Wolf Children

Hana, a young college student meets a strange young man and falls in love with him. Turns out the man is the last of his kind, he can turn into a wolf at will. The two move in together and start a family. They have two kids a little girl named Yuki, she is very wild and full of energy and a little boy named Ame, he is timid and mellow. The father dies in an accident while Ame is still a baby, leaving Hana to figure out how to raise two wolf children on her own. After a few issues arise living in the city she decides to move out to the country so the children can have plenty of room to roam without being noticed. 

 

Beautiful, that is the word that comes to mind when I think of this wonderful movie. The story is touching, the mother has to figure out how to care for her children without the help of the man she loves. Her loneliness is shown in beautiful ways, and even though she is lonely the love she has for her children shines through. The trials and tribulations of her predicament make for a story that works for all ages. It has moments of sweetness and moments of comedy all blended together beautifully. 

The animation of the characters is simply done, much like Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. While the character animation is simple the rest of the animation is breath taking. The scene in which Hana discovers her lover’s true form is full of stars and it’s beautiful. The mountains and the rest of the backgrounds are striking and a nice contrast with the simple character design. The world created for this movie is amazing; it is one of the best I’ve seen.  

 

Overall I highly recommend this movie; it works for kids as well as adults. I plan to add the blu-ray to my collection as soon as possible. So make sure you add this movie to your must watch list.

Pom Poko

Pom Poko is yet another one of the great works pumped out by Studio Ghibli. While it has been a while since I last watched this film, it is easily one of my favourites and more memorable in the Studio Ghibli franchise.

The story in Pom Poko is quite unique, in that it uses a fairly straight forward and simple plot to address very important and realistic concepts such as respect for nature, respect for others, and working toward mutual compromise. The themes are approached in such a way that the messages resonate with younger and older audiences alike. To summarize the plot, the expansion of Tokyo is causing humans to cut down forests for development land. One of the forests being expanded into is inhabited by a clan of tanuki (racoons) with posses the ability to transform. In order to protect their home, the tanuki use their transformation abilities to scare off the humans and make them believe that the forest is haunted. When the humans start to realize that there are no spirits haunting the forest, they move ahead with cutting down the trees for the expansion. The tanuki have to move to move to extreme measures in order to protect their home, which ultimately involves fighting for survival.

Its very clear from the plot summary that the story is very simple and does not leverage complex elements to keep the viewers attention. By using such a simple and straight forward story line, there is greater room to elaborate on the themes, without worry of the messages getting lost in translation.

One of the factors that drew me into this film was the character design. By personifying the tanuki and giving them more anthropomorphic properties, they became more relatable, making the film feel less like a kids movie about talking racoons. The use of colour was vibrant, while still maintaining the texturing of an older film, making a lot less overwhelming than some of the new computer generated anime on the market today.

While I am always listening to Joe Hisaishi and Studio Ghibli soundtracks on a daily basis, I have to say that the soundtrack for this film is not sticking in my mind the same as others classics like Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, or Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke). The soundtrack is still quite enjoyable, just not as memorable as others.

Overall, I highly recommend checking out Pom Poko along with many of the other Studio Ghibli titles. While the film appears on the surface to cater to a younger audience, adult anime fans will also find meaning in much of the story and content. If you are like me and regularly into anime with heavier action and drama, this is a good light hearted change of pace.

Lupin 3rd: Missed by a Dollar

Lupin is one of anime's most classic thieves. Missed by a Dollar is one of the more recent films in the long running movie series. In this film Lupin and his gang are in a race against a greedy bank executive for a broach that is said the have brought good luck to some of history's most notable rulers. The competition for the broach becomes so intense that Lupin comes very close to death at the hands of some hired thugs. While things don't look good for Lupin or his gang, their clever antics seem to pull them through yet again.

The Lupin 3rd series is very interesting relative to many of the other anime shows out there. It has been running since the 1970s and over that time had many different directors, animators, and actors. Some of the films have a very serious and dark atmosphere to them, while others have so much silliness that you'd think they were an after school special. While I have always been a fan of the more serious films that house some comic relief, I was quite thrilled to find out that Missed by a Dollar fell into this category.

