History Anime / RobotCarnival

During the early 1990's, this anthology was shown frequently on the [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci Fi Channel]] and later on the Turner Network, often paired with other feature-length anime films such as ''Literature/VampireHunterD'', ''Literature/DemonCityShinjuku'', and ''Anime/TwilightOfTheCockroaches'',[[labelnote:Explanation]]Segments of it were often used to pad for time when the feature ran short of making it to the next half-hour mark.[[/labelnote]] making ''Robot Carnival'' one of [[GatewaySeries the first tastes of anime to many American viewers]].

* ManChild: The protagonist kept a collection of wind-up toys in his shack along with the RobotGirl. The girl even says that the progtagonist is "still a little boy" when he starts playing with the toys when her conversation with him becomes too uncomfortable. [[spoiler:After the TimeSkip, it's implied that he's still keeping up with this habit in his old age, and even making toys for his granddaughter.]]

* FrankensteinsMonster: Naturally.

* MoodWhiplash

* AfterTheEnd: The flashback shows civilizations with major cities and complex technologies. Either the world has regressed into a preindustrial state after nuclear war and climate change, or the ''Robot Carnival'' was reprogrammed to traverse through third world nations when it's builders [[NeglectfulPrecursors grew bored of the machine]].

* NitroBoost: The ''Robot Carnival'' does this after spending the previous night stuck on a dune, spurred on by the memories of it's past.

** This has led to a couple jokes on Youtube about "Char breaking (more) young girls' hearts."

* GoryDiscretionShot: When the protagonist is frightened enough by the robot girl, he's shown picking up a wrench. [[EmpathyDollShot The scene changes to a wind-up toy]], that briefly starts to move before a flying bat toy dives onto it, with a mild crash noise. [[spoiler:After the first TimeSkip, the protagonist returns to the cabin to find the broken body of the robot girl.

During the early 1990's, this anthology was shown frequently on the [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci Fi Channel]] and later on the Turner Network, often paired with other feature-length anime films such as ''Anime/VampireHunterD'', ''Literature/DemonCityShinjuku'', and ''Anime/TwilightOfTheCockroaches'',[[labelnote:Explanation]]Segments of it were often used to pad for time when the feature ran short of making it to the next half-hour mark.[[/labelnote]] making ''Robot Carnival'' one of [[GatewaySeries the first tastes of anime to many American viewers]].

* Expy: The protagonist of "Deprive" is essentially the opposite of [[Anime/NeoHumanCasshern Casshern]]. Instead of a human rebuilt as a robot he is a robot who is given a human exterior.

* DubNameChange: The villain of "A Tale of Two Robots". In the Streamline dub he identifies himself as Jonathan Jameson Volkessen III, whereas in Japan he's the slightly more unlikely John-Jacques Walkerson III.
** This also goes for both "A Tale of Two Robots" and "Nightmare" themselves, being the only two (out of the principal 7 shorts) to be given new (and more Western-palatable) names for the early 90's American release. "[=AToTRs=]" was formally "Legends of Meiji Machine Culture: Westerner's Invasion" and "Nightmare" had the far less complicated (but still cool) "Chicken Man and Red Neck."
* GoneHorriblyRight:
** Franken of "Franken's Gear" successfully makes a gigantic robot which imitates his every move. Then he trips and falls.
* In "Presence," the protagonist's creation, intended to be his "soulmate", develops herself so rapidly and completely, to the point that she figures out more about him than he's willing to admit himself, that he's ''terrified'' from the experience.

* NoPlotNoProblem: The only thing happening in this short is our robot protagonist walking through very open landscapes with spectacular clouds in the sky. (Including TheDeadliestMushroom cloud and the exhaust from an ascending rocket.)

* TheSmartGuy: Fukusuke, a put-upon BoyGenius with OpaqueNerdGlasses who designed the Japanese mecha for the others. He's the only one who can try to understand Doctor Volkessen is saying in the original Japanese version (although he gives up and says that he can only understand English, not "American".)

