This forgotten anime masterpiece on Prime Video should be seen by every fan
Robot Carnival (1987) is a forgotten anime anthology available on Prime Video that merits rediscovery by anime enthusiasts. The film stitches together disparate science fiction stories directed by renowned creators including Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), Kōji Morimoto (Kiki’s Delivery Service), and Hiroyuki Kitazume (Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam). While each segment explores different themes and tones—ranging from satire and drama to romance and heartbreak—they are unified by surreal imagery examining humanity’s hyper-reliance on technology and its consequences in increasingly digitized worlds.
The article highlights this as part of Otomo’s broader contributions to anthology science fiction. Eight years later in 1995, Otomo was involved in another seminal anthology film that similarly uses three science fiction stories to explore deeper themes about humanity’s fraught relationship with technology.