Manie-Manie: Meikyuu Monogatari

Esta review también está en español.

Well, well... what do we have here...
Neo Tokyo is composed of three short films, each one directed by a giant of the anime industry. Since the works are so different from each other, I will comment them separately n_n.

Labyrinth labyrinthos (also known as Manie-Manie), by Rintaro (he participated in such things like Jungle Taitei, Astro Boy, Petshop of Horrors, X/1999 and many other renowned works).
This is the first short, and the most surreal of the three. LL introduces us to Sachi, a girl that, along her cat Cicerone, is sent to a giant maze, after crossing a clock/mirror/portal/whatever. Once in ... this new world, our protagonist will face strange experiences, and the intensity of the unusual is going to rise to uncanny levels... Fortunately, Sachi's going to find a guide: a creepy (really creepy) clown. This enigmatic character will lead her to a safer (?) place...
If after reading the previous paragraph you thought that this short was bizarre, just wait to see the characters. Just to say something, Sachi's pants are so high that they reach her armpits (in what is obviously a hidden tribute to Ed Grimley xD). All the inhabitants of the maze are weird, going from invisible beings to skeletons. The character design is almost cartoonish, being the cat the most detailed one. The rest look a bit too... "curvy" let's say. Anyway, the animation, although weird, is impeccable (this was done in 1987, but it doesn't look old at all).
The voices met the expectations. There's not much of a dialogue to begin with, but they're good. The music is quite unique, featuring classical pieces such as Gymnopédies and Toreador Song by Georges Bizet! (the guy who made Carmen).
Final comment: well, this thing is weird. Without going to the insane, surreal levels of things like Chocolate Panic Picture Show (though, of course, nothing can be that crazy xD), Labyrinth labyrinthos is a picturesque experience that vaguely remind me Alice in Wonderland. At least from my point of view, in this short you are not supposed to find a purpose, or an answer, but rather enjoy the ride. Each step Sachi and Cicerone take, there's a surprise waiting. Whether striking, bizarre or horrifying, we want to know what's next, and what's at the end of the maze. And as a final point, we could say that this short and the other two are slightly connected, despite being three separate works. You'll see why n_n.

Running Man, by Yoshiaki Kawajiri (involved in things like Legend of the Galactic Heroes: My Conquest Is the Sea of Stars, Mirai Shounen Conan, Tetsuwan Birdy and many others).
Luckily, RM is simpler to explain than LL. In a futuristic world, where races to death (kinda similar to the game Wipeout) are the favorite betting event, Zach "Grim Reaper" Hughes is the best competitor, undefeated for almost ten years, and once again is participating with the idea of destroying his rivals. Zach's secret: telekinetic powers, which he use to crush his competitors.
Well, RM is nothing like the others shorts in Neo Tokyo. Here everything is more serious, the character design is more realistic, and deaths, explosion and agony are pretty common here. Visually, is the best thing in this movie/compilation.
The sound, like in the case of LL, is good. There isn't much dialogue, or music, or anything, but that’s the way it's supposed to be.
Final comment: Although this short may sound simple, there are several things to consider. Running Man is not presented in order: is a series of flashbacks interspersed with the present. This can be quite confusing, and it may be necessary to watch it more than once to fully understand what’s happening. Not that the story is complex (quite the opposite, the idea is pretty simple), is just that is set in a disorderly way.

The Order to Stop Construction, by Katsuhiro Otomo (he did Akira. There's nothing else i should say).
In a near future, revolution (or better say, LA REVOLUCIÓN!) hits the fictional South American country of Aloana. With the change of command, a japanese construction company received the order the cessation of activities in that country. Receiving no response from the foreman of the construction, the company sends Tsutomu Sugioka, a common employee, with the mission to find what happened to his predecessor, and inform the workers (all of them robots) of the current situation. Tsutomu tries to reason with 444-1, the robot that was left in charge of the work, asking him to dismantle all the structures and machines in the most efficient way, so a big sum of money can be saved, but everything this artificial being have in mind is finish the construction. At all cost.
The Order is not as visually spectacular as Running Man, but it definitely is excellent. Featuring a great combination of nature and technology, the construction is huge and incredibly detailed. All the robots follow a similar graphic pattern, but all of them are different from each other, being the 444-1 the most detailed one, and the one that changes the most along the film. Tsutomu has buck teeth xD, but he's fine. He really looks the way he acts. He's a nerd, but he tries really hard to fulfill his mission.
The sound... well in this work, there's talking. All the robot's voices sound the same way: robotized xD. Tsutomu is an angry little man, and his seiyuu give him an irritated and sometimes high-pitched voice, so good work there. And, like in LL, we have a classical piece here: Morning Mood, by Edvard Grieg (gentleman who also did In the Hall of the Mountain King).
Final comment: I can't say that this is Neo Tokyo's best short, but it definitely is my favorite (aw, screw it, this is the best :D). Much more direct and easier to understand than the other two, the story of The Order is just great, full of intrigue and tension, and a few twists every now and then (and all that in less than 15 minutes!). Also, this is one of many works that leaves us a valuable lesson about over-reliance that we have with technology.

