Redline (2010 Film)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

is a 2009 Japanese
animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
film produced by Madhouse and directed by
Takeshi Koike (born January 26, 1968) is a Japanese animator, illustrator and film director. Something of a protégé of Yoshiaki Kawajiri, he was also influenced by Yoshinori Kanada, Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, and Katsuhito Ishii. He went straight from ...
in his
directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
. It stars
Takuya Kimura is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving success as an actor. He was also a popular member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia. In the media, he is known as a huge hea ...
,
Yū 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''. She subsequently portrayed Tetsuko Arisugawa in '' Hana and Alice'' (2004), also directed by Iwai, Kimiko Tanigawa ...
, Tatsuya Gashūin,
Yoshinori Okada (born 19 March 1977 in Ōno, Gifu) is a Japanese actor. He has starred several TV series such as '' Atsuhime'' (2008) and '' Nobuta. O Produce'' (2005) as well as movies such as '' Densha otoko'' (2005). He is a high school graduate and does n ...
,
Kanji Tsuda is a Japanese actor. Career Tsuda appeared in Kamen Rider Ryuki as Daisuke Okubo and Ju-On: The Grudge as Katsuya Tokunaga. Filmography Film * '' Sonatine'' (1993) * ''119'' (1994) * '' Kids Return'' (1996) * '' Hana-bi'' (1997) * '' Bays ...
,
Yoshiyuki Morishita is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in more than eighty films since 1996. Selected filmography Film Television References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morishita, Yoshiyuki 1962 births Living people Male actors from Tokyo Jap ...
, Akemi,
Takeshi Aono was a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Hokkaidō. He was attached to Aoni Production at the time of his death. He graduated from Hokkaidō Asahikawa Higashi High School. Career Aono was most known for the roles of Sh ...
,
Kōsei Hirota is a Japanese voice actor. Filmography Television animation * ''Detective Conan'' (1997) (Tequila, Nagato Hideomi) * ''Neo Ranga'' (1998) (Samuel) * ''Cowboy Bebop'' (1999) (Udai Taxim) * ''Turn A Gundam'' (1999) (Quoatl) * '' The Legend of Cond ...
,
Unshō Ishizuka was a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and theatre director from Katsuyama, Fukui. He was affiliated with Aoni Production at the time of his death and was known for providing the voice of both the narrator and Professor Oak/Dr. Yukinari Oki ...
,
Kenta Miyake is a Japanese voice actor and narrator. He is affiliated with 81 Produce. Biography Miyake wanted to become a voice actor after admiring an actress. After attending the Amusement Media Research Institute and joining 81 Produce, he replaced se ...
,
Kōji Ishii is a Japanese voice actor. His major roles include: Koutaro Taiga in ''The King of Braves GaoGaiGar'', Giovanni Bertuccio in '' Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo'', Shigematsu in '' Toriko'', and Prime Minister Honest in '' Akame ga Kill!' ...
,
Chō is a Japanese actor and narrator. His former stage name was . He is a graduate of the Nishogakusha University Department of Literature and received training at Bungakuza's research establishment and the Seinenza Theater Company before attachi ...
,
Kenyu Horiuchi is a Japanese voice actor. In 2002 he founded his own voice acting management office, Kenyu Office. He is best known for dubbing over Brad Pitt (Horiuchi met Pitt at Japan's Premiere of '' Bullet Train''), Charlie Sheen, Ben Stiller, Ben Affleck, ...
,
Tadanobu Asano better known by his stage name is a Japanese actor, director, and musician, who has had an extensive career working in both Japanese and international cinema. He has been nominated for five Japan Academy Film Prizes, twice for Best Actor and ...
, and its screenplay was written by
Katsuhito Ishii is a Japanese film director best known for directing '' The Taste of Tea'' (2004), '' Funky Forest'' (2005), and ''Smuggler'' (2011). Career After graduating from Musashino Art University, Ishii got a job at Tohokushinsha Film and began dire ...
,
Yōji Enokido is a Japanese screenwriter and novelist born in Shiga. He has written scripts for ''Sailor Moon'', ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'', ''FLCL'', '' RahXephon'', ''Melody of Oblivion'', ''Ouran High School Host Club'', ''No ...
and
Yoshiki Sakurai is a Japanese screenwriter and producer. Career Sakurai was born in Tochigi, Japan. He returned there when he was 13, and graduated from University of Tokyo majoring in economics. His theses on Japanese animation and subculture won several a ...
, based on an original story by Ishii. It 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. The film was in production for seven years, and used over 100,000 hand-drawn frames. It premiered at the
Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...
on August 14, 2009, and was theatrically released in Japan on October 9, 2010, by
Tohokushinsha Film is a Japanese film distributor, production company and dubbing studio based in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. It was founded in 1961 by Banjirō Uemura (who was also once the head of the Japanese branch of ITC Entertainment) as a dubbing house for fo ...
. Despite positive reviews, with particular praise for its animation, ''Redline'' was unsuccessful at the box office. It saw greater success following its home release, and is considered a
cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
.


Plot

On the planet Dorothy, "Sweet" JP races in the Yellowline car race, the final elimination race to the most popular race in the galaxy, the Redline. JP's alien mechanic, Frisbee, watches the televised race along with a mafia boss, with whom they have fixed the race. When JP, who was supposed to come in 2nd place, attempts to win anyway, Frisbee resorts to remotely detonating an explosive hidden under JP's TransAM20000, thereby making Sonoshee "Cherry Boy Hunter" McLaren the final winner. While recuperating from the explosion in a hospital, Frisbee tells JP he's off the hook with his bondsman. JP initially turns down the money but a crowd of reporters storms the hospital room where JP learns that he has been voted by popular demand for the Redline following the dropout of two qualifiers due to the revelation of the race's location being on Roboworld — a planet dominated by militant zealot
cyborg A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.AWOL Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...
subordinate of Col. Volton, but the restaurant is soon raided by Col. Volton and a squad of Roboworld soldiers. Volton reminds the racers any Redline event will be repelled by the army and police before retrieving Deyzuna and leaving the damaged restaurant. Fireworks celebrations and
bookmaker A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays out bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds In probability theory, odds provide a measure of the probability of a particular outco ...
agent desks break out on Roboworld despite the threats from the military, and are raided by deadly android police robots. Miners on Roboworld use their power suits to sabotage the military base's power station while the Race Commission hires Earth-native racing partners Lynchman and Johnny Boya to sabotage an Orbital Disintegration Cannon, which Secretary of Defense Titan plans to use to destroy the Redline mothership the instant it comes out of hyperspace. While in hyperspace, the Princess from the planet Supergrass marks the race course on the military base with a pair of scout vessels. Unaware of the sabotage against the Orbital Disintegration Cannon, the President realizes the racers are on the planet after the cannon fails, and sends his troops ''en masse'' at the racers. The President becomes increasingly desperate as the racers evade them and approach the mine-laden Zone "Seven-Ex", lair of a secret illegal biological weapon named 'Funky Boy', who awakens from its stasis as the racers and the rebellious miners converge on it. With the several hundred foot tall Funky Boy awakening and subsequent destruction of the base coinciding with the orbital cannon coming back online, the President orders Funky Boy fired upon. The explosion takes out most of the Roboworld troops while JP pushes to right his overturned car off its side. Sonoshee, her vehicle totaled, agrees to ride with him to the finish line as Funky Boy regenerates. Funky Boy is taken out by Col. Volton, who dangerously merges with another bioweapon to do so. Frisbee watches the race in the mob boss's hovercraft, where he revives the same deal as Yellowline. Frisbee however, refuses to detonate the explosive charge, wanting to see his friend win just one time. He is attacked by mobsters for his decision but is saved by Old Man Mole, who discovered Frisbee's sabotage, and kills the mob boss and his lackeys. As the race nears the finish line, long time winner and Redline favorite Machinehead and JP race to the southern line boosted by their rare Steamlight boosters. As they come to a desperate neck-and-neck finish, a drunken Old Man Mole accidentally detonates Frisbee's remote explosive, propelling JP and Sonoshee towards the finish line, thrown from their vehicle. The boost is enough and JP wins by the length of his long duck tail pompadour. As the racers rest at the end of the track amidst the ruins of Roboworld, JP and Sonoshee float back down to the ground kissing and declaring their love for each other.


