It's a shame this collection of short films is called "Neo Tokyo" when it has nothing to do with Akira, and was not intended to have anything to do with Akira. None of these shorts even take place in Neo Tokyo. Nonetheless, Neo Tokyo/Manie-Manie/Labyrinth Tales is a pretty cool collection of short films.
Labyrinth Labyrinthos, the first short in the collection, has the weakest story of the three, but the best visuals. The animation is insane. The short is both fun and incredibly unsettling throughout, but I didn't feel satisfied with the ending.
Running Man is probably the most "Neo Tokyo" of all of the shorts. It's gorgeous and horrifying. The story is fairly straightforward, but it'll leave you with a sad little pit in your stomach by the end.
Cancellation Order is my favorite. It has all of the bells and whistles that I love in a Katsuhiro Otomo film; cool and clever setting and character design and damn good writing/story. The way it uses environmental storytelling is fantastic.
All in all, if you like weird cartoons and have 50 minutes to spare, give Neo Tokyo a go. It's pretty great.
Labyrinth Labyrinthos, the first short in the collection, has the weakest story of the three, but the best visuals. The animation is insane. The short is both fun and incredibly unsettling throughout, but I didn't feel satisfied with the ending.
Running Man is probably the most "Neo Tokyo" of all of the shorts. It's gorgeous and horrifying. The story is fairly straightforward, but it'll leave you with a sad little pit in your stomach by the end.
Cancellation Order is my favorite. It has all of the bells and whistles that I love in a Katsuhiro Otomo film; cool and clever setting and character design and damn good writing/story. The way it uses environmental storytelling is fantastic.
All in all, if you like weird cartoons and have 50 minutes to spare, give Neo Tokyo a go. It's pretty great.