Final comment (the global one): Neo Tokyo is a very interesting compilation. Each short has different things to offer, so there are high chances that not everyone likes them same way, but is that variety that makes NT a production suitable for a wide range of people (instead of being just recommendable for those who likes shonens, shojo, sci fi, horror, or any specific genre).
I recommend this to... everyone reading this. For me, The Order makes all this worth it, but you, Mr. reader, you can find compelling any of the three short, it's on you.
Anyways, thx for the reading, and please give a chance to Neo Tokyo.
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Bueno... que es lo que tenemos aquí...
Neo Tokyo está compuesta por tres cortos, cada uno dirigido por un gigante de la industria. Dado que las historias son tan distintas, voy a tener que comentarlas por separado n_n.

Labyrinth labyrinthos (o Manie-Manie), de Rintaro (tal vez lo conozcan, participo en series como Jungle Taitei, Astro Boy, Petshop of Horrors, X/1999, y mil cosas mas...)
El primer corto, y el más surrealista de los tres. LL nos muestra a Sachi, una niña que, junto a su gato Cicerone, se internan en un laberinto luego de atravesar un reloj/espejo/portal. Una vez en el nuevo mundo, nuestros protagonistas vivirán experiencias extrañas, y la intensidad de lo raro subirá a niveles impensados... por suerte, Sachi encuentra un guía: un payaso vestido de blanco que, francamente, es bastante macabro. Como sea, este enigmático personaje los conducirá a un lugar mas... ¿seguro?
Si el planteo de este corto les parece bizarro, deberían ver a los personajes. Los pantalones de Sachi le llegan casi a las axilas, en lo que parece ser un homenaje a Ed Grimley. Todos los habitantes del laberinto son extraños, pasando desde seres invisibles a esqueletos. El diseño de personajes es bien caricaturesco, siendo el gato la excepción (se ve más detallado que el resto). Como sea, la animación, si bien rara, es impecable.
Las voces cumplen. La verdad, no hay mucho dialogo, pero no tengo quejas. La música es bien peculiar, presentando piezas clásicas como Gymnopédies y Toreador Song, de Georges Bizet! (el tipo que hizo Carmen).
Comentario final: Wow, esta cosa es rara. Sin llegar a los niveles de locura de cosas como Chocolate Panic Picture Show (aunque claro, nada llega a esos niveles de locura xD), Labyrinth labyrinthos es una experiencia pintoresca que me recuerda de forma vaga a Alicia en el país de las maravillas. Al menos desde mi punto de vista, en este corto no hay que buscar mucho sentido, o una respuesta, sino más bien disfrutar el viaje. Por que a cada paso que dan Sachi y Cicerone, hay una sorpresa esperando. Ya sea llamativa, bizarra o espeluznante, queremos saber qué es lo que sigue, y que es lo que hay al final del laberinto. Y como dato final, se podría decir que este corto y los otros dos están levemente conectados, a pesar de ser tres trabajos independientes. Ya verán porque n_n.

