I was all agog to review this film because it's marvellous, but now I come to do it, I'm stumped. Because there's all this stuff in it that'll make your brain boggle, and when you walk out of the theatre and someone asks, "So what was that about, then?", you'll say something like this: "There's this boy, right, and he lives with his grandmother, and she vacuums his legs, and trains roar past their window and their dog waddles upstairs to bark at them because of an incident in its puppyhood, and there are these batty old ladies who were famous jazz singers way back when, but now they blow up frogs, and there's a mafia plot to kidnap the grandson because he's a star cyclist in the Tour de France and they want to use him in a gambling operation, and they look just like great big walking wardrobes, and there's this poor bloke who runs a pedal-boat outfit and goes mad, and there's a chase sequence, and the animation is just incredible, and the dog is really cute, and that song will stay in your head for days." And they'll think you're insane, but it'll all have been worth it.

In a kind of science fiction tinged Victorian England, Ray, a young inventor, receives a mysterious 'steam ball' from his grandfather - another inventor. He finds that it is the heart of a mysterious and ominous 'steam castle' and may be the secret key to a force of unparalleled power which several powerful institutions are chasing. Ray must determine which organisation will use the steam ball for good or evil. 16 years on from Akira, Katsuhiro ((iuml))tomo has finally graced the world with another animated gem. Steamboy explores many of the same themes as Akira, but is a touch less adult-oriented. That's not to say there isn't some great destruction of Victorian London! It's a pretty formulaic plot for a Japanese animation, but Steamboy isn't particularly about plot. It is about atmosphere, amazing attention to detail, absorbing graphic design, and glorious animation. Steamboy is easily the best looking animated film I can remember seeing (although I'm told the forthcoming Appleseed will give Steamboy a run for its money). Understandably, it's also the most expensive animated feature ever produced in Japan!