Tag: Anime Movies

Shōjo Tsubaki 2/10

Nick SheedyLeave a comment

NR, 56m, 1992

With the Voice Talents of Minako Naka (Midori), Norihiko Morishita (Masamitsu), Keinosuke Okamoto (Koijirô Arashi), Kazuyoshi Hayashi (Akaza), Yoshifumi Nomura (Muchisute), Sanae Katô (Benietsu) and Yumiko Takagi (Kanabun). Directed by Hiroshi Harada. Produced by Hiroshi Harada. Screenplay by Hiroshi Harada. Music by J.A. Shîzâ. Based on Shōjo Tsubaki by Suehiro Maruo.

            In my experience as an anime fan, there comes a time when a person watches anime for the first time and comes to the realization that anime is unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. Prior to watching my first anime, which was Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, I had no idea that animation could go to the lengths that Fullmetal Alechemist was going in terms of content and quality. Granted I was fourteen when I first saw the show, so my worldview of animation was limited. This review covers an anime film that once again pushed the boundaries of what I can sit through. This is coming from a guy who has seen A Serbian Film, Cannibal Holocaust, Salo, and trudged through the swamp of 4chan.

            The film opens with Midori (Minako Naka) selling flowers, where she meets the seemingly kindly Mr. Arashi (Koijirô Arashi), who tells her that if she ever needs help to go and find at his circus. Upon returning home Midori discovers a horrible sight. Her mother had succumbed to her illness and is already partially eaten by rats and mice. With nowhere else to turn to (the film never explains why Midori didn’t go to an orphanage). Midori takes up Mr. Arashi on his offer and goes to visit him at the circus to beg for his help. Immediately after arriving at the circus, Midori is physically, emotionally and sexually abused by every member of the freak show. This continues for quite some time until the arrival of the dwarf Masamitsu, who takes an immediate shining to Midori. Under his protection, Midori is spared from any more abuse from the members of the freak show. I’d like to tell you that this film ends on a happy note, but that would be a lie, as poor Midori suffers much more for the rest of the film.

            The plot of this film is rather difficult to critique, because when you get down to it, it basically comes down to. How much pain and suffering can we inflict on this girl? Even the one glimmer of happiness for Midori, which is the relationship between Midori and Masamitsu, is uncomfortable as Midori is around the age of twelve and Masamitsu is middle-aged. The writer and director of this film, Hiroshi Harada, initially only wanted to distribute this film exclusively at carnival freak shows, so I doubt plot and characters weren’t the real focus during the production of this film. Instead, we’re treated to the torture and humiliation of a twelve-year-old girl for almost an hour. This film was banned in Japan upon its release and I can hardly fault Japan for doing this. Despite being one of the most graphic films I’ve ever seen Cannibal Holocaust at least had a reason for going as far as it did, it was trying to make a point and in my eyes, it succeeded in that endeavor. Shōjo Tsubaki does not have a message that it’s trying to make. It’s just a film that relies on fringe and shock tactics, which is very effective at first, but when the viewer is constantly barraged with such horrific content, they’re either going to stop watching or become numb to it.

            According to multiple sources I came across while researching this film, Hiroshi Harada animated most, if not the entirety of this film. That in of itself is very impressive as animating a single scene can take an animation team several weeks to complete, However, that doesn’t mean that this film looks good. The film’s general look takes inspiration from the Japanese art style known as Muzan-e, which translates out to blood prints. Muzan-e art typically portrays violent acts of murder or torture. In this aspect Harada did succeed as the overall look of the film looks like a hellish landscape of filth, sometimes gore and debauchery. The character movement in this film is minimal at best as when a character does actually move, it’s only through the use of limited animation. Now limited animation can work as it was used extensively in the Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes shorts as well as animated television series like Scooby-Doo and the Peanut specials. But with Shōjo Tsubaki, the animation style just looks odd and rather jarring. I have to give some credit to Harada as animating an entire film is a Herculean feat to say the least, but that doesn’t excuse the film for looking so rough.

            As a long time anime and film connoisseur, I’ve seen some messed up stuff in my day. That being said this film remains the most graphic and horrific animated film I’ve ever seen. Having said that I know quite a few of my readers will see this statement and think “Ok, now I’ve got to know.”. I should know because I had a similar reaction when a friend of mine told me about, calling it the worst animated thing she’d seen in terms of content. To put thing into perspective, in the first few seconds of the movie a character is seen biting the head of a live chicken while it squawks in thrashes about in pain and horror. This film also contains one of the worst things to happen to a dog in an animated project. As soon as I saw the good-natured protagonist caring for the puppies, I knew something terrible was about to happen. I won’t spoil what happens, but I will say that what happens to the puppies ranks up there with the dog scenes from Elfen Lead and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

            Throughout this review, I’ve repeatedly called this film out on how graphic and shocking it is. Despite all that I saw I wouldn’t say this film repulsed or even really offended me, granted my mileage for what I can sit through has been pushed beyond what most people are probably willing to sit through. Am I glad I saw this film, in an odd way maybe a little, as the film did give me an odd appreciation for life. After watching this film, I even did some research on the film, which is not something I always do after watching a film, and I found quite a few sources didn’t even mention this film. I couldn’t even find an entry for this film in the 2nd edition of The Anime Encyclopedia by Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy. This surprised me as the book is a mammoth sized book that is a great reference guide for everything anime. This could also be another point in the film’s favor as I don’t normally dive into studying a film as methodically as I did with this film unless the film leaves a deep impact on me. That being said I can not out of good faith recommend this film to most people. Even the “nice” scenes in this film are fringe worthy when you understand what’s going on. The only people I can recommend this film are those few people who actually like films that rely on shock value for the sake of shock value, and even then I’d definitely recommend other films like Tusk, Cannibal Holocaust and The Human Centipede over this film, as those films at least had some semblance of a reason for existing, but in the case of Shōjo Tsubaki, I can’t think of a single reason for this film to exist outside of using it for psychological torture.

Pokémon The Movie 2000: The Power of One 6.5/10

Nick SheedyLeave a comment

G, 109m, 1999

With the Voice Talents of Veronica Taylor (Ash Ketchum and Delia Ketchum), Ikue Otani (Pikachu), Rachael Lillis (Misty, Jessie, Venonat and Goldeen), Ted Lewis (Tracey Sketchit), Satomi Kōrogi (Togepi), Eric Stuart (James, Weezing, Scyther, and Squirtle), Maddie Blaustein (Meowth), Roger Parsons (Narrator), Stuart Zagnit (Professor Oak), Kayzie Rogers (Professor Ivy, Mr. Mime and Marill), Eric Rath (Lugia), Amy Birnbaum (Melody), Nathan Price (Slowking), Neil Stewar (Lawrence III) and Tara Sands (Maren and Bulbasaur). Directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and Michael Haigney. Produced by Choji Yoshikawa, Yukako Matsusako and Takemoto Mori. Screenplay by Takeshi Shudo Michael Haigney and Norman J. Grossfeld. Music by Shinji Miyazaki. Based on the Pokémon franchise created by Satoshi Tajiri.

            After the immense success of Pokémon: The First Movie, was released barely a year following the release of the original (going by the original Japanese release). Pokémon 2000 promises to make everything bigger and better, and the film certainly delivers on that front. However, this does serve as a bit of a detriment to the film as nothing feels truly personal.

