Episode 123: Spirited Away

It’s week 3 of 4 in our Director #BattleMonth, and the listeners in our Facebook group chose Hayao Miyazaki’s anime masterpiece Spirited Away for us to cover. We dive into the mystical, magical world of soot sprites and water spirits and talking frogs as we attempt to make some sense of all the fantastical elements on display.

What We’ve Been Up To  0:01:08

(Aaron – Puzzle, Alpha, Polytechnique)
(Both – recap of bracket picks)

Spirited Away Review – 0:14:54

The Connecting Point -0:55:51


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Music: Going Higher – Bensound.com

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MOVIE REVIEW: Lu Over the Wall

LU OVER THE WALL (2018)

1 Hour and 52 Minutes (PG)

Lu Over the Wall is the newest animated feature from visionary anime director Masaaki Yuasa, and tells the story of a small fishing village that is impacted by the appearance of a mermaid who comes ashore to join a middle-school band. It’s a twist on the classic fairy tale The Little Mermaid and features elements that will remind viewers of other films, too – specifically Miyazaki’s Ponyo, Best Picture winner The Shape of Water, and the under-seen musical hit Sing Street. Yes, it’s a little bit insane. But while these references seem similar on the surface, Yuasa’s film forges its own path and becomes some entirely unique.

The biggest thing that sets Yuasa apart from other anime giants like Miyazaki, Shinkai, and Takahata is the animation style. Visually striking and lavishly colorful in the present, it melts into an older style of animation when characters recall the past. The animation is also very busy and moves fast. At times it can be so frantic that it’s hard to follow and feels like you’re staring into a rapidly spinning kaleidoscope. Always, though, it provokes a sense of joy and wonder. Full of character designs like you’ve never seen before (mer-dogs!), if it doesn’t give you a headache the art style will most certainly captivate you and hold your attention.

As for the story, Lu’s friendship with Kai and his middle-school rock band Siren is at the center of the narrative. In this world, mermaids are attracted to music. Naturally, not everyone in the village likes mermaids. While some want to use their existence for profit in the tourist industry, others want to kill them all, and a select religious few wish to live in harmony alongside them. The conflict arises out of these differing opinions, but relational issues exists between Lu and her bandmates as well. This is where the heart of the film lies and the way it tackles feelings of depression, friendship, love, and chasing dreams is beautifully woven into this fantastical tale. That being said, for the most part it keeps things light, but there are elements of the plot that deal with some tougher emotions. In trying to juggle quite a few sideplots the film does seem to get away from Yuasa and perhaps go on a bit long.

VERDICT

Lu Over the Wall is a great reminder of why we watch movies. Yuasa is a director willing to take chances and it is exciting to participate in a cinematic experience like that. This is a beautiful film, overflowing with cuteness, and filled with solid positive messages. It is also a musical that will have you humming along and tapping your feet whether you fully follow the plot or not. Unforgettable animation is rare, but Lu Over the Wall is just that and therefore is a must-see experience.

Rating:


Aaron White is a Seattle-based film critic and co-creator/co-host of the Feelin’ Film Podcast. He is also a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society. He writes reviews with a focus on the emotional experience he has with a film. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter to be notified when new content is posted.

Minisode 041: Grave of the Fireflies/Mary and the Witch’s Flower

In this special minisode, we kick-off Patrick’s “Summer of Anime” movie challenge by confronting the late Isao Takahata’s masterpiece, Grave of the Fireflies. But to lighten things up, we also have a short and entirely spoiler-free review of the first feature film from Studio Ponoc, Mary and the Witch’s Flower. 

Mary and the Witch’s Flower Spoiler-Free Review – 0:03:53

Grave of the Fireflies Review – 0:15:27


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Music: Going Higher – Bensound.com

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Minisode 033: Your Name (Kimi no Na wa)

For this special minisode we are covering a film that blew us away on our first viewings, but we’ve patiently waited for it to be released on Blu-ray so that more would have the chance to see it before we had this discussion. Your Name, directed by Makoto Shinkai, is the story of a star-crossed boy and girl, perhaps destined to forever yearn for a meeting that will never come, connected across space and time by an unexplainable magic and framed against the backdrop of an but is also technically marvelous in both visuals and sound. We hope you enjoy this conversation on one of our anime favorites.

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Intro/Outro Music – “School Road” and “Date” by RADWIMPS

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BONUS: Tokyo Ghoul S1

This is a re-release of an episode that was recorded for the now defunct podcast Feelin’ Film Plus. We had a conversation about the first season of the anime Tokyo Ghoul and wanted it to be available for you. The show presents a world in which humans must co-exist with a race of human-like creatures who require flesh for sustenance. As you can imagine there are plenty of ethical questions to discuss and we do our best to consider them justly.

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Intro/Outro Music – “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie

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Episode 1: Tokyo Ghoul S1

We kick-off Feelin’ Film Plus with a conversation about the first season of anime Tokyo Ghoul. The show presents a world in which humans must co-exist with a race of human-like creatures who require flesh for sustenance. As you can imagine there are plenty of ethical questions to discuss.

Emmanuel Noisette

Twitter – @EmansReviews
Website: http://www.emansmoviereviews.com

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Intro/Outro Music – “Seeing the Future” by Dexter Britain

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Episode 053: Frailty

This week we give Bill Paxton one more tribute by talking about his incredible directorial debut and performance in Frailty. This thriller/horror film has deep religious themes and a story that is difficult to watch, but is brilliant in its execution. We dissect the choices made, and how we ultimately view its ambiguous ending, among many other aspects of this truly special movie.

What We’ve Been Up To – 0:01:15

(Patrick – Chalet Girl)

(Aaron – Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Tokyo Ghoul, Attack on Titan, Your Name, Persona 5)

Frailty Review – 0:19:16

The Connecting Point – 1:12:59

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Intro/Outro Music – “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie

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or you can support us through Paypal as well. Select the link below and make your one-time or recurring contribution.

Rate/Review us on iTunes and on your podcast app of choice! It helps bring us exposure so that we can get more people involved in the conversation. Thank you!