In Japan, more than 80 anime movies are released every year. There are many film adaptations of anime series, but this time I would like to introduce original anime film works without anime series. For more information about anime series, please see the following article.
Your Name. (Kimi no Na wa.)
Miyamizu Mitsuha a high school senior living in a provincial town, is the daughter of the ancient Miyamizu Shrine, and lives with her grandmother. Miyamizu Mitsuha, and her younger sister, Yotsuha. Her mother Futaba died when she was very young, and her father left home and is now the mayor of the town. On the other hand, Taki Tachibana attends a high school in Shinjuku. He lives with his father and is busy with school and a part-time job. He is an ordinary high school student who has a crush on Miki Okudera, a senior at his part-time job. One day two of them switch places in a dream. At first, Mitsuha and Taki are confused, but they keep a diary of the day’s events on their respective phones so as not to interfere with each other’s lives. They wake up and switch places two days a week. The two gradually pick up the pace.
During the summer vacation, thanks to the efforts of Mitsuha, who has switched with Taki’s body, Taki goes on his first date with the senior he has always dreamed of. However, Taki is unable to concentrate on the date. When they part, Okudera points out to him, “You have another girl you like, don’t you? After the date, Taki calls Mitsuha for the first time, but Mitsuha doesn’t pick up the phone. Since that day, he has lost touch with Mitsuha. They don’t even switch places anymore. Worried about Mitsuha’s condition, Taki draws a scene of the town where Mitsuha lives, relying on the memory he saw when they were swapped, and goes to look for her.
This film sharply expresses the senses and awareness of issues that only modern people can feel and sprinkled with devices to gain sympathy. The music by RADWIMPS, which is used effectively at every juncture in the film, moved the audience’s heart, and the catchy lyrics function to reinforce the worldview.
Princess Mononoke (Mononoke hime)
The story takes place in medieval Japan, young man named Ashitaka who is the head of the Emishi clan, but he was force to leave his village and set off on a journey that led him to a place called Tatara-jo. There, Ashitaka learned of the conflict between humans and nature. He then meets San, the “Princess Mononoke” who lives under the gods of the forest, and wonders if there is any way for humans and nature to live together.
While he is worrying, the humans are trying to catch the head of the forest god, Shishigami. Finally, the battle between the humans and the gods of the forest begins.
The catchphrase of this movie is “Live” and I felt that this movie embodied exactly that. It made me think about “life force” and “strength to live”. It appeals to the way humans deal with nature and the fact that d problems can’t be solved easily. I also like the music in the movie because it has a good tone.
Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi)
There was a family on their way to their new home, swinging in a car to move. However, before they know it, the car turns into an unknown mountain road and they lose their route. The father and mother got out of the car and walked to a tunnel at the end of the road. Chihiro, the daughter, was frightened by the strange atmosphere and called out, “Let’s go home! To overcome the fear of being left behind, Chihiro follows her parents through the tunnel, but what she finds at the end is a mysterious empty town.
In order to find her father and mother, who have been lost in the city, Chihiro has to go to a mysterious public bath in the city.
The main character, Chihiro, grows up in the mysterious town in the tunnel, which is very moving. Kaonashi, who appears as a contrast to Chihiro, can’t speak, doesn’t work, is often angry and helpless, but when he starts working, he finds his identity and becomes happy.
Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo)
One day, Makoto Konno, a high school student in Tokyo, falls in the science preparation room and gains the ability to go back in time. At first, Makoto is bewildered by the power of time slippage, but soon becomes fascinated by its convenience and begins to use it as a way to spend her school life comfortably. One day, her best friend Chiaki Mamiya unexpectedly confesses her love to her, and Makoto is so upset that she uses the time slip to pretend that the confession never happened. A small ripple in the flow of time. A small ripple in the flow of time eventually leads to a terrible incident.
The theme of the film is how young people confront their future against the passing of time. I liked the freshness of the pure love and friendship that comes from pre-adulthood and the feeling of a coming-of-age movie. I think the impression you get from this film changes depending on your age.
You can do whatever you want (Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni)
In February 1944, 18-year-old Suzu marries the Hojo family from Hiroshima in Kure, a city with a military port. The following year, an air raid caused her to lose everything she cared about, including the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the end of the war. Even so, Suzu decides that Kure is where she belongs, and lives on.
The story is set in Hiroshima during the war, and the realistic depiction of Japan’s wartime situation and life at the time is surprising in many ways. In order to show reality and a sense of life in the characters’ movements, a different method is used then in recent animation. The fact that it stitches together a number of stagnant images to make the movements of the people more animated is amazing.
Comments