* NoPlotNoProblem: The only thing happening in this short is our robot protagonist walking through very open landscapes with spectacular clouds in the sky.

* GiantMecha[=/=]SteamPunk: The segment features two giant robots battling over a Japanese port town, the Western invader in his giant robot opposed by some kids in a robot designed for a parade.

* {{Expy}}: Hiroyuki Kitazume's involvement in "Star Light Angel" seems to have resulted in a number of characters from the Franchise/{{Gundam}} franchise (''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ Gundam ZZ]]'' in particular) being utilized for the segment. The main character appears to be a [[CompositeCharacter composite]] of Leina Ashta and Elpeo Ple, her friend is highly reminiscent of Elle Vianno (or a blonde Quess Paraya), and their two-timing hypotenuse bears more than just a passing resemblance to Char Aznable. A young lady with the likeness of Roux Louka also makes a walk-on cameo appearance early in the segment.
** This has led to a couple jokes on Youtube about "Char breaking (more) young girls' hearts."
** The protagonist of "Deprive" is essentially the opposite of [[Anime/NeoHumanCasshern Casshern]]. Instead of a human rebuilt as a robot he is a robot who is given a human exterior.

* FiveManBand: Used in a very tongue-in-cheek manner.

* CostumePorn: The RobotGirl .

* RobotGirl

* AfterTheEnd: The flashback shows civilizations with major cities and complex technologies. Either the world has regressed into a preindustrial state after nuclear war and climate change, or the ''Robot Carnival'' was reprogrammed to traverse through third world nations when it's builders [[[[NeglectfulPrecursors grew bored of the machine]].

* AfterTheEnd: The flashback alludes to civilizations with major cities and advance industrial cultures. Either the world has regressed into a primitive state from nuclear war and climate change, or ''Robot Carnival'' has been reprogrammed to traverse through third world nations when it's builders [[[[NeglectfulPrecursors grew bored of it]].

During the early 1990's, this anthology was shown frequently on the [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci Fi Channel]] and later on the Turner Network, often paired with other feature-length anime films such as ''Anime/VampireHunterD'', ''Literature/DemonCityShinjuku'', and ''Anime/TwilightOfTheCockroaches'', making ''Robot Carnival'' one of [[GatewaySeries the first tastes of anime to many American viewers]].

* GoneHorriblyRight: Franken successfully makes a gigantic robot which imitates his every move. Then he trips and falls.

* GoneHorriblyRight: The protagonist's creation, intended to be his "soulmate", develops herself so rapidly and completely, to the point that she figures out more about him than he's willing to admit himself, that he's ''terrified'' from the experience.

* DerangedAnimation: The animation for the characters is so smooth that it makes it [[UncannyValley incredibly eerie]]. This is the short done by Yasuomi Umetsu, who most may not recognize unless they're into hentai (''Yellow Star'', ''Anime/{{Kite}}'', ''Anime/MezzoForte''), ''Anime/Megazone23'', or ''Anime/MezzoDSA'', but is recognized for the level of detail in his artistry.

* NoExportForYou: For almost thirty years, the only legitimate copies of ''Robot Carnival'' in the West were copies of the Creator/StreamlinePictures VHS (which went out of print in the mid-Nineties), a Region 2 DVD (that had a similarly short lifespan on the shelves), and a laser disc release. Not until February 2015 did any company -- Creator/DiscotekMedia, for the record -- announce any intention of distributing it on R1 DVD.
** In 2018, Discotek also released a very nice blu-ray of the movie, so it seems the curse has finally been lifted.

** In "A Tale of Two Robots". What would a battle between two SteamPunk mecha with 19th-century technology be like? Well, they ''could'' be armed with projectile weapons, but it'd still take them several hours to walk all the way across town to confront each other.

* DerangedAnimation: The animation for the characters is so smooth that it makes it [[UncannyValley incredibly eerie]].

* GiantMecha: The segment features two giant robots battling over a Japanese port town, the Western invader in his giant robot opposed by some kids in a robot designed for a parade.

