With a name like SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next it's safe to say that Bandai Visual's latest release is designed strictly for adventurous hardcore otaku. Ironically its creator, Katsuhiro Otomo, was the mastermind behind some of anime's most beloved features (well, one of them is beloved anyway). Akira and Steamboy are household names but does SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next have the ability to be the same?

With a runtime of 40 minutes SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next proves to be a charming little film but it's not quite as epic as Otomo's other works. The show explores several facets of childhood and presents a story rife with a sense of wonder, discovery, and fear of the unknown. It's a throwback to the simplicity of adolescence and it's very offbeat from beginning to end. The movie truly bucks the trend by offering innocence as opposed to violence and fan service. The result is something that may not be for everyone but if you're looking for something different then you're going to be very pleased.

Ryuhei Ozaki seems to be your typical fifth grader though an unsuspecting discovery changes his life and sets up a big adventure. Ryuhei and his brother Sasuke are going through some tough times at home thanks to the fact that his parents are in the process of splitting. It would seem Ryuhei's father is obsessed with putting together anime models and his mother finally got sick of it and decided to leave. I'm sure there's more to the picture than meets the eye but considering we only get that portion of the story from the viewpoint of a child there's naturally a sort of innocence in the reasoning. At any rate, while looking through some of his father's things Ryuhei stumbles upon a notebook that belonged to his dad when he was younger.

The notebook that Ryuhei discovers has a map and talks about a "treasure" hidden beneath the streets of Tokyo. Like any curious kid would do he goes online and starts a chat room in an effort to find some other kids who want to go treasure hunting. With his brother unwittingly in tow, Ryuhei meets up with other members of the party, Shun, Yoshio, and Momoyo. From there the real adventure begins and things start off with a trip through a manhole cover in a back alley.

After spelunking beneath Tokyo for a while the group of kids comes across a senile old man who shouts at them about being spies when he discovers them in his mushroom garden. Not only does he tell them off but he also whips out a katana and chases them into a swarm of rats. Ryuhei and company don't let this deter them and soon enough they meet up with a strange man in a suit who also happens to live in the sewers. This gentleman bears nothing but goodwill as he takes the kids to his home where a bunch of people hard up on luck live.

We soon learn that the old coot that was running around brandishing a sword is a Japanese soldier who was stationed in that location way back in 1945. He's a tragic figure who knows nothing of the current state of affairs above ground and isolation has driven him mad. He perceives Ryuhei and friends as members of the allied forces and goes over the edge when he hears the homeless people singing a song in English thinking they are there to attack him and steal the "treasure" he's guarding.

Because it's important to the story I am not going to reveal exactly what this "treasure" is but let's just say it fits the story appropriately. SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next quickly goes from a children's adventure to a story about a tragic, yet honorable figure. Ryuhei's adventure never deviates from its purpose but layer upon layer is added to give the otherwise simplistic story some real depth. The 40 minute runtime ticks away all too quickly in my opinion and when it was all over I wished it had been longer.

Like I said at the beginning of this review SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next will not appeal to everyone. It's not as grandiose as Akira or Steamboy but it succeeds in telling a charming tale that will stay with you for a while. I highly recommend this film to everyone looking for something off the beaten path. With that being said just take a look at the MSRP and try to figure out exactly how many people are going to bite with that price tag. Bandai Visual really needs to re-evaluate their pricing structure or else they'll be pricing themselves out of the market.

SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next is presented on DVD with an anamorphic widescreen transfer. The picture quality here is practically flawless thanks mostly to the manner with which this release was produced. Ditching traditional animation the production team went with CGI. The end result is a show that looks crystal clear with sharp details and only a few instances where grain is noticeable. Quite seriously though, it's the detail in this picture that truly impress. Subtle additions to the environments around Ryuhei bring the world to life in ways that most anime doesn't see.

Keeping in line with other Bandai Visual releases SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next only features the original Japanese language track. There is no English dub included here and that's a crying shame, especially considering the cost of admission for this DVD. That being said the Japanese dubbing is perfectly fine and fits the movie fantastically with a wide range of emotion and personality. The technical quality of the audio matches the video well with a fine amount of immersion and no flaws to gripe about.

A few of the original Japanese bonus features made their way onto this release which certainly extends the viewing of this disc. To kick things off is a "Making of" documentary that goes into nitty-gritty detail about the production of SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next. Clocking in at 17:45 this feature includes some of the original production staff discussing various aspects about creating the show. Oddly enough this feature is also dubbed in English at parts which adds to frustration considering there's no dub for the movie. Next up is an interview segment with the original Japanese cast. There's nothing major revealed here but it feels a little more in depth than the interview bits we typically see here in America.

After those two the only other feature through the "Extras" menu is a minute long trailer for the film. The real treat on this disc comes in the form of an audio commentary which features Director Shinji Takagi, Animator Tomonari Nakajima, and CGI Director Masashi Kokubo. As you'd expect this commentary is entirely in Japanese with English subtitles and I have to say that was very refreshing. Here in the States we've become accustomed to silly English commentaries where the voice actors riff on a particular episode but this one feels more focused. There's a lot of information here about the film if you take the time to watch it though I do have to admit that there's not a lot of colorful banter between commentators.

SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next is another gem from the mind of Katsuhiro Otomo. Full of charm, wit, and an endearing sense of adventure this stands as one of the best ways to spend 40 minutes where anime is concerned. The video quality is stellar, the audio quality is good, and the bonus features help complete the package. It's a shame that Bandai Visual priced this release the way they did because this is something that nearly every otaku should check out. For the quality of this film I'm going to highly recommend it as it's an instant classic. Take that to heart when looking at the MSRP.

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