In an alternate New York, the hugely popular ‘Hero TV’ broadcasts the daring feats of the city’s most famous superheroes, rating their achievements and awarding points until an annual King of Heroes is crowned. Known for careless property damage in the line of duty, unpopular veteran Wild Tiger is assigned a new partner by his corporate sponsors. The twenty-five-year-old ‘Super Rookie’ and they instantly clash over their conflicting opinions on how a superhero should behave, until a super-powered homicidal vigilante presents them with a far more serious problem.
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‘Tiger and Bunny: The Beginning opens on point-of-view helicopter footage and a live ticker scrawling across the screen. The viewer is sucked into an apparent chase sequence from the start, which sets the tone for the fast cutting pace of the feature. As villains rampage through the city, the established super-heroes try to outdo each other to accumulate points. The super-heroes try to outdo each other’s antics by use of their unique powers. There is a rapidfire video game feel as the viewer is bombarded by graphics regarding their personal arsenal. The on-screen action is often interspersed with both slapstick and character humour, underlining the fallibility of the super-heroes.’
‘The anime echoes elements from The Truman Show (1998), The Running Man (1987) and Blade Runner (1982). In terms of The Truman Show, the characters live out their superhero antics openly on Hero TV. They do not want viewers to change the channel at all costs. The chase scenes are redolent of The Running Man, with the superheroes mishaps revealed as well as their triumphs. Visually, wide shots of the metropolis are filled with vast floating ships and advertising screens reminiscent of Blade Runner.’ (Subtitled Online)
A pass for all five films in the Fanomenon Anime Day 2012 (Asura, Wolf Children, Tiger & Bunny, Berserk 1, Berserk 2) is available for only £15 / £12.50: http://www.leedsfilm.com/tickets-passes/
© 2012 SUNRISE/T&B PARTNERS, MBS
