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StatusFinished AiringSeasonSummer 1987StudioMadhouse, Project Team ArgosSourceNovel
Where to watch
Story
Synopsis
This acclaimed science fiction anthology presents three avant-garde visions by legendary Japanese directors. In Rintaro *Labyrinth Labyrinthos*, a curious girl and her mischievous cat chase a shadow through an antique mirror into a surreal, hallucinatory circus dreamscape. Yoshiaki Kawajiri *Running Man* follows an investigative journalist documenting the final, telekinetically destructive death-race of a terminally obsessed grand prix champion. Finally, Katsuhiro Otomo *The Order to Stop Construction* observes a hapless corporate bureaucrat dispatched deep into tropical rainforests to shut down an automated construction project run amok with rogue robots.
⚠ Background — may contain spoilers
Premiering at the Tokyo International Fantastic Film Festival in September 1987 before receiving broader theatrical distribution, this anthology was produced by Project Team Argos and Madhouse. Adapting short stories by sci-fi writer Taku Mayumura, the project assembled three titan auteurs (Rintaro, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, and Katsuhiro Otomo) right on the cusp of the late-eighties anime explosion. Revered internationally for pioneering hyper-detailed mechanical layouts, fluid speed-blur animation, and darkly satirical cyberpunk storytelling, the film stands as a monumental landmark in anime history.
An anime that utilizes visuals to their full potential and earns its solid four star rating. Take away a star if the violence in The Running Man disturbs you.
