Why Robot Carnival Still Hits Hard in 2025: A Late but Worthwhile Watch
June 26, 2025
38 years late to the party, one anime fan finally watches Robot Carnival — an anthology of mesmerizing sci-fi shorts that still inspire, alarm, and amaze in today’s AI era. 🎞️ Why Did It Take Me So Long to Watch Robot Carnival?
Nearly 38 years late, columnist Tony Cocking dives into the ‘80s anime gem Robot Carnival — and finds a timeless, haunting celebration of imagination and technology.
🦾 A 9-part anthology by animation legends, the film is almost entirely dialogue-free, relying on rich visuals and a powerful Joe Hisaishi soundtrack to explore the beauty and terror of robotic life. From heartwarming tales like Star Light Angel to dystopian warnings like Presence, it delivers everything from romance to ruin.
🎡 The opening? A literal carnival of destruction, trampling a village under the “wonders” of technology — and that irony only deepens with each story.
💬 Tony writes, “Even the most upbeat segments carry an underlying caution that’s so damned refreshing in 2025.” He draws eerie parallels between 1987’s fears of robotic doom and today’s AI dependence, posing an urgent question: are we creators, or just cogs?
🎨 Personal favorite? Cloud — an abstract, silent journey of a robot walking through time. No words, just awe.
🧠 Why Watch Robot Carnival in 2025?
A premonition of our tech-saturated present
Visually stunning — no dialogue needed
From the mind behind Akira’s iconic visuals
Retro but deeply relevant
For fans of Fantasia, Akira, and Daft Punk's Interstella 5555
🤖 Whether you see it as a celebration of imagination or a warning against losing ourselves to machines, Robot Carnival is one of anime’s most haunting time capsules.