The Thousands

The onslaught of anime in the ‘90s brought us tentacle sex, exploding heads, ninjas drowning in molten gold and psychic children who might be god. There been so much of it since that it’s easy to ignore, so Reel Anime 2008 is throwing four new titles up on the big screen to catch your eye.

Like APPLESEED EX MACHINA, the latest instalment of the Masamune Shirow’s post-WWIII Appleseed epic. Too boysy? Just listening to the J-Pop theme of THE GIRL WHO LEPT THROUGH TIME will make you feel like a Japanese schoolgirl.**Most nerd-anticipated is BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT. A collaboration between comic writers and anime directors, using the animated form to play with the visually ridiculous elements of Batman’s world without compromising the pesky verisimilitude of the live action sequel.

The guiltiest pleasure is definitely VEXILLE. This cyborg boom-flick uses shiny CGI, but keeps thick black outlines for a comic-art feel. The humans don’t have much character, but their battlesuits sure do, and the explosions are rendered in such joyful detail that somewhere, Michael Bay just broke out in an envious sweat.