Out of Time

This engaging comedy-adventure builds to a surprisingly complex and satisfying climax in its final episodes. Koji, Ryo, Masami, and Gawl are pitted against the megalomaniacal Ryuko Saito in a conflict that will determine the fate of humanity. As the resolution nears, the generator-monsters grow increasingly bizarre and Gawl's battles with them increasingly violent. The filmmakers never really resolve the paradoxes of a plot involving characters from the future attempting to change the past, but they make the story so entertaining, it seems churlish to cavil over mere logic and physics. Voice actors Monica Rial (Natsume) and Vic Mignogna (Gawl) offer exceptional performances, taking their characters from farce to tragedy in believable arcs. With any luck, the artists at Tatsunoko Pro will chronicle the further exploits of the irrepressible Gawl and his friends. Unrated; suitable for ages 10 and up; brief nudity, minor profanity, grotesque imagery, monster-versus-monster violence. --Charles Solomon