Roujin Z

Amazon.com

Japan faces the expensive problems of caring for an aging population. As a solution, Mr. Terada, an official in a mysterious government ministry, unveils the Z-001, a high-tech bed that cares for an invalid's every need. His chosen guinea pig of a patient is Mr. Takazawa, an aged man in the care of Haruko, a pretty young nurse. Haruko realizes that the machine can't attend to Mr. Takazawa's emotional needs and tries to rescue him. When Terada foils her efforts, she turns to a group of elderly patients--who turn out to be ace hackers. The complications pile up when an unscrupulous member of Terada's staff reveals that the Z-001 is actually a prototype battle robot. But once Haruko's aged hackers gain control of it, the Z-001 takes on the personality of Mr. Takazawa's late wife. It sets out to realize his dream of spending a day at the beach at Kamakura, wreaking havoc wherever it goes.

Although it's filled with robot battles, sexual jokes, and sinister-sounding acronyms, Roujin Z, written and designed by Katsuhiro Ôtomo, the director of Akira, has a humane warmth that sets it apart from run-of-the-mill anime features. Not rated, but minor nudity and sexual jokes are unsuitable for small children. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

Roujin zzzzzzzzzzzzz.......2007-01-14

A prototype mechanized bed designed to take care of the elderly morphs into a powerful robot and goes on a rampage in order to take its occupant on one more trip to the beach. There's a bit of social commentary about Japan's rapidly aging society in the premise; however, a character's comment that it's not right to put the aged in mechanical beds because that just hides the problem neatly sums up everything "Roujin Z" has to say on the subject. The rest of the film is rampaging robots, lowbrow comedy, and widespread destruction, none of it very interesting either visually or dramatically.

Despite the undeniable talent and experience of Japan's animation industry, I continue to be surprised and annoyed that the same big-eyed, narrow-jawed character design is so prevalent. It seems to be a convention of the genre that fans just accept, but it made me feel that I had already seen "Roujin Z" as soon as it began.

Anime Morality.......2006-01-10

Roujin Z was one of the first anime I ever saw, and if I'm right it's also one of the first brought over to American shores and given the full treatment. It's funny watching this movie ten years later, because Americanized anime back then wasn't treated the same as anime today. Instead of letting the Japanese culture shine through, they force the American way into the scenes. One primary example is where they displace Japanese government and police agencies for our own, that being the Pentagon and FBI. It's a history lesson in anime as well as a fun anime movie from the past era of re-versioned anime.

The story is about an old man who's gotten to the point where he can no longer care fore himself without help, and a young nurse named Haruko has taken it upon herself to care for this man. But, without her knowledge, a family member of the old man has volunteered him to be the guinea pig in the experimentation of a cutting edge bed, made for caring for the old. But the bed is designed too well, and grows a mind of its own, taking on the personality of the old man's late wife. Thus, the bed changes into a giant robot with all intentions of getting the old man to the beach. In its path are government officials and military versions of the bed, but the bed itself has its own help in a group of old hackers and young nurses, as well as Haruko.

The story takes on an Akira-like moment when the machines start to mutate, taking in anything and everything it touches, but it doesn't exactly take away from the anime, even though it's an obvious copy of the cult classic. The gold in this anime is the message it delivers, and that message is how we treat those of a later generation, or the old, to be blunt. And it proves that age is no barrier, nor is it a weakness, but a state of mind.

For anyone seeking to learn what Americanized anime was like ten years ago, or if you're a collector, check this out. Roujin Z is a solid anime very similar to Akira in design, but not in mood; this anime in no way takes itself seriously. It's funny at times, and touching at other times, but never dark or overly violent.

Good but not as good as I like it a few years ago.......2005-09-07

An anime story about a nurse and his 70 year old patient. I liked this movie but for me it has lost some of it's freshness over the years. Still it's worth seeing to see Haruko Mishashi and Mr. Takazawa and also the bad guys Terada and Hasegawa.

rating 13 up: minor nudity and sexual jokes

Entertaining, light early 90's chase anime.......2005-07-16

Friday, July 15, 2005 / 4 of 5 / Entertaining, light early 90's chase anime
While at once amusing and alarming prescience, this early 90's anime tells a tale of the aging of Japan and the issues the elderly will impose upon the care giving industry. Not the typical anime subject matter, but things kick into gear as a veiled group introduces a super-mecha bed that will tend to the needs of the elderly, bathing, feeding, taking care of their waste, etc. all controlled via a super computer and nuclear furnace. The bed has some hidden capabilities however, and the first test case, an old man, is taken along for a wild ride. The man's human nurse and her friends give chase along with the bed's company when it takes on the personality of the man's deceased wife. What ensues is a chase as the bed tries to take the man to the beach. Must be seen to be believed. Funny and breezy, it's highly recommended.