Although this film was released in 2000 it still had much of the vibe from the older Lupin films. Having a personal preference for the older films, this was a huge plus for me. The animation and artwork were clean but not over polished, keeping the retro feel without compromising picture quality. The soundtrack was true to form as with the other Lupin films, playing the theme song around every turn. The plot and storyline were well done, however, not as strong as I had hoped. Being that the Lupin films are so well done (in my opinion), I do tend to hold them to a higher standard.

Overall, this is a great film for fans of the Lupin franchise to check out if you haven't already done so. If you are new to the series, the nice thing is that you can jump in from almost any movie, so why not make it this one? Being that Lupin is one of my favourite series (up there with Gundam) I'm an advocate for it. If you're looking for a series with good storylines, comic relief, mystery, and action then any of the Lupin movies is worth checking out!

Akira

It's the year 2019, thirty-one years have passed since the start of World War III. A top-secret child with amazing powers of the mind breaks free from custody and accidentally gets a motorcycle gang involved in the project. This incident triggers psychic powers within one of the gang members, Tetsuo, and he is taken by the army to be experimented on. His mind has been altered and is now on the path of war, seeking revenge on the society that once called him weak.

(Source of plot summary: http://myanimelist.net)

Akira is a classic old-school anime dating back to the late 1980s (1988 to be specific). This is one of those films that pretty much every die-hard anime fanatic has seen at least once in their life. The tone and theme set by Akira speak to rebellion against conformity, the value of human life, and the toll of war on society.

The plot of this film was quite good as a whole. There were a number of elements present within the story (as  are outlined to some degree in the plot summary above). I found myself having to watch this film a few times before I would wrap my head around all of the different elements that were addressed. Personally this was something that made the film more enjoyable for me. It is always refreshing when you can watch an anime repeatedly and find aspects of the story that help to make it feel new again.

Being that Akira was released in the late 1980s, much of the music is very dark and heavy. There is plenty of rock and metal throughout the film as is common for many of the anime released during this time period. The picture does have that aged-graininess to it, again a product of the time period, however, this ageing in the picture I found helps to reinforce the darker tone that the film sets. There are no goofy character designs or comical relief present in Akira, so be prepared for a more intense 2 hour viewing compared to much of the anime on the market today. The artwork itself is not quite as dark as we have seen in some of the newer works such as Shin Getter Robo, where characters almost appear as demonic. Much of what the character artwork equates to is what you would see in a series such as Devil Man.

Overall, I would highly recommend Akira to any anime fan who hasn't already seen it. Even for those who have, its worth checking out again if its been a while since your last viewing. While this may not be the most appropriate film for younger audiences, I doubt that it will scar for life any younger anime fans if they happen to get their hands on a copy (given mcuh of the themes and content that are regularly aired on public television today).

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

There aren't too many who haven't heard of the popular Professor Layton series on Nintendo DS. For those who are fans of the series, or even those new to the world of Professor Layton, this movie is a welcome addition to anyone's collection.

Having not played the Layton games to any great extent myself, I was a little hesitant to invest the time in watching this film. My wife, who is a fan of the Professor Layton games on Nintendo DS was the reason I ended up taking the hour and half to watch this movie. Since my wife isn't much in the way of an anime fan, we often have hard times agreeing on movies to watch together. That being said, we decided to try watching Professor Layton as she knew the series from the game and I was in the mood for watching anime. I have to say that this was a great film to watch.

To begin with, the art work and CG was phenomenal. The picture quality was crisp and very vibrant to say the least. There was an excellent contrast between cell animation and CG integration into the scenes. The visuals were so rich that I often found it hard to take my eyes off the screen. This film also boasts an excellent soundtrack, that fans of the game will find very reminiscent at times. Between the use of colour and the audio, the tones and themes that the writers were intending to express became very clear.

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva has a simple yet entertaining storyline, in the Professor Layton and his apprentice Luke Triton are trying to solve the mystery of eternal life and Ambrosia. The cast of characters is memorable and unique, leaving much in the way of entertainment. In the English dub version, the voice overs were for once quite fitting and didn't detract from the overall quality of the film.

