52 years after Tezuka’s manga was published, an animated film adaptation of his work was produced. I find this film fascinating for multiple reasons, from how its many ideas and plot threads come full circle with the incorporation of many elements present in Lang’s original film, as well as the timeless nature of its anti-fascist themes. But most of all, I find it baffling that this film has been all but forgotten by modern audiences and fans of animation. While we still remember and revere classic films like Ghost in the Shell, Akira, and the works of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, we’ve somehow neglected and downright forgotten this gem of a film that came out right in the midst of the western anime boom.
Metropolis remains a hidden gem, and the truth is...it never should have been one.
Source(s):
Metropolis (1927): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvtWDIZtrAE&t=1s
Metropolis (Original Manga): https://mangakakalot.com/chapter/metropolis/chapter_1
Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis: https://letterboxd.com/film/metropolis-2001/
German blog about art dec and retro-futurism: http://klausbuergle.de/
The Making of Metropolis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqjCIbdlFTc
Popular Science Monthly "The Wonder City You Might Live In": https://www.flickr.com/photos/evandagan/4798569602/sizes/o/in/photostream/