Roujin Z
Us Manga Corps Video Product Details
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Director: Hiroyuki Kitakubo
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Sales Rank: 118013
Us Manga Corps Video
Released: 2004-04-27
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Media: DVD
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Japan faces the expensive problems of caring for an aging population. As a solution, Mr. Terada, an official in a mysterious government ministry, unveils the Z-001, a high-tech bed that cares for an invalid's every need. His chosen guinea pig of a patient is Mr. Takazawa, an aged man in the care of Haruko, a pretty young nurse. Haruko realizes that the machine can't attend to Mr. Takazawa's emotional needs and tries to rescue him. When Terada foils her efforts, she turns to a group of elderly patients--who turn out to be ace hackers. The complications pile up when an unscrupulous member of Terada's staff reveals that the Z-001 is actually a prototype battle robot. But once Haruko's aged hackers gain control of it, the Z-001 takes on the personality of Mr. Takazawa's late wife. It sets out to realize his dream of spending a day at the beach at Kamakura, wreaking havoc wherever it goes.
Although it's filled with robot battles, sexual jokes, and sinister-sounding acronyms, Roujin Z, written and designed by Katsuhiro Ôtomo, the director of Akira, has a humane warmth that sets it apart from run-of-the-mill anime features. Not rated, but minor nudity and sexual jokes are unsuitable for small children. --Charles Solomon
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Product Details
Roujin Z
- DVD: 0 pages (2004-04-27)
- Publisher: Us Manga Corps Video
- Label: Us Manga Corps Video
- Starring: Chisa Yokoyama, Nigel Anthony, Barbara Barnes, Sean Barrett, Toni Barry
- Director: Hiroyuki Kitakubo
- Encoding: Region 1
- Format: Animated, Color, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
- Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1,
- Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
- Studio: Us Manga Corps Video
- DVD Release Date: 2004-04-27
- Run Time: 80
- Average Customer Review: based on 23 reviews
- Sales Rank in DVD: #118013
Customer Reviews
Avg. Customer Review:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: VHS Quality on DVD 2008-12-16
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Roujin zzzzzzzzzzzzz 2007-01-14
Comment: A prototype mechanized bed designed to take care of the elderly morphs into a powerful robot and goes on a rampage in order to take its occupant on one more trip to the beach. There's a bit of social commentary about Japan's rapidly aging society in the premise; however, a character's comment that it's not right to put the aged in mechanical beds because that just hides the problem neatly sums up everything "Roujin Z" has to say on the subject. The rest of the film is rampaging robots, lowbrow comedy, and widespread destruction, none of it very interesting either visually or dramatically.
Despite the undeniable talent and experience of Japan's animation industry, I continue to be surprised and annoyed that the same big-eyed, narrow-jawed character design is so prevalent. It seems to be a convention of the genre that fans just accept, but it made me feel that I had already seen "Roujin Z" as soon as it began.
Despite the undeniable talent and experience of Japan's animation industry, I continue to be surprised and annoyed that the same big-eyed, narrow-jawed character design is so prevalent. It seems to be a convention of the genre that fans just accept, but it made me feel that I had already seen "Roujin Z" as soon as it began.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Anime Morality 2006-01-10
Comment: Roujin Z was one of the first anime I ever saw, and if I'm right it's also one of the first brought over to American shores and given the full treatment. It's funny watching this movie ten years later, because Americanized anime back then wasn't treated the same as anime today. Instead of letting the Japanese culture shine through, they force the American way into the scenes. One primary example is where they displace Japanese government and police agencies for our own, that being the Pentagon and FBI. It's a history lesson in anime as well as a fun anime movie from the past era of re-versioned anime.
The story is about an old man who's gotten to the point where he can no longer care fore himself without help, and a young nurse named Haruko has taken it upon herself to care for this man. But, without her knowledge, a family member of the old man has volunteered him to be the guinea pig in the experimentation of a cutting edge bed, made for caring for the old. But the bed is designed too well, and grows a mind of its own, taking on the personality of the old man's late wife. Thus, the bed changes into a giant robot with all intentions of getting the old man to the beach. In its path are government officials and military versions of the bed, but the bed itself has its own help in a group of old hackers and young nurses, as well as Haruko.
