"ANIMATE has unveiled a line of "Kumamate" 14-centimeter teddy bears, selling in black and white varieties for 735 yen. A line of anime based attire for the bears will be going on sale this month with Durarara!!, Hetalia, and Detective Conan selling for 840 yen starting October 27 and Inazuma Eleven and Inazuma Eleven GO hitting in November."
This movie... is another masterpiece under Hosoda Mamoru's belt. I won't bore you with my views on it, as they were already discussed and pointed out in previous posts, so I'll just score it...
10/10 for its amazing story.
8/10 for great soundtrack.
0/10 for making me tear up like a little bitch no less than 3 times during the course of this movie.
After their friendship had been discovered, Mei & Gabu were ostracized by their herd and pack respectively. To redeem themselves, Mei & Gabu would have to meet under their regular pretenses but only so they could spy on the other group. We also learned that Mei's mother gave her life to save Mei and attacked a small group of wolves on her own when Mei was a small child.
I have no idea where this tonal shift came from after like 21 lighthearted humorous episodes, I wasn't expecting anything like this, and I didn't think things would continue to get even more depressing. God damn it.
After their friendship had been discovered, Mei & Gabu were ostracized by their herd and pack respectively. To redeem themselves, Mei & Gabu would have to meet under their regular pretenses but only so they could spy on the other group. We also learned that Mei's mother gave her life to save Mei and attacked a small group of wolves on her own when Mei was a small child.
I have no idea where this tonal shift came from after like 21 lighthearted humorous episodes, I wasn't expecting anything like this, and I didn't think things would continue to get even more depressing. God damn it.
man, I thought I posted about this earlier in the day.
Scattered thoughts--fond of how Hosoda captures the undercurrent of conversation in the small scenes, of Hana and the neighbors, how the action happens with the dialogue serving as bookend of sorts to the real focus; not many memorable lines outside of the Roy Mustang moment, but the things that stay with you tend to be physical, tangible stuff, often in climax to whatever small tragedy that life tossed in their way. It's nice how restrained it feels, only to unleash when needed, in those few but lovely scenes where the human forms are slipped and they're able to run free. Triumph as a memento of survival, a testament if you will of having lived through a decade of small tumults. It's not an epic, but the intimacy with which we see the family struggle and grow certainly feels sweeping and grand.
Some fiction asks you to suspend your disbelief; Another asks you to throw cinder blocks at its' head, strangle it with a piano wire, desecrate the body, and then pretend you never knew it.
man, I thought I posted about this earlier in the day.
Scattered thoughts--fond of how Hosoda captures the undercurrent of conversation in the small scenes, of Hana and the neighbors, how the action happens with the dialogue serving as bookend of sorts to the real focus; not many memorable lines outside of the Roy Mustang moment, but the things that stay with you tend to be physical, tangible stuff, often in climax to whatever small tragedy that life tossed in their way. It's nice how restrained it feels, only to unleash when needed, in those few but lovely scenes where the human forms are slipped and they're able to run free. Triumph as a memento of survival, a testament if you will of having lived through a decade of small tumults. It's not an epic, but the intimacy with which we see the family struggle and grow certainly feels sweeping and grand.
Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki
This movie... is another masterpiece under Hosoda Mamoru's belt. I won't bore you with my views on it, as they were already discussed and pointed out in previous posts, so I'll just score it...
10/10 for its amazing story.
8/10 for great soundtrack.
0/10 for making me tear up like a little bitch no less than 3 times during the course of this movie.
1 thing i'm kinda curious
at the scene in the beginning with the flowerbed...
that was yuki and ame right? not hana and her husband? i would assume so because the narration at the beginning was done by yuki? i would like this to be the case, makes me sad if those 2 never met ame again after he left
1 thing i'm kinda curious
at the scene in the beginning with the flowerbed...
that was yuki and ame right? not hana and her husband? i would assume so because the narration at the beginning was done by yuki? i would like this to be the case, makes me sad if those 2 never met ame again after he left
Some fiction asks you to suspend your disbelief; Another asks you to throw cinder blocks at its' head, strangle it with a piano wire, desecrate the body, and then pretend you never knew it.