Running Man, de Yoshiaki Kawajiri (sujeto involucrado en cosas como Legend of the Galactic Heroes: My Conquest Is the Sea of Stars, Mirai Shounen Conan, Tetsuwan Birdy, y otras muchas).
Por suerte, RM es más simple de explicar que LL. En un mundo futurista, donde las carreras a muerte (para que se hagan una idea, es muy similar al juego Wipeout) son el evento favorito de los apostadores, Zach “Grim Reaper” Huges es el mejor corredor de la historia, multi-campeón invicto por casi diez años, y está participando una vez más con la idea de destrozar a sus rivales. El secreto de Zach: poderes telequineticos, con los que destruye a la competencia.
Bueno, RM no se parece en nada a sus compañeros de Neo-Tokyo. Acá todo es más serio, el diseño de personajes es bastante realista, y se ven muertes, explosiones y agonía bastante seguido. Visualmente, es lo mejor que hay en esta película.
El sonido, al igual que con LL, cumple. No tengo nada destacable que decir al respecto.
Comentario final: a pesar de que este cortó pueda parecer sencillo por lo que escribí, hay varios detalles a tener en cuenta. Running Man no está presentada de forma cronológica: es una sucesión de flashbacks que se intercalan con el presente. Esto puede ser bastante confuso, y probablemente sea necesario ver la película más de una vez para entender bien que es lo que pasa. No es que la historia sea compleja (todo lo contrario), simplemente está planteada de forma desordenada.

The Order to Stop Construction, de Katsuhiro Otomo (el tipo hizo Akira. No hace falta embellecer más su curriculum)
En un futuro no muy lejano, en el ficticio país Sudamericano de Aloana estallo un golpe de estado. Con el cambio de mandos, una empresa de construcción japonesa recibe la orden del cese de las actividades en dicho país. Al no recibir respuestas del capataz de la obra, la empresa envía a Tsutomu Sugioka, un empleado común, con la misión de averiguar que paso con su predecesor, además de informarle a los trabajadores (todos ellos robots) de la situación actual. Tsutomu quiere razonar con 444-1, el robot que quedo a cargo de la obra, pidiéndole que desmantele todo de forma eficiente para minimizar las pérdidas económicas, pero lo único que tiene en mente este individuo artificial es terminar la construcción. A toda costa.
The Order no es tan espectacular visualmente como Running Man, pero decididamente es excelente. Presentando una muy buena combinación de naturaleza con tecnología, la obra es monumental, increíblemente grande y detallada. Los robots, aunque siguen un patrón similar, son muy distintos unos de otros, siendo el 444-1 el más detallado, y el que más varia a lo largo de la película. Tsutomu tiene dientes de conejo xD, pero por lo demás está bien. Es un nerd, pero se esfuerza en serio para cumplir con su cometido.
El sonido... bueno, a diferencia de los otros dos cortos, acá si se habla. Todos los robots suenan igual: robotizados xD. Tsutomu es un hombrecito irritado, y su seiyuu se comporto a la altura, dotándolo de una vos a veces irritante, con un ocasional timbre agudo. Y al igual que con LL, acá también tenemos una pieza clásica: Morning Mood, de Edvar Grieg (señor que también hizo In the Hall of the Mountain King).
Comentario final: No puedo decir que TOtSC sea el mejor corto de Neo Tokyo, pero decididamente es mi favorito. Mucho más directa y fácil de entender que los otros dos, la historia de The Order es simplemente genial, llena de intriga y tensión, además de los varios giros que va dando la trama (y todo eso en menos de 15 minutos!). Además, esta es otra de las tantas obras que nos deja una moraleja acerca de la dependencia excesiva que tenemos con la tecnología.

Comentario final global: Neo Tokyo es un compilado muy interesante. Cada corto tiene cosas distintas que ofrecer, por lo que es probable que no todos gusten de la misma forma, pero es esa misma variedad lo que hace de Neo Tokyo una producción recomendable para un amplio espectro de personas (en lugar de ser solo recomendable para los que les gusten los shonen, o los shojo, o la ciencia ficción, el horror...).
Recomiendo esto a... todo el que me está leyendo n_n. Para mí, The Order hace que ver esto valga la pena, pero usted, señor lector, puede encontrar atrapante cualquiera de los tres cortos, está en usted.
Gracias por leer, y por favor, denle a Neo Tokyo una oportunidad! (en serio, no sé por qué tan poca gente vio esto. Será falta de publicidad? Si es por eso, acabo de contribuir a la solución del problema xD).

This particular anime is divided into three separate segments, each under a different screenwriter and film director. The following of those screenwriters/directors being Rintarō, who worked on anime films like Metropolis, X & Captain Harlock; Yoshiaki Kawajiri, known for creating titles such as Wicked City, Ninja Scroll (the movie, not the f***ing TV series) & Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust; and last but not least, Katsuhiro Ōtomo, who we all know for Akira, which is not only one of my favorite anime, but one of my favorite movies.

The first segment is “Labyrinth labyrinthos” by Rintarō about a young girl named Sachi trapped in a game ... of hide-and-seek with her cat Cicerone and her search leads her to a longcase clock that doubles as an entry to the labyrinth world. It also serves as the ‘top-level’ story or a framing device that leading to the following segments.

The second segment shown is “The Running Man” by Yoshiaki Kawajiri that takes place in a futuristic world where people race to the death (although this have appeared in movies in numerous times) and one of the best is Zack “Grim Reaper” Hughes, remaining undefeated for 10 years but how does he keep winning for so long? He was telekinetic powers to vanquish his competition.

The final segment is “The Order to Stop Construction” or “Construction Suspension Order” by Katsuhiro Ōtomo where a revolution in the fictional country of the Aloana Republic has resulted into having newer government installed but refuses to accept a contract and the company sent down salaryman Tsutomu Sugioka to stop production but as it turns out the work is fully automated and won’t stop to any cause.

If I have to pick one of these shorts to be a favorite of mine, it would have to be “The Running Man”, mainly because I can notice some of Kawajiri’s traits of realistic designs of the characters, the deaths among with the element of agonizing pain and misery. While having the power to stop your opponent can make you one of the most notorious racers ever known, having that isn’t going to last forever. “The Order to Stop Construction” while having an excellent detail of the combination of nature & tech, which all the praise goes to Ōtomo but it’s not what I call the best. The only human character in here just seems like the pushover dork that should’ve known better than to accept something that could get him killed. “Labyrinth labyrinthos” is a very simple story of entering another world as a child and it is a visual marvel but it’s nothing glorious about it.

The animation here is done by……well, damn, MADHOUSE and this is a title made in 1987 and it does retain its vintage looks much like any anime made in the 1980s. It has aged very well throughout the years ahead of its existence. However, on the voices and I rarely go on about voice acting but the Streamline Pictures dub is really lackluster, but consider back then, awful English dubs did exist back then and it really shows how awful it is, it’s not 4Kids awful but Streamline Pictures don’t even try to make it sound good, especially on the dub of Akira (for future references, Yes, I rather prefer the Pioneer/Geneon dub to Akira rather than the Streamline dub. Excuse me while I get my shields and beating stick.) The music is composed of Western classical music: the first of Erik Satie's Gymnopédies and the "Toreador Song" of Georges Bizet's Carmen in "Labyrinth" and "Morning Mood" from Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt score, in an ironic manner, in "The Order" in addition to original music by Mickie Yoshino.

FINAL VERDICT: It’s a fairly well-done anime that has many visual and storytelling contributions from three different directors/screenwriters. Aside from the bad dub, it’s something I would recommend if you want to explore something different than the usual.

-A young girl playing with her pet cat searches for fun and ends up in another dimension. But is this really a new world she's exploring, or can this be a figment of her imagination?

A reporter is sent by a magazine he writes for to do an article on a race car driver, but this isn't an ordinary race. This is a futuristic race called the Death Race, and drivers normally last between 1 to 2 years. Zack Hugh has been champion for years and has been surviving all competition in the process.

The Aleona Republic has recently undergone a coup. There's a company whom has ... been under contract with the previous government to run a construction site called 444. Due to the new rule the company is being forced to leave. After losing contact with the previous foreman, the company sends one of their workers named Sugioka Tsutomu with orders to shut down the project. However, the project is being ran by a pre-programed robot, whom will see the job done at any cost.-

This is a rare gem from way back. Neo Tokyo which is most notably known as Manie Manie: The Labyrinth Tales, is a 1986 OVA containing three separate stories that were directed by three individuals whose names went on to become legendary in the anime world. Rintaro, his most notable work may be Metropolis. However, this is not one of my favorites at all. I instead prefer Doomed Megalopolis. Katsuhiro Otomo is most known for Akira. I prefer Memories way before that one. Finally, Yoshiaki Kawajiri is very well known for Ninja Scroll. Well, I consider Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust to be his best work by far. Each of the stories display their directorial talents and whether you love them or hate them; they would later go on to direct some of the most recognized and cherished titles in the anime world.

Neo Tokyo is a splendid and most often overlooked work, which depends on its visuals to tell a story without the use of constant and linear dialogue. The first two stories utilize very little dialogue in its narrative. While the third story contains plenty of dialogue and utilizes its themes. Several anime fans I have spoken to on this series favors the last episode. Others plain don't like the series at all. Whatever.

