Roujin Z Special Edition (1996)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Katsuhiro Otomo
Directed by Toshiaki Hontani
Character Design by Hisashi Eguchi

Features:

• Trivia Game
  
• About Katsuhira Otomo
  
• Art Gallery
  
• Previews
  
• Script on the DVD-ROM
  
• Cast List and Production Credits
  
• Art Gallery
  
• English and Japanese audio
  
• English subtitles
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• abuse of the elderly
• scary wife mecha
• when hospital beds attack...
• weighty social questions
• dirty old men

Rating: PG-13

Anamorphic: No, 1.66:1 widescreen

My Advice: Buy it.

In the near-future Japan, caring for the elderly has become a serious social issue. As a possible way of dealing with the special needs of the elderly (and the youth who don't want to have to bother), the Ministry of Public Welfare develops a special bed that is more computer than nurse and can ostensibly take care of any bed-ridden person's needs, from "eliminating" to food to medical observation and virtual companionship. Haruto, the young nurse of invalid Mr. Takazawa, is not such a fan of the plan, however. When Takazawa is volunteered to be a part of the experiment, only Haruto might stand between the defenseless old man and undignified imprisonment. Or is Takazawa really all that defenseless after all?

The plot of Roujin Z is everything you might expect from the director of Akira. Every bit as simultaneously amusing and satirically biting as, say, Swift's "A Modest Proposal," Roujin Z manages to make us laugh, gasp, scream, and actually confront how we treat our elderly in this one film. The plot is delightfully complex, filled with layers of betrayal, but the action never stops, nor does the character interaction.

The audio and video are both fine. The digital remastering of the video was quite well done, and the sound, while not astonishing, is as clear and non-intrusive as you could ask. The voice actors do a good job in both Japanese and English, and the dub is fairly well matched and effective.

The extras are pretty nice: the trivia game is fun, if not terribly extensive, and the "About Katsuhiro Otomo" featurette should please most fans. The art gallery is a nice touch with some well-chosen images. The DVD-ROM content includes the full script, which is amazingly nice to have, as well as the full credits, both production and cast.

Basically, in these days when geriatric care really is a serious issue, it's interesting to view this cautionary tale. When does selfishness give way to a social consciousness? Where should we draw the line between care and dignity? And what defines quality "care" anyway? Roujin Z looks at all of these questions and more in a wild, but oddly evocative way. Perhaps only when things are taken to extremes can we foolish humans see that something needs to be done, and we are probably the only ones to do it. Check this one out and be entertained, but don't forget to think.