MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Mardock Scramble: The First Compression

Mardock Scramble: The First Compression

2010 · 69 min

A grim, propulsive cyberpunk descent into exploitation and violent rebirth, stylish but emotionally raw and often hard to watch.

Directed by
Susumu Kudo
Genres
Thriller, Animation, Action
Overview
Rune Ballot is a down-and-out teen prostitute in Mardock City. One day, she's picked up by an ambitious casino manager named Shell who gives her everything she could want. Renewed by a false innocence, a false past, and now the false life Shell has given her, Ballot feels grateful. However, she can't help but be curious about why he's done so much for her, so she does some research about his past on a computer. This turns out to be a mistake which will change her life greatly. When Shell finds out what she's done, he attempts to burn her to death by blowing up her car.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: Mardock Scramble: The First Compression

You have no lists yet. Name one, and this title goes into it.

All your lists

In the USNot loaded yet.
Directed by
Susumu Kudo
Genres
Thriller, Animation, Action
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • bleakstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • identity
  • survival
  • betrayal
  • trauma
  • corruption
Places
  • big city
Era
far-future
Audience
adult
Form
  • animated
  • serialised
Content intensity
  • Gore strong
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex strong
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action7
Horror5
Humour2
Realism3
Romance2
Tension7
Darkness8
Complexity6
Emotional weight7

In this series

Mardock Scramble Collection

  1. Mardock Scramble: The First CompressionMovie · 2010 This title
  2. Mardock Scramble: The Second CombustionMovie · 2011
  3. Mardock Scramble: The Third ExhaustMovie · 2012

More like this

Titles like Mardock Scramble: The First Compression

Movie

Mardock Scramble: The Third Exhaust

2012

A dense, neon-soaked cyberpunk thriller that keeps you tense with high-stakes scheming and sudden violence.

Same writer: Tow Ubukata · Dark, tense, brisk · about identity and survival

Also
Same writer: Tow Ubukata
Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • identity
  • survival
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
68 min
Details
Mardock Scramble: The Third ExhaustHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

A cerebral, moody cyberpunk procedural that trades spectacle for quiet philosophical tension and dense political intrigue.

Same director: Susumu Kudo · Dark, tense · about identity · animated

Also
Same director: Susumu Kudo
Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • identity
  • animated
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
59 min
Details
Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 4: Ghost Stands AloneHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Akira

1988

A visually stunning and intense cyberpunk thriller that blends explosive action with philosophical themes, leaving a lasting impact.

Dark, bleak, brisk · about survival and betrayal · animated

Via
  • dark
  • bleak
  • survival
  • betrayal
  • animated
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
124 min
Details
AkiraHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Matrix

1999

A sleek, mind-bending plunge into a simulated world where reality is a lie and every fight feels like a philosophical puzzle.

Dark, tense, brisk · about identity

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • identity
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
136 min
Details
The MatrixHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Psycho-Pass 3: First Inspector

2020

A dense, propulsive cyberpunk thriller that keeps you leaning forward, juggling scheming villains and philosophical unease under constant pressure.

Same writer: Tow Ubukata · Dark, tense, brisk · about betrayal and corruption

Also
Same writer: Tow Ubukata
Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • betrayal
  • corruption
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
137 min
Details
Psycho-Pass 3: First InspectorHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Chainsaw Man

2022

A grimy, blood-soaked ride that blends crude humor with genuine melancholy, leaving a lingering sense of desperation.

Dark, bleak, brisk · about identity and survival

Via
  • dark
  • bleak
  • identity
  • survival
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Seasons
1
Details
Chainsaw ManHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Blade Runner 2049

2017

A slow, immersive plunge into a rainy, neon-lit future that feels lonely, beautiful, and hauntingly sad.

Bleak, tense · about identity and survival

Via
  • bleak
  • tense
  • identity
  • survival
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
164 min
Details
Blade Runner 2049Hidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Psycho-Pass

2012–2019

A brooding, cerebral dystopian thriller that keeps you tense with moral quandaries and stylish action.

Same writer: Tow Ubukata · Dark, tense · about identity and survival · animated

Also
Same writer: Tow Ubukata
Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • identity
  • survival
  • animated
Pacing
measured
Attention
demanding
Seasons
3
Details
Psycho-PassHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance

2009

A visually stunning, emotionally intense mecha spectacle that blends apocalyptic action with psychological angst and philosophical weight.

Same cinematographer: Toru Fukushi · Dark, bleak, brisk · about identity and survival · animated

Also
Same cinematographer: Toru Fukushi
Via
  • dark
  • bleak
  • identity
  • survival
  • animated
Pacing
brisk
Attention
demanding
Runtime
112 min
Details
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) AdvanceHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Battle Angel

1993

A gritty, fast-paced cyberpunk ride with brutal fights and a melancholy search for self, compact and visually striking.

Dark, bleak, brisk · about identity and survival · animated

Via
  • dark
  • bleak
  • identity
  • survival
  • animated
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
54 min
Details
Battle AngelHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Mars Express

2023

A stylish, cerebral cyberpunk noir that blends detective intrigue with existential questions, set in a vividly realized Martian metropolis.

Dark, tense, brisk · about identity and corruption · animated

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • identity
  • corruption
  • animated
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
89 min
Details
Mars ExpressHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Sin City

2005

A stylish, brutal noir anthology with striking black-and-white visuals and relentless violence, demanding attention and leaving a bleak, cynical aftertaste.

Dark, bleak, brisk · about betrayal and corruption

Via
  • dark
  • bleak
  • betrayal
  • corruption
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
124 min
Details
Sin CityHidden from your suggestions.

Cast

Where to watch in the US

Change country

We have not loaded where to watch in the US for this title yet. Check again in a day or two.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
thriller, animation, action, drama
Directed by
Susumu Kudo
Written by
Tow Ubukata
Starring
Megumi Hayashibara, Norito Yashima, Hiroki Touchi, Kazuya Nakai, Tsutomu Isobe, Kenta Miyake, Masahiko Tanaka, Mika Kanai
Music
Conisch
Cinematography
Toru Fukushi
Runtime
69 min
Country
Japan
Languages
Japanese

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikidata