There's been a great deal of speculation, hype and superlatives thrown around, ahead of the release of 'Redline'. Personally, I've tried to avoid any pre-release reviews, so that I could try and make up my own mind.

The basic premise is around series of flat-out, no-rules, illegal road races which are scattered around the far edges of a varied and vibrant galaxy.

The 'hero' is pinned immediately, as 'JP'. A old school, human, rock n' roller with a stack of talent, a pumped-up Trans-Am, but a real lack of luck on his side.

We're dropped straight into the action, with a ten minute rollercoaster of race; where he's battling a collection of racers that seem to be fused form the DNA of a '2000AD' comic and the 'Wacky Races'. The back-story's nto difficult to grasp, as it's fairly obvious that if he wins, JP'll qualify for the Redline. What we learn though, is that this sort of racing isn't straightforward and will he make it?

Anyways, I don't want to ruin the plot, as there's certainly plenty of content here for fans of Anime / Manga.

As can be imagined, the main event in this movie is the Redline race, and you'll certainly not be disappointed.

The animation is genuinely quite stunning, with bold and vibrant colours that can't help but jump out of the screen and deliver a a real energy to this work.

It's great to see hand-drawn animation, with a real mix of influences. There're numerous Western influences, with a nod to things such as 'Death Race 2000', but also those bursts of colour that we saw, more recently, with the likes of 'Speed Racer'.

The backing soundtrack and flow reminds me of 'Afro Samurai' and, to me, that's certainly no bad thing.

Redline is essentially a race movie, a 'chase', with a few other minor ingredients (e.g. there's always going to be a bit of romance and chasing the girl, right?) along with a mix of darker characters. The mixture might be a little strange, but it's certainly not lacking in excitement.

Yes, some of the characters are a lil' bit `over the top', perhaps a little bit too `out there', but there's enough pace and vibe to carry the whole thing along.

This might not be the best introduction, for those that haven't sampled Anime / Manga before, but it's certainly high on action and entertainment, in a form / plot that may be a little more familiar for a Western audience.

Enjoy!