A very moving drama about a little girl who suffers an abusive family home, and is taken under the wing of her substitute teacher who kidnaps her and takes on the role of her mother (with the child's permission).
It's great how the human emotion between parent / child / teacher / friend is explored within a story where the protagonist is in fact breaking the law, always needing to be cautious and keep avoiding suspicion due to circumstances. It raises some good moral questions!
Not bad at all! Definitely need a second season.
Also I would love to see more of Alice Hirose. She seems to have a lot of potential.
As a "made for TV" production with limited budget and time, created by junior staff of animators and creative folks, Ocean Waves is not a typical Studio Ghibli production.
The animation is still very good, with great set design and character animation. But it lacks subtle details that makes our jaws drop. Music is another casualty, unmemorable synthesizer score that I found distracting.
But to me, the most important things are the story and voice acting. And they are fantastic with a great deal of realism. It's Truffaut's Jules and Jim meets From Up On Poppy Hill. Due to short runtime (a barely over an hour long when you exclude opening and closing credits), each character is not as richly developed as I wanted. And the conclusion is rushed, leaving me wanting more. But what's on the screen works exceedingly well and I really felt for 3 principle characters.
Beautiful story, let down a bit by production limitations (mostly music—synthesis in places where real instruments were called for). Worth a watch, though. It's Ghibli, so you really can't go wrong.
It was another great Slice of Life. On first look it seems a bit childish but as you go further you'll see it's definitely not.
All the CGI were very well developed and animation was top notch. Story is a bit weird though.
I'll definitely recommend this one.
Edit: Season 2 was a bit on the down side but it was still entertaining.
Oh. Yes. Sir. One can never have enough Reigen in any episode. Fact. And now, my body is riddy for the final episode. This is my favorite portion of the buildup to the final confrontation where everything turns to pure awesomeness in the finale. Bring it on, Mob.
Even for someone like me, who has no real clue about manga or does not read any at all, this is a wonderfully entertaining celebration of the art and artists. A fine movie with some terrific and imaginative sequences, a neat cast and story and a completely amazeballs soundtrack by sakanaction which should be worth to watch this alone. Also Nana Komatsu is always a wonderful sight to behold.
Loved the coronation scene! Is that Eren's father at the end? :o
I felt sorry for Kenny , nonetheless this episode was so good to the point i couldn't felt time passing ...
This episode was definitely different! Weird style and storytelling, and it is a little bit confusing. On the other hand, who is that man at the end? Is that Erin's father, I am kinda lost???
From a certain aspect it is a fable about every coin has two sides or in other words nothing is fully black or white. The members of this family make dubious things in order to be able to eat, drink, wash themselves etc. or shortly to survive.
The perfect example which embodies this theory is the stoyline of Yuri. On the one hand, we can look at this like they kidnapped a child and later on taught her how to steal. On the other hand, they took a little girl in who was neglected by her parents. They looked after her, nurtured and cared for her and she became a member of this family who has nothing much but thenselves and they appreciate that little what they got. As Yuri was got back to her birth parents by the authorities she is treated like a pain in the ass by her mother. So, I ask the question: which family made her bad example exactly?
They give each other home, love and eventually an opportunity to the children to break out from that poor life situation.
Having finally finished my slow burn of this series all I can do is agree with other comments here. This series offers a sense of tranquillity when watching that I have rarely seen anywhere else. You just get absorbed into sometimes dreamlike atmosphere of it all. Each episode is somewhat self-contained and you really never know how it will end. Some end on a happy note, some on a sorrowful one, some are more ambiguous or bitersweet.
The message throughout is very much that Mushi are not malevolent or evil, they are just like forces of nature, and can be harmful or helpful to humans. Each story is more about how people deal with these things, with Ginko travelling around and helping where he can.
With a second season just around the corner all I can really do is repeat other people's recommendations - if you haven't already, watch this series.
