Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- stylish
- erotic
- kinetic
- late night cult movie viewing
- adult anime marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly recognized the film's inventive animation, kinetic camera work, erotic atmosphere, and accessible linear pacing while finding its juvenile story, dialogue, and sexualized violence limiting.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film combines a hidden supernatural society, conspiratorial danger, urban night imagery, and noir-inflected presentation.
The central conflict arises when radical supernatural forces cross into the mortal world and threaten centuries of coexistence.
The film is explicitly marketed and discussed as adult animation, with sexual violence, eroticized demons, and disturbing imagery central to its reception.
Critics specifically praised Kawajiri's gymnastic camera angles, deft cutting, and live-action-like scene composition.
Films like Wicked City, and why
Demon City Shinjuku
stylized cyberpunk-inflected urban horror, kinetic action, and mature anime aesthetics
Wicked City
adult animation, demonic violence, eroticized horror, and occult urban fantasy
Akira
dark science fiction anime with noir atmosphere, graphic violence, and imaginative visual design
Urotsukidōji: Legend of the Overfiend
sexualized supernatural horror, tentacular imagery, and transgressive adult animation
Blade Runner
neo-noir futurism, oppressive cityscapes, and human-supernatural boundary anxiety
Movie Details
- Director
- Yoshiaki Kawajiri
- Release Date
- 1987-04-19
- Runtime
- 82 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (298)
Cast
- Yusaku Yara
- Toshiko Fujita
- Ichiro Nagai
- Takeshi Aono
- Mari Yokoo
- Tamio Ohki
- Koji Totani
- Yasuo Muramatsu
- Kazuhiko Kishino
- Arisa Andô
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Retrocrush, Screambox Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, RetroCrush Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel, ARROW
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Wicked City about?
- A stylish adult anime neo-noir unleashes demonic conspiracies, erotic danger, and forbidden tenderness across a fragile boundary between worlds.
- What is Wicked City like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Wicked City as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Wicked City violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Wicked City as graphic.
- What did critics think of Wicked City?
- Critics broadly recognized the film's inventive animation, kinetic camera work, erotic atmosphere, and accessible linear pacing while finding its juvenile story, dialogue, and sexualized violence limiting.
- Which films are like Wicked City?
- Films with a similar feel include Demon City Shinjuku, Wicked City, Akira, Urotsukidōji: Legend of the Overfiend, and Blade Runner.
- How long is Wicked City?
- Wicked City runs 82 minutes.
- Where can I watch Wicked City?
- In United States, Wicked City streams on Amazon Prime Video, Retrocrush, Screambox Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, RetroCrush Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel, ARROW.
