Roujin Z
Mr. Takazawa, an elderly invalid who is cared for at his home by Haruko, a young nursing student, is chosen by the Japanese Ministry of Public Welfare to test the Z-001, a computerized hospital bed with robotic features that allegedly displays more efficiency and skills than any human nurse, but Haruko mistrusts a machine unable to consider human feelings.
Richard reviewed
October 12, 2025•
This one hit different back in the day. A satire wrapped in sci-fi chaos, Roujin Z imagines a future where elder care is outsourced to a nuclear-powered hospital bed.
What starts as clinical efficiency quickly spirals into a mecha rampage, complete with a rogue AI channeling the voice of a dead wife and a group of geriatric hackers trying to save the day.
It’s wild, funny and surprisingly poignant.
Haruko, the young nurse, anchors the story with real heart, pushing back against a system that treats people like data.
The animation is classic early '90s, gritty, expressive and full of exaggerated emotion.
Think Akira meets Short Circuit, but with more social commentary and less gloss.
Watching this on import VHS felt like discovering something forbidden and brilliant.
It’s messy, loud, and deeply human. A relic of its time, but still relevant.