Anime cinema has always been an acquired taste. You can't truly say that anime is a new style of film making, since "anime" (Japanese animation) has roots going as far back as the early 20th century, about the same time when France, Germany and America were experimenting with animation. By the 1930s, anime was actually a fairly successful market, especially when compared to live-action Japanese film making which was largely under-developed.

What you can say about anime in the contemporary age is that only recently has this form of cinematic art began to crossover and find a strong American following. What is it about anime that appeals to us? By now American cartoons have become very sophisticated and are often times bring us far more impressive visuals than live-action films. It's hard to believe that anime appeals to American audiences because of the sophistication of its art--even the most advanced anime films can't touch the technical wizardry of Beowulf or Ratatouille.

I have to believe that American audiences love anime for the basest reason: it's un-American in every respect. Japan's children's shows are simple, sketchy and almost innocuous compared to the smartass sensibility of today's American product. Adult anime, or Hentai, is graphic, politically-incorrect and downright effusive compared to the largely undefined world of American adult entertainment. Then there's the straightforward anime sub-genre of anime sci-fi, which seeks to think...and of course, no notable American genre exists.

Steamboy is one of the more acclaimed anime films in recent years, directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, of Akira fame. The film won the Best Animated Feature Film at the Catalonian International Film Festival and set records as the most expensive full-length animated movie in Japan's history. The film follows a "steampunk subgenre" of science fiction, and is big on alternative history. Though set in the 1800's Victorian Britain, there are various political and industrial differences from what we know as reality. This explains why there are some surreally amazing technological advances in science and gadgetry, the likes of which seem alien even in 2008. The story follows doctors Lloyd and Edward Steam, the father and son combination who are trying to obtain water of exceptional purity from an Icelandic cave. Lloyd is reckless regarding an operation to transport the water by way of a trans-Arctic submarine to a large hydraulics facility in Russian, Alaska. Ironically, years later, the recklessness is reversed and Edward has become a robotic fiend, intent on fulfilling his vision of a portable "steam castle." In the middle of this madness is James Ray, a thirteen-year-old boy who possesses a great mechanical gift, and more importantly, "knows the difference between right and wrong." (Glad someone does)

Though set in Britain, Steamboy is definitely a Japanese film. The humor of the film is bizarrely underdeveloped, and occasionally subversive, particularly in its depiction of cyborg-dad Edward. The movie strives to be metaphorical for man's greed and power-lust, though a great majority of the film involves animated visual effects. The director and writer (Sadayuki Murai) seem obsessed with gadgets and with explosions, which sadly to me, reeks of an American mentality. Was Katsuhiro Otomo criticizing American films with the blowhard elements of this picture or was he simply satiating his Japanese audiences with the same loud noises that all humanity finds soothing?

While Steamboy is very often underwhelming in the story department (one half science lesson the other half screaming escape flick) I have to admire the audacity of the two lead characters. Lloyd is particularly interesting, especially when voiced in English by the majesty of Star Trek's Patrick Stewart. Lloyd never actually appears to be sane, even while acting as the voice of reason. His animated performance makes me think of Tom Wilkenson from Michael Clayton, a truthsayer this far from the edge of insanity--hardly the hero we're hoping for. Edward is equally disturbing but for his level-headed psychosis in contrast to Lloyd. The only sane character is the least interesting, but one gets the feeling the film needed little James Ray as the only grip we had to hold on to for some semblance of reality.

Steamboy is not a great film but is a quaint one, and one that allegedly contains very stunning animation--though it may be American snobbery to claim it looks inferior to the old Disney movies of the 1990's. Where Steamboy lacks in visuals it almost makes up in storytelling. The more nonsense the loony characters speak in the dialogue, the more we realize we are watching a blatant message movie, almost as needlessly loud and melodramatic as the British-American culture it seeks to criticize, and our interest starts to wane. Steamboy isn't anime at its best or most imaginative, but perhaps it was the tamest entry in the genre, for which audiences and critics felt inclined to over-reward, saluting anime as a whole. Grade: C+