La notte è breve, continua a camminare ragazza

This film can best be described as a collection of very funny, very strange, and very creative images and ideas packed into the narrative of two primary leads. Its unpredictability makes it a ton of fun to watch.

It's kind of a boy meets girl story, but so much more too. There is a series of fantastical scenes as characters journey thru the cities night spots. Often bizarre, but somehow very recognizable and... funny. For me, this film really captured the spirit of life in college. I kept remembering thoughts and feelings from those days and nights. It definitely has a Japanese feel to it too, which I really like but.. I understand that it may not be for everyone.

Night Is Short, Walk On Girl tells the story of the many adventures a girl has during one night in Kyoto. What starts looking as a typical story about a young girl drinking in a bar, soon becomes a crazy roller coaster of unlikely events. It's impossible to get bored while watching the movie, as there is a constant feeling that virtually anything can happen: we see a drinking competition, a used book sale, a guerilla theatre performance, even some magic happens. The characters are all over the top, which suits the story perfectly. At the same time, the movie touches a number of important issues, such as love, loneliness, and greed.

The animation in the movie is just beautiful. It's colorful and very pleasant to the eye. It is perfect for this kind of story, with the more realistic parts animated more traditionally and the more absurdist parts looking pretty much like an acid trip. Watching the movie is a really interesting experience and I'm sure I won't forget it.

The highest rated anime on Letterboxd for the year 2018 is too many things at once: crazy, trippy, lively, jovial, carefree, heartfelt, hilarious, bizarre, breezy & intoxicating. High on spirits, full of energy & overflowing with imagination, Night Is Short, Walk on Girl is a wild, rambunctious & rollicking ride that unfolds only in fast-forward mode.

Night Is Short, Walk on Girl covers a long night of partying, drinking & unexpected adventures in the life of a young girl who livens up the whole town with her vibrant demeanour. The plot also follows her college senior who goes on (mis)adventures of his own during the same night while trying to confess his romantic feelings to her.

Directed by Masaaki Yuasa, his latest is an unabashedly freewheeling feature that unravels at such breakneck speed that it's difficult to keep up and grasp everything it keeps hurling at the screen. The rapid-fire interactions, fast-moving plot, quickly changing set pieces & swift tonal shifts are overwhelming at times and isn't going to please all.

It is only when you stop trying to make sense of it all and decide to sit back, relax & allow yourself to be swept away by its magical tide that you start seeing through its intricate & confusing outer shell and get a feel of the beauty & heart that lies within. At its core, it's a simple rom-com about a girl who prefers going with the flow and an incel who desires her.

On an overall scale, Night Is Short, Walk on Girl is a story about love, hesitation, anxiety, uncertainty, fate, chance encounters & human connection that's crafted with vigour, executed with flair & is exaggerated beyond reason. In short, this booze-fuelled trip through pubs, parties, drinking game, book fair, guerrilla theatre & musical numbers is one madcap remedy that promises to melt all your worries away. Give it a shot.

The director is known for his weird style of directing of characters and animation and it definitely works making one of the most uniquely told movies of the year and I loved it. Some beats in the middle can drag and characters make some weird decisions but for the most part, this is a well done animated movie and one of the best films of the year.