            The film opens with Lawrence III (Neil Stewar) reading a prophecy that foretells of global destruction if the balance between fire, ice and lightning is disturbed. Immediately after reading this Lawrence III upsets the balance of fire, ice and lightning by capturing Moltres. We then cut to Ash (Veronica Taylor), Misty (Rachael Lillis), Tracey (Ted Lewis) and Maren (Tara Sands) travelling to their next destination. Due to a storm, they are thrown off course and end up on Shamouti Island, where the locals are in the middle of a festival. The festival involves a chosen Pokémon trainer going out and collecting three orbs from the Fire, Ice and Lightning Islands and place them at the Shamouti Islands shrine, where a talking Slowking resides. Melody (Amy Birnbaum) will then play the festival’s song on a flute, which is actually Lugia’s (Eric Rath) song and the task is completed. Naturally Ash is chosen as the so called “Chosen One” and rushes off to find the orbs. He ventures off despite being warned of an incoming storm. Ash and his friends manage to reach Fire Island before getting interrupted by Team Rocket. Zapdos suddenly appears and we learn via Meowth (Maddie Blaustein) that since Moltres is gone, Zapdos is claiming the area has his own. Lawrence III picks this moment to capture Zapdos and in the ensuing capture, he accidentally captures Ash and company. For whatever reason Lawrence III tells the group his plan and neglects to take away their Pokémon. This allows for Ash and company to escape and free Zapdos and Moltres. This causes them to take down Lawrence III’s flying fortress and for Articuno to join the fray in a free for all battle. Lugia suddenly appears and informs Ash and company that the only way to stop this madness is for Ash to complete the Island’s traditional Chosen One’s task because Ash is the Chosen One. Now it’s up to Ash to complete the task before the world is destroyed by the ensuing chaos of Zapdos, Articuno and Moltres fighting.

            The film has a new addition to the trio in the form of Tracey and unless you’ve been keeping up with the anime, you’re going to be confused as to why Tracey replaced Brock. As the film doesn’t explain this change, I will. Brock stayed at Professor Ivy’s lab because he had a crush on her, however this did not end well as in later episodes he left Professor Ivy’s lab and for reasons that are never explained, Brock can’t stand hearing her name. This film also gives characters besides Ash and Pikachu to contribute to the plot, instead of standing around in open-mouth horror. Unlike their appearance in Pokémon The First Movie, Team Rocket actually contributes to the plot. Unfortunately, this would be one of the only times Team Rocket actually contributes to the plot of a Pokémon movie instead of existing purely for comedic relief or a gratuitous cameo. As a vilian Lawrence III pales in comparison to Mewtwo. Mewtwo had complexity and the audience could sympathize with him even if they didn’t agree with his methods. Lawrence III is just your run of the mill rich greedy one note vilian. I get that the film is trying to send a message that too much greed can lead to the destruction of the world, but it makes no sense for this vilian to even attempt his plans. He knows that pursuing his plans will probably lead to the destruction of the world, but he goes through with it anyway. If the vilian hadn’t known that his actions would have led to apoplectic circumstance, this would have been more understandable.

            The film’s plot is your generic “Chosen One” story, where a character is the only one that can perform a particular task. We’ve seen this plot in better movies with more compelling characters. This film would have been helped if the destruction was designated to one particular area, after spending a significant amount of time in the area and introducing some compelling characters that the audience could sympathize with and hope that they survive unscathed. The film’s message would have had much more impactful if the villain’s actions caused the death or serious injury of a character that the audience had gotten to know and care for, but no, all we get is a weak and generic plot that leaves no real impact on the audience.

            The film has a subplot involving a ship tease between Ash and Misty. This is completely pointless as their relationship never comes into play in later films and is never resolved in the anime. The film for whatever reason allows Lugia and Slowking to possess the power to communicate with humans. While it’s true Slowking is a psychic type, Slowking’s evolutionary family is notorious for being dimwitted, so it raises some questions as to why he can talk so eloquently, and he was appointed a guardian. I’d give Lugia a pass if, the anime hadn’t devoted an entire arch to a Lugia and its child and those Lugia were unable to communicate with humans. This film also has a hypocritical lesson. After they learn of Lawrence III’s ultimate goal, Misty berates him for collecting Pokémon. This is weird because this is one of the ultimate goals of the franchise is to capture every single species of Pokémon.

            One aspect of the film that I actually enjoyed was that Ash actually hesitates and has self- doubt when he finds out that the quest was real and if he fails then there will be consequences. This highly realistic as somebody like Ash would start off on the quest with a gung-ho attitude, and then hesitate when they discover that it’s all for real. He’s only able to go through with it after getting encouragement from Lugia, his friends and his Pokémon. This shows that it’s normal to doubt your abilities at times and sometimes the best remedy is to talk to people you trust about your insecurities. Granted I believe that Kiki’s Delivery Service handled this message better, but it’s an important lesson for kids to learn. Another aspect I enjoyed from the film was the score. “Lugia’s Theme” is extremely pleasant to listen to and it puts me in a relaxed mood. Another song I enjoyed was “The Power of One” by Donna Summers.

            While I did find this film to be a bit more entertaining than Pokémon the First Movie, Pokémon 2000 suffers from a weak and generic plot that we’ve seen many times as well as one of the weakest villains in any of the Pokémon films. As with Pokémon the First Movie, non-Pokémon fans probably won’t like this film, and I can only recommend this film to fans of the Orange Island arc and die-hard Pokémon fans.

Spirited Away 9/10

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PG, 125m, 2001

With the Voice Talents of  Daveigh Chase (Chihiro Ogino/Sen), Jason Marsden (Haku), Suzanne Pleshette (Yubaba and Zeniba), Susan Egan (Lin), David Ogden Stiers (Kamaji), Paul Eiding (Chichiyaku), Bob Bergen (No-Face and Aogaeru), Rodger Bumpass (Bandai-gaeru), Tara Strong (Boh), Michael Chiklis (Akio Ogino), Lauren Holly (Yūko Ogino) and John Ratzenberger (Aniyaku). Directed Hayao Miyazaki and Kirk Wise. Produced by Toshio Suzuki. Screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki. Music by Joe Hisaishi.

            Japanese animation or anime is often dismissed by misinformed people, who have misguided notions on the medium. They believe anime to be perverse or overally violent. When someone tries to make this argument to me, I ask them what their source is and what anime series or movies have they seen? Usually the misguided had seen some form of hentai (animated porn) or they picked a title like Elfen Lied, School Days or Master of Martial Hearts, why anybody would choose these as their first anime is beyond me. When faced with these types of people I have a list of gateway anime, that I feel are great representations of the medium. One of these titles is Spirited Away. I absolutely adore this film; this is the kind of film I can watch and then immediately watch again. Spirited Away is a magically animated fan that will thrill audiences young and old and is sure to inspire animators just as much as the animated films made by Disney and Pixar.

            The film opens with Chihiro (Daveigh Chase) and her family driving to their new house. As many children would be, Chihiro is upset about the move and complains during the entire car trip. The father (Michael Chiklis) makes a wrong turn and the family come across an abandoned building. Curiosity gets the better of them and her parents, as they enter the building with Chihiro fearfully clinging to her mother (Lauren Holly). They come across a seemingly abandoned amusement park, where her father quickly discovers the aroma of delectably food that is commonplace in anime. Unable to stop themselves Chihiro’s parents indulge their ravenous appetite, much to Chihiro’s protests. Leaving her parents to their glutinous desires, Chihiro stumbles across a magnificent bridge leading to a towering bathhouse. Suddenly a strange boy by the name of Haku (Jason Marsden) appears and demands that she leave before the sun goes down. Chihiro hauls tail back to the booth where she left her parents only to discover a startling sight. Her parents had been transformed into pigs and no longer recognized her. Chihiro tries to make it back to her family’s car only to discover a body of water now blocked her path. Chihiro then notices that her body is beginning to fade away. Naturally she freaks out and is only comforted when Haku appears and gives her some food that stops her from disappearing. Haku guides Chihiro back to the bridge and tells her not to breathe, lest she out herself as a human. They almost get across when Chihiro gets startled and gasps, this causes an immediate reaction from the other beings who cry out that there is a human in their midst. Haku quickly gets Chihiro out of harms way and instructs her to go to the boiler room and to find Kamaji (David Ogden Stiers) and to beg until he gives her a job. Despite Kamaji’s initial objections, Chihiro proves herself quite the diligent worker. Realizing that a boiler room is no place for a young girl Kamaji calls for Lin (Susan Egan), a worker at the bath house bribes her to take Chihiro to Yubaba (Suzanne Pleshette), the owner of the bath house. Yubaba gives Chihiro a job at the bath house, where Chihiro must reside until she can find a way to transform her parents back into humans.

