Got the January blues? The best anime racing film around might just help you

Out of all the months of the year, January probably sucks the most, right? Sorry to people who were born this month, but it just isn't a very good one, at least in the UK anyway. The holidays are over, it's freezing cold and wet, and it's a dead period for good movies or games most of the time. No wonder January blues is a phrase that exists in the first place! But, even if there's nothing new to watch, there's always something old - and personally, I can't recommend a better film to pick your spirits up than the 2009 racing anime Redline. I have to admit, I only watched Redline for the first time just the other day, so I'm a bit late, but quite honestly I've never come across a film that so thoroughly makes you wanna say "hell yeah" every single step of the way. For those that haven't heard of it before, Redline is the feature film directorial debut of Takeshi Koike, who you might recognise if you've seen Lupin the IIIrd films like Goemon's Blood Spray or Fujiko's Lie. It is also easily one of the most visually distinct anime I've ever seen, utilising thick, deep black lines and shadows, accentuating all manner of alien designs. The film is set in the far future, at a time where planetary space travel is no problem, aliens are a dime a dozen, and vehicles with engines as we know of are a thing of the past. Even so, there are still racers out there that have a desire to race cars with your typical four wheels and engine, resulting in a series of races where the prize is knowing you're the fastest, culminating in one single race called the Redline. Read more