Cast


Development and release

In 2003, prior to ''Redlines production and release, a prelude anime
OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...
entitled '' Trava: Fist Planet'' was released, featuring two characters (Trava and Shinkai) who would reappear as key characters in ''Redline''. ''Redline'' was produced by Madhouse, and directed by Takeshi Koike, who also drew the storyboards 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 is a Japanese film director best known for directing '' The Taste of Tea'' (2004), '' Funky Forest'' (2005), and ''Smuggler'' (2011). Career After graduating from Musashino Art University, Ishii got a job at Tohokushinsha Film and began dire ...
, 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 (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...
'', ''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. ''Redline'' was initially meant to premiere at the 2009
Annecy International Animated Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring ever ...
and follow ''
Summer Wars is a 2009 Japanese animated science fiction film directed by Mamoru Hosoda, produced by Madhouse, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film's voice cast includes Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura, Sumiko Fuji ...
'', ''
Mai Mai Miracle is a Japanese animated film based on Nobuko Takagi's autobiography, ''Maimai Shinko''. It was produced by the animation studio Madhouse, distributed by Shochiku, and directed by Sunao Katabuchi. The film debuted at the Locarno International F ...
'', and '' Yona Yona Penguin'' as the fourth and final feature film Madhouse planned to release between summer 2009 and spring 2010. Instead, it premiered during the
Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...
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 (stylised as SCI-FI-LONDON), also known as the London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film or simply SFL, is an annual United Kingdom–based film festival dedicated to the science fiction and fantasy genre ...
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 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 ...
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 was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1991, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyr ...
. It was the last new product released through the American division of Manga before they ceased distributing new titles in the States.


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
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
's album chart.


Reception


Accolades

''Redline'' was awarded the 62nd
Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...
Piazza Grande Division Official Screening UTOPIALES Audience Award in 2010.


Critical response

''Redline'' was unsuccessful at the box office. It saw greater success following its home release and critical reviews and is considered a
cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
. On
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds 70% approval rating based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. Tim Maughan of ''
Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...
'' gave it a A+, and 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." Tim Jones of ''
THEM Anime Reviews THEM Anime Reviews, otherwise known as THEM or T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews, is an anime review website that writes about current and past anime in any form, including OVAs and ONAs. The website offers reviews, editorial content and hosts forums. ...
'' gave the film 5 out of 5 stars. Jones praised the film for its great sense of humor, outstanding animation and characters. Saying that "''Redline'' is an unforgettable anime experience, It's brilliantly animated and drawn, features two cool, intelligent, fun leads". Jones concluded: "''Redline'' is one of the best examples of this not from
Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio based in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It has a strong presence in the animation industry and has exp ...
I can think of. It's an anime for grown-ups, no kids or grown-up kids. It's beautiful, gripping, and fun. I give it high recommendations!". 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 Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
, 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 The Dakar Rally () or simply "The Dakar" (), formerly known as the Paris–Dakar Rally (), is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). It is an off-road endurance event traversing terrain much tougher than conventi ...
revisited à la ''
Ōban Star-Racers ''Ōban Star-Racers'' is an English-language French-Japanese anime television series created by Savin Yeatman-Eiffel of Sav! The World Productions in association with multiple international companies. Originally produced as a short movie titled ...
''", a remake of
Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...
''
Wacky Races ''Wacky Races'' is a media franchise containing five animated series, several video games, and a comic book, with most centered on the theme of various Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters primarily engaged in auto racing (although occasionally employ ...
'' with arts inspired from
Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...
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. Kwenton Bellette and Peter Martin reviewed ''Redline'' for
Twitch Film ScreenAnarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...
. Bellette describes it as a "truly out of this world experience", "''
Speed Racer ''Speed Racer'', also known as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuo Yoshida. It was originally serialized in print in Shueisha's 1966 ''Shōnen Book''. It was released in form by Sun Wide Comics and later re-re ...
'' 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 , also known as ''Funky Forest: The First Encounter'' or simply ''Funky Forest'', is a 2005 Japanese surrealist anthology science fiction comedy film co-written and co-directed by Katsuhito Ishii, Hajime Ishimine and Shunichiro Miki. It is compose ...
''. 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."


References


External links

* * * {{Madhouse films 2009 anime films 2009 directorial debut films 2009 films 2009 science fiction films Animated films about auto racing Animated films set in the future Anime films with original screenplays Fictional motorsports in anime and manga Films set on fictional planets Films with screenplays by Yōji Enokido Japanese animated science fiction films Japanese auto racing films Madhouse (company)