This review might contain spoilers. You may proceed if you can handle the truth... Roujin Z directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo known for his directorial works on GOLDEN BOY and BLOOD THE LAST VAMPIRE is based on the original story by Katsuhiro Ootomo the creator of the famous manga and film adaptation Akira. Both men worked previously on the robotfocused anthology Robot Carnival and the influential sciencefiction classic Akira. Contrary to Ootomos previous work Akira his followup Roujin Z plays in contemporary Japan and features an independent spirited and strong female protagonist. Furthermore the only male friend of the lead character is the opposite of the young men in Akira: spineless selfish and inconsiderate. Undoubtedly a courageous decision by Oootomo to design characters with the potential to alienate most of his male fans. Comparable to later works of Oshii known for the film adaptation of Ghost in the Shell Roujin Z encourages viewers to reflect on contemporary political and social issues. The increasing nursing shortage nowadays worse than 30 years ago is the centre of conflict in the movie. As compensation for the lack of caregivers the healthcare ministry developed an advanced medical bed to replace almost every aspect of geriatric nursing. The first 20 minutes of the picture show the benefits and disadvantages of the invention from different viewpoints. Most of the remaining runtime consists of action chasing or stereotypical computer hacking scenes. Albeit those scenes are a welcome change to keep the viewers attention the film becomes repetitive unfocused and uninspiring by the second chase scene at the latest. Additionally the actionpacked scenes repress and nullify the reflection on the social problem. Despite Ootomos efforts to write an original script the plot is often predictable and has some stereotypical elements for its time. Nevertheless the story is thoughtprovoking to some extent funny and heartwarming. In contrast to the decent plot are the characters who mainly receive a minimalistic characterisation and do not obtain any character development. Consequently they are onedimensional dull and forgettable. Moreover the mediocre visual character design does not contribute to making the character more interesting. However the detailed creative and distinct mecha design is impressive. Together with the charming nineties animation style which looks gorgeous to this day both are the best element of the picture. Last but not least the score is neither exceptional nor atrocious. To summarise Roujin Z is worth your time for its unique mecha design and entertaining story. You may skip this gem if you cannot stand unsatisfying characters or the flawed execution of the plot. At the point of writing no streaming service has the movie in its collection and the CD has not received a reprint in years. Therefore if you get the opportunity to watch in the future you should seize it.