Story One: Labyrinth

This story is directed by Rintaro. This is a very imaginative and well crafted work. The narrative utilizes a dream type setting. It's telling a story with many images and supernatural occurrences; such as the myth behind alternate dimensions within mirrors.

The unique character designs carries the personality of the dream type atmosphere. It's really something that must be seen. The music which is made up of playful piano pieces further establishes the mood, by switching between a playful child like rhythmn, and into a sped up cadence creating a more nightmarish style, which blends very well with the visuals and appears to match the speed of the piano keys. The combination of visuals and music is simply stunning. The animation has stood the test of time and doesn't feel dated in the slightest to me.

Story Two: The Running Man

This is a glimpse of Kawajiri's future works. This short tale also proves that Kawajiri at one point could also deliver a real thought provoking story. Outside of the introduction that is narrated by the reporter. There is also very little dialogue to be found here.

This story is also told with the character. From what I gathered, this was a story exploring the transition from obsession into madness. This second story is the most brutal of the three, with Kawajiri utilizing his now legendary trademark which are creative and imaginative death scenes. The visuals are also outstanding, very dark and even creepy, which blends very well with the self-destructing themes being portrayed.

Story Three: Construction Cancellation Order

I found this story to be the least engaging of the three despite being the longest. The reason being, I was attached to the visual style of storytelling, therefore I was expecting more of the same. Still, it's another interesting story packed with style and substance. This is a story about man relying too heavily on technology, thus losing control of his tools. The story is somewhat predictable and the ending could have been a little better.

Neo Tokyo is a great collection of stories, but they apparently do have a flaw holding them back. The stories feel a bit like ideas that could have been a whole lot more had they been given a longer run time. Each of the stories are around 14 to 16 minutes, with the third maybe being a little more than 20 or so. They seem like small pieces of a larger work, yet so much is accomplished in that short amount of time where as anime such as Blood: The Last Vampire accomplishes very little, to almost absolutely nothing in twice the time.

Even though Neo Tokyo does feel held back. The OVA makes a strong case on why it should be among the better of its type. The stories are very well written. The animation & artwork is excellent, plus both langauges have their place. I highly recommend watching both languages which are well above average, plus watching the series twice for a better grasp of the stories. Neo Tokyo also happens to have a feel that resembles The Twilight Zone.

This is an anime that has been sitting comfortably in my collection for years. I mainly recommend this to the serious anime fans. Most notably the ones whom enjoy analyzing what they watch.

Highs: Spectacular animation & artwork, imaginative & interesting stories

Lows: Could have been much more, some won't see the appeal

Some of the 1st anime short-story´s ever made , and a damn cultclassic that u don't see much anymore in 21st century anime. And yeah it was handdrawn ofc in 3 diffrent ways made by some of japans most revered anime directors, very well done. Each of the story have an special feel to it , futuristic, or just dramastyle with some charach. involved rapidly, but it ends with sense, background scenes are a bit sketchy an lightcolored, but marvelous surroundings nevertheless. for years on end i ever had this on videotape i really enjoy things like this and became a fav just like ... memorie's

