In 2017, the Animation is Film festival came roaring out of the gate with a lineup heavy on established credibility as well as experimentation. In 2018, it matured into a showcase of a weekend, with prestige films covering global social issues (Oscar nominee The Breadwinner, Festival winner Funan) and a retrospective on anime filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda. This year’s lineup was probably the least established, boasting a few big names (Masaaki Yuasa and Mokoto Shinkai) but primarily comprised of unknowns. But this is what the festival is for: bringing exposure to filmmakers and films who don’t otherwise have it.
Shinkai was the name of the game on Friday night. The opening night screening of Weathering With You sold out so quickly that the festival added a second show, which instantly filled up as well. Meanwhile, on the red carpet, Shinkai himself discussed the impact of his films on American audiences, recalling the experience of premiering Your Name. in Los Angeles. “It was a really happy experience for [me] because everyone loved it,” he said. “…[I] found out that Americans love anime so much that [I] wanted to experience that again.”
While some festival goers may not have made it into a theater to see Shinkai’s work, the show was generally very organized. For the rest of the coming days, screenings were well-attended, many selling out at the last minute. It also spotlighted a few special screenings, including The Steven Universe Movie and an inside look at Frozen 2, Hair Love, and Netflix’s Klaus.
Awards were spread out among different films this year as well, with the grand prize going to Cannes favorite I Lost My Body, the audience award going to both Weathering With You and Swallows of Kabul, and the special jury award going to Marona’s Fantastic Tale.
Wondering how the films at this year’s show were? We’ve reviewed a few of the bigger-name films at this year’s festival—which yet again proved to be a reliable contender in the animation film festival circuit. Check out our reviews in miniature below:
Weathering With You, Makoto Shinkai
It is impossible to avoid comparisons with Your Name. when talking about Weathering With You, as so much of the latter hinges on the former’s success and recreates what made it special. Shinkai leans into this heavily, creating an experience that feels face-palmingly familiar.
We meet two young high schoolers, Hodaka and Hina, in a gorgeous but weirdly sponsored Tokyo: brands are everywhere, which is either confusingly thematic or awkwardly necessary. (McDonald’s is a literal plot point.) While they both try to make their way in a city who’s grime is more apparent here than in the previous film to minimal effect, they develop a close bond.
The realization that Hina can control the weather leads them into a new line of business with new complications. They are joined by a cast of side characters, who make up the film’s more nuanced stories, even if they’re underutilized and under-explored. There were ties to spirituality and melodrama galore, all backed by a compelling (if, at times, nearly identical to that of Your Name.) original score by Radwimps. The result feels a bit inorganic and forced, compared to those dramatic moments that felt so earned in Your Name.
Yet those moments land. Shinkai is a master of his tools, proving that gorgeous animation, crescendoing music, and character emotion, when converged, can break a viewer. Even if the film can be nonsensical at times, it resonates with a shocking (as shocking as Shinkai, whose films famously are either very happy or sad in the end and could go either way, can be) ending that leaves the viewer with a familiar, if slightly less sweet, taste.
Cencoroll Connect, Atsuya Uki
This film was not in competition at the festival. It’s the combination of two short films: one that is 10 years old and the brand new sequel.
Cencoroll Connect tells the story of a boy and his alien weapon named Cenco. To explain the plot and its many vague complications would only confuse further. There are teens with alien weapons, and that is what matters. Yet, the films crawl slowly, with plenty of exposition and detached, cold character energy. It’s difficult to engage with anything happening on the screen, and even if the alien design is fun, the animation quality isn’t particularly unique. The first short film’s die-hard fans will enjoy this 2019 update, and it teases a third installment—but to the outside viewer, this film does not land.
Children of the Sea, Ayumu Watanabe
This film—directed by Ayumu Watanabe, known for his work on the Doraemon franchise—is bursting with potential. Children of the Sea is packed with the same youthful energy of Watanabe’s earlier work. Azumi Ruka is a preteen girl who befriends two boys raised in the ocean, meaning that the film is primarily set at the sea or in an aquarium. A beautiful exploration of marine life and the interconnectedness of all things, the first half of this film is a wonderful, joyful, and complicated feat, with a unique animation style that blends 2D and 3D.
The second half? Not so much. The plot becomes secondary (or even tertiary) to style and the culminating sequence, a galaxy-spanning mental odyssey that is reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Neon Genesis: Evangelion, but without the lasting effect. Even still, this is a film that raises interesting questions, provides complicated answers, and swings for the fences. It can be respected for its ambition and its energy, even as it must be critiqued for its execution.
Ride Your Wave, Masaaki Yuasa
Anyone familiar with Masaaki Yuasa’s work will be very confused by this film. Known for his mind-bending plots and psychedelic visual style, Yuasa has gained a massive cult following for his work, ranging from Mind Game to The Night is Short, Walk on Girl. But his newest film, which also sold out at the festival, feels plain in comparison.
Yuasa presents the viewer with a romantic tragicomedy. There is one magical device, but it is all within the confines of the world he has created. This is jarring by expectation, but absolutely normal for any other film. It is a gorgeous, emotional story that follows a young adult relationship. It features surfing heavily and relies (plot-wise and thematically) on a recurring song (“Brand New Story” by Generations from Exile Tribe) that is perfectly catchy pop, if a bit overbearingly used. Ultimately, this is a fine film on its own. Yuasa’s art is astounding ,and the emotional beats ring true. But for the Yuasa completist, it will come as a surprise.
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