For quite sometime I’d been hearing the life altering power of watching Redline so when the opportunity arose to finally see it, one does not waste time! Redline is one of those movies that reminds you of what anime is capable of beyond live action so consequently it also reminded me why I fell in love with anime in the first place. It isn’t hype, Redline is just that amazing a ride.

When only a handful of the English-speaking anime fans had seen Redline there was a good deal of contention about how much of its reputation was hype and how much of it was real. Tim Maughan was quite evangelical on the Internet which lead to a great deal of both extreme expectations and equally extreme skepticism (and often in the same people). People hoped that it was the perfection of an older and more extravagant form of animation. At the same time the long-delayed production schedule and strange release made people worried if it would be a bloated piece of retro nonsense. But now that everyone has a legitimate (and therefore less than legitimate) means to watch the film the general consensus is: it is awesome. All the promises made were true if not somewhat underplayed. Redline crossed the finish line in glorious form.

Full-throttle is both a figurative and a literal description of this movie, beginning and ending in beautiful and intense races. You walk away feeling pumped, not because there aren’t any breaks but because there are. What I mean is that like a good rollercoaster ride, it builds up, takes your breath away, drops you, and then does it all over again which makes all the action more thrilling. The film starts with a waiting audience and takes a good minute and a half to reveal to us what they are waiting on, then a pounding beat kicks in and you’re hit with sheer energy. The story itself is pretty straightforward racing with all the complications that come with it like gambling, rivalries, ambition, and intergalactic dictatorships with secret mutant monsters weapons.

In the far future there is a high-profile underground race held every five years called the Redline. Racers from all over the galaxy battle in a no holds barred battle for fame and fortune. “Sweet” JP is a racer whose ties to the mafia seemingly prevent him from qualifying for the big event. But when the race is announced to take place on Roboworld two of the drivers drop out giving JP a chance to enter. The racers who opt out have legitimate reason to as the corrupt dictatorship of Roboworld  vows to destroy anyone who comes to the planet to protect their unethical military secrets. Can JP take home the prize with his fellow full-armed racers, the military, and maybe even his own pit crew out to see him crash and burn?

Redline is a high-octane movie, but it does present characters with a fullness that is not always present in action-centered works. JP combines a more prominent tough action-taker side with glimpses of a soft-hearted romantic. This unfolds slowly over the film giving him a robustness that you don’t expect at the beginning. Frankly, he is the kind of guy you want to be or be with. JP  has many characters connected to him, most importantly Sonoshee. She is a rival to JP but also an inspiration to him though it is never clear if Sonoshee actually remembers him or not. But considering what a straightforward personality she is, I think she would have said so. Her passion for racing is evident from the minute we see her. The romantic connection between JP and Sonoshee is fitted into the narrative very solidly. And above all else, the dramatic tension of a misunderstanding between the two is nipped in the bud as Sonoshee asks JP directly about his past. I really enjoyed their interplay because it wasn’t just thrown into the story, it was a piece of it.

I think when Sonoshee and JP first met she already had enough of a reputation that most people who met her would remember her but there would just be too many people for her to remember every fan in the crowd, even if they shared a moment. But I was so very impressed that it was Sonoshee who constantly inspired JP and not the other way around. Just a nice change of pace that made her a much richer character. While JP and Sonoshee stand out on their own the menagerie that surrounds the Redline is equally impressive. You may only meet certain characters for a few minuets  but the movie always takes the time to make them stand out. The other racers all grandstand in a way that makes them pop with charisma. They each have a few moments to shine sometime during the movie. Trava and Shinkai even come from their own little OVA series but you get the impression that everyone has that level of thought put into them. Even JP’s pit crew, people watching the race, and the military commandos have time and care invested into them making the world feel very rich.

No doubt, Redline is a visual spectacle. Thick black lines and shadows, and the saturated color give it its bold style. While its exaggerated character designs like an incredible pompadour (which steals the spotlight in the end) and its mix-and-match cars take it to another artistic level. And let’s not forget Redline boasts a lot of hand-drawn animation. This film does and doesn’t feel like anime, it toes the line. Certainly things like the Super Boins sisters and the ending make you remember it is anime, but so much of it feels more about telling a story you couldn’t tell anywhere else but in animation.

If the hype was seemingly overplayed anywhere it was about the visuals in Redline. But surprisingly enough this too lived up to the promises made. It is very clear that this was a labor of love. The amount of detail and workmanship poured into every frame is unmistakable. The movie has CG in it but it merely accents the amazing amount of hand drawn animation. It has a wonderful retro feel while assimilating the benefits of modern technology. Redline has the feel of an American summer blockbuster action movie while still proving there are still somethings that animation can do in a uniquely breathtaking manner. The direction enhances this by taking chaotic action scenes and making them thrilling and intelligible. Given the amount going on in any given scene this is a work of genius. But at the same time the soft scenes are good at capturing moments of intimacy and reflection without breaking the flow of the film.  I won’t ever pretend to fully grok the soundtrack like a music aficionado like Tim Maughan would but I know what works. The soundtrack is often invisible until it need to be bombastic but it pumps you right up especially since it gives each racer their own leitmotif. When the vocals scream out MachineHead you know exactly what to expect. It is a wonderful package in which each excellent element builds into a greater fantastic whole.

Even knowing all the praise being levied at Redline, I was still immersed and surprised by what I saw. It is a film that is completely economical with its plot and character development, no moment is wasted or over-explained. But I want to emphasize this isn’t a style-without-substance scenario either. It doesn’t just look cool, you feel the movie, you root for JP instantly, and you get caught up in its energy. If you like the animated form itself, you can’t help but love Redline.

Some people might hail this movie as the savior of anime or the final glorious death rattle of an industry. I think that some people are quite prone to overreaction, cynicism, and sensationalism. That said this is a remarkable film that is worth talking about and showing to others. It has a great mainstream appeal like few other anime movies. It is a self-contained story that anyone one can watch in one sitting. It has a some nudity but it is tastefully nudity (which can be edited out) and the violence is mostly bloodless but is always high energy and grave when it needs to be. This is a great show for anime clubs, convention showings, movie nights, or just general hanging out. I really hope it get a bit of a wider theatrical release before it is on DVD and Blu-Ray so I can see it in theaters at least once for the sheer energy of seeing such a spectacle piece with a crowd. It can none come out in an easily accessible form in the U.S. soon enough.