History Anime / MeikyuuMonogatari

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/c381a15bf62b7aa93ef60c1c3c8789d5.jpg]]

''Meikyū Monogatari'' (Labyrinth Tales) is an {{anime}} {{anthology film}} released in 1989. The film has three segments:

* ''Labyrinth'' (directed by Rintaro): A girl and a cat wander through a surrealistic city and encounter a circus.
* ''The Running Man'' (directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri): A race driver has telekinetic powers, which go out of control.
* ''Construction Cancellation Order'' (directed by Creator/KatsuhiroOtomo): A robotic construction crew won't stop working on a cancelled project.

Creator/StreamlinePictures released an English-dubbed version under the title ''Neo-Tokyo''. Later, Creator/ADVFilms released a bilingual DVD with the Streamline dub, still titled ''Neo-Tokyo''. Also, ''The Running Man'' was featured in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/LiquidTelevision'' (with a different English dub).

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!!Tropes:

* AIIsACrapshoot: The robots in the third section refuse to be shut down, even though the project has been cancelled and the individual units keep breaking down or exploding.
* AlienLunch: The meals the robots start giving Sugioka become increasingly made of things he can't eat (nuts, bolts, oil, small pieces of machinery...)
* AxeCrazy: Sugioka's experiences begin to wear down on his sanity
* ArtShift: The segments have different styles, especially the first one, which makes use of squash-and-stretch animation not often used in anime.
* CircusOfFear
* CompletelyDifferentTitle: "Neo-Tokyo". A NonIndicativeName, since the film doesn't involve any NewNeoCity, nor does it have any connection to ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' except for Katsuhiro Otomo being the director of one segment. (Probably Streamline chose this title just for the sake of name recognition.)
* CoolGate: A grandfather clock acts as a portal to the city in the first segment.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: ''[[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/buried-treasure/2007-11-01 "Trying to use logic against a never-ending tide of robotic "get-the-job-done" types should be pretty familiar to anyone who's ever worked for a big company, especially in Japan."]]''
** Robot #1 declares in its introduction speech that if the proper procedures are not followed then there will be chaos, even if the hierarchy is utterly nonsensical.
** There's also the way that the robots work themselves to the point that they ''explode'' and robot #1 just decides to increase overtime.
** What really makes Sugioka angry? The fact that the robots cost a lot, so being worked to the point of ''exploding'' is costing his company a lot of cash.
* FramingDevice: Sachi from the first segment watches the other two on a screen in the circus tent.
* GermanExpressionism: An apparent influence on the art style of the first segment.
* GratuitousFrench: this first line in the Running Man: ''Un des hauts lieux du continental circus: la chicane assen qui precede, de quelques dizaines de metres, la ligne d'arrivee durant les premiers tours.''
* PublicDomainSoundtrack: ''Gymnopédie No. 1'' by Satie, ''Chanson du Toréador'' by Bizet, and ''Morning Mood'' by Grieg (this one is used as a StandardSnippet for MickeyMousing).
* PunBasedTitle: Meikyuu monogatari, ''make you/r story''.
* {{Salaryman}}: Sugioka from the third segment
* SuperpowerMeltdown: This is pretty much the entire premise of the second segment. A race driver's telekinetic powers go out of control, killing all of his opponents and ultimately himself.
* SurrealHorror: The first segment.

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* PublicDomainSoundtrack: ''Gymnopédie No. 1'' by Satie, ''Chanson du Toréador'' by Bizet, and ''Morning Mood'' by Grieg (this one is used as a StandardSnippet for MickeyMousing)

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: "''[[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/buried-treasure/2007-11-01 Trying to use logic against a never-ending tide of robotic "get-the-job-done" types should be pretty familiar to anyone who's ever worked for a big company, especially in Japan.]]''"

Creator/StreamlinePictures released an English-dubbed version under the title ''Neo-Tokyo''. Later, Creator/ADVFilms released a bilingual DVD with the Streamline dub, still titled ''Neo-Tokyo''. Also, ''The Running Man'' was featured in one episode of ''LiquidTelevision'' (with a different English dub).

* AIIsACrapshoot: The robots in the third section refuse to be shut down, even though the project has been cancelled and the individual units keep breaking down or exploding

* SuperpowerMeltdown: This is pretty much the entire premise of the second segment.
* SurrealHorror: The first segment

* ArtShift -- The segments have different styles, especially the first one, which makes use of squash-and-stretch animation not often used in anime.

* CompletelyDifferentTitle -- "Neo-Tokyo". A NonIndicativeName, since the film doesn't involve any NewNeoCity, nor does it have any connection to ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' except for Katsuhiro Otomo being the director of one segment. (Probably Streamline chose this title just for the sake of name recognition.)
* CoolGate -- A grandfather clock acts as a portal to the city in the first segment.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything -- "''[[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/buried-treasure/2007-11-01 Trying to use logic against a never-ending tide of robotic "get-the-job-done" types should be pretty familiar to anyone who's ever worked for a big company, especially in Japan.]]''"

* FramingDevice -- Sachi from the first segment watches the other two on a screen in the circus tent.
* GermanExpressionism -- An apparent influence on the art style of the first segment.

* PublicDomainSoundtrack -- ''Gymnopédie No. 1'' by Satie, ''Chanson du Toréador'' by Bizet, and ''Morning Mood'' by Grieg (this one is used as a StandardSnippet for MickeyMousing)
* {{Salaryman}} -- Sugioka from the third segment
* SuperpowerMeltdown -- This is pretty much the entire premise of the second segment.
* SurrealHorror -- The first segment

* ''Construction Cancellation Order'' (directed by KatsuhiroOtomo): A robotic construction crew won't stop working on a cancelled project.

StreamlinePictures released an English-dubbed version under the title ''Neo-Tokyo''. Later, Creator/ADVFilms released a bilingual DVD with the Streamline dub, still titled ''Neo-Tokyo''. Also, ''The Running Man'' was featured in one episode of ''LiquidTelevision'' (with a different English dub).

!!This film contains examples of:

StreamlinePictures released an English-dubbed version under the title ''Neo-Tokyo''. Later, ADVFilms released a bilingual DVD with the Streamline dub, still titled ''Neo-Tokyo''. Also, ''The Running Man'' was featured in one episode of ''LiquidTelevision'' (with a different English dub).

* CompletelyDifferentTitle -- "Neo-Tokyo". A NonIndicativeName, since the film doesn't involve any NewNeoCity, nor does it have any connection to ''{{Akira}}'' except for Katsuhiro Otomo being the director of one segment. (Probably Streamline chose this title just for the sake of name recognition.)

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything -- "''[[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/buried-treasure/2007-11-01 Trying to use logic against a never-ending tide of robotic "get-the-job-done" types should be pretty familiar to anyone who's ever worked for a big company, especially in Japan.]]''" There's also the way that the robots work themselves to the point that they ''explode'' and the lead robot just decides to increase overtime.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything -- "''[[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/buried-treasure/2007-11-01 Trying to use logic against a never-ending tide of robotic "get-the-job-done" types should be pretty familiar to anyone who's ever worked for a big company, especially in Japan.]]''"