Might have teared up a little when the piano version of Mei & Gabu's wind song started up as they rekindled their friendship in the face of adversity. It very well could have been the liquor too or perhaps it's just raining in my apartment.
Might have teared up a little when the piano version of Mei & Gabu's wind song started up as they rekindled their friendship in the face of adversity. It very well could have been the liquor too or perhaps it's just raining in my apartment.
Think it's supposed to be the same story, but with some deviations along the way. The wiki entry says there's more deaths in the anime but it largely has the same feel, or something.
Good for Mei & Gabu as that was quite a satisfying ending.
Initially only watched this so I could spam the future of anime via episode impressions but was glad to find something charming and inoffensive early on that actually gave way to a good little show. Didn't really expect the twenty odd initial comedic episodes to actually build a natural sort of friendship as the show went on and certainly didn't expect it to have such a strong emotional conclusion. Good stuff.
Not sure what to make of that ending bit there... seems a little random, even for this show. Good episode in general though; I wonder if we'll get more development on Nitta soon.
(someone else please post impressions in the OT; I don't want to have a triple-post there)
Watching this film feels like watching an old master paint in front of your eyes. Whether or not it's his best film, Mamoru Hosoda has never been more confident in his storytelling abilities; every aspect is tuned to his precise calculations. Yet, even as obviously constructed as the story is, it never feels forced or unbelievable. It was a smart decision to not
try and explain the existence of wolf-men in any real way
. The fantastical element ends up complementing the emotional verisimilitude quite well; scenes such as
Ame and Yuki's big fight
work so well because we understand their transformations as a visual metaphor for their familial angst.
This is also a story that could only be done in traditional animation; neither live-action nor CGI can reliably and believably allow for the kind of subtle transformations needed in the film. It just wouldn't work anywhere near as well. This is easily Hosoda's most ambitious film visually, and it shows in every frame. Some of the backgrounds are jaw-dropping, and the use of CGI to enhance the painted vegetation allows for some stunning effects. Really the only thing you could complain about is CG cars and some CG extras near the beginning.
Going back to the emotional aspect, I think the reason it works so well is that we get to see and vicariously experience every emotion in the characters' lives, and not just the big moments. That's a hard thing to do in a two-hour movie that covers such a broad expanse of time, but Hosoda handles it deftly through some of the best and most creative uses of montage I've seen in anime. I mean, it's only twenty minutes in the film when
Wolf man(I just realized he never has a name) dies
, not even a full anime episode, and it's already impactful due to the great use of montage prior, as well as the direction in the scene itself(the way the sound of the rain cuts when she drops her umbrella, the way
they casually throw his body in the garbage truck while Hana loses it, baby in tow, and you realize she must look crazy to everyone around her and no one will be able to share her grief; I'm tearing up just writing this
). I don't think I need to mention the kindergarten montage and its brilliant framing, and how much it communicates in just a few images; nor the exultation in the snow, the wordless joy of nature and family. And the climactic scene where Yuki
Yeeehaw. Today we went to the bottom of the ocean, and did I mention that this one Zonder has the MOST AWFUL LAUGH OF ALL TIME? It's like EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE and that's it. I dunno, it's horrid. Anyway, We met Volfog, who is a NINJA GIANT ROBOT, because you can be stealth and giant. Anyway, Guy should've died, but, well, he's a TRUE HERO so screw that.
Also I guess maybe Guy isn't completely mechanical from the neck down, but has a briefcase containing his armor? And Dr. Wily has a radio bowtie.
Yeah, stupid looking protag won a duel. Though it was a tag duel and the card that won it was basically from his partner so he's still a terrible duelist.
