Steamboy/Memories Box Set (1996)

"[Steamboy] An instant classic.  Jay Carr, AM New York
"[Steamboy] A worthy successor to Akira. . . Only Otomo is capable of pulling off a masterpiece like Steamboy.  Robert Bricken, Anime Insider

Editor's Note STEAMBOY: Katsuhiro Otomo, the master Japanese anime director behind the international success AKIRA, scores again with this inventive story of a family of inventors from Manchester, England, that gets ripped apart by greed, pride, and power. Ray Steam (voice of Anne Suzuki) is a young boy following in the footsteps of his father, Eddy (Masane Tsukayama), and grandfather, Lloyd (Katsuo Nakamura), scientists dedicated to advancing technology through the use of steam. When Lloyd invents a steam ball that has unheard-of possibilities, everyone wants it--world leaders, wealthy industrialists, and even the government--but most of them want it for evil purposes. And so it is up to Ray to protect the fate of the earth while also choosing between his father and grandfather. The background paintings and 3-D CGI animation are gorgeous, creating a gray-and-white palette of gear-driven machines that melds perfectly with the story, which takes the main characters to a major science exhibition in Victorian-era London. STEAMBOY is an animated gem both kids and adults can enjoy. MEMORIES: Three masters of anime--Koji Morimoto, Tensai Okamuro, and Katsuhiro Otomo--collaborate on this trilogy of critically acclaimed, stunningly rendered tales of the fantastic. First, in "Magnetic Rose," the crew of a spacecraft answer a call for help only to find themselves trapped in a ship haunted by the ghostly memories of a dead opera star. Next, in "Stink Bomb," a chemical worker takes what he believes to be cold medicine, only to discover that it was, in fact, a deadly biological weapon. Finally, in "Cannon Fodder," the inhabitants of a grim and mysterious city exists only to create and assemble an endless supply of deadly weapons.

	Alfred Molina
	Anna Panquin
	Kari Wahlgren
	Patrick Stewart
	Katsuhiro Otomo - [Both] Director
	Koji Morimoto - [Memories] Director
	Tensai Okamura - [Memories] Director

San Francisco Chronicle 9 of 10
[Steamboy] The real pleasure of this movie, which has many, is the last 40 minutes, when the villain's plan is unleashed and young Ray must save London. It is the most ambitious stretch of any animated film I have ever seen, action-packed and tightly edited, with imaginative conceptions based on the mechanical contraptions of the period. Steamboy is a fine example of how anime uniquely contributes to world cinema. - G. Allen Johnson

Chicago Sun-Times 5 of 10
[Steamboy] Steamboy is a noisy, eventful and unsuccessful venture into Victorian-era science fiction, animated by a modern Japanese master. It's like H. G. Wells and Jules Verne meet Akira. - Roger Ebert

The Onion AV Club 6 of 10
[Steamboy] ...it rings slightly hollow at the core, thanks to the bizarre plot, which has two thoroughly mad scientists and multiple hangers-on delivering heartfelt rants about the purpose and meaning of science, then endangering the lives of countless people to enforce their will. - Tasha Robinson