Manie-Manie: Meikyuu Monogatari, or Neo Tokyo; it’s Western release title, has no relation to Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira. It is a film collection of three shorts of little relation, the last short being directed by Otomo was the source of the alternate name; an attempt to capitalise on Akira’s success. Naming aside, the shorts Labyrinth Labyrinthos, directed by Rintaro, Running Man, directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, and Construction Cancellation Order, directed by Otomo, are each wildly different. They are tales of intrigue each presented in a completely different world, with a different, vivid art style. The thread that holds them together, is that each story is loosely ... adapted from Japanese Science fiction writer and poet Taku Mayumura. Each story depicts a setting and characters that exist outside of the audience’s, and provides the viewer a window into their respective worlds as a stranger, permitted to observe, and interpret what they wish from what they see. These stories do not anchor the reader to a relatable protagonist, or strongly suggest what one should feel and make of an event. Considering their narrative disconnectedness, I’ll break down each segment individually.
Labyrinth Labyrinthos:
Labyrinth Labyrinthos is an arthouse short, with no defined storyline or direction, instead portraying the bizarre, ethereal journey of a girl and her uniquely named cat Cicerone in their game of hide and seek, which happens to occur in a... you guessed it; labyrinth. Despite lacking a story, there are numerous interpretations to made from the surreal and creative imagery the short presents. This alone, results in a high re-watch value, as with each time, the short takes you on a different chain of thoughts and interpretations.
Similarly their is no real characters present, only a girl and her cat. We follow their journey, but their is no character development, nor should there been anything of the sort in this type of story that focuses on style and aesthetics. But, again, it can be fun to speculate as to what drives the girl, how many layers of metaphor the setting is under, and what on Earth does it all mean!? And that is ultimately up to you to decide, which can make or break your experience.
The art and direction, naturally is this shorts strongpoint. The animation is smooth, dynamic and lively, the character and weird creature designs are all hypnotic, whilst the backgrounds are fantastical, and often eerie. The emphasis on red is incredibly engaging and makes the short a marvel to look at, and the sound design is suitably atmospheric and dreamy.
Labyrinth Labyrinthos is vibrant, enchanting and just really weird in a great way. It serves as a framing device for the other shorts in the collection, establishing a brilliantly bizarre tone.
Running Man:
Kawajiri creates an ethereal and bizarre short too, yet its plot and starkly different artstyle crafts its own identity. The short follows Zach Hugh, the immortal, veteran racer, who participates in the infamous 'Death Circus', a not so shockingly deadly race. We explore his fragile and volatile mental state, as his years of racing has sent him to the brink of insanity. Secrets surrounding his victory are revealed, and an explosive climax to his career unfolds. Structure-wise, Kawajiri tended to intersperse flashbacks from fairly recent events into the short, which were ultimately a little messy. The content itself was upon re-watching was important, but the delivery was a little too obscure. Despite having the most straightforward storyline of the three shorts, I found Running Man to be the most incoherent, requiring a rewatch. Despite this, Hugh's desperate, manic and endless desire for first place was highly engaging, and left room to think about his motivations by the end.
A reporter character is inserted into the story to provide sparse exposition, and act as a stand in for the viewer, the events of the race unfolding before him. He has no personality of development and is merely a tool to advance the story. His expository was a little distracting, detracting from the deeply grounded story Running Man establishes, but his perspective as an outsider looking upon the mangled mess of a man that is Zach Hugh, aids Hugh's sense of mysteriousness and insanity. We see Hugh at breaking point, the weight of the countless deaths he directly and indirectly caused crushing him, his ever-present drive for first place overriding all logic and reason, his spiritual journey and conflict tells an interesting story of ego, lust and reliance, one which is incredibly re-watchable.
The production of Running Man, is arguably the best of the three. Dripping in 90's style, even the way the light raced across a set of iron bars brought myself immense satisfaction. There is not much not to love in regards to animation, art and sound. The racing is kinetic, the numerous explosions were a joy to look at and the roaring or the engines were satisfying. As for music, their was none, only an amalgamation of numerous HUD beeps, engine roars and glass shattering, which really grounded the race, and enhanced the tension.
Running Man is a spectacle, on both in production, and is the sad conclusion to the unbreakable Zach Hugh's career, one that should be viewed.
Construction Cancellation Order:
At last, Construction Cancellation Order, the short directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, from which the series' "Neo Tokyo" originated. With no relation to Akira, the short is the goofiest of the three, marveling in its worlds' hopelessness and foolishness. We follow our ignorant protagonist, a salary-man Tsutomu Sugioka, who perfectly embodies the shorts theme; our over-dependence on technology. Deep in the South American jungle, a mega-corporation mindlessly inserts itself into the ecosystem with an army of automated robots, the short explores the potential consequences and sequential horror that such robot dependence may bring about. The plot is linear, loopy and mostly just fun to watch, nothing much more to want. Considering the simple storyline, the fairly obvious message and lack of other ideas present could be a negative, but not much else.
As for characters, Sugioka, the dumbfounded and desperate replaceable employee, is probably the biggest detractor of this short. As the embodiment of human reliance and a lack of autonomy, he is understandingly annoying, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating to watch.. his exaggerated overbite doesn't help either. Contrarily, the leader, and manager of the robot workers, Robot 444-1 was incredibly memorable and charming. His innocent jittering and mannerisms conflicted with his sadistic, corrupted motives, making for an incredibly entertaining enemy. Both characters (the only characters) function very well as respective embodiments for humanity and robots; Sugioka, a little lame, but Robot 444-1 charm ensures most annoyances recede into the background.
The production, as with all of the shorts, is fantastic. The animation is smooth, bombastic, the artstyle is peak 80's and 90's wonderfulness, and the character designs (mostly the robots) are quirkily memorable. The sound is a unique cacophony of construction noises; clangs, dings and thuds, the tempo gradually speeding up, increasing the tense and distressing atmosphere.
Otomo crafted a fun, dynamic short with a strong, core message that will surely become more and more important as time goes on. Whilst not as technically impressive as Running Man, or whimsical as Labyrinth Labyrinthos, it's certainly the most comedic, fun, and perhaps enjoyable.

