
Death Billiards is one of the four anime works that each received 38 million yen (about US$480,000) from the "2012 Young Animator Training Project." Just like in 2010 and 2011, the animation labor group received 214.5 million yen (US$2.65 million) from the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs, and it distributed most of those funds to studios who train young animators on-the-job. An old and a young man find themselves in a mysterious bar where they have to play a game of billiard. The bet: their lives.
Directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa, Death Billiards leans on a strong ensemble — Yuichi Nakamura, Tomoaki Maeno, Asami Seto — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about animation titles of 2013.
Read More on the Blog
Loading reviews…
In the not-too-distant future, androids have come into common usage. However, treating androids on the same level as humans is frowned upon, and there is constant paranoia surrounding the possibility of robots defying humans, their masters. Those who appear too trustworthy of their androids are chided and labeled as "android-holics". Rikuo Sakisaka, who has taken robots for granted for his entire life, one day discovers that Sammy, his home android, has been acting independently and coming and going on her own. He finds a strange phrase recorded in her activity log, "Are you enjoying the time of EVE?". He, along with his friend Masakazu Masaki, traces Sammy's movements and finds an unusual café. Nagi, the barista, informs them that the café's main rule is to not discriminate between humans and androids. While Rikuo tries to reveal Sammy's intentions, he begins to question the legitimacy of the fear that drives humans to regard androids as nothing more than mere tools.
Get weekly picks and blog posts in your inbox.
Live availability isn't tracked for this title yet — try these popular platforms: