Neo Tokyo (film)
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| Neo Tokyo | |
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| Directed by | Rintaro Yoshiaki Kawajiri Katsuhiro Ôtomo |
| Produced by | Masao Maruyama |
| Written by | Original Story Taku Mayumura |
| Music by | Micky Yoshino |
| Cinematography | Kinichi Ishikawa |
| Distributed by |  Kadokawa ADV Films Dynit ACOG Dybex |
| Release date(s) | April 15, 1986 |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Neo Tokyo (迷宮物語 Meikyû Monogatari?, lit. Labyrinth Tales) is a science fiction anthology film conceived by producer Masao Maruyama. The animated shorts are written and directed by Rintaro, Yoshiaki Kawajiri and Katsuhiro Otomo, based on the work of Japanese novelist Taku Mayumura.
Rintaro's Labyrinth Labyrinthos is an exploration into the maze of a little girl's mind. Kawajiri's The Running Man focuses on a deadly Formula-1 race. Otomo's Construction Cancellation Order is a cautionary tale about man's dependency on technology.
The film premiered April 15, 1986 in Japan.
[edit] Plot
- Labyrinth Labyrintos
Rintaro's Labyrinth Labyrintos is the anthology's "top-level" story, a framing device that leads into the other two works. The short follows Sachi, a girl locked in a game of hide and seek with her cat Cicerone. Her search leads her to an old grandfather clock which doubles as a doorway to a labyrinth world. The world is filled with supernatural oddities and characters, such as cardboard working class citizens, an invisible dog, a skeleton-led train and a weird circus.
- The Running Man
Zach Hugh is the titular Running Man, the undefeated champion of the "Death Circus" racing circuit. Competitors race in high-speed formula-one-like craft, and people bet on the lives of these people for huge winnings. An unnamed reporter is sent to interview the mysterious Zach outside of the track. There, he witnesses and discovers the insane man's inhuman abilities, and the reason why he has won every single race.
- Construction Cancellation Order
Tsutomu Sugioka is a salaryman sent to the tropical jungles of the Aloana Republic, a fictional South American country, to stop the construction of large complex. The work is completely automated, carried out by robots programmed to finish the job no matter the consequences. The faulty programming has caused the company to lose millions and is up to Sugioka to halt the machines. In the foreman's office reads a message, "Please help me! I'm going to be killed! That robot is insane!"
This segment's depiction of South America as a dangerous, unstable place is comparable to other depictions in the Japanese media during the 1980s such as Osamu Tezuka's 1987 manga Gringo.
[edit] External links
- Neo Tokyo (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