Chihiro is one of the most realistic kid characters depicted in animation. At the start of the film she’s rather obnoxious and she complains a lot, but this is completely understandable. She’s forced to move with her family to a new environment leaving beyond everyone outside of her parents that she knew, given these circumstances many children would act out. When her parents are turned into pigs, Chihiro rolls up her sleeves and tries her best to make things normal again. Chihiro also has moments when she gets so frustrated, she breaks down and cries. The character of Chihiro is further enhanced by the addition of little subtleties that will go over the head of many audience members. For example, when Chihiro is putting on her shoes, the back of her shoe folds into the shoe and she has to pull it out using her fingers. Upon putting her shoes on, she taps her left foot on the ground with the tip of her foot. In another scene, Kamaji finds Chihiro fast asleep curled up clutching her normal clothes to her chest. This scene shows her holding on to the one piece of normality she has left in this new environment, as she was given work clothes, and her clothes were supposed to be destroyed. This is all subtle movements that make the character seem that much more real. One complaint I have with the character, is some may find her English voice actress to be a little grading. I personally don’t have this problem, but I know a few people who do.

Released at a time when hand-drawn animation was dying, Spirited Away demonstrates just how beautiful hand-drawn animation can be. Even the food in this film, looks absolutely delicious to the point where it has no business looking that scrumptious. The character animation of this film is wonderfully imaginative and at times, visually astounding. The design of the River Monster is partially grotesque, and I find his design so revolting, I can practically smell the stench radiating off of him that causes the other characters to practically hurl. The monster is the result of years of pollution from humans, who just dump their garbage into his river. During his bath, Chihiro and the rest of the bathhouse band together to try and dislodge an object that is causing him some discomfort. It turns out that the object was a bicycle and after it is removed, a bunch of debris is expelled from his body and the river spirit is able to revert to his original form, thank Chihiro and company, and depart the bathhouse. Director Hayao Miyazaki found inspiration for the character when he was helping clean out a river and they found a bicycle. The film’s animated highlight occurs when Chihiro and Haku are soaring in the sky in the moonlight. This scene to me, stands out as one of the finest in animation. Haku’s dragon form is some of the finest character animation I’ve ever seen. Despite being sweet to Chihiro his face is just as ferocious as those of the wolves in Princess Mononoke.

Spirited Away often gets compared to Alice in Wonderland, and it’s extremely obvious why this is. Both films put a young girl in a wonderous environment, where they come across many bright and colorful characters, that are unlike anything audiences have ever seen before. While it’s easy to single out characters like No-Face or Haku, as examples of imaginative characters, I find that some of the most unique designs come from some of the background characters. With many having roots in Japanese mythology and folklore. The only repeat characters I could see were the Soot Sprites, who also appeared in My Neighbor Totoro. However, I’m not going to dock points from the film, for this little repeat. The Soot Sprites in this film have a different purpose than they did in My Neighbor Totoro. In this film, the job of the Soot Sprites is to keep adding coal to the fire in the boiler room. The film also utilizes characters from Japanese mythology and folklore in the backgrounds. This gives the design of the backgrounds and the design of the characters a traditional Japanese aesthetic, with some background being highly detailed and extravagant and others having a much simpler design.

At the time of this review, Spirited Away is the only anime film to win an Academy Award, which it did so in 2003, beating out films such as Lilo and Stitch, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and Ice Age, and this film completely deserves the award. Released during a time when hand-drawn animation was dying in the United States, Spirited Away stands as an excellent example of what hand-drawn animation is capable of.

Kiki’s Delivery Service 9/10

Nick SheedyLeave a comment

G, 103m, 1989

With the Voice Talents of: Kirsten Dunst (Kiki), Jiji (Phil Hartman), Matthew Lawrence (Tombo), Osono (Tress MacNeille), Janeane Garofalo (Ursula), Brad Garrett (Fukuo), Kath Soucie (Kokiri), Jeff Bennett (Okino), Julia Fletcher (Maki and Ket’s Mother), Debbie Reynolds (Madame), Edie McClurg (Barsa), Pamela Segall (Ket), Matt K. Miller (Police Officer and Hotel Receptionist) and Corey Burton (Radio Announcer). Directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Produced by Hayao Miyazaki. Screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki. Music by Joe Hisaishi. Based on Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono.

            As a fan of anime I’m well aware of the American social stigma surrounding anime. Some see it as animation and animation is just for kids. (Tell that to Elfen Lied, School Days and Fritz the Cat) Others think that anime is pornographic (that’s called hentai) or overally violent. A few even believe that anime exists purely to sell toys and merchandise. On some accounts these people are right. While I love anime such as Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, Princess Mononoke, Code Geass and Ah! My Goddess, I would not show these anime to a young child or anyone who’s hypersensitive to violence or a little risqué humor. Kiki’s Delivery Service is the perfect anime to show someone with misguided views of anime.

            The film opens with Kiki (Kirsten Dunst) lying in the grass listening to her father’s (Jeff Bennett) portable radio. Upon hearing that the skies are going to be clear that night Kiki quickly prepares to depart from her parents’ house and try to strike it out on her own as a witch in training. In this world, when a witch turns thirteen, she’s supposed to leave her parents’ house for about a year and try to survive using her skills as a witch. Unfortunately for Kiki, the only skill she has as a witch is flying, and even then she’s not particularly good at flying. Kiki heads out on her mother’s (Kath Soucie) old broom, along with the talking cat Jiji (Phil Hartman). They eventually come across a town and inhabitants are mystified to see an actual witch flying about. Kiki accidentally almost causes a traffic accident and a police officer (Matt Miller) berates her for her carelessness. Just as he’s about to bring her in to the station to call her parents, a call for help in stopping a thief sounds and the officer rushes off. It’s soon revealed that the call for help was meant to be a distraction so Kiki could escape. The person who called for help is a boy named Tombo (Mathew Lawrence), who has an interest in aviation and flying. He tries to talk to Kiki, but Kiki wants nothing to do with him and flies off in a huff. While contemplating whether or not to find a different city, Kiki helps a bakery owner named Osono (Tress MacNeille) deliver a pacifier to a mother who accidentally left it at her store. Osono gives Kiki a job as a delivery girl as well as room and board. At first Kiki does very well at her job, but eventually she loses her ability to fly as well as the ability to understand Jiji. The rest of the film is about Kiki overcoming these obstacles and believing in herself again.

