Redline (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
is a 2009 science fiction
auto racing
anime
film produced by Madhouse
and released in Japan on October 9, 2010. The directorial debut feature of Takeshi Koike
, it features the voices of Takuya Kimura
, Yū Aoi
and Tadanobu Asano
, and an original story by Katsuhito Ishii
, who also co-writes and sound directs
. The film is set in the distant future, where a man known as JP takes on great risks for the chance of winning the titular underground race.
After a total of seven years in production, Redline was intended to premiere at the 2009 Annecy International Animated Film Festival
and follow Summer Wars
, Mai Mai Miracle
and Yona Yona Penguin
as the fourth and final feature film Madhouse planned to release between summer 2009 and spring 2010. However, further delays saw its world premiere pushed back a few months to August 14, 2009, at the Locarno International Film Festival
and its Japanese release to fall 2010.
The Redline race this year takes place on Roboworld, a militaristic planet where many of the people are cyborgs. The Roboworld government is violently opposed to the race being held on their planet as they have several secret projects, including a giant golden "baby" bioweapon called Funky Boy. JP and the other racers are transported to a backwater planet near Roboworld to prepare. There he meets Sonoshee the winner of the race he lost, and unknown to her, a women he met before either of them started racing professionally. After meeting several oddball racers, and almost seducing Sonoshee, he has to repair and refit his car. With Frisbee acting as the designer and a friend of theirs, a 4 armed old man procuring parts, they aim to make a high power racecar.
Various colorful characters are in the final race, "Machinehead" a machine man and the reigning champion, "Super Boins" a pair of pop idols from a magical planet, a blue gorilla-like alien Cop, a pair of bounty hunters, an AWOL Roboworld officer who joins mid race, and others. Guerillas on Roboworld as well as the Bounty Hunter team, sabotage Roboworld's defenses, making the race less than suicidal. JP, Sonoshee, and the other racers are race through across the planet under heavy attack from the Roboworld military. During the race the guerillas attempt to unleash Funky Boy, but are unable to until one of the racers crashed into the containment facility. Funky Boy goes on a rampage, destroying most of the Roboworld units. One of the Roboworld officers merges with another Bioweapon to fight against Funky Boy while the race continues
Just before Funky Boy is released Sonoshee's car is wrecked by the military units. JP allows her to join him in continuing the race. Frisbee who was forced to make another deal with the Mafia is almost killed when he refuses to sabotage JP's car again, but is saved by the 4 armed scrounger, and they watch the race. The final part has Machinehead with JP/Sonoshee as the leaders. Machinehead uses a super nitro booster, and Sonoshee reciprocates with a nitro container she kept as a momento. Both racers blaze towards the final line, their cars falling apart as they do so.
The finish line is at the top of a tower, with a ramp appearing before them. Needing a final boost, the explosive detonator is accidentally pressed, which instead acts as a booster rocket for JP and Sonoshee. Machinehead follows by morphing into a rocket form. Just before the finish line JP's car finally falls apart, but he, Sonoshee, and Machinehead reach for the finish line. JP and Sonoshee barely makes it before Machinhead, with he and Sonoshee kissing at the end while flying. The other racers, exhausted and in awe remark about the incredible.
--------------------------------------------
Following his dream, "Sweet" JP becomes a racer and gains a large following because of his retro-style sense of fashion and his frequent and spectacular crashes toward the ends of his races. He gets by with money the mob pays him for losing, although he is out on bail for something possibly related to match-fixing. During a qualification race called the Yellowline, JP's engine explodes. On the verge of giving up, he learns that, by popular vote, he has qualified for the prestigious no-rules race called Redline after two other drivers dropped out. The reason behind this is that the government of Roboworld, the military planet with many people who are cyborgs, the race is to take place on, is opposed to the race and has threatened anyone participating with death to keep their military secrets safe. JP participates in Redline in spite of the danger.
and directed by Takeshi Koike, who also wrote the storyboard and served as unit director and animation director. The film's producers were Yukiko Koike and Kentarō Yoshida. Masahiro Fukushima served as executive producer. The task of writing the script was shared by Yoji Enokido
, Katsuhito Ishii
, and Yoshiki Sakurai. The film's character designs, original and otherwise, were done by Katsuhito Ishii, who also served as one of the film's sound directors, the other being Youji Shimizu. The film's music was composed by James Shimoji.
According to Tim Maughan of Anime News Network
, Redline was released several years later than originally planned. Its development took seven years and used 100,000 hand-made drawings, which Maughan notes is all the more unusual as it is Koike's directorial debut.
's album chart.
, where it would have competed in the Feature Film category. Instead, it premiered during the Locarno International Film Festival
in August of the same year. Several more advance screenings were done at international film festivals during 2010. In May, Redline was shown during the Sci-Fi-London
9. In June, it participated in Annecy 2010
in the category "Feature Films out of competition". During September, it was shown in Australia and New Zealand as part of Reel Anime 2010. Redline was shown in Austin, Texas on September 23, and in Edinburgh, Scotland, on October 15 as part of the Scotland Loves Anime film festival. At the 2010 Nantes Utopiales
Sci-Fi festival, the film received the special mention of jury and public.
The film opened in Japan on October 9, 2010. Coinciding with this, the film was shown in a San Francisco-based Viz Cinema theater from October 8–14, 2010. Distribution in North America is handled by Manga Entertainment
.
After several delays, DVD
and Blu-Ray releases are currently slated for November 14, 2011.
describes the film as "something very special, very different, and insanely exhilarating." In particular he praises the film's director, saying that "Koike has managed to make all this chaos believable." He goes on to say that "Redline is animation not only at its best, but also largely animation for animation's sake." Although Maughan says some may dislike its techno soundtrack and "minimal plot," he calls Redline "the most insanely exciting, visually exhilarating anime film you've seen in decades."
Thomas Zoth of Mania.com comments that while the film does not provide "a deep plot or unique premise," it still "demands to be seen." He said that if Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
was "an assault on the senses ... Redline is a declaration of war." Zoth went on to praise the film for its "imaginative creatures and clever designs", to compare Koike's work to that of Quentin Tarantino
, and to compliment the film for its "soundtrack, with its memorable high-energy tracks that greatly complement the chaos onscreen." He concludes by saying that if "the life of the industry has been drained and replaced with rote, cookiecutter shows-by-committee, Redline shows a path out."
Nicolas Penedo of the French magazine Animeland describes it as the "Paris-Dakar revisited à la Ōban Star-Racers
", a remake of Hanna-Barbera Wacky Races
with arts inspired from Jack Kirby
comics and know-how, rhythm and energy inherent of the best Japanese anime movies. The reviewer praises the animation quality as breathtaking, and declares that Takeshi Koike made an homage to comics and films of the 70s and 80s. On the negative, he notes the lack of scenario stating "Don't hope to find any scenario in Redline".
Kwenton Bellette and Peter Martin reviewed Redline for Twitch Film
. Bellette describes it as a "truly out of this world experience", "Speed Racer
on crack" and praised the supporting characters for being memorable and the background galaxy made of different races and creeds to be very solid. Martin expresses that "it feels like every centimeter of every frame is filled with some kind of kinetic color or action or bit of business, making it an experience that is sure to overload the senses" and asserts that writer Katsuhito Ishii succeeds at making a feature-length anime as insane as his film Funky Forest
.
Jon Liang of UK Anime Network comments that "A sense of the cool and outrageous is seeped into every pore of the design, ... exaggerated is an understatement here", and notes that the film's "cinema-quality smooth animation" makes "even the most alien of things move naturally and the sense of speed that is often achieved is frequently mind-blowing." He remarks that "the visuals and over-the-top action will most likely overload sensitive brain cells," but concludes by calling Redline "an incredibly exciting cinematic experience that doesn't take itself at all seriously."
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
film produced by Madhouse
Madhouse (company)
is a Japanese animation studio, founded in 1972 by ex–Mushi Pro animators including Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri. It has created and helped to produce many well known shows, starting with TV anime series Ace o Nerae! in 1973, and including western favourites Ninja...
and released in Japan on October 9, 2010. The directorial debut feature of Takeshi Koike
Takeshi Koike
is a Japanese studio animator, illustrator and film director. Something of a protégée of Yoshiaki Kawajiri, he went straight from a high school education to beginning his career at Madhouse as an in-betweener on works directed by Kawajiri after being interviewed by him...
