Metropolis

Metropolis(2001) by Rintaro (screenplay by Katsuhiro Otomo, produced by Madhouse).

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The first piece of information I read about this film is that it is based on the manga by Osamu Tezuka, which was released in 1949, and not on Fritz Lang's famous film. This is partly true. At least, the impression I got after watching the film and looking into the manga is that the 2001 anime Metropolis has far more in common with the 1927 film than with the manga it is loosely based on. This is probably logical, if it’s true that the only thing Tezuka had seen of Lang's film was a photo of the robot Maria’s awakening. Apparently, the creators of the anime not only have seen and absorbed the old film but also many subsequent ones that incorporate elements from Metropolis (1927).

The main characters: an idealistic young man (Kenichi) saves and falls in love with a little girl - cyborg (Tima) who doesn’t know she is a cyborg and views the world with the innocent eyes of a newborn. This cyborg/perfect machine was created by a mad scientist on behalf of the very wealthy and de facto ruler of Metropolis (Duke Red) in the image of his deceased daughter, to be used as the ultimate superweapon to dominate the world. Alongside them, we have Kenichi’s kind-hearted and smart detective uncle (Shinsaku Ban), Duke Red’s complicated adopted son (Rock), leader of a paramilitary group that exterminates robots and sworn enemy of Tima, a revolutionary leader (who is brutally betrayed by the government) named Atlas, Duke Red's massive tower complex called the Ziggurat, and the labyrinthine city that tries to reach both the sky and the core of the earth simultaneously. And many robots that strongly anthropomorphize.

At the heart of the film are the reflections of its two main predecessors on human nature, the relationship between humans and the urban environment and technology, artificial intelligence, as well as the social, economic, and political relationships structured around labor. I wouldn't say it brings anything new to these topics, especially in the year 2024. The depiction of class stratification, state authoritarianism, corruption, paramilitary groups, and a society that's a powder keg ready to explode strongly recalls the beginnings of 20th-century fascism and Nazism (the setting helps with that). On the other hand, the racism against robots, who represent the "foreigner," the one who "takes jobs away from humans," unfortunately has very timely implications.

However, I believe the film’s uniqueness lies elsewhere: in its aesthetic eclecticism. It is a truly unique visual experience, so meticulously crafted that many times the eye strays from the main action to look at the details or the secondary action in the background. The stylistic influences are numerous: sci-fi, retrofuturism (especially steampunk influences), cyberpunk, art deco, expressionism, the interwar period, American post-war noir and jazz—you name it. The soundtrack was certainly a surprise—one of the strong noir elements, combined with the dimly lit city alleys, the classic detective in a trench coat, and the gun violence. The creators blended all of these very harmoniously; the result isn’t a mishmash but one of the most beautiful and original anime ever made.

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