Belle

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Belle!

Original image located here. Accessed 18th February 2022

Yep, it's another trip down the anime well. And this time we are taking a look at the latest offering from auteur Mamoru Hosoda.
I have been saying glowing things about this guy and his work (Summer Wars, the Girl who leapt Through Time, Wolf Children) and with this latest effort he does not disappoint.

At this point I have seen enough of Hosoda's repertoire to recognise some familiar themes: The search for connection, the use of online personas, the importance of family, and the act of being true to one's self. And all of which are put to work in Belle in an effective manner.
I like the artwork, i like the music and I like the ideas presented about having an online persona and how one utilizes it to interact with the world.

Much has been made how this movie owes a sizable debt to Disney's Beauty and the Beast. i certainly won't deny it but for me it remains an odd aesthetic choice. Because for me, Disney's Beauty and the Beast is all about how one wants to change themselves for the people around them. In belle however, it is all about the pursuit of understanding and empathy. Not a bad idea but it does make the sequences in the Beast's castle somewhat jarring. Indeed it is telling to me that the sequences in the real world leave a greater impression - especially the part focusing on the webcam conversation and the subsequent climax.
Still, i will not fault Hosoda: He has some great ideas, an eye for the visual and he certainly knows how to pull the heartstrings. Has he delivered another winner? I think he has.

Mirai

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Mirai!

Original image located here. Accessed 10th July 2020

We're taking another trip into the anime well today. And another look into the mind of one my favorite anime creators, Mamoru Hosoda. I loved Wolf Children, I loved Summer Wars, I loved the Girl who Leapt through Time and Boy & the Beast was pretty good too. So can the Midas touch strike again?

No way around this: This is a movie that demands time. At first I didn't know what to think of it but slowly (and surely) this movie does reveal itself.
The strongest in this movie is it's depiction of families. Granted this is a strength of Hosoda's work but here, we are shown a family through a young child. The child in question may be loud, obnoxious, threatened by the arrival of a younger sibling and frustrated by unhelpful adults but that's the point. I have seen plenty of depictions of children in animated form but this certainly is the most realistic approach. Furthermore, the life lessons taught over the course of the movie are interesting and, the conclusion still works, proving that self-acceptance is a ploy that will never fail.
This may not be the most welcoming of movies but when it hits, it knocks it off the park. I know some people didn't like Boy and the Beast but having seen Mirai I think it's fair to say that Hosoda may be back on track. So what will he do next....?

The Boy and the Beast

And this week's Friday night movie has been..... Bakemono no Ko (The Boy and the Beast)!

Original image located here. Accessed 27th April 2018

Like the world and his dog, I have been impressed with the works of Mamoru Hosoda (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Summer Wars and Wolf Children). So i was keen on seeing his latest work.

I feel that the strength of this movie lies in the idea of family that Hosoda has utilized previously: This is about a child & his father and how two broken souls end up becoming strong together. It's about how, as an adult, children often become a reflection of one's self. Okay, sure there are some moments that seem forced and rambly, but there are some great ideas at work here and some creativity and Hosoda's hand still seems potent enough.

To be honest I feel this is the least of Hosoda's work - but somehow, the least stills feels like the best someone else could come up with. And that's nothing to be ashamed of.

Wolf Children

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Wolf Children!

Original image located here. Accessed 29th July 2016

I like Mamoru Hosoda: I enjoyed both Summer Wars and the Girl Who Leapt Through Time and this effort completes the hat trick.

You know, I actually don't want to talk about this movie - largely out of fear that my descriptions will undermine the movie itself.

So i will not talk about the beautiful animation. I will not talk about the craftsmanship involved in this movie. I will not talk about the appealing characters. I will not talk about the trials and tribulations these characters go through. I will not talk about the emotional roller-coaster this movie set me on. And I will not talk about the times this movie left me a blubbering mess.