and use character animation to fill in the gaps left behind in the key dynamic of the film. Ashita no Joe's character animation is great too, and the film similarly uses it to characterize its key players, but unlike 999 it doesn't rely on this animation to do the heavy lifting and instead adapts many of the key plot beats and details from the TV series. The resulting movie ends up feeling a bit plodding, which 999 largely avoids.

That's not to say the film is devoid of flaws: you can definitely still feel at times the limitations of adaptation, and many side characters are introduced and developed but not really tied into the conclusion, and left feeling interesting but ultimately a tad superfluous. The movie attempts to graft the core plot of the show together with episodic adventures in a way that doesn't quite manage to feel seamless, and I'd be lying if I said I was particularly interested in the core themes or came out of it feeling impacted in a way more substantial than "That was fun!" Still, fun isn't at all a bad thing to be, and Ginga Tetsudo 999 does it very well.

Regularly scheduled disclaimer: I don't believe in the MAL rating system, so ignore everything but the overall score if you actually want to know my opinion for some reason.

Ashita no Joe is a film that's very hard to evaluate or discuss outside of the context it emerged from. It's hard to call it a *good* film, exactly: it suffers from the kind of severe pacing issues you'd expect to emerge adapting a nearly 80 episode story into a single film, and at it's lowest points even the excellent designs can't really save the scenes that are simply underanimated and lacking in life. But viewing the ... film as someone intimately aware of the legacy of Ashita no Joe, it's hard not to instinctively look past the problems and appreciate the movie's best moments and core appeal. For every scene that drags on there's another that moves exactly the way you want it to and shows off the best of Dezaki Osamu's directing, and for all the barebones, underanimated moments within the film there are excellent bits of character animation and engaging fights that put the rough linework and overall aesthetic to great use.

Ultimately I think it is the protagonists and main characters in the film that keep it engaging even when it fails on a moment to moment level. Joe is likable and funny and kind of a jerk, and watching him grow bit by bit and find something meaningful to channel his anger and malaise into is satisfying. He has this roguish charm to him that's just flat out fun even when you're kind of bored and the movie is starting to drag, and despite his cruelty the tiny details in the animation when present make him feel like more than just an asshole and show you a level of interiority and complexity that keeps you rooting for him. The other characters are really solid, too, but the rapid arc of the show leaves moments that should be more dramatic (particularly regarding Tange) out of place and rushed. Still Rikiishi is compelling too, so you're genuinely invested in both sides of the final fight, which make the events of the ending (which I won't spoil if you happen to not know) feel impactful and satisfying.

That's again not to say the movie manages to overcome the structural and pacing problems inherent to it: it tries to adapt a very long story into a movie: a very long movie, but still just a movie. In some ways the length only makes it harder: it manages to slow down enough to be comprehensible, but I think if the fat was trimmed and the story was adjusted a bit those 2 and a half hours or so could be slimmed into a probably better film.

Still, Ashita no Joe is I think worth watching: for historical reasons, yes, but also because there's real value in the animation and characters on display here, and because the story has things to say and stories to tell that have impact and meaning today.