Just a spectacular, beautiful and mesmerizing anime. I was initially hesitant to start this because it seemed like it wouldn't be too exciting and able to hold my interest well but I instantly became addicted. It's a very easy show to watch as each episode is a story contained within itself, has its own theme, and you really don't encounter the same thing twice. Also, not all the stories end up happily and some are just heartbreaking which lend to keeping everything fresh. The creators masterfully created this world filled and thriving with mushi that just immerses you completely. Ginko is the perfect MC for the tone and themes of Mushi-shi with his calm, gentle and understanding nature. The only complaint I had was that literally every main male and female character looks the same (I honestly couldn't tell anyone apart between 75% of the different episodes). This is definitely up there on my list and a very relaxing and magical journey that is a very easy watch.
Enjoyed this show right up until the last episode... can't say that for very many TV shows these days. 10/10
The ending with Dwight was super cute
This is such a powerful and moving anime that deals with the effect of the loss of a loved one and how much it can deeply change us, young or old. In particular, the anime focuses on the effect of Menma's death as a young child on the 5 remaining "Super Peace Busters" group and it's very interesting to see how much her death has and, more interestingly, not changed this once close group of friends. There is an incredible driving force of guilt and jealously that permeates throughout the show, and so this anime is ultimately a story about the journey to resolve these emotions in order to let Menma rest in piece. A lot of the characters may not be completely likable in certain ways due to each one having every obvious flaws, but all those serious flaws interacting with each other are the times when the anime shines best. This is definitely a roller coaster of emotion (perhaps some tears along the way) but I loved the ending which resolves things very nicely. This is a touching story and a can't miss if you're interested in a more dramatic and moving anime. Watch it!!
I have yet to be let down by a film from Koreeda and if you have seen some of his works you will know what to expect.
It's an interesting contrast of two families and their ways of raising a child. The dilemma of switching your child or not is rather complex and interesting to watch. The whole story is supported by competent direction and great acting. What more do you want?
A far more heartwarming story than one might expect from the premise. It ends up as a sweet film that, while the ending is pretty apparent right from the start, proves that it's the journey, not the destination that's important.
This movie really surprised me. I thought it would be really odd but in fact it was quite sweet and highly enjoyable.
I can only think of one thing when the great series Nodame Cantabile pops up into my mind... "GYAAAAAAAAAAAABO!" This is one of the finest animes that I've watched and if you have any interest in slice of life, romance/comedy and music, this is a no-brainer. You'll instantly fall in love with all of the characters, and the ever-developing dynamic between Chiaki and Nodame is truly a joy to behold. I can't get enough of the comedy in this series with the goofball Nodame anchoring it all down. The story is very well-done following the journey of these two through their college lives, with their love toward each other and with music. And my god. The music. If you have any interest in music, you'll be floored by all the spectacular classical pieces that they've worked into each episode. Time after time, the creators interweave a character's real-time analysis and feelings/emotions about a piece being played almost as a substitution for direct dialog to progress through countless critical scenes. You'll truly find depth in the pieces that could take an individual a life-time to notice. This is without a doubt one of the most fantastic romantic comedy animes out there (right there with Toradora although with less drama). Do yourself a favor and watch this ASAP.
A stunning and carefully crafted story, superbly and respectfully acted/directed by a relatively little known cast together with a sublime visual feast. I truly believe this is at the peak of television even with such competition in this so called golden age of the craft. a slow burn certainly which appeals to me between episodes of GOT for example. this should be the water cooler subject of the moment and deserves much more love. a truly emotional, at times even heartbreaking journey but one with much to love.
This show is absolutely amazing. I loved it from the very first episode. I've heard about it before but i was a bit skeptical because i didn't really know what is it even about, until i decided to check it out. Season 3 finale left me on the edge of my seat, especially last minutes. A MUST WATCH.
Whenever I think of Martha I get sad. But I get even sadder when I think about the fact that Allison Wright (Martha) didn't get an Emmy nomination for this episode
Really going to miss this show. Despite a rocky start, it turned out to be great. I aspire to be a Swanson!