            Kiki’s Delivery Service actually marks two firsts for me. The first is the trailer for this film on The Spirit of Mickey VHS tape was my first introduction to the wonderous world of Japanese animation. At the time I had no idea, that the film was for a film animated in Japan, all I knew was the trailer looked interesting and the accompanying song was performed beautifully. I’d later learn that said song was “I’m Gonna Fly” by Sydney Frost. The song was put over the end credit sequence on the VHS and early DVD releases. The song has since been replaced by the original Japanese ending song “Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta nara” (Wrapped in Kindness) by Matsutoya Yumi, which is equally entertaining. The second first is this was my first “real” anime movie. Sure, I’d seen a number of the Pokémon films prior to watching this film, but this is the first anime film I watched knowing what anime is. I borrowed a copy of the film from the friend who introduced me to anime and I instantly recognized the cover art from that trailer I watched years ago. I popped the movie in at my house and I was instantly put under the magical spell of Hayao Miyazaki’s brilliance in visual storytelling. Hayao Miyazaki is sometimes referred to as the Walt Disney of Japan, a name also given to Osamu Tezuka. I prefer to think of him as the Kurosawa of animation. I say this because I feel this notion discredits years of Japanese filmmaking.

            The animation of this film is astounding. The character animation features visually interesting characters that is typical of Studio Ghibli. The scenes where Kiki is soaring on her broom are visually astounding and serve as some of the visual highlights of the film. The city that Kiki settles in has a strong European feeling to it. The city resembles a city in our world, but at the same time it doesn’t feel like a particular time or place. This is because the film is set in the 1950s where WW2 never happened. This results in airships from the 1930s, cars from the 1940s and machinery and fashion from the 1950s all coexisting at the same time. This gives the film an alternative, but familiar feeling.

            As a (currently) who was moved out of his parents’ house, I found the trials and tribulation that Kiki went through to be highly relatable. While buying groceries, Kiki discovers how expensive food truly is and is forced to eat cheap food such as pancakes. Many people who are striking it out on their own will find this sequence to be highly relatable. The segment of the film that I found the most relatable was the section of the film where Kiki was having some serious doubts about her abilities as a witch and finding her passion for something she once loved again. I have felt the same way about being a film critic. Often times I’ll have doubts about my writing ability and at times I wonder if my content comes across as sophomoric. When these thoughts crop up, sometimes I’ll revisit a sequence where Kiki is visiting her artist friend Ursula (Janeane Garofalo). In the sequence Kiki confides her insecurities and fears to Ursula and Ursula relies that stuff like that happens and she tells Kiki what she does when she’s in a rut and lacking motivation. I feel this is an excellent message for aspiring artists and writers to heed. If I’m still having doubts about myself, I recall the sage like wisdom of Jake the Dog from Adventure Time, “Dude, sucking at something is the first step to be sorta good at something.”.

            Many animated films feel the insatiable desire to insert a stupid pop song that the characters all do a choreographed dance to, or have an annoying as hell side character that only serves as the comedic relief serving no real purpose to the story and getting little to no character development outside of being an annoyance. Kiki’s Delivery Service suffers from none of these tropes that plague so many modern animated features. This film can easily be enjoyed by children and adults. When I saw this film in theaters the theater was jammed pack with people of all ages and they seemed to revel in the film’s brilliance and its beauty. Even my aunt who had never seen any variation of anime and who considers animation a children’s medium thought that the film was good, and she was a bit disappointed that the film produced no sequels. The only people I can see having a problem with this film are the super religious people who would scorn the film for featuring witchcraft. This is ridiculous as the film teaches important life lessons that can be beneficial to not only children, but for adults as well.

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes 6.5/10

Nick SheedyLeave a comment

PG-13, 96m, 2018

With the Voice Talents of Justin Briner (Izuku Midoriya), Christopher R. Sabat (All Might), Clifford Chapin (Katsuki Bakugō), David Matranga (Shōto Todoroki), Luci Christian (Ochaco Uraraka), J. Michael Tatum (Tenya Iida), Colleen Clinkenbeard (Momo Yaoyorozu), Justin Cook (Eijiro Kirishima), Monica Rial (Tsuyu Asui),  Brina Palencia (Minoru Mineta), Kyle Phillips (Denki Kaminari), Trina Nishimura (Kyōka Jirō), Caitlin Glass (Mina Ashido), Ray Chase (David Shield), Erica Mendez (Melissa Shield) and Keith Silverstein (Wolfram). Directed by Kenji Nagasaki. Produced by Wakana Okamura, Yoshihiro Oyabu, Koji Nagai and Kazumasa Sanjōba. Screenplay by Yōsuke Kuroda. Music by Yuki Hayashi. Based on My Hero Academia by Kōhei Horikoshi.

            Typically speaking, movies based on an anime series aren’t particularly good. While there certainly are exceptions such as Dragon Ball Super: Broly, One Piece: Stampede and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, more often than not a movie based on an anime series is typically viewed as a much lesser story when compared to the series the movie is based on and unfortunately My Hero Academia: Two Heroes falls in the same sub-par category.

The movie opens with a beautiful sweeping shot of Bald Eagles soaring in the sky, so you know this scene takes place in the United States. A young All Might (Christopher R. Sabat) and David Shield (Ray Chase) are seen stopping a vilian from getting away after robbing a casino. They successfully nab the perps and fly off in David’s car to stop another crime. We then learn this was all a dream as All might wakes up to Midoriya’s voice (Justin Briner). All Might and Midoriya are traveling to I-Island, which is man-made island where the scientists of the world reside and perform research on Quirks. A Quirk is this world’s name for a superpower, which 80% of the population possess. All Might is visiting the island to visit his friend and former sidekick David and to attend an upcoming expo on the island. David introduces All Might and Midoriya to his daughter Melissa (Erica Mendez), who wishes to become a scientist just like her father. As they travel around the island, Midoriya and All Might meet the rest of Midoriya’s classmates from U.A. Hero Course Class 1-A. They all arrived at the island for various reasons that serve no real purpose to the plot, but instead their reasons for being on the island serves as plot armor to get all of Class 1-A at the same place. At the expo, a dastardly group of villains led by Wolfram (Keith Silverstein) crashes the expo in order to obtain a headset that maximizes the power of a person’s Quirk. All of the Pro Heroes at the expo are blocked from using their Quirks to stop the villains, because if the do the villains will trigger the overridden security system to target normal people. Unbeknownst to the villains, Midoriya and a handful of students from Class 1-A are aware of the plot and are determined to stop the villains.

This film runs into some of the same problems a lot of movies based on shonen anime run into. The movie was released between the second and third season of the anime. This means that not a lot of lasting character development can occur, nor can any of the pre-established characters go through any real change. This takes away from any of the intense moments, because we know all of the characters we care about are going to turn out okay, since they’re in the next season of the anime. All of this makes the movie feel like an extended filler episode. It’s a rather entertaining filler episode, but the film does come across as unneeded.

            While the story may be lacking, the characters are anything but. A major reason for the popularity of the My Hero Academia franchise is its characters. We’ve seen plenty of movies and tv shows featuring magic schools for gifted youngsters such as Harry Potter and the X-Men films, but the My Hero Academia franchise feels fresh and that is mainly due to its wide variety of characters. Unfortunately given the length of the film, not all of the characters get as much screen time as I would have liked, and some are relegated to little more than a cameo role. The relationship between All Might and David feels guanine as the connection between the two feels like two pals that have been extremely close for many years and have developed a brotherly relationship over the years. It’s also really cool to see All Might during his youth as that aspect of the character is rarely shown in the series. The villains led by Wolfram feel generic and uninspired. This is extremely disappointing as one of the greatest aspects of the My Hero Academia franchise are the compelling and threatening villains. With its bland story, the movie could have at least provided interesting villains, instead all we get is a vilian that we’ve seen a hundred times and has no lasting impact. However, the fight between Wolfram and the combined efforts of All Might and Midoriya is a visual spectacle. The My Hero Academia series is well known for giving its viewers engaging and visually interesting fight sequences. This movie is no exception and the final battle sequence almost makes up for the generic villains with their boring motivations.