* TakingYouWithMe: A belated and possibly accidental example, but even after the ''[[spoiler:Robot Carnival]]'' destroys itself, small, self-contained devices salvaged from its wreckage still continue to wreak havoc years later. A prime example being the music box from the epilogue, which despite being no bigger than an ostrich egg, manages to vaporize a small shack shortly after activating.

* No examples yet. Either go into the "unsorted/other" folder and move some over, or find some new ones.

* BerserkBoardBarricade: As the panicked villagers are scrambling into their homes, one man slaps an armload of boards on a window all at once and nails them in simultaneously, before fleeing inside.
* CircusOfFear: The eponymous carnival. It was once a normal circus, but years (decades? ''centuries?'') of disrepair have turned it into a mechanical nightmare that turns the people of the towns it encounters into new performers... or [[StuffBlowingUp makes them explode]].

* StockSoundEffects: When the young boy runs to the village, Creator/HannaBarbera sound effects are heard. Kazutoshi Sato is good at using some cartoony sound effects, isn't he?

* SoundtrackDissonance: The chaos and destruction caused by the ''Robot Carnival'' is overlaid by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRXKIXpgE8c a cheery tune]] that actually ''wouldn't'' seem out of place back when it's arrival brought grand cheers instead of panicked screams.

* CircusOfFear: The eponymous carnival. It was once a normal circus, but years (decades? ''centuries?'') of disrepair have turned it into a mechanical nightmare that turns the people of the towns it encounters into new performers... or [[StuffBlowingUp makes them explode]].

* {{No Endor Holocaust}}: Averted big time in the opening and closing segments where the massive destruction caused by the eponymous "Robot Carnival" is shown front and center.

* SilenceIsGolden: Only "A Tale of Two Robots" and "Presence" have any spoken dialogue. The opening and ending feature human voices, but the "language" spoken by the characters is blatant gibberish.
* StockSoundEffects: In the "Opening" segment, when the boy runs in the desert, Creator/HannaBarbera sound effects are heard. Kazutoshi Sato is good at using some cartoony sound effects, isn't he?

* MassOhCrap: During the first half, a small boy races into a village and tries to warn the residents of something that has clearly terrified him, even though the only evidence is a poster that had blown into his legs that doesn't seem to convey his intentions that well. Shortly after he gives up and flees, they look in the opposite direction to see what has him spooked, only to subsequently panic in turn after seeing the immense ''Robot Carnival'' approaching them, knowing full well what its various malfunctions have done to it.

[[folder:Strange Tales of Meiji Machine Culture: Westerner's Invasion]]

[[folder:Chicken Man and Red Neck]]

* BerserkBoardBarricade: As the panicked villagers are scrambling into their homes, one man slaps a handful of boards on a window and nails them in all at once, before fleeing inside.

* RealityEnsues:
** The ''Robot Carnival'' is an unstoppable terror on hard, flat ground, but easily bogs down in the face of a steep sand dune.
** After a HeroicSecondWind allows it to overcome said dune, the stresses involved in the massive, aging machine reaching that speed, coupled with the various factors surrounding surmounting such a steep obstacle, cause it to seize upon reaching the top, [[spoiler:before finally collapsing wholesale]].
** In "A Tale of Two Robots". What would a battle between two SteamPunk mecha with 19th-century technology be like? Well, they ''could'' be armed with projectile weapons, but it'd still take them several hours to walk all the way across town to confront each other.

* ActionBomb: The kamikaze ballerinas have become this; gracefully floating down to targets that the Robot Carnival might've missed.

* BerserkBoardBarricade: As the panicked villagers are scrabling into their homes, one man slaps a handful of boards on a window and nails them in all at once, before fleeing inside.

* {{Cyberspace}}: In "Star Light Angel", the ride the main girl ends up on after running away from her friend seems to be a virtual reality ride that taps into its riders' minds. Notably, there's a HolodeckMalfunction when Robot Suit Guy accidentally re-awakens the main girl's crushing heartbreak.

