review by KC Carlson and Ed Sizemore

[A note from KC: When Johanna asked me to review the new Batman: Gotham Knight animated DVD, it didn’t take me long to realize that I was in over my head. Although the history of American animation is kind of a hobby of mine, I have only a very limited scope of what is going on in the rapidly growing world of anime. Sadly, except for the end credit reports of the DVD, the talented directors and animation studios that are such a huge part of this video are not discussed whatsoever on the packaging, nor in the publicity material that was included with this release. Instead, focus falls on the screenwriters, numerous of whom have comic or cartoon connections, and the voice talent.

Knowing that the dedicated manga and anime followers of Comics worth reading expect us to do much more than a cursory review of this essential project, I rapidly turned to our local anime expert, Ed Sizemore, to help me with information concerning that portion of the DVD. Ed, being Ed, went above and beyond the call of responsibility and wrote a full-blown review, which appears here in its entirety. check back with me at the end for notes on the American creators, additional credits, and information on the DVD extras. Now, here’s Ed.]

Similar to The Animatrix, which expanded the world of the Matrix films through Japanese animation, Batman: Gotham Knight allows anime companies to visually reinterpret Batman. DC comics has hired four of the leading anime studios to animate six stories penned by current and past Batman writers. The idea is for them to use the design template created in Batman begins as a reference for what Gotham looks like and what characters they can incorporate in their stories. The events of these six stories are expected to take place between Batman begins and The Dark Knight.

The first segment, “Have I got A story For You,” is done by studio 4°C. They’re one of the newer studios, but they have made a name for themselves by aiming for the experimental edge of anime. They’re best known for the two-film anthology series genius party and the film adaptation of Tekkonkinkreet. In fact, this story uses the animation style and director of Tekkonkinkreet in presenting our first look at an anime vision of Batman.

I’m not a fan of this animation style. I think the characters and backgrounds look flat. This segment is the most derivative in its storyline but many original in its re-envisioning of Batman. The story is similar to the Batman: The Animated series episode, “Legends of the Dark Knight,” in which three kids tell of their encounters with Batman and how this shaped their understanding of who and what he is. Batman and foe come crashing into their hangout, and the fourth kid gets to form his own impressions. studio 4°C draws on Japanese folktales and anime archetypes in the first three portrayals. The ‘real’ Batman at the end is based on Frank Miller’s Dark Knight.

The second segment, “Crossfire,” is done by production I.G. They’re my favorite anime studio, best known for animating all the incarnations of the Ghost in the shell franchise as well as offering the animation segments in the kill bill movies. here the style is similar to the Ghost in the shell TV series, which works well for the story. This dynamic episode is about two cops who get literally caught in the crossfire between rival gang bosses, and Batman concerns their rescue. There are great shots of Arkham and the ghettos of Gotham. Batman here reminded me of Jim Lee’s drawings, but with a longer cape.

The third segment, “Field Test,” is done by Bee Train production Inc. This studio has done all the animation work for the .hack franchise as well as the shows Noir and Madlax. I like their animation choices; here, they’re reasonable with jet black shadows to give a good moody feel to the piece. The studio also chose to design their own version of the Batman costume. It has smoother geometric surfaces and wanted to me like an Art Deco version of a bat. In this story, Batman is trying out a new force field system that would make him bulletproof, but it has unforeseen side effects. The ending is a little obvious, but it’s still enjoyable. Also, this is a morally ambiguous take on Batman and his stopgap steps to deal with crime in Gotham.

The fourth segment, “In Darkness Dwells,” is done by Madhouse. They’re one of the much more prolific studios, having done animation for shows like death Note, Cardcaptor Sakura, Nana, Beck, Trigun, Reign, and a host of others. American comic readers will know them many for animating both Hellboy cartoon movies. They use the Batman suit from Batman Begins, with two styles of animation. above ground, the style is reasonable with heavy shadows; below ground, it’s Mignola’s art brought to life. In fact, the sewer scenes are closer to the style of the Hellboy comics than the Hellboy cartoons are. In this vignette, Batman has to rescue Cardinal O’Fallon fromnullnull