Overall, this is definitely a film worth checking out for fans of the series or those who may be interested in diving into the world of Professor Layton. This film delivers on all elements from art, to soundtrack, to story, and won't disappoint. For those who enjoy films such as Detective Conan or Lupin III, this is sure to keep you entertained.

Astro Boy Movie

The Astro Boy Movie is a 2009 remake of the classic 1980s kids television show Astro Boy. There have been a couple of renditions of this series over the past 30 years, beginning with a black & white version, followed by a color remake in the early 80s, a 2003 modern adaptation, and then this movie. Needless to say that in the franchise the original 1980s black & white and color versions are the best. While I did enjoy this movie for the most part on its own, it couldn't hold a candle to the originals and even the 2003 remake. While the plot was relatively marred with holes in comparison to the original, I was surprisingly impressed with the ability of the writers to accurately capture so many of Astro's redeeming qualities from the series. I won't go into details on the actual plot, mostly because it was a train wreck. Astro's friendly personality and the struggles with coming to terms with accepting that he is a robot were what really kept me engaged throughout this film.

The greatest element that this film brought to the table were the graphics. This is what grabbed my attention in the first place and actually enticed me to give this film a chance after the negative reviews that I had heard. The 3D animation was well executed and high quality. While not the "best" out there, it certainly does contend.

My overall impressions of this movie are that it was entertaining in its own right. Being a fan of the Astro Boy franchise I very well couldn't pass up the opportunity to watch this film regardless of how "good" or "bad" it was. For kids it certainly is something to entertain, primarily because they will not have the history behind the series that an older audience such as myself might have. I will close this off by saying that for a movie adaptation of a series it rates up there with inaccuracies like many other adaptations, however, it is still entertaining in its own right and worth taking the time to check out.

Blade of the Phantom Master

This story starts out with Munsu, an Angyo Onshi warrior, wandering the desert on the brink of death. He is found by Mon-ryon, a young man whose aspiration is to become a secret agent for the now fallen country of Jushin. Mon-ryon shares with Munsu that his girlfriend Chunhyan is being held captive by the lord of his country. Shortly after, Mon-ryon and Munsu are ambushed by desert demons and Mon-ryon is killed. Munsu decides to continue Mon-ryon's quest to rescue Chunhyan. After confronting the lord with his phantom army, Munsu successfully rescues Chunhyan, and she in turn becomes his bodyguard. The two begin wandering the land together to confront the evils that have caused the Jushin country to fall.

After watching this movie, I had to stop and think hard about what exactly the plot of this story was. There were so many elements present, I was struggling to find out how everything fit together, and what the writers were trying to key in to as the primary plot focus. For an hour and a half, there was a lot happening, so much so that it was borderline confusing. There was a great deal of emphasis on the story but very little on the actual character development. I found myself struggling to relate to and understand the characters, this caused me to lose some of the connection with this film as I was watching it.

There were many strong elements to this film that I should mention. Two that really stood out were the creativity in the concept of the phantom army. It would have been nice to see this aspect used more thoroughly and developed further in the film. For a person who loves action, this aspect would have helped me to connect with this film a little better. The second item is the art work. The animation in this film is beautiful. Right from the beginning there was very vibrant and bright color along with clear ind detailed drawings. This was one of my favorite aspects of this film and it really got me invested right from the opening credits.

Overall, I think that Blade of the Phantom Master was an entertaining movie and worth the hour and a half to watch. There were a lot of elements present, perhaps too much for the time span that the movie ran, however, this demonstrates the potential that this film could have if it were drawn out into a series and given a proper opportunity to develop some of the richer concepts further. I recommend watching this movie for those who are seeking light action, drama, and elements of social justice.

Voices of a Distant Star

I came across this awhile back, actually back in the summer of 2004 at the AMV showing of Anime North. Whoever put together the AMV used Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting" as the music and it caught my eye immediately. I was blown by it! Still trying to find his AMV online. Then I watched Makoto Shinkai's first short - She and Her Cat, then 5 Centimeters per Second and now after 7 years, I finally get the chance to see Voices of a Distant Star. Next on my list of Makoto's work - The Place Promised in Our Early Days then eventually - Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below.

