Shôjirô Nishimi

A wild mix of cultural influences. The film is a French/Japanese co-production, but is set in the black/Latino communities of West-Coast USA. The animation is splendid, the soundtrack is pretty cool and the cultural melting pot is energizing. The film's all over the place, but for me that was the core appeal.

I'm not a big Batman fan, but its anime incarnations are pretty cool. This Madhouse anthology offers a nice collection of shorts that combines Madhouse's traditional animation style with more experimental art styles. Each short is clearly "Batman", but it feels very different from its US counterparts (which is why I cheated and watched it with the Japanese dub). There are no weak entries here, and at least two standouts, which is crucial for any anthology film. Not sure if core Batman fans would appreciate Gotham Knight, but anime (and Madhouse fans in particular) should give it a shot.