So, when I saw the trailers for it, I thought this was basically a Michael Bay style movie — Transformers vs. Godzilla with the serial numbers filed off, you know?

But it turns out that what it really is is a goddamn anime that isn’t made with cartoons. Every character in it, every piece of costuming, all the set design, the angsty character backstories, the insane plotting… it is all 100% anime. You could remake this movie frame-by-frame as an anime, and literally the only thing you’d have to change is that the protagonist’s hair would need to be somewhat spikier.

Anyway, though, it turns out that if you make an anime movie as a giant live-action summer blockbuster, it’s pretty good! Recommended.