Right out of the gate, visually, this anime blows everything out of the water. The viewers see a massive city with so much detail and the aesthetic of something out the 1940’s and yet futuristic in a Blade Runner sense. In this utopia-like city of Metropolis, humans and robots live and work together creating a prosperous economy and lifestyle. However, with each passing day, devious plots within the government, violence and prejudice increase with each “malfunction,” and a slight theme taken from an old German silent film, Metropolis pulls all of these together in masterful fashion.
Similar to Tezuka’s famous Astor Boy, Metropolis’ main focus is on the traveling Detective’s son Kenichi whom have come to the city to track down an organ stealing criminal. Naturally, the case doesn’t go very smoothly. Upon the fateful meeting between killer and detective, Kenichi discovers a young lady called Tima. They get separated and thus begins solving the mystery behind the giant structure in the city called the Ziggurat, and love and despair develops from there.
Metropolis is simply rich with its detail in animation. Not a single scene has been taken for granted. Locations are constantly changing and the ‘wow-factor’ always repeats with each passing moment. Character development never stops. From beginning to end, main characters protagonist and antagonist the like all go through moments of change to justify actions. All questions get answered with nothing seeming out of place or mistimed. The only odd aspect about Metropolis is the emphasis in character design. Tima and Kenichi are childlike heroes, innocent, and have that early 80’s facial drawing of large round eyes, while all the other characters have more realistic faces and proportions.
Madhouse and the staff did very well. This is not just another film and nor is it anything like what Studio Ghibli puts out. Metropolis doesn’t do anything simple, the detail is outstanding, the story is challenging, and the overall nature of the film touches constantly on ‘real-life’ issues. This is definitely a must watch, and anyone who has never seen anime before should put this at the top of their list.