The finale was predictable as all hell, but I loved how it was handled anyway. A fun show with a cast of likable characters, yuri overtones, and the sport that was the basis for the show wasn't watered down for fanservice purposes just because it had an all female main cast. My only real gripe is that
the ending really forced a conclusion to the story. This was JC Staff after all, so I guess there was never any plans of a sequel
. I'm certainly more willing to watch another sports show, but that will probably be much, much...much later.
Watching his show way back reminded me that I was kinda sad due to the time period. Just shy of 15 years to the beginning of WW2. All the horrible imagination I had of their fate. Now I'm sad again.
Watching his show way back reminded me that I was kinda sad due to the time period. Just shy of 15 years to the beginning of WW2. All the horrible imagination I had of their fate. Now I'm sad again.
Imagine that they all make it through alive and go back to playing baseball after the war!
---
Space Bros 47
:SDBurton
After the live action movie, I just can't get over this now. Clearly there are Japanese actors that can fake English. Hire some of them to actually do their lines in English instead of having everyone speak English and leaving the audience to guess at what language they're speaking.
Not sure what to make of that ending bit there... seems a little random, even for this show. Good episode in general though; I wonder if we'll get more development on Nitta soon.
(someone else please post impressions in the OT; I don't want to have a triple-post there)
The show has always been like that though. You have a mini cliffhanger that is mostly inconsequential and it just ends. The people adapting this text just aren't doing it well for TV or the 20 minute format is just wrong for the show. I mean, I love The Wire and Treme, and those shows treat episodes as proper chapters in a longer story, but at least they're an hour long and leave ideas to percolate throughout the episode (and for the most part, their endings land better).
The show has always been like that though. You have a mini cliffhanger that is mostly inconsequential and it just ends. The people adapting this text just aren't doing it well for TV or the 20 minute format is just wrong for the show. I mean, I love The Wire and Treme, and those shows treat episodes as proper chapters in a longer story, but at least they're an hour long and leave ideas to percolate throughout the episode (and for the most part, their endings land better).
What? No, I'm not saying anything about the pacing, I'm just talking about
randomly throwing in a character who claims to be able to predict the future (even if it's likely bullshit and Mutta will probably triumph over whatever challenge he's going to face)
Dude, I love this show. I hope you enjoy it. I think it suffered from some minor pacing issues here and there, but overall it's one of my favorites without question.
Goddamn Fuyuumi Ai! Take all my hnnnghs! You're obviously the best girl ever! Kayano Ai is fucking fantastic is voicing her. One of my favourite Seiyuus, Ai-Chan Daishouriiiiii!!!!!
Dat Phoenix Wright reference. And Kaoru's secret? So damn obvious he's a girl....or maybe a crossdresser.
What? No, I'm not saying anything about the pacing, I'm just talking about
randomly throwing in a character who claims to be able to predict the future (even if it's likely bullshit and Mutta will probably triumph over whatever challenge he's going to face)
Wait, you have no problem with how the show ended and more a problem with random racial stereotype (deployed here and in Tamako Market) as a plot device?
I guess that didn't bother me. Maybe KyoAni is to blame.
I need more time to let the experience settle into something I can express, but what I can say for now is that this is a sublimely magnificent master stroke easily among the greatest animated works of all time. Beautiful, tender, intimate, the entire gamut of human emotion run with a supreme understanding of its intricacies. A gentle but devastatingly powerful ode to love, sacrifice, and the beauty of life.
There have been a lot of posts that say everything better than whatever I would have come up with. So for short, absolutely beautiful, wonderful, super duper film. Most certainly my favorite Mamoru Hosoda movie.
Wait, you have no problem with how the show ended and more a problem with random racial stereotype (deployed here and in Tamako Market) as a plot device?
I guess that didn't bother me. Maybe KyoAni is to blame.
I saw this movie months ago so I'll just reiterate that it was pretty fucking good. Some of reviewers of Summer Wars said that that movie showed how Hosoda was the next Miyazaki, that may have been hyperbole but Wolf Children actually demonstrates that Hosoda has noticeably matured and improved as a director.
