This narrative may suffer, a little, from culture disparity. To make the film make sense, I came to some cultural assumptions: 1) When advancing from Junior to Senior High, in Japan, you have to pass entrance exams and however well you grade will determine which schools are open to you, so 2) at a much younger age, than in North America, a child must make substantive life decisions about a future career. 3) Kids are allowed to be more independent and self-determined at an early age, but, they also seem to get away with being defiant, even rude, to their parents who seem to have little influence in their lives. 4) Japanese children carry a lot of responsibilities within their homes. In this year, I have been introducing a young friend (9 years of age) to the works of Studio Ghibli, and, by and large, it has been a delightful adventure for both her and me but I'm not sure this movie would be appropriate for her (Junior Highers who date and fall in love? or, even think about making lifelong partners?, insolent responses to their parents?, considering leaving school after Junior High!?! - I'm not sure I'd even want to seed these ideas into her young life. Shouldn't childhood be about childhood?). The story also seems to be rather meandering and leaves a lot of sub plots unresolved. The artwork is the high standard of quality we have grown to expect from Ghibli filled with the nuances of human movement and expression. The theme song seems an odd choice for the film and yet I'm not sure there is a unifying theme in the piece. I have to say this film left me shaking my head. I give this film a 5 (huh?) out of 10. [Anime Drama]
Review by Nancy L DraperVIP 8BlockedParent2019-11-18T01:32:27Z
This narrative may suffer, a little, from culture disparity. To make the film make sense, I came to some cultural assumptions: 1) When advancing from Junior to Senior High, in Japan, you have to pass entrance exams and however well you grade will determine which schools are open to you, so 2) at a much younger age, than in North America, a child must make substantive life decisions about a future career. 3) Kids are allowed to be more independent and self-determined at an early age, but, they also seem to get away with being defiant, even rude, to their parents who seem to have little influence in their lives. 4) Japanese children carry a lot of responsibilities within their homes. In this year, I have been introducing a young friend (9 years of age) to the works of Studio Ghibli, and, by and large, it has been a delightful adventure for both her and me but I'm not sure this movie would be appropriate for her (Junior Highers who date and fall in love? or, even think about making lifelong partners?, insolent responses to their parents?, considering leaving school after Junior High!?! - I'm not sure I'd even want to seed these ideas into her young life. Shouldn't childhood be about childhood?). The story also seems to be rather meandering and leaves a lot of sub plots unresolved. The artwork is the high standard of quality we have grown to expect from Ghibli filled with the nuances of human movement and expression. The theme song seems an odd choice for the film and yet I'm not sure there is a unifying theme in the piece. I have to say this film left me shaking my head. I give this film a 5 (huh?) out of 10. [Anime Drama]