Due to the hundereds of dollars the big Hollywood guys (in this case Sony) want to offer for their films, this film won't be shown at anime punch...

That's why I'm writing this post now for you guys to watch it! Its directed by Michael Arias, a rare example of an american working in Japan, features mindblowing animation, a wondeful soundtrack by Plaid, and a very well written (though not as good as Studio 4Cs last film Mindgame) story about love between brothers, the effects of urban renewal on communities, finding a balance between good and evil, and generally growing up and facing the harsh reality that surrounds us...

This film is based off of a manga by Taiyou Matsumoto, an artist that prides himself on being influenced by the visuals of mainstream french comics by artists such as Jean Giaurd (Moebius) (see this example), the sort of badassness of american superhero comics, and the storytelling/lightheartedness (these are his words not mine) of manga producing a very unique visual style that fresh, unique, vibrant and cosmopolitan. See examples here.

The film manages to capture this visual style, and present it in a package that is fun, stylish, action packed, and emotionally resonant.

On the other hand its a movie that suffers a bit from Akira syndrome, that is trying to cram so much into a short amount of time, that the movie seems overly stuffed with plot. In spite of this criticism, its still one of the best anime films I've seen in a long time.

Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9LnbgA1K28

Nicely done AMV (some spoilers):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xkYdNF-cV8&feature=related