10 Great Anime Films Of The 21st Century (That Aren't Studio Ghibli)

There's full-throttle, there's The Fast and the Furious - and then there's this. From the minds at veteran studio Madhouse, whose company name has never seemed more apt than when attached to this particularly lunatic creation, Redline reportedly took seven years to develop - but proved to be worth the wait when it unfurled its vision of a galaxy-spanning underground melee of vehicular destruction that would give Dick Dastardly pause for thought in its excesses.

Following the exploits of "Sweet" JP as he attempts to win the titular race - and the heart of his love, competing against him for the top prize - it's arguably short on thematic weight and emotional depth compared to other entries on this list, but what it lacks there, it makes up for in sheer visual kineticism by the bucket-load. It's a particularly unhinged fever-dream of pedal-to-the-metal action that rarely lets up as it careers towards the finish line.

Director Takeshi Koike made his feature debut with this adrenalized effort, pouring every frame with a high-energy pulse that, if alienating to some, at the very least lived up to its promise to crank things up to eleven with aplomb. Having cut his teeth in the animation team for Cardcaptor Sakura, he has since worked exclusively in the Lupin III franchise, helming three consecutive silver-screen features between 2014 and 2019.