Funny, gross, and impressive!.......2004-03-27

This movie is silly, disgusting and satirical. There is a lot here that resembles Akira: detailed designs, solid direction, changing alliances, activist young people, and over-the-top transformations.

Average customer rating:

Strip 'N' Run
Starring: Marc August , Charles Arthur Berg , Jimmy Bridges , Todd Bridges , and L.P. Brown III
Director: L.P. Brown III
Manufacturer: Ground Zero
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006G8GX
Release Date: 2002-10-29

Average customer rating:

Deja vu?
An Unusual Anime

Z-Mind
Starring: Z-Mind
Manufacturer: Bandai
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005Y6XF
Release Date: 2002-03-19

Description

Old School is back! And girl power reigns supreme! Ayame, Sumire, Renge, a nd Satsuki are charged with the protection of the Earth from a powerful new enemy. But th ese girls may be in for more than they've bargained for! They'll have to not only master the experimental mobile armor - Z-mind, but hold down their part-time jobs, all this while keeping their lives... normal! But will this be enough to stop the forces of evil from c onquering the Earth? It's gonna be ggroovy!

Customer Reviews:

Deja vu?.......2002-04-07

They said it couldn't happen but they were wrong...yet anouther offering from the genre which of late can do little else but fall into the category of 'done to death'. Yes, once more we wander into the world of quint retro shojo Mech. Excuse me if I don't wave my hands in the air and scream girlishly. While I'm sure there are those who'll enjoy this little foray into the life of the average Japanese teenage girl who happens to be in possesion of monolithic mechs, I'm sure most will recognise it for what it truly is. I'm afraid that, in a market where the name 'Gundam' is the be all and end all of what we class as 'classic' full-on Mech, Bubblegum's numerous spawnings monopolise the shojo Mech market and Votoms and the like are the last word in retro cheese, Z-mind is a little out of it's depth.

An Unusual Anime.......2002-03-21

Sunrise, The studio that is making it's presence known in america these last few years with it's classic Mobile Suit Gundam francise has created yet another piece of creativity. Z-mind tells the story of four Japanese sisters(three teenaged girls and a little girl)that happen to live in the city of Tokyo in the 1970's who have by accident discover a giant robot that was created by their deceased father to fight a mysterious alien force invading the city. The teenaged girls use the giant robot to stop that alien force. Yes the name is one of the unusual names anyone can come up with but don't let the name fool you. The mecha designs are very unique and special and the animation is pretty standard anime fare especially for a OVA(original video animation). If you just reading this and want to know the plot, well i can't tell you that if you have never seen it before but all i can tell you is that the episodes are episodic and don't follow a particular storyline just like a regular TV anime show. So give this title a shot and and it may not be your cup of tea as far as the concept but it's pretty fun to watch if you're into both Shojo(girls anime and manga)and Mecha.

Average customer rating:

Roujin zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Anime Morality
Good but not as good as I like it a few years ago
Entertaining, light early 90's chase anime
Funny, gross, and impressive!

Roujin Z
Starring: Chisa Yokoyama , Nigel Anthony , Tamio Ôki , Kôji Tsujitani , and Rica Matsumoto
Director: Hiroyuki Kitakubo
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 630506251X
Release Date: 1998-08-26

Amazon.com

Description

An elderly invalid is volunteered for a bizarre experiment. The Z-001 is a machine that take care of all human needs when linked with the brain waves of the subject. But due to a secret military prototype of the Z-001, the machine has turned into an unstoppable robot.

Customer Reviews:

Roujin zzzzzzzzzzzzz.......2007-01-14

Anime Morality.......2006-01-10

Good but not as good as I like it a few years ago.......2005-09-07

Entertaining, light early 90's chase anime.......2005-07-16

Funny, gross, and impressive!.......2004-03-27

Average customer rating:

Z-Mind
Starring: Z Mind
Manufacturer: Bandai
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Sci-Fi Action | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0001OGVJE
Release Date: 2002-03-19

DVD:

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