Manie-Manie Meikyuu Labyrinth was enthralling. Not perfect, and certainly a hit or miss for some, but its charm shone particularly strongly for me.

Manie-Manie: Meikyuu Monogatari is a movie consisting in three short films. Since these short films are completely unrelated, have different art-styles and are made by different people, I will review them separately.

The first short film, Labyrinth Labyrinthos, is the most experimental of the movie, with an original art-style that doesn’t look like anime at all, and it is hard to tell what’s exactly happening in it, despite the fact that the animation is of very high quality. It involves at little girl and her cat chasing a mime from a circus in a labyrinth. Since it is pretty short (roughly 15 minutes), there is ... no actual story or character development, but it is interesting for its nightmare-like visuals. Most of the background music is classical music. Sadly, the voice-acting is a bit bad, and the sound effects are weird.

The second short film, Running Man, is less experimental, with a more classic art-style, and a more understandable story. It is set in futuristic city and focuses on a champion racer who goes crazy and starts using telekinesis to destroy his opponents. In this film, too, the animation is superb, and is even more detailed – the faces in particular – than in the previous one, and only for that, it is worth watching. However, this short film is too slow, and the voice-acting is, just like in the previous, not very good.

The third and last film, The Order to Stop Construction, is the longest and the most complete, as it has an actual introduction, a confrontation and an end. It is about a salary-man who has been ordered by his bosses to stop a fully automated construction project. He arrives at the construction site and discovers that the robot who is in charge of the project has gone crazy and wants to finish the project no matter what. The characters and the story in this short film are most fleshed out than in the previous ones, and contrary to the second film it doesn’t focus on only one character. The voice-acting is more decent than in the two other films, and the background music is alright. The art-style is more anime-like, and the backgrounds are very nice and detailed.

The problem with this movie is the same as all collections of short films: they are too short to leave an impact on the viewer. Nevertheless, these three short films are interesting to watch, the first for its nightmare-like visuals, the second for its very detailed animation, and the third for its story. I recommend watching them.


SUB-SCORE EXPLANATION:

Animation: great animation and backgrounds in all three films → 9/10

Sound: the first and second films have some problems in the VA and the sound effects, the last film is alright; the BGM is decent→ 6/10

Story: the first film has no story, the second film as a very short story, the last film is good→ 6/10

Characters: no character development in the first film; some in the second film; characters in the last film are more fleshed out→ 6/10

Enjoyment: all these films where enjoyable in some way; some sentimental value; high re-watch value → 7/10

Overall: 7/10

This is clearly about Karoshi, the wonders and inocence of a childs point of view contrasted with the brutality of the short tales that point out the demise of a man in the top and the hell of being the man in the middle, followed by a return to all the fanfare of infancy. This more arthouse... So expect iconography instead of story telling. Although that increases replay value, it makes rough to enjoy it in an ordinary day, the soundtrack makes a throught-line that helps connect the dots, but everything is quite subjective.
Pay atention to the settings and you will understand mirroring dualities of ... fantasy and hard scy-fy, in the world of the child versus the world of the adults. Its not subtle nor inovative, but very clever and has a good message with all its roughness.
The core message aged very well, since its a timeless struggle. Yet the art-style is definitely retro nowadays and to whoever does not appreciate the feel of it. There is no 4K version of this that I'm aware of and this is can scare of some of you.
Returning to the art-house part, this is where I understand if you get lost... Thing is, I love it! It goes straight into the madness, a paragraph or two of context and now here's the story. It works on your empathy and the settings, the places, the body language tells everything you need to know. This is a great ova. Short and sweet.