The man Katsuhiro Otomo should be familiar to all otaku due to the anime film known as Akira. In 2004 he also happens to give us another gem by the name Steamboy. Instead of the run down atmosphere of Neo Tokyo, this time around we get the backdrop of a steampunk version of late 1800s England.
In Steamboy we got little Ray Steam (yeah, the whole family actually has that last name), who happens to be a whiz at tinkering with machinery. One day he receives a small, powerful device from his grandfather (Lloyd Steam), in the email. This device soon becomes a hunted prize by a business group known as the Ohara foundation, and by The British Empire. In the midst of all he must deal with the conflict between his father (Edward Steam) and grandfather.
Steamboy explores the neutrality of science and technology, and how easily it could sway between both good and evil. Both the Ohara Foundation and The British Empire develop weapons in order to further what they think is the betterment of mankind. Each side defining improvement of humanity by blowing as much shit up as possible.
Alongside this are the battles of son versus father. Ray against his father, Edward Steam, adds three generations of offspring battling parent.
How can you be mad at that face?
Add on top of that the unpredictability of technology. Boy you will see plenty of industrial accidents. In fact I’m surprised how they manage to go without any bloody messes through the film. There are plenty of action scenes but not as graphic as what you saw in Akira. Although don’t let that dissuade you. The steampunk battle scenes are a site to behold.
Speaking of sites l, the visuals of the steam technology are extremely detailed and absolutely massive. In every scene with gigantic vehicles, you can’t turn your eyes away. .It’s very interesting seeing how it all works as everything goes into motion. You also have bright colors everywhere, and fluid moving characters. It’s safe to say that the biggest selling point of Steamboy is indeed its visuals. The character designs are ones which you usually see from Katsuhiro Otomo. . Which kind of looks like Akira taking place in England (insert fan fiction here). To match the eye candy is the film score. It gives the movie an even more epic feel.
Now there are some of you who think about the setting of England, and think this is a time when it is more suited to hearing this anime dubbed. To those people I say; you call yourselves anime fans? But I also say that you are in luck with this film. The character of Lloyd Steam is voiced by none other than Patrick Stewart. That’s right, ole Captain Picard is here to give steampunk his royal treatment. The voice of Ray is voiced by Anna Paquin. Who you may know as Rogue in the live action X-Men movies. So that means you got Professor Xavier(played Stewart) and Rogue in this anime. So there you go. There’s a bone tossed to you dubheads.
Just imagine having that man command the Enterprise.
The awesome spectacle that is Steamboy. It is sure to wow probably those that may not even be anime fans(so make sure to trick your friends into seeing it).
About the author: Glitch is a digital demon from planet Fanboy, and is here to teach us humans a thing or two. You can find more of his reviews(and nonsense) over at http://www.youtube.com/takenoutofcontext.