The story takes on an Akira-like moment when the machines start to mutate, taking in anything and everything it touches, but it doesn't exactly take away from the anime, even though it's an obvious copy of the cult classic. The gold in this anime is the message it delivers, and that message is how we treat those of a later generation, or the old, to be blunt. And it proves that age is no barrier, nor is it a weakness, but a state of mind.
For anyone seeking to learn what Americanized anime was like ten years ago, or if you're a collector, check this out. Roujin Z is a solid anime very similar to Akira in design, but not in mood; this anime in no way takes itself seriously. It's funny at times, and touching at other times, but never dark or overly violent.
The story is about an old man who's gotten to the point where he can no longer care fore himself without help, and a young nurse named Haruko has taken it upon herself to care for this man. But, without her knowledge, a family member of the old man has volunteered him to be the guinea pig in the experimentation of a cutting edge bed, made for caring for the old. But the bed is designed too well, and grows a mind of its own, taking on the personality of the old man's late wife. Thus, the bed changes into a giant robot with all intentions of getting the old man to the beach. In its path are government officials and military versions of the bed, but the bed itself has its own help in a group of old hackers and young nurses, as well as Haruko.
The story takes on an Akira-like moment when the machines start to mutate, taking in anything and everything it touches, but it doesn't exactly take away from the anime, even though it's an obvious copy of the cult classic. The gold in this anime is the message it delivers, and that message is how we treat those of a later generation, or the old, to be blunt. And it proves that age is no barrier, nor is it a weakness, but a state of mind.
For anyone seeking to learn what Americanized anime was like ten years ago, or if you're a collector, check this out. Roujin Z is a solid anime very similar to Akira in design, but not in mood; this anime in no way takes itself seriously. It's funny at times, and touching at other times, but never dark or overly violent.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good but not as good as I like it a few years ago 2005-09-06
Comment: An anime story about a nurse and his 70 year old patient. I liked this movie but for me it has lost some of it's freshness over the years. Still it's worth seeing to see Haruko Mishashi and Mr. Takazawa and also the bad guys Terada and Hasegawa.
rating 13 up: minor nudity and sexual jokes
rating 13 up: minor nudity and sexual jokes
Customer Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, light early 90's chase anime 2005-07-16
Comment: Friday, July 15, 2005 / 4 of 5 / Entertaining, light early 90's chase anime
While at once amusing and alarming prescience, this early 90's anime tells a tale of the aging of Japan and the issues the elderly will impose upon the care giving industry. Not the typical anime subject matter, but things kick into gear as a veiled group introduces a super-mecha bed that will tend to the needs of the elderly, bathing, feeding, taking care of their waste, etc. all controlled via a super computer and nuclear furnace. The bed has some hidden capabilities however, and the first test case, an old man, is taken along for a wild ride. The man's human nurse and her friends give chase along with the bed's company when it takes on the personality of the man's deceased wife. What ensues is a chase as the bed tries to take the man to the beach. Must be seen to be believed. Funny and breezy, it's highly recommended.
While at once amusing and alarming prescience, this early 90's anime tells a tale of the aging of Japan and the issues the elderly will impose upon the care giving industry. Not the typical anime subject matter, but things kick into gear as a veiled group introduces a super-mecha bed that will tend to the needs of the elderly, bathing, feeding, taking care of their waste, etc. all controlled via a super computer and nuclear furnace. The bed has some hidden capabilities however, and the first test case, an old man, is taken along for a wild ride. The man's human nurse and her friends give chase along with the bed's company when it takes on the personality of the man's deceased wife. What ensues is a chase as the bed tries to take the man to the beach. Must be seen to be believed. Funny and breezy, it's highly recommended.
While definitely watchable, there was some combing (artefacts on moving edges) which suggests problems (or just laziness) while digitalizing the movie.
I'd say wait for another release but who knows when this will be.