            One major issue I have with this film is its inconsistency of All Might’s power. While it is entertaining to see All Might fight, I can’t overlook the fact that he stayed in his empowered form all night. Some may find this to be nitpicking, but when the film constantly addresses the fact that All Might can’t stay in his empowered form for over a few hours, I’m unable to look past this little plot hole. This film is considered canon taking place after the twentieth episode of the third season entitled Save the World with Love. This further cements my issue with the film, as the movie glosses over an important element that cause major consequences later on in the series.

 Hero Academia: Two Heroes pales in comparison to the original series. The plot borrows many elements from films like Die Hard, only with less entertaining characters and lesser stakes. The movie is certainly entertaining to watch if only as an entrée to the next season. At best it feels like a standard shonen movie, there’s nothing insultingly wrong with the film, it’s just subpar compared to other shonen movies that are far better.

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising 7.5/10

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PG-13, 104m, 2019

With the Voice Talents of Justin Briner (Izuku Midoriya), Clifford Chapin (Katsuki Bakugō), Dani Chambers (Mahoro Shimano), Maxey Whitehead (Katsuma Shimano), David Matranga (Shōto Todoroki), Luci Christian (Ochaco Uraraka), J. Michael Tatum (Tenya Iida), Colleen Clinkenbeard (Momo Yaoyorozu), Justin Cook (Eijiro Kirishima), Monica Rial (Tsuyu Asui),  Brina Palencia (Minoru Mineta), Kyle Phillips (Denki Kaminari), Fumikage Tokoyami (Josh Grelle), Trina Nishimura (Kyōka Jirō), Yuga Aoyama (Joel McDonald), Caitlin Glass (Mina Ashido), Mike McFarland (Mashirao Ojiro), Johnny Yong Bosch (Nine), Greg Dulcie (Chimera), Lydia Mackay (Slice), Brendan Blaber (Mummy) Christopher R. Sabat (All Might), Christopher Wehkamp (Shōta Aizawa) and Patrick Seitz (Endeavor). Directed by Kenji Nagasaki. Produced by Wakana Okamura, Yoshihiro Oyabu, Koji Nagai and Kazumasa Sanjōba. Screenplay by Yōsuke Kuroda. Music by Yuki Hayashi. Based on My Hero Academia by Kōhei Horikoshi.

I went into this movie extremely skeptical. I didn’t care for the first film very much and I was concerned that this movie was going to commit some of the same sins. Halfway through the movie I leaned over and whispered to me friend “this movie is fantastic; it’s going to have to really crap the bed for me not to like it”. Towards the end of the movie I noticed a foul smell and I realized the film had potentially crapped the bed.

The movie opens with an intensely entertaining car chase between the League of Villains, who is transferring Nine (Johnny Yong Bosch) in a life support vat, and a group of heroes lead by Endeavor (Patrick Seitz). Endeavor manages to stop the van, however the League of Vilian escapes and Nine regroups with his followers Chimera (Greg Dulcie), Mummy (Brendan Blaber) and Slice (Lydia Mackay). We then cut to the hero class 1-A of UA High School on Nabu Island, who are performing temporary hero duties for the residents. The hero duties prove to be minor problems such as helping an elderly lady with her errands, jumpstarting a tractor and minor security as there hasn’t been an actual violent crime in quite some time. One day Midoriya (Justin Briner) receives a call from Mahoro (Dani Chambers) whose younger brother Katsuma (Maxey Whitehead) is missing. Midoriya finds Katsuma only to learn that Mahoro had only been testing the heroes in order to see how good they are. They come up short in her eyes, so she sends Katsuma to get a hero to fight a vilian, Bakugō (Clifford Chapin) rushes off to fight the villain, where he quickly discovers the vilian is an illusion created by Mahoro. Bakugō gets rightfully angry but he gets calmed down by Midoriya and he storms off. Meanwhile Nine is desperately searching for somebody who possess a cell regeneration quirk, so he can steal it and heal himself. Nine finds somebody who has this ability and this person just happens to be Mahoro and Katsuma’s father. Unfortunately for Nine, the father’s quirk only helps people with a Type-A blood type. Knowing that quirks can be inherited genetically, Nine goes after Mahoro and Katsuma. Now it’s up to Class 1-A to stop the dastardly villains or at the very least keep Mahoro and Katsuma out of harm’s way.

The movie is very forgiving to newcomers of the series who haven’t seen a single episode. This is all done masterfully without hitting audiences who are already in the know over the head with plot points we already know and without dropping so much exposition that newcomers would be lost. However, I will say that fans of the series should be familiar with events up to at least season four as several things are done or said that might be considered as minor spoilers for earlier seasons.

The final battle sequence is a hit or miss. On one hand it’s an amalgamation of everything one could love about a shonen anime. On the other hand, it could be potentially problematic and the way it ends is a deus ex machina. I say it’s problematic because a certain power has never been fully explored so therefore the ending could potentially work, but at the same time it could be a major cop out. Had the movie actually went through with a certain thing, it would have worked if the movie served as the series finally. Had this been the case I would have been satisfied with the series finally and I would have been left with a bittersweet feeling. The ending is going to make or break the film for a lot of people. The theater I saw the film at had people applauding the ending and the gaggle of girls seated next to me were crying towards the end.

The film gives most of the Hero class of 1-A a moment in the spotlight as most of the characters either contribute something to the plot or serve a vital role in an action scene. The only exception is Toru Hagakure, whose quirk is invisibility. The two characters that get the most attention are Bakugō and Midoriya. Their dynamic fighting styles look super interesting when paired up and both characters add emotional depth to the film that was powerful enough to bring some of the audience to tears. The villains while serviceable as well as interesting, were underdeveloped. I understand that the focus is meant to be on the heroes, but I wanted to know more about the villains and their motivation. Chimera and Nine were the most developed but even then, we got the most bareboned explanation about why they are evil. Nine wants to take over the world and instate a system ruled by the strong and Chimera follows Nine because he was viewed as a monster and villain all his life and Nine was one of the only people to treat him with kindness. Mummy and Slice are given absolutely no character development, so they sometimes come across as underdeveloped, despite this they do showcase some interesting abilities that do prove very threatening to the film’s protagonists.  All the audience is told about them is their powers and they follow Nine, for whatever reason. While the vilians’ motivation is generic, they’re still entertaining to watch. I particularly enjoyed Chimera who served as a fantastic secondary vilian. I would have preferred to learn a little more about him and to see him in action more as all his battle scenes were some of the film’s highlights.

The My Hero Academia series is beautifully animated. As it was given a larger budget, the animation of this movie is improved, and it looks absolutely stunning. The fight scenes are the visual high point of the movie. Although I will admit during the final battle there is a scene where the imagery looked way to similar to the Dragon Ball franchise for my taste. I like originality and while I understand paying homage to another property, there comes a point where it becomes almost a form of plagiarism. The only issue I have with the animation is the CGI, which is mostly thankfully used sparingly. Despite these little knit picks, I was completely satisfied with the visuals and the fight sequences are some of the best in the franchise.

            While I had problems with the films ending, I get why people are enjoying this film. The action sequences are great, the animation is beautiful, the music is epic and the story as well as the characters are a lot of fun. I know some will see this review as me not getting it or being too harsh, which I get because at the end of the day, this is a My Hero Academia movie and with that comes the faults of a shonen movie. Maybe I am being to harsh with this film, but I will visit this film again when the series is over and if the glaring plot hole I saw is resolved, then I’ll give the film a higher rating. Until then I’ll continue to enjoy the series and if the issue is not resolved, then I’ll just view this film as a fun shonen film.

Grave of the Fireflies 9/10

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NR, 89m, 1988

With the Voice Talents of J. Robert Spencer (Seita), Rhoda Chrosite (Setsuko), Veronica Taylor (The Mother) and Amy Jones (The Aunt). Directed by Isao Takahata. Produced by Toru Hara. Screenplay by Isao Takahata. Music by Michio Mamiya. Based on the short story of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka.

