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The Animatrix Network is an anime & manga fan club located in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. We usually meet on the third Saturday of each month (except when holidays or conventions coincide). The meetings are free and open to the public. Join us for a day filled with anime.

This site provides news, reviews, commentaries, and previews of the world of anime and everything it inspires, such as live-action films, comics, music, art, and other weird things to enjoy and contemplate.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The Running Man (1989)

The Classic Anime Re-released to a New Generation
(Click to watch video)
Zach Hugh is the king of the dangerous sport of Arena Racing at a venue called The Circus. Drivers push jet powered hovercraft and themselves to the limit as they race around a track to the delight of spectators who place bets on, among other things, the odds of the drivers dying. It is a sport which leaves most competitors burned out or dead within a year, yet he has remained champion for a decade. A sports reporter sent to interview him about his longevity discovers the dark secret of his success: he has telekinetic powers and uses them to destroy his rivals vehicles. Sitting in the command center where a team monitors the status of Hugh's vehicle and health, he watches him claim another victory... and keep racing. His monitors indicate that has died, yet he races on, challenged by the spirits of those he killed until he himself is finally destroyed. The reporter then explains that The Circus closed shortly after that final race. The fans finally saw what they'd wanted to see for all those years. A visually stunning meditation on the law of karma, and a warning on the danger of the "win at any cost" mentality. While disturbing at points, it is one of the most gorgeous pieces of anime ever done and some of Yoshiaki Kawajiri's finest work.

3 comments:

  1. I remember seeing the old dub of this on MTV's Liquid Television back in the early/mid 90's. Damn I'm getting old...

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  2. in did one of classic by Yoshiaki Kawajiri

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  3. Anthony isnt the old one getting old, heh.
    I watched this too when I was a youth.

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