Voices of a Distant Star is a love story about two people who went to the same school but one goes off into space to battle some aliens while the other stay on Earth. The two keep in touch through text messages, which I think is Makoto's analogy to how people used to write letters. This becomes more apparent when one character goes farther off into space and it takes longer for the text to reach Earth.


What I love most about Makoto's male characters is that they don't play the traditional male role, as in the one who goes off to places where the girl waits for him. He reverses the role which is quite fitting as the gender role has somewhat switched in today's time. In Voices and 5 cm unlike your Disney films, both the guy and the girl are somewhat of the hopeless romantic,which is a more balanced portraying.

The other reason that I liked his work a lot is that as an audience you get to see his work progressively changes from this to She and Her Cat and 5 cm per second (also, all with very interesting titles). Also, Makoto captures the simplest life's moment and transform it into this piece.

This one will definitely resonates with those who are currently in love especially those who are in a long distance relationship wanting to be with the person they love but couldn't. Well, if you are not, I would still recommend this short to everyone as his work is always interesting and it is only 20 minutes. Again, this may make you tear up or emotional so Happy viewing!

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children takes place two years after the story from the Final Fantasy VII game on PSX. The story was intended to be a telling of Cloud and Tifa's lives after the game. The basis behind the plot is a disease called Geostigma that is plaguing Edge city. A mysterious group of men are on the search for their "mother", the remains of Genova. Cloud must reunite with some familiar faces in order to battle the threat and those who intend to spread it before it is too late.

This is one of those movies that I remember waiting a year for the official release here in North America. Having been a huge fan of FF7 on PSX, I was really excited to see what a movie rendition would bring. I was more than impressed with this film all around. The story was very interesting and a great extension of the original story from the game. What really captured me were the graphics. This film has amazing CGI elements and a very clean picture. The redesign of characters like Reno and Cloud was also a fresh element brought to the film.

For those who haven't had a chance to see this film yet I highly recommend taking the time to see it. With all of the rich elements you will be glad you did, whether you have played the original game on PSX or not.

Lupin III: Tokyo Crisis

So the Lupin III kick continues....at least until I get tired of it that is. This weekend, I decided that I should watch something since I have spent most of the week playing the new Pokemon White on NDS. Tonight I was a little tired so I grabbed the first Lupin movie I could get my hands on since I knew it would keep me awake until it ended.

Tokyo Crisis was focused more on story than action in comparison to some of the other Lupin III films reviewed on Silent Divergence. Lupin and his team try to recover an ancient Tokugawa treasure, the only problem is a billionaire named Suzuki who is more interested in genetics research and manipulation to turn a profit. What makes this story different from the other ones I have seen in the series is the focus on Zenigata rather than Lupin, Goemon, Jigen, and Fujiko. Zenigata loses his badge in this film trying to apprehend Lupin and ultimately ends up working with Lupin in order to get it back. While trying to stop Suzuki, Zenigata is also attempting to save a young woman, Maria, whose father was a scientist working with Suzuki on DNA research. Maria is an integral part to the story and holds a past that puts Lupin and Zenigata into some dangerous situations.

Because of the way that this story was created, the dynamic in the relationship between Lupin and Zenigata had some interesting development. It was interesting to see Zenigata having to live on Lupin's side of the law. I also enjoyed watching Zenigata attempting to have a life and putting his attention to something other than capturing Lupin, in this case it was vying affection from Maria.

The story was a good 9/10. It loses the point because I have been comparing it in my head to some of the other Lupin films that I enjoyed a little more. For those who have seen fewer of these films, you may elect to award the missing point. The animation was geared more to a PG audience than some of the more violent and serious toned Lupin III movies. The tone of the film is humorous so for those looking for a lighthearted film, this may be more for you. Overall, I thought this film was great and I really enjoyed it, I would highly recommend it for those who are looking for an anime with substance.

Lupin III: Dragon of Doom

So it seems that this week has become Lupin III and Pokemon week in my house. With the release of Pokemon Black and White on Sunday, most of my videogame time has been spent playing that. As for my anime time, I am still working through some series that I started a long while back and never quite got through or reviewed. So until those are done I'm trying not to start any new series, however, that doesn't mean I can't watch some movies.... I ended up watching Lupin III: Island of Assassins a couple of days back now and since have been on a Lupin III kick. I absolutely love this franchise. I find the shows completely entertaining and recommend any of the movies or series to everyone.

