Fine animation of 'Steamboy' trumps shortcomings

By Joshua Masayoshi Huff
Special to The Advertiser

"Steamboy," an anime feature from Japan, questions the use of technology to build weapons of war. Triumph Films "Steamboy" PG-13, for action violence 106 minutes

It's directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, who also directed the cult classic "Akira." Both films feature a teenage boy as the hero, and both focus on the military's role in the future of the world, but the similarities end there.

"Steamboy" is a much lighter film, although it does pose many moral questions. It is similar to the work of Hayao Miyazaki, best known in America for his films "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Spirited Away."

As "Steamboy" begins, our hero, Ray Steam, is assigned to deliver an invention — a high-pressure steam ball — to a Robert Stephenson, a mysterious character whose motives are suspect, and no one else. Ray meets more than his fair share of obstacles and sticky situations along the way, and ultimately, he is confronted with a moral dilemma that will essentially shape who he is.

The movie's main theme, which questions the ethics of using technology and advances in science to build new and more powerful weapons of war, isn't entirely new, but it works. The film does keep the viewer involved, but my mind wandered near the end: I got the point — it was hard not to, as it was constantly drilled into the audience.

One of the film's strengths is its unique setting — London and Manchester, England, in the 1860s. The clothing the characters wear seem very accurate, and not many science-fiction films or anime films are set in the past — most keep their focus strictly on the future.

The movie's biggest flaw is perhaps its English dubbing. Usually, films with subtitles are more effective than those that have their native language entirely removed. Japanese is a very subtle language, and many of these subtleties are lost in translation to English.

Although "Steamboy" is a bit trite — its more sensitive moments felt forced and left me feeling as though I had seen it before — it is still enjoyable and gorgeous to look at. The animators did a great job using conventional, hand-drawn animation, as well as 3-D animation, for backgrounds and certain scenes. The transitions between the two types of animation within the film were flawless, and the viewer is left with one stunning movie to behold.

Don't let the fact that the film is a cartoon keep you from seeing it. The film works on many levels, and intellectual types can definitely enjoy "Steamboy" to the same extent that their 6-year-old kid brothers will, albeit for different reasons.

Joshua Masayoshi Huff is a senior at Moanalua High School who also writes music reviews for the TGIF section.