            During the end days of WW2, Allied aircraft bombarded Japanese and German towns in the hopes that the continued assaults would lower moral and hasten the wars end. Japanese cities were built with Japanese homes built close together, with extremely flammable material. This led the Allies to intentionally drop incendiary bombs in order to start massive fires. These firebombing attacks decimated many Japanese cities and lead to the deaths of thousands of Japanese civilians. “War is hell” is a common theme feature in war films such as Saving Private Ryan, Platoon and Paths of Glory. Grave of the Fireflies also explores this theme, the difference is none of the main characters ever pick up a weapon, nor do they ever see an enemy solider. They are on a battlefield, but the battlefield is their neighborhood. This film was shown as a double billing with My Neighbor Totoro, this film was shown first as the distributors didn’t want the audience to leave feeling depressed. After watching this film, I understand why.

            The film opens on September 21, 1945, nineteen days after the Japanese officially surrendered to the Allies. The Japanese are frantically rushing about in eager anticipation, as the Americans will be arriving soon. Two months prior, this news would have been met with fear. The reason the Japanese are happy that the Americans are coming is because Japan is suffering from a massive supply shortage and the Americans are coming with the desperately needed supplies. One Japanese boy is not celebrating, that is because he is about to die of malnutrition. This young boy is named Seita (J. Robert Spencer) and he dies shortly after. A janitor sorts through his meager possessions and finds an empty candy tin box. The janitor throws the tin away, disturbing a cloud of fireflies. The spirit of Seta’s younger sister Setsuko (Rhoda Chrosite) appears and her and the spirit of Seita board a train, presumably bound for the afterlife. The film then cuts back to several months earlier where allied firebombing is decimating Japanese cities. Seita and Setsuko’s mother (Veronica Taylor) is killed during the attack, forcing the orphaned children to move in with their aunt (Amy Jones). The rest of the film centers around the short and tragic lives of the unfortunate siblings.

            The characters in this movie are depressingly enjoyable. Seita is the kindly older brother who makes many sacrifices in order to keep his sister alive and happy. Unfortunately, he’s unable to do this and it crushes him. Setia’s biggest character flaw is he’s unable to put aside his pride and go back to his aunt’s house. While the situation wouldn’t be ideal, it would ensure that he and Setsuko would survive. Setsuko is a five-year-old girl who mainly serves to demonstrate the destruction of innocence. This works as by the time her character dies, many in the audience are brought to tears. The mother is given a small amount of screen time and the father is given no screen time. The father is a captain in the Imperial Japanese Navy, who died when his ship was hit by a torpedo. The mother dies to quickly for the audience to get to know her. Setsuko and Setia’s aunt starts off acting kind to the siblings, but eventually she grows short with the siblings causing them to eventually strike it out on their own.

            The animation of this film is extremely well done. Instead of the traditional black lines, the outlines were done in brown. This gives the film a softer feel. While the character animation is haunting realistic. Immediately after Seita visits his mother in the makeshift hospital, he lies to Setsuko in order to spare her from seeing their mother in a burned state. Setsuko doesn’t say anything but, she looks down and begins to fidget back and forth. This shows without saying a word that Setsuko wants to see her mother, but she understands the situation. This extremely realistic to what an actual toddler would do if put in the same situation. One of the only fault I can find with the animation is at times the characters’ facial expressions get exaggerated. This is most notable when they are about to cry.

            A central theme of this movie is the loss of innocence. This is evident in even the title of the film. In one dazzling scene Setsuko and Seita gather fireflies that illuminate their cave. Unfortunately, Seita and Setsuko are unaware that fireflies only live a few days after reaching adulthood and by morning the fireflies are dead. This symbolizes the beauty and unfortunate fragility of innocence. This mirrors the loss of innocence in the main characters. Near the beginning of the film the siblings are living happily with their mother, but by the end of the film Seita and Setsuko are dead after experiencing the worst aspects of a war-torn society.

            This film is Studio Ghibli’s most depressing film. The film’s opening lets the audience know that there’s going to be no happy ending for these characters and that the two children that the audience follows throughout the film is going to die. This will certainly throw several people off as Ernie states in Elmo in Grouchland “Who’d want to see a movie with a sad ending?” I get this notion, as this film is very difficult to sit through. However, I feel this is an important movie to watch. This film beautifully shows how war is indiscriminate and brings harm to everyone. The best way I can describe this film is the best movie I never want to watch again.

Note: I know this movie is not meant to be taken as an anti-war film. The director Isao Takahata wanted to create a film that conveyed an image of the brother and sister living a failed life due to isolation from society. However, that doesn’t take away from the powerful nature of the film and its depiction of two children trying to survive in an almost apocalyptic environment.

My Neighbor Totoro 9/10

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G, 86m, 1988

With the Voice Talents of Dakota Fanning (Satsuki Kusakabe) Elle Fanning (Mei Kusakabe), Tim Daly (Tatsuo Kusakabe), Lea Salonga (Yasuko Kusakabe), Frank Welker (Totoro and Catbus), Paul Butcher (Kanta Ōgaki), Pat Carroll (Nanny), Ashley Rose Orr (Michiko), Kath Soucie (Mrs. Ogaki), Russi Taylor (Kanta’s Aunt)  and Tress MacNeille (Miss Hara) David Midthunder (Mr. Ogaki) Directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Produced by Toru Hara. Screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki. Music by Joe Hisaishi.

            Studio Ghibli has given audiences some truly wonderful films since its establishment in 1985. Films like Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke continue to dazzle and inspire audiences as much as early Disney films do. One of Studio Ghibli’s earliest films is My Neighbor Totoro. Released in 1988, My Neighbor Totoro was released the same day as Grave of the Fireflies directed by Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata. Released on the same bill, Grave of the Fireflies was shown first with My Neighbor Totoro being shown last. The mindset was for audiences to leave on the cheerful note of Totoro, instead of the downer ending of Grave of the Fireflies. Like several of the early Disney movies, My Neighbor Totoro was not a huge success, but over time the film quickly garnered recognition and it was one of the films responsible for popularizing anime in the West. Nowadays the film is regarded as one of the greatest animated films ever made. However, this can lead to some people going into the film with a mindset that this film is a masterpiece and as a result they may end up disappointed by what they get.

            The plot is very simple. The film opens with a nice little musical number about Totoro. We are then introduced to the Kusakabe family which consists of ten-year-old Satsuki (Dakota Fanning), four-year-old  Mei (Elle Fanning) and the hardworking father, Tatsuo (Tim Daly) moving to the countryside to be closer to the hospital where the mother Yasuko (Lea Salonga) is currently staying. While moving into and exploring their new house, Mei and Satsuki discover some tiny creatures called Susuwatari. Susuwatari are small tennis ball-sized, pitch-black and fuzzy-haired beings with two large eyes and long, thin limbs. They look very similar to the soot sprites in Spirited Away. This leads them to believe their house is haunted, which their father lovingly encourages. As time goes on, the girls come across Totoro (Frank Welker), a giant fluffy forest spirit and the Catbus (Frank Welker). The rest of the film centers around the Mei and Satsuki as they spend time with the forest spirits and are forced to learn to come to terms with some of life’s more uncertain moments.

