An incredible film of epic proportions.

Rating: 10/10 (31 July 2000)

I remember seeing this film when I was around oh, 8 or 9 years old, in full knowing of the adult content (I mean, the most violent animation I had seen previos was probably "Footrot Flats"). I didnt sit all the way through it (its a hell of a lot of story to consume) but the action in the first half entranced me like no other "Cartoon" had before ie I couldnt believe they allowed breasts and shot dogs in cartoons.
I have since bought it myself, and it still, from start to finish entraps the imagination in its beautifully stunning animation, set pieces and unbelievable action. I would say the last half hour is the greatest action sequence ever portrayed on film, whether animated or not, and is enveloped in animation I believe far surpass' that of even Ghost In The Shell (which is saying a lot) especially considering its entirely hand drawn, which I appreciate greatly in animation.
The storyline while being convoluted and incredibly hard to follow the first few times, and could alienate some viewers through its intricacies, opens up after several viewing and provides a great backdrop to the entire experience.
I will admit one thing though. I have yet to see the subtitled version, and while sure to be superior to the dubbed, its not entirely necessary IMO. The American dubbing, while ruining a lot of the context (as anime dubbing does) its probably one of the best efforts I have heard. The characters voices really grow on you, and are all individual sounding with a lot of character differentiation.
Overall it sits on my personal top ten, and provides a depth rarely seen in film, let alone animation.
10/10.