, it features the voices of Takuya Kimura
Takuya Kimura
, nicknamed , is a Japanese singer and actor. He is also a member of the Japanese idol group SMAP. Most of the TV dramas he starred in produced high ratings in Japan...
, Yū Aoi
Yû Aoi
is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film All About Lily Chou-Chou...
and Tadanobu Asano
Tadanobu Asano
, born is a Japanese actor. He is known for his roles as Dragon Eye Morrison in Electric Dragon 80.000 V, Kakihara in Ichi the Killer, Mamoru Arita in Bright Future, Hattori Genosuke in Zatoichi, Kenji in Last Life in the Universe, Aman in Survive Style 5+, Ayano in The Taste of Tea, and Temudjin...
, and an original story by Katsuhito Ishii
Katsuhito Ishii
-Work:Katsuhito Ishii began directing commercials in 1992, receiving numerous awards in this field. His first short film The Promise of August, shot in 1995, went on to receive the Japanese Film Grand Prix in the Fantastic Video Section of the 1995 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival Ishii...
, who also co-writes and sound directs
Director of audiography
The Director of Audiography is the head of the sound department and the person responsible for planning the audiography and managing the audiographers of a film....
. The film is set in the distant future, where a man known as JP takes on great risks for the chance of winning the titular underground race.
After a total of seven years in production, Redline was intended to premiere at the 2009 Annecy International Animated Film Festival
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring every two years, the festival became annual in 1998...
and follow Summer Wars
Summer Wars
is a 2009 Japanese animated science fiction romance film directed by Mamoru Hosoda, animated by Madhouse and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film's voice cast includes Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura, Sumiko Fuji and Ayumu Saitō...
, Mai Mai Miracle
Mai Mai Miracle
is a Japanese animated film based on Nobuko Takagi's novelization of her autobiography, Maimai Shinko. It was produced by the animation studio Madhouse, distributed by Shochiku, and directed by Sunao Katabuchi....
and Yona Yona Penguin
Yona Yona Penguin
Yona Yona Penguin is an animated film by the Japanese anime studio Madhouse and sister company Dynamo Pictures. It was Madhouse's first fully 3D CGI film...
as the fourth and final feature film Madhouse planned to release between summer 2009 and spring 2010. However, further delays saw its world premiere pushed back a few months to August 14, 2009, at the Locarno International Film Festival
Locarno International Film Festival
The Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history...
and its Japanese release to fall 2010.
Plot
"Sweet" JP nearly wins a race on the "Yellowline" against various sorts of racers, including aliens, most who use massive vehicles with jet engines, but his car is sabotaged by his friend and mechanic Frisbee. Frisbee and JP were sent to prison for fixing races for the mafia, are doing so again to keep racing. While recuperating in the hospital he finds out he was selected for the "Redline" despite not qualifying in the last race due to popular demand, and because 2 racers withdrew.The Redline race this year takes place on Roboworld, a militaristic planet where many of the people are cyborgs. The Roboworld government is violently opposed to the race being held on their planet as they have several secret projects, including a giant golden "baby" bioweapon called Funky Boy. JP and the other racers are transported to a backwater planet near Roboworld to prepare. There he meets Sonoshee the winner of the race he lost, and unknown to her, a women he met before either of them started racing professionally. After meeting several oddball racers, and almost seducing Sonoshee, he has to repair and refit his car. With Frisbee acting as the designer and a friend of theirs, a 4 armed old man procuring parts, they aim to make a high power racecar.
Various colorful characters are in the final race, "Machinehead" a machine man and the reigning champion, "Super Boins" a pair of pop idols from a magical planet, a blue gorilla-like alien Cop, a pair of bounty hunters, an AWOL Roboworld officer who joins mid race, and others. Guerillas on Roboworld as well as the Bounty Hunter team, sabotage Roboworld's defenses, making the race less than suicidal. JP, Sonoshee, and the other racers are race through across the planet under heavy attack from the Roboworld military. During the race the guerillas attempt to unleash Funky Boy, but are unable to until one of the racers crashed into the containment facility. Funky Boy goes on a rampage, destroying most of the Roboworld units. One of the Roboworld officers merges with another Bioweapon to fight against Funky Boy while the race continues
Just before Funky Boy is released Sonoshee's car is wrecked by the military units. JP allows her to join him in continuing the race. Frisbee who was forced to make another deal with the Mafia is almost killed when he refuses to sabotage JP's car again, but is saved by the 4 armed scrounger, and they watch the race. The final part has Machinehead with JP/Sonoshee as the leaders. Machinehead uses a super nitro booster, and Sonoshee reciprocates with a nitro container she kept as a momento. Both racers blaze towards the final line, their cars falling apart as they do so.
