Metropolis

During an investigation, private detective Shunsaku Ban and his nephew Kenichi travel from Japan to Metropolis—a restless high-tech city where people brutally persecute their robot cohabitants and a dictatorial force rises in power. The two are investigating Dr. Laughton, a scientist suspected of human organ trading, who is supposedly hiding there. Unbeknownst to all, Dr. Laughton has built a cutting-edge female android called Tima for the most influential man in Metropolis, Duke Red.

When Dr. Laughton's laboratory ends up in flames following an unforeseen incident, Shunsaku and Kenichi are separated while looking for survivors. Kenichi rescues a disoriented Tima and struggles to protect her from Duke Red's ruthless foster son, Rock, who pursues the robot girl. Unaware of Tima's true nature, Kenichi befriends her as a human being. Meanwhile, Shunsaku tries to reunite with the boy, unraveling dark schemes that evolve in the city's background—including the key role of Kenichi's protegee in Duke Red's ambitious goal for domination.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Holmes, Rock Main

Okada, Kouki Japanese

Tima Main

Imoto, Yuka Japanese

Hige Oyaji Main

Tomita, Kousei Japanese

Shikishima, Kenichi Main

Kobayashi, Kei Japanese

Fifi Supporting

Aikawa, Rikako Japanese

Ham Egg Supporting

Ebara, Masashi Japanese

Lamp, Acetylene Supporting

Chiba, Shigeru Japanese

Red, Duke Supporting

Ishida, Tarou Japanese

Pero Supporting

Wakamoto, Norio Japanese

Foodstand Vendor Supporting

Maruyama, Masao Producer, Planning

Maseba, Yutaka Producer

Rintarou Director, Planning

Mima, Masafumi Sound Director

Reviews

Nov 6, 2024

Redlinkkid

Recommended

Just got out of watching Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis; Written by Katsuhiro Otomo and directed by Rintaro, since it got reaired thanks to an Anime Expo Cinema Event. Always love that they do that so I can appreciate these movies in theaters. What an excellent movie. My theater was small but after we finished the film we all talked about Captain Harlock and how cool the movie was. I should get my parents to watch it. This movie doesn't get a lot of talk so it was nice to watch it and experience it blind as someone who hadn't read the manga. A must-watch for ... any older anime enjoyed!! I have to read the manga because I've heard it is very different, I wish Dark Horse would reprint it alongside a bunch of other Tezuka stuff, would be nice. Yeah would recommend, 9/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jan 18, 2025

immosha

Mixed Feelings

An amazingly animated movie with beautiful visuals, but drags too much to be a particularly captivating movie.

Modeled somewhere between the 1927 German film and Tezuka's manga, it provides a criticism of industrialist oligarchy and presents a view of warfare that resounds quite strongly in our tech-dominated world in 2025. Overall, not a bad way of addressing the themes of workers and technology.

The animation is incredible - I was often caught surprised at the raw amount of animated ones used for many scenes, and the realism in movement despite the Tezuka-inspired designs is something you simply don't see much of today. The CG isn't ... amazing, but sparsely used and serviceable considering the work.

Unfortunately, the lengthy world building and poorly fleshed out characters fail to inspire much interest or emotional investment from the viewer. While you root for the underdog and against those industrialists, the plot comes off cartoonish and you just begin to hope the movie finally gets to the point.

Objectively very good from a production standpoint, but unfortunately wouldn't sit through it again.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Apr 19, 2022

Ciaran_Zagami

Not Recommended

WHOOOOO BOY

The fancy CGI, the main selling point of Metropolis is terrible.
The best shots are the ones where there are no humans because all the humans look hilariously awful. Everyone is drawn like a mutant Stretch Armstrong accept for Kenichi who looks an awful lot like Astro Boy.


The story is deeply unoriginal.
The worst use of the tower of Babel myth I've ever seen, mixed in with dozens of other cliches, the Naive super weapon robot child, robots as a metaphor for classism or some other ism whatever is in vogue, at least 15 fake out deaths mostly of the same handful of characters.

Metropolis ... never gives its character's a single second to breathe, out side of Rock whose at best a tertiary villain I don't know anyone's motives.
Rock's sole character trait is he never got hugged enough as a kid which moves him to do a bunch of random acts of violence that only happen to further the plot and push characters together whenever the story starts lagging.

I think a big cause for all the issues at hand is Metrpolis is itself, deeply unoriginal with no driving thought of its own. The original Metropolis is a 1927 German silent film, then someone made a manga based off a poster for it in 1947, then many years later we got this hot mess. Trying to combine the themes of classism from the 27 original, robots and anime from the 47 manga with its own themes of... robots are good? Bad?

I have no idea what the story is trying to tell because what we really have is three different stories of extremely different tones and meanings all fighting each other.
Like I said its at its best when nothing is happening and you can just soak in the quirky art deco designs.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	Poll: Metropolis Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Naruleach - Aug 1, 2009	53 replies	by noildoof »» Yesterday, 10:31 AM
	its a good one...too. kisami - Dec 19, 2008	8 replies	by Zarutaku »» May 21, 10:46 AM
	I use to think the climax of this film was a dream I had ChristmasCookies - Aug 16, 2016	2 replies	by SliverDio »» Dec 4, 2022 10:09 AM
	How much Steampunk, how much Cyberpunk? ukonkivi - Dec 13, 2009	5 replies	by asei »» Jun 16, 2022 2:33 AM
	German 1927 Silent Film Pierre_Bezukhov - Sep 1, 2009	5 replies	by CynicalXperiment »» Mar 16, 2014 12:24 AM

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