            The characters in this film are immensely enjoyable. Satsuki is a tomboyish older sister, who as the older sister must take on the role of surrogate mother to Mei as both their parents are too busy to spend a lot of time with them. Mei is a carefree little girl who still looks at the world with childlike innocence. The sister’s relationship strongly reminded me of Lilo and Nani’s sisterly relationship from Lilo and Stitch. Satsuki, like Nani, has to make many sacrifices for her little sister and since they are sisters, they’re bound to fight. Satsuki tries to put on a strong face and not show emotion, like adults supposedly do. This means she has to grow up too fast in order to properly watch over her little sister. Satsuki and Mei are voiced by real life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning (at least they are in the Disney English dub), so their sibling banter and sisterly love seem that much more genuine as their performance is coming from a place of understanding. However, some may find the voice work of the Fanning sisters to be a little grading and they often have to shout their lines. I don’t have a problem with their performance as I feel they did a good job of capturing the characters emotions. The mythical characters are especially creatively imaginative. Characters like Totoro and the Catbus have become icons of Japanese animation, with Totoro even serving as Studio Ghibli’s mascot and making cameos in films such as Toy Story 3. The rest of the characters are enjoyable. The father is presented as a hardworking individual who loves his children, but he doesn’t always have time for them do to his busy work schedule. In this since, he reminds me of my own father. The mother is depicted as a kind and caring woman who loves her daughters, but she’s sick so she can’t be there with them. The sub plot involving the bedridden mother, becomes much more emotional when one learns that Hayao Miyazaki’s mother was bedridden for a good chunk of his childhood. While it’s not specifically stated in the film, Hayao Miyazaki has stated that the illness the mother is suffering form is tuberculosis.

            The animation of this film is top notch. The character design is truly well done. The character design is so good that other Ghibli films have seemed to take the model sheets of the characters and tweaked them a bit. For example, Tatsuo looks extremely similar to Kiki’s father from Kiki’s Delivery Service as well as Jiro Horikoshi from The Wind Rises. Satsuki shares some resemblance to Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service and Sheeta from Castle in the Sky. The backgrounds are a simplistic pastoral countryside. This mirrors the simplicity of the plot. As the film is framed from the view of a child it’s only natural for the film to be animated in a simplistic whimsically imaginative style.

            This is one of Studio Ghibli’s more lighthearted films. Older audiences can certainly enjoy the film, but there’s no denying that this film is geared towards children. While there is no denying this film is really good, I think people need to go in not expecting much. Hype can certainly kill a film for some people, and I certainly know people who disliked this film because they had heard so much about it and how it was one of the greatest animated films of all time. This overhyping of the movie ended up souring their enjoyment of the film. This film is very simple, it’s about two sisters’ daily lives after they move to the countryside to be closer to the hospital where their sick mother is. There is no antagonists and the only real conflict is towards the end when Mei disappears for a bit. But in my opinion, that’s the true beauty of this film. This is a calm, simple relaxing film, that feels like a nice breezy summer of one’s youth. I truly enjoy this film and I feel it has a good message. I highly recommend this film for kids and for older audiences who just want a calm and sweet film.

Note: There is a scene where the father bathes with Mei and Satsuki. This was a common practice in Japan at the time, but some may find this to be weird. There is no nudity and the scene is framed as a doting father spending time with his daughters.

Pokémon: The First Movie 6/10

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G, 75m, 1999

With the Voice Talents of Veronica Taylor (Ash Ketchum), Rachael Lillis (Misty and Jessie), Eric Stuart (Brock, Squirtle and James), Ikue Otani (Pikachu), Rodger Parsons (Narrator), Satomi Korogi (Togepi), Maddie Blaustein (Meowth and Raymond), Jimmy Zoppi (Fergus), Ed Paul (Corey and Giovanni), Lisa Ortiz (Neesha), Kayzie Rogers (Miranda), Philip Bartlett (Mewtwo and Doctor Fuji), Kōichi Yamadera (Mew), Lee Quick (Officer Jenny) and Megan Hollingshead (Nurse Joy). Directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and Michael Haigney. Written by Takeshi Shudo. English version written by Michael Haigney, Norman J. Grossfeld and John Touhey. Produced by Choji Yoshikawa, Tomoyuki Igarashi and Takemoto Mori. Music by Shinji Miyazaki. Based on the Pokémon franchise created by Satoshi Tajiri.

            As a kid I was a massive Pokémon fan. I collected the trading cards, I watched the anime and I played the various video game adaptations to the point of obsession. That being said I never watched this movie as a kid. I hadn’t discovered Pokémon when the film hit theaters and I doubt my parents would have taken me had I been into Pokémon at the time (not that I blame them of course). When I did get into Pokémon, I was aware of the film’s existence and that I featured Mew and Mewtwo. However, I was never able to watch the film as I had no way of watching it due my household not having cable or an internet connection capable of streaming. Now that I’m an adult will this film Weedle its way into my heart or will this movie leave me feeling Krabby?

            The film opens with Mewtwo (Philip Bartlett) having a philosophical monologue about the relationship between Pokémon and trainers. Mewtwo then awakens in a glass tube where he learns from his scientist creators that he was created from the DNA from Mew. Mewtwo then becomes enraged when he learns he was created as nothing more than a science experiment. Mewtwo then promptly massacres the scientists. Standing among the burning wreckage of the lab, Mewtwo is approached by Giovanni (Ed Paul) who takes him away to be properly trained. When he learns that Giovanni only sees him as a servant, Mewtwo promptly attacks Giovanni and flees to the deserted island where he was created. We then cut to the movie’s heroes Ash (Veronica Taylor), Brock (Eric Stuart), Misty (Rachael Lillis) and Pikachu (Ikue Otani). While they’re about to sit down for lunch Ash is called out by another trainer called Raymond (Maddie Blaustein) who looks like a cross between a Team Magma and Team Aqua grunt. How does the challenging trainer know who Ash is? At this point in the series, Ash has no real call to fame that would make him instantly recognizable. Ash is able to defeat the trainer with little effort, which is weird because at one-point Pikachu one shots a Golem. For those of you that don’t know Pikachu is an electric type Pokémon and Golem is a ground and rock Pokémon. This means that Pikachu’s attacks should have little to no effect on Golem. The match is watched by Mewtwo and he sends a Dragonite to deliver an invitation to battle the world’s greatest Pokémon trainer. The match is also watched by Team Rocket, consisting of Jessie (Rachael Lillis), James (Eric Stuart) and Meowth (Maddie Blaustein). They intercept the Dragonite’s message and decide to attend the party as well. In order to ensure that only the strongest trainers make it to the island, Mewtwo creates a storm to stop any weak trainers from attending. Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu are able to make it to the island along with Team Rocket, who largely stay out of sight and contribute nothing to the plot. On the island the trio meets three other trainers who were able to brave the storm. The other trainers are never mentioned by name and the only reason I know who they are is I read the movie novelization when I was a kid. The trainers who had made it to the island where they meet Mewtwo. Mewtwo reveals his despise for humanity and the weakness of Pokémon for allowing themselves to be enslaved by humans. Mewtwo then forcibly captures the other trainers’ Pokémon and clones them so he can wipe out humanity and the weak Pokémon. Now it’s up to Ash and the other trainers to stop Mewtwo and his fiendish plans.

            I cannot recommend this film to those who are uninitiated with the concept of Pokémon and I’m a little hesitant to fans who never watched the original series. The later is mainly due to fans not knowing or caring who Ash’s traveling companions are, since the movie fails at developing or properly describing any of the main character’s personalities or who they are as a character. Another reason fans who never saw the original series will be confused by certain elements. For example, it’s established that most Pokémon can only say their names, i.e. Pikachu says “Pikachu”, Charmander says “Charmander”, and so on. However, Mewtwo and Meowth can talk and be understood by humans. Mewtwo can be explained away by saying that the scientists modified him somehow or as he is the strongest psychic Pokémon, he can communicate with humans. But what about Meowth? The reason Meowth can speak is never explained in the film, but it is in the show. Meowth learned how to speak to impress a female Meowth who was obsessed with human culture. However, the female Meowth thought that because he can speak like a human, Meowth is a freak so she rejected him.