The finish line is at the top of a tower, with a ramp appearing before them. Needing a final boost, the explosive detonator is accidentally pressed, which instead acts as a booster rocket for JP and Sonoshee. Machinehead follows by morphing into a rocket form. Just before the finish line JP's car finally falls apart, but he, Sonoshee, and Machinehead reach for the finish line. JP and Sonoshee barely makes it before Machinhead, with he and Sonoshee kissing at the end while flying. The other racers, exhausted and in awe remark about the incredible.
--------------------------------------------
Following his dream, "Sweet" JP becomes a racer and gains a large following because of his retro-style sense of fashion and his frequent and spectacular crashes toward the ends of his races. He gets by with money the mob pays him for losing, although he is out on bail for something possibly related to match-fixing. During a qualification race called the Yellowline, JP's engine explodes. On the verge of giving up, he learns that, by popular vote, he has qualified for the prestigious no-rules race called Redline after two other drivers dropped out. The reason behind this is that the government of Roboworld, the military planet with many people who are cyborgs, the race is to take place on, is opposed to the race and has threatened anyone participating with death to keep their military secrets safe. JP participates in Redline in spite of the danger.
Development
Redline was produced by MadhouseMadhouse (company)
is a Japanese animation studio, founded in 1972 by ex–Mushi Pro animators including Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri. It has created and helped to produce many well known shows, starting with TV anime series Ace o Nerae! in 1973, and including western favourites Ninja...
and directed by Takeshi Koike, who also wrote the storyboard and served as unit director and animation director. The film's producers were Yukiko Koike and Kentarō Yoshida. Masahiro Fukushima served as executive producer. The task of writing the script was shared by Yoji Enokido
Yoji Enokido
is a Japanese screenwriter. He is considered an experimental storyteller by anime standards and has penned scripts for such unconventional anime shows as Ouran High School Host Club, Revolutionary Girl Utena, FLCL, Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon, Melody of Oblivion, and Star Driver.His...
, Katsuhito Ishii
Katsuhito Ishii
-Work:Katsuhito Ishii began directing commercials in 1992, receiving numerous awards in this field. His first short film The Promise of August, shot in 1995, went on to receive the Japanese Film Grand Prix in the Fantastic Video Section of the 1995 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival Ishii...
, and Yoshiki Sakurai. The film's character designs, original and otherwise, were done by Katsuhito Ishii, who also served as one of the film's sound directors, the other being Youji Shimizu. The film's music was composed by James Shimoji.
According to Tim Maughan of Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
, Redline was released several years later than originally planned. Its development took seven years and used 100,000 hand-made drawings, which Maughan notes is all the more unusual as it is Koike's directorial debut.
Soundtrack
An official soundtrack to the film by was released under GBC label on October 6, 2010, and contains 42 tracks. It ranked 207th on OriconOricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
's album chart.
Release
Redline was initially meant to premiere at the 2009 Annecy International Animated Film FestivalAnnecy International Animated Film Festival
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring every two years, the festival became annual in 1998...
, where it would have competed in the Feature Film category. Instead, it premiered during the Locarno International Film Festival
Locarno International Film Festival
The Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history...
in August of the same year. Several more advance screenings were done at international film festivals during 2010. In May, Redline was shown during the Sci-Fi-London
Sci-Fi-London
SCI-FI-LONDON , is a UK based film festival, dedicated to the science fiction and fantasy genres, which began in 2002.-About the Festival:...
9. In June, it participated in Annecy 2010
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring every two years, the festival became annual in 1998...
in the category "Feature Films out of competition". During September, it was shown in Australia and New Zealand as part of Reel Anime 2010. Redline was shown in Austin, Texas on September 23, and in Edinburgh, Scotland, on October 15 as part of the Scotland Loves Anime film festival. At the 2010 Nantes Utopiales
Utopiales
Utopiales is an annual international science fiction festival held in Nantes, France, probably the largest European event for the field. It covers science fiction and fantasy literature, film, fine arts, comics, role-playing games, and animation, from a distinctly European point of view...
