The defence The Arthouse Gremlin
“Its refusal to behave is the point.”
The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.
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Wicked City
Animation · Fantasy · Horror · 1987
A peace treaty between the Earth and the Black World, a parallel universe of demons, is coming to an end. Two cops, Taki, a human male, and Maki, a female demon, are assigned to protect a diplomat who will help secure another treaty. A radical group of demons from the Black World are out to assassinate the diplomat and prevent the treaty; only the bond that forms between the two cops can save the Earth from destruction.
Movie details
Wicked City
“For centuries a treaty has existed between the human world and the realm of the demons.”
1987 Animation · Fantasy · Horror 1h 22m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.7 / 10
Community rating
A peace treaty between the Earth and the Black World, a parallel universe of demons, is coming to an end. Two cops, Taki, a human male, and Maki, a female demon, are assigned to protect a diplomat who will help secure another treaty. A radical group of demons from the Black World are out to assassinate the diplomat and prevent the treaty; only the bond that forms between the two cops can save the Earth from destruction.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Wicked City?
For the defence
The Arthouse Gremlin
“The stranger, the better.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Dead Space: Downfall
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Written by
Yoshiaki Kawajiri · Norio Osada
Yusaku Yara
Renzaburo Taki (voice)
Toshiko Fujita
Makie (voice)
Ichiro Nagai
Guiseppe Maiyart (voice)
Takeshi Aono
Mr. Shadow (voice)
Mari Yokoo
Spider Woman (voice)
Tamio Ohki
Hotel owner (voice)
Koji Totani
Jin (voice)
Court is in session
Put Wicked City on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Oddness is not depth.”
A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.