Lupin III: Dragon of Doom follows Lupin and his team as they try to recover a Dragon Seal that has been guarded by Goemon's clan since ancient times. The irony in the story is that this seal is the one item that Lupin I was unable to steal, allowing Lupin III to accomplish a heist that his grandfather could not. Much of the story is based around Goemon and some of his past. The Dragon Seal ends up holding the clues to the indestructible power held by Goemon's sword.

I have to say that I was more entertained with this movie than with Island of Assassins. The whole samurai theme going within the story was really intriguing to me. The story started out of the gate running and kept picking up momentum. I don't recall a moment while I was watching this that I was wandering or bored. The art was fantastic as it is in many of the Lupin films produced in the mid-90s. The music was also very good in this film. After watching this movie it has really sparked my interest to dive into the Lupin series and continue to finish off the remaining movies. Again I highly recommend this movie, and really any of the movies in the Lupin series. With each one that I watch, I become more and more impressed with the diversity in the audience that it caters to.

Lupin III: Island of Assassins

If you are looking for an anime with an exciting story and tonnes of action and adventure, then you won't be disappointed with Lupin III: Island of Assassins. I was in the mood for something fast-paced this evening since a lot of the anime that I have watched lately has been more dramatic and thought provocative.

In this movie, Lupin and his friends end up on a mysterious island just off of the Bermuda Triangle, after a team of assassins crashes a dignitaries party. In the process Lupin is framed for the murder of the attendees of the party as well as having he shooting of Zenigata pinned on him. While on the Island Lupin starts to learn of the hold that the leader of the assassins has over all of the inhabitants, and how he fosters their desire to kill. Lupin's reasons for visiting the island go deeper than his interest to steal and bring him to a point where he can close a chapter in his life.

Now normally I would go into more detail with the plot but I don't want to spoil the story. In fact, I want you to go and watch this film because of how good the story is. I have always found with Lupin III films that the stories are highly entertaining and very well constructed. I never find myself finishing one and wondering..."what next?".

As would be expected from a Lupin III film, this one boasts an excellent soundtrack from Yuji Ohno. The animation in this particular movie appeared to set more of a serious and mature tone to it. Although Lupin is still a perverse thief, it was easier to take him more seriously in this film instead of seeing him as just a joker. For those who have seen Secret of Mamo or Castle of Cogliostro, the violence level is toned down quite a bit. In Island of Assassins, Lupin is much more of a fighter, and the scenes do have more of a violent tone expressed in them.

My overall verdict on this movie is that it was an excellent use of time to watch. I felt thoroughly entertained by the time that I reached the end and didn't feel that there were unanswered questions. For those who haven't watched a Lupin film before, this will be right up your ally if you want something with action and a story. For those who are fans of the series, this wont' disappoint!

Shonen Sarutobi Sasuke

 

While I still find myself trying to get through the anime series I have on the go right now, I decided that I would still try to watch a movie or OVA each week so that I would have something new to write about. Earlier this week I managed to get my hands on a copy of Shonen Sarutobi Sasuke. This is an anime movie dating back to 1959.

I have to say that so far, this is probably the oldest anime that I have seen. I will admit that I was surprised by the art more than anything. The drawing was beautiful in this film. The color selection and detail was really well executed. The soundtrack was exactly what I would expect from a film of this age. I stopped counting after about 5 times of hearing the same theme song play over and over.

The story follows Sasuke and his need to learn magic in order to defeat the evil princess of the forest. Sasuke leaves home to train with an old magician in the mountains for a number of years. When he returns home, he finds that his house has been burned to the ground by bandits who are after his sister. Sasuke is aided by Prince Yakumo. Once Sasuke returns, he and the evil princess settle their score in a fight.

I was really impressed with this film. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in checking out some vintage anime. Although I was a little skeptical that I would be bored with the story, I found it did not have the same message deliverance that you would see in a Disney film. Certainly the audience that this was designed for is a somewhat mature child audience since there are scenes with killing (without the blood and graphic nature of course). After watching Shonen Sarutobi Sasuke my interest in vintage anime has certainly been peaked.