Katsuhiro Otomo, the Japanese comic book animation, or animé, artist responsible for the groundbreaking AKIRA in 1988, uses this history to fashion an anti-war science fiction fable set in 1866 in Victorian England. The battlefield deaths and destruction from that war prefigured the awful trench warfare of World War I. The American Civil War from 1861 to 1865 was the first example of modern warfare of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th Century. (BB, C, Anti-cap, PC, RH, L, VV, M) Strong moral worldview set in 19th Century England that talks about the dangers of science, with positive Christian references to Jesus and Christianity in one scene, such as Anglican priest says, “Our Lord Jesus” during ceremony, and positive redemptive content, including positive references to God, as well as some anti-capitalist statements about capitalists who want to use science only to make money and to sell advanced weapons of war, with science fiction elements prefiguring the bloody events of World War I, some politically correct pacifist statements, and revisionist history in a science fiction setting with futuristic weapons in Victorian England, including change in date for the first Great Exhibition at the famous Crystal Palace in London in 1851, which is changed to 1866 (the Crystal Palace was eventually destroyed by fire in 1930) light foul language such as “What the Devil!” is said twice, “How in God’s name” is said once, “My God” is said once, and “Good God” is said once lots of mostly bloodless cartoon action violence with some scary machines and war weapons, including machine explodes, machine crashes into house, villains threaten family and boy with guns, villains fire rifle at boy, villain tries to kill boy with large steam-powered machine similar to a forklift, dangerous high-speed chase involving villains in steam-powered train without tracks, steam from gigantic flying castle freezes parts of London, large steam-powered legs squash two multi-story buildings, small armies battle, gunships fire, armored soldier hit and girl sees small bloody wound and blood pooling under soldier’s head, flying armored soldier crashes through window, boy protects girl from flying glass, machines crumble and explode, man shot in leg, and steam strikes people but nothing gory is shown no sex no nudity no alcohol no smoking and, talk about the Age of Science approaching as the West undergoes the Industrial Revolution, hero’s father is a complex character and family torn apart by disagreement. There is also talk about the Age of Science, but science and technology are seen as a dangerous tool that can nevertheless be used for good. It has a strong moral worldview with some positive Christian content, as well as some anti-capitalist elements and a modern anti-war message that sounds a little pacifistic and politically correct. Reminiscent of Jules Verne, STEAMBOY is an exciting, sometimes visually stunning science fiction fable for older children and teenagers, especially boys. This is not easy, because the English government also wants to use his family’s powerful new steam technology to create weapons. Ray must decide whose side to take, his father’s or his grandfather’s.
Ray wakes up to find that his father is in cahoots with evil men running the Foundation, which wants to sell new steam-powered weapons to the nations of the world, except England.
A group of men from the nefarious O’Hara Foundation kidnaps the boy, Ray, and a package from his grandfather containing a small steam ball, a source of unbelievable power with high-density, compressed steam.
STEAMBOY is a Japanese cartoon in English about an English boy in 1866 born into a family of inventors.
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