An interplanetary outlaw space race draws fame and fortune for its participants, though some seem willing to eschew the former in favor of more latter. JP is one such shady customer, a perennial runner-up who’s never qualified for the grand finals because his connections in organized crime make better profits that way. When the tour chooses an aggressively unwilling planet for this season’s big race, however, many participants fear military intervention and drop out. That opens a longshot opportunity for JP to finally realize his dream, but also a fresh chance for his backers to rake in the big bucks, should he once again come up short.

Animated by the highly-regarded animation studio Madhouse, _Redline_ was in development for seven years and that dedication is evident in the details. It’s a gorgeous anime, as smooth and stylish as they come, with all manner of wild angles and camera effects realized in every hand-drawn cel. The speedway teems with action, crowding the screen with precise linework and vivid imagination, but while beautiful, all those hours of artistic obsession also work against it. The piles of flexing carburetors, glimmering headlights and twitchy, whitened knuckles quickly feel overwhelming and disorienting. Doubly so when subtitles enter the fray. There’s just too much going on; no place for the eye to rest and no time for the audience to catch its breath.

Not that the story demands much study. No, it’s total nonsense, barely more than a simple excuse to bump us from one strobe-light music-video montage to the next. For those looking for a sheer visual treat, you’re in luck, though you’ll no doubt exit the experience feeling exhausted. Just remember to check your brain at the door... or ignore the subtitles altogether. It’ll make your life a whole lot easier.