            The film’s plot is rather weak and flimsy, and the film does feel like an extended episode. With the exception of Mewtwo, none of the other characters get any real character development nor do they learn a lesson at the end. The film also fails to explain other minute details such as why only three other trainers besides the main trio were able to make it to the island as surely several of the other trainers had at least one Pokémon that was strong enough to help them cross a hazardous storm, if they all were confident enough that their Pokémon could defeat someone who called themselves the strongest Pokémon trainer or why some of the characters misidentify their Pokémon for no apparent reason. The area where the film shines the most is the depiction of the vilian Mewtwo. The film does an excellent job setting up Mewtwo as a compelling vilian so by the time he starts to do evil things we understand his motivation, even if we don’t agree with him. Some of my favorite scenes involving Mewtwo are the scenes where he’s depicted with dark highlights and eerie shadows accompanied by a foreboding and intense score. Some may find the film’s over reliance of puns to be Gastly, but I found to be fitting with the spirit of the original series. Now granted the puns in this film are not as bad as the puns in The Digimon Movie, but some might find this to be Farfetch’d.

            The movie tries to shoehorn a massive anti-war/anti-violence message, but this message is contradictory. When you get right down to it, one of the biggest parts about Pokémon is to get your Pokémon to fight other Pokémon to make their master, as the show put it “The very best, like no one ever was”. In theory this is a good message to teach, but not when it contradicts with one of the biggest selling points of your franchise. The film does however have an important more subtle message. The message is it doesn’t matter what you were born into or the circumstances of one’s birth. What matters is what you choose to do with it. This is a very important message to teach and the film introduces this idea by having Mewtwo come to this realization.

            The animation is a huge upgrade to the original series. The character and Pokémon designs are much more defined, and their movements are smoother and more fluid than they were in the original anime. This compliments the fast-paced action scenes needed to show the brutality of Pokémon battle.

            On its own the movie falls short. This is mainly because the film fails to explain key aspects that a newcomer would need to understand to enjoy the film. As a Pokémon movie, it’s a serviceable watch that provides visually interesting battle sequences and a rare appearance by Mew and Mewtwo, both of which had never gotten a proper appearance in the anime up to the point when this film was released. However, I cannot recommend this film to non-Pokémon fans as it does cater to the fan base and the film feels like an extended episode of the anime.

Barefoot Gen 9/10

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TV-PG, 83m, 1983

With the Voices Talents of Catherine Battistone (Gen Nakaoka), Barbara Goodson (Ryuta Hondo), Kirk Thornton (Daikichi Nakaoka), Iona Morris (Kimie Nakaoka), Brianne Siddall (Shinjee Nakaoka), Wendee Lee (Eiko Nakaoka), Michael McConnohie (Hidezo), Ardwright Chamberlain (Mr. Pak), Dan Worren (Seji Yoshida) and Joyce Kurtz (Hana). Directed by Mori Masaki. Produced by Yasuteru Iwase, Keiji Nakazawa and Takanori Yoshimoto. Screenplay by Keiji Nakazawa. Music by Kentaro Haneda. Based on Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa.

            Barefoot Gen is based on a manga series (Japanese comic books) of the same name by Keiji Nakazawa. He based the story on his experiences as a Hiroshima survivor. This makes the story feel much more personal and real. The film opens in war-torn Japan, where the residents of Hiroshima are feeling the devastating effects of prolonged war. Like many families, the Nakaoka family are forced to live on meager rations due to Japan having a massive food shortage. This proves especially hard on Gen’s mother, Kimie (Iona Morris), who is heavily pregnant and is suffering from malnutrition. The residents of Hiroshima are well aware of the bombing raids that are devastating other Japanese cities, but for some reason Hiroshima has not been bombed yet. This leads Daikichi, Gen’s father (Kirk Thornton), to wonder if they’re planning something special for Hiroshima. On August 6, 1945 Gen heads off to school with his friend, while is family is inside the house. At 8:15 AM the bomb goes off killing thousands of people. Gen is knocked unconscious and wakes to find his friend is dead. Gen runs back to his house and sees his mother desperately trying to raise a beam that has Daikichi, Shinji (Brianna Siddall) and Eiko (Wendee Lee) pinned under the burning house. Gen tries in vain to help his mother free the rest of the family. This leads to a very emotional scene where Daikichi tells Gen to take his mother and run to safety while Shinji and Eiko scream in pain. Gen drags his mother to safety where she gives birth to a baby girl named Tomoko. A few days later Gen and his mother are sifting through their destroyed house to recover the remains of the rest of their family, when they learn that Japan has just surrendered, and the war is now over (the date is August 15 to those who are keeping track). While eating a meager meal later that night, a small boy named Ryuta Hondo (Barbara Goodson) tries to steal some food. Ryuta looks exactly like Shinji, and because Ryuta no longer has a family, Gen and his mother invite Ryuta to live with them. The rest of the movie is about the small family trying to survive in this new hostile world.

            Needless to say, this movie is not meant for young children. This film has some very disturbing imagery. Right after the bomb goes off, we see a terrified little child holding a balloon, disintegrate in a horrific way (by this I mean her clothes and skin are literally blasted off while her eyes melt from their sockets). This is followed by a scene where a dog tries in vain to escape the blast. The dog doesn’t go quietly either, it whimpers in pain as it melts away. I actually find this scene to be important because when referencing the victims of the atomic bombs, animals are often omitted when it comes to Hiroshima and this scene showed that the blast killed indiscriminately. There’s also a scene involving what I call tasteful partial nudity. This scene involves a woman who has just lost her own baby offering Tomoko (Gen’s baby sister) her breasts. The reason why Kimie (Gen’s mother) is unable to feed her baby is because Kimie is so malnourished, she is unable to produce enough milk. I found this scene to be particularly powerful because it shows that even in the shadow of tragedy, the best of humanity is still able to shine through.

            This film makes excellent use of sound. Right after the bomb is dropped the film goes absolutely silent while the infamous flash is reflected against the characters we have come to know. There’s a song played at the end of the film called “Doko kare Kite Doko e Iku no Ka” by Harry, and the song plays as a paper boat lantern sails down river as Gen’s family silently prays. I found this to be the perfect ending for the film because it symbolizes that even though the family has lost almost everything, they still have hope for the future.

            Just as Saving Private Ryan is the perfect film to teach about D-Day, this film is the perfect tool for teaching about the atomic bombs and their aftermath. The film takes time to depict and talk about the horrors that the bombs brought. This is shown on physical and psychological levels. In one scene, Gen and Ryuta get a job from a man to take care his brother who has been heavily burned by the blast. At first the guy acts like a jerk, while the boys treat him with kindness. Eventually they both get so fed up with the guy that Gen slaps him. The guy calls them back and says its ok if they want to slap him some more. It’s then revealed that the guy has been treated as a corpse for so long that he’s thankful for any kind of human touch even a slap. This scene is a real testament to how great this film is and demonstrating that the effects of the bomb weren’t always physical.

            This film along with Grave of the Fireflies can best be described as the greatest films I never want to see again. While this film has good animation, great characters and a very touching story, its rather hard to sit through. With other sad films like Bambi, Up and Wolf Children, the audience doesn’t have a truly hard time sitting through the film because they know two things. The first is they know that the characters in this film are bound to get a happy ending, and the second is the film is not real. With Barefoot Gen, the audience really can’t think that. The film is based on an actual historical event where thousands of people, including young children, perished. This makes the film even more touching because it depicts what an often forgotten about people had to endure.