Batman: Gotham Knight

Growing up as a diehard Batman fan, this might have actually been my first anime. I watched it several times before knowing what anime even was. To me this is essential viewing for DC fans and anime fans should enjoy it as well. It consists of six stories produced from Studio 4 °C (Memories), Production I.G. (Ghost in the Shell), Bee Train (.hack//) and Madhouse (Death Note). Although they range in quality, there's no bad one per se. I don't love the animation in the first story, Have I Got a Story for You, and the ending to the fifth one, Working Through Pain, ittedly ... has me puzzled. The rest are spot-on though. As usual it's great to hear Kevin Conroy's voice in this movie, which was his first outside of the DC Animated Universe started by Batman: The Animated Series. I might be biased towards this movie because it was one of my favorites to watch growing up but even in my college years I find myself revisiting this time to time and always getting a thrill out of it.

No spoiler review!

Batman: Gotham Knight is a mixed bag. While the animation style is visually striking, the stories in the anthology film are hit-or-miss. Some segments are engaging and well-written, while others feel underdeveloped and lacklustre. The voice acting is solid, but the overall experience is underwhelming. It's worth a watch for die-hard Batman fans, but it's not a must-see for general audiences.
The film's anthology format allows for a variety of different styles and perspectives, which is both a strength and a weakness. On one hand, it keeps the film fresh and allows for different takes on the iconic character of Batman. On the other ... hand, it makes the film feel disted and uneven.

Some of the segments stand out, such as the one directed by Shojiro Nishimi, which features a unique animation style and a tense and thrilling story. However, other segments fall flat, such as the one directed by Futoshi Higashide, which feels poorly written and rushed.

The voice acting is good overall, with Kevin Conroy reprising his role as Batman. However, the film's soundtrack is forgettable and doesn't add much to the overall experience.

In conclusion, Batman: Gotham Knight is a decent watch for fans of the character, but it's not the best representation of the Dark Knight. It has its moments, but it also has its shortcomings.

Additionally, the film's anthology format is not without its drawbacks. It can be jarring to jump from one story to another and not all stories are equally strong, making it difficult to fully invest in any one of them. Furthermore, some of the segments feel disconnected from the overall Batman universe and lack the depth and complexity that the character is known for.

The film's animation is impressive and the character designs are faithful to the comics. However, the animation quality varies between segments and is not consistent throughout the film.

In summary, Batman: Gotham Knight has its good points, but it also has its fair share of flaws. The animation is visually striking, and the voice acting is solid, but the storytelling and overall cohesiveness of the film are lacking. If you're a fan of Batman and anime, it's worth a watch, but don't expect a masterpiece. It is just there. 3/10.

Speaking as a Batman Fan, this is horrid. Speaking as an anime fan then this is brilliant. Batman animated movies and anime are worlds I personally would appreciate to be kept away from each other. So I am going to review the parts which an Anime would normally cover.

The art works were different amongst each section of the movie but overall well drawn for each. A personal favourite would be the second section of this.
The sounds were well placed and well covered for each situation in between the fights and action scenes.

I'd strongly recommend staying away if you are a very strong fan of the ... batman animated film series.