Sci-Fi festival, the film received the special mention of jury and public.
The film opened in Japan on October 9, 2010. Coinciding with this, the film was shown in a San Francisco-based Viz Cinema theater from October 8–14, 2010. Distribution in North America is handled by Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment is a producer, licensor and distributor of Japanese animation in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Australia and New Zealand...
.
After several delays, DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-Ray releases are currently slated for November 14, 2011.
Reception
Tim Maughan of Anime News NetworkAnime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
describes the film as "something very special, very different, and insanely exhilarating." In particular he praises the film's director, saying that "Koike has managed to make all this chaos believable." He goes on to say that "Redline is animation not only at its best, but also largely animation for animation's sake." Although Maughan says some may dislike its techno soundtrack and "minimal plot," he calls Redline "the most insanely exciting, visually exhilarating anime film you've seen in decades."
Thomas Zoth of Mania.com comments that while the film does not provide "a deep plot or unique premise," it still "demands to be seen." He said that if Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a 2010 comedy film directed by Edgar Wright, based on the graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley. The film is about Scott Pilgrim , a young Canadian musician, meeting the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers , an American delivery girl...
was "an assault on the senses ... Redline is a declaration of war." Zoth went on to praise the film for its "imaginative creatures and clever designs", to compare Koike's work to that of Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
, and to compliment the film for its "soundtrack, with its memorable high-energy tracks that greatly complement the chaos onscreen." He concludes by saying that if "the life of the industry has been drained and replaced with rote, cookiecutter shows-by-committee, Redline shows a path out."
Nicolas Penedo of the French magazine Animeland describes it as the "Paris-Dakar revisited à la Ōban Star-Racers
Oban Star-Racers
is a French/Japanese animated television series created by Savin Yeatman-Eiffel of Sav! The World Productions. It aired in more than 90 countries including Japan. In the US the series aired on ABC Family and Jetix/Toon Disney.-Presentation:...
", a remake of Hanna-Barbera Wacky Races
Wacky Races
Wacky Races is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera. The series features 11 different cars racing against each other in various road rallies throughout North America, with each driver hoping to win the title of the "World's Wackiest Racer." Wacky Races ran on CBS from September...
with arts inspired from Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
comics and know-how, rhythm and energy inherent of the best Japanese anime movies. The reviewer praises the animation quality as breathtaking, and declares that Takeshi Koike made an homage to comics and films of the 70s and 80s. On the negative, he notes the lack of scenario stating "Don't hope to find any scenario in Redline".
Kwenton Bellette and Peter Martin reviewed Redline for Twitch Film
Twitch Film
Twitch Film, also known simply as Twitch, is an English language Canadian website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown, a cinephile with personal interests in arthouse and grindhouse cinema...
. Bellette describes it as a "truly out of this world experience", "Speed Racer
Speed Racer
Speed Racer is an English adaptation name of the Japanese manga and anime, which centered on automobile racing. Mach GoGoGo was originally serialized in print form in Shueisha's 1958 Shōnen Book, and was released in tankōbon book form by Sun Wide Comics, re-released in Japan by Fusosha...
on crack" and praised the supporting characters for being memorable and the background galaxy made of different races and creeds to be very solid. Martin expresses that "it feels like every centimeter of every frame is filled with some kind of kinetic color or action or bit of business, making it an experience that is sure to overload the senses" and asserts that writer Katsuhito Ishii succeeds at making a feature-length anime as insane as his film Funky Forest
Funky Forest
Funky Forest: The First Contact, also known as Naisu no mori: The First Contact or Funky Forest: The First Encounter is a 2005 Japanese movie written and directed by Katsuhito Ishii, Hajimine Ishimine and Shunichiro Miki...
.
Jon Liang of UK Anime Network comments that "A sense of the cool and outrageous is seeped into every pore of the design, ... exaggerated is an understatement here", and notes that the film's "cinema-quality smooth animation" makes "even the most alien of things move naturally and the sense of speed that is often achieved is frequently mind-blowing." He remarks that "the visuals and over-the-top action will most likely overload sensitive brain cells," but concludes by calling Redline "an incredibly exciting cinematic experience that doesn't take itself at all seriously."