* {{Shoujo}}:

* BettyAndVeronica: In "Star Light Angel", the unnamed shy girl runs off crying when her more tomboyish best friend introduces her new boyfriend... whom the shy girl had been dating at the time. To her credit, when the tomboy finds out the truth, she wastes no time in dumping him!

* CameBackStrong: Damaged nigh-unto deactivation while trying to protect the girl he loved from an invading robot army, the robot from Deprive managed to hook himself to a factory system that let him arrange a brand-new body with some ''major'' upgrades.

* CostumePorn: The RobotGirl in the "Presence" segment.

* DerangedAnimation: The "Presence" segment. The animation for the characters is so smooth that it makes it [[UncannyValley incredibly eerie]].

* EyeBeams: The alien leader of the bad-guy robots in "Deprive" has one of these. It hurts the hero when he's struck by it, but doesn't seem to do any real injury.
* FiveManBand: Used in a very tongue-in-cheek manner in "A Tale of Two Robots".
* FrankensteinsMonster: "Franken's Gears", natch.
* GiantMecha: The segment "A Tale of Two Robots -- Chapter 3: Foreign Invasion" features two giant robots battling over a Japanese port town, the Western invader in his giant robot opposed by some kids in a robot designed for a parade.
* GoneHorriblyRight: Franken successfully makes a gigantic robot which imitates his every move. Then he trips and falls.
* LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn: Played with in the "Nightmare" a/k/a "Chicken Man and Red Neck" sequence. The score and a few sound effects are all that can be heard on the soundtrack, drawing a parallel with ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'' (particularly the "Night on Bald Mountain" segment)... but the volume of the soundtrack actually ''decreases'' when the camera moves away from the parade of monsters to a drunk waking up in a nearby alleyway, and then ''increases'' when he wanders out. The music is temporarily ''treated'' as though it were actually being played audibly in the scene, but of that the film gives no confirmation.
* LoveAtFirstSight: Robot Suit Guy is immediately fascinated with the main girl from "Star Light Angel" when she runs by him with a joyful smile. It takes her a bit longer to reciprocate.
* MissingMom: The protagonist of "Presence" states that he lost his mother when he was young and that he has "never known a mother's love". To this [[FreudianExcuse early trauma]] he attributes his difficulties with women; he married a driven career woman who turned out not to be quite as motherly as he thought, and the first time someone else -- his own creation -- offers him unconditional love, he finds himself unexpectedly ''terrified'' by it and deactivates her immediately.
* MoodWhiplash: "Franken's Gears".

* RobotGirl: The segment "Presence".
* RockBeatsLaser: Played with and (perhaps intentionally) subverted in the "A Tale of Two Robots" segment. While both {{Giant Mecha}} seem to be at the SteamPunk level of technology, the robot belonging to Doctor Volkessen is definitely more advanced, having a real cannon on its shoulder (as opposed to the repurposed fireworks used by the heroes) and brick-and-mortar "armor". While the heroes win, it was mostly just dumb luck (although their leader is quick to attribute it to patriotic HeroicResolve), and their GiantMecha is definitely much the worse for wear... while the villain's robot winds up ''floating'' homeward.

* {{Shoujo}}: The "Star Light Angel" segment.

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The segment "Star Light Angel" features such a duo enjoying a trip to a theme park.
* WhenHeSmiles: The hero of "Deprive" doesn't smile even once until the girl he loves awakens, this his face just lights up.

* No examples yet. Either go into the "unsorted/other" folder and move some over, or find some new ones.

* No examples yet. Either go into the "unsorted/other" folder and move some over, or find some new ones.

* No examples yet. Either go into the "unsorted/other" folder and move some over, or find some new ones.

* No examples yet. Either go into the "unsorted/other" folder and move some over, or find some new ones.

* No examples yet. Either go into the "unsorted/other" folder and move some over, or find some new ones.

* No examples yet. Either go into the "unsorted/other" folder and move some over, or find some new ones.