Lu e la città delle sirene

Lu is a rare twin-tailed mermaid who loves music; when middle schoolers Kai, Yuho and Kunio secretly practice their indie-pop music on Merfolk Island, a pile of rocks near the fishing village of Hinashi, Lu cannot help but dance! Her tails turn into legs and she becomes a swirling dervish of movement. She also wants to be friends with everyone, but the people of Hinashi have many old tales about the merfolk, including that they eat people, and Lu may be in danger from those humans if the teenagers can't save her…. This is a lovely animated film, very colourful and with a mostly upbeat story line that young children would probably enjoy very much. All that, plus J-pop music too; a real winner!

This was cute and nice to look at, the style was innovative. However it often felt like a direct rip on Miyazaki's 'Ponyo'. Many of the plot points and visual concepts in the details all are too similar to those in Ponyo. From the broken english Lu has, coming from the ocean, obsessed with boy on land, loves food after discovering it, etc. it's a little too blatant. But to be fair, Miyazaki set the bar pretty high and many anime that come out these days are clearly inspired by his work, but there were just too many coincidences to not make one notice the similarities in this film. Even with that said, it was still enjoyable, sweet, and cute.

I have absolutely no idea of the story line, and fortunately gave up trying. Some wonderful graphics, dance scenes and colorful interludes. What does it all mean? Just watch the ever changing scenes and don't give it a second thought.

I really enjoyed this film. It's an upbeat, colourful and very imaginative movie full of joy that is sure to put a big smile on your face. With a cute, cartoonish animation style to go with its generally light-hearted atmosphere, this is an absolutely delightful watch from start to finish, and although some of its intended deeper meanings may get lost in the process, you're guaranteed to have a great time with Lu Over The Wall.

So, let's start off by reaffirming that point once again: this film is really enjoyable. It may not be a moving piece of animated artwork, nor is it a constantly riveting and exciting action adventure, but it's comfortable enough in being a light-hearted and imaginative fantasy adventure with a great sense of humour, and that was absolutely enough to have me grinning ear to ear throughout.

If there's anything that sums up what this film is really like, it's the animation style. Rather than being a hand-painted extravaganza like a Ghibli movie or a detailed and hardcore-styled anime, Lu Over The Wall is simply a bright and lovely film to look at. With a very soft yet hugely colourful visual style that matches the overall film's light-hearted vibes, the delightful animation here is enough to have you smiling within seconds.

What's more is that this film doesn't shy away from being excessively cute, and goes so far to the point that it doesn't feel all that cheesy. Lu, the mermaid, is absolutely adorable from the moment she first appears, and that actually helps to make the story a lot more investing, as you care enough about her as an adorable baby-like character that you support her and those around her to succeed in the story.

And although there are some elements of the middle school students' story that feels a little cheesy, it's all done with a great sense of fun and humour, meaning that you can sit back and look past some of the sillier elements of the story in exchange for nearly two hours of solid entertainment.

A lot of people have pointed out the similarities in plot between this film and Ponyo, and although that's undeniable, I'll tell you why I think Lu Over The Wall brings this story to life even better. It's a film that's completely gleeful in everything it does, knowing full well that it's filled to the brim with some ridiculous fantasy elements, but taking that in its stride to make a properly enjoyable movie that all ages can enjoy and smile at. It's never too serious about itself, and rarely gets bogged down in its storytelling like Ponyo does, and that's why I think it's a perfectly pleasant movie that you can't miss.

With all that said, there are a few issues that I do have with this film. On the whole, it works brilliantly as a light-hearted and enjoyable adventure, but there are moments when the film tries to say something a little deeper with regards to mob mentality, segregation and exploitation. Some of those themes come through better than others, but in general, they're not covered strongly enough in the story to make the desired impact, instead getting lost within the sea of colours and smiles that really make this film special.

What's more is that the film's final act is a little too drawn out for its own good. As fun as the finale is, it really feels like it goes on for a very long time, even suffering from multiple different endings all being crammed into one climax. It doesn't have a huge impact on the smile factor, but there are moments when the plot becomes a little tiresome.

Overall, however, I had huge fun with Lu Over The Wall. Colourful, happy, imaginative and fantastically light-hearted, it's a wonderful animation that will definitely have you smiling from start to finish.

My first exposure to feature-length anime, Lu Over the Wall made me gasp at the level of imagination that has gone into its creation where a lonely, taciturn boy finds a companion in a mermaid who has special powers and who changes her appearance a little when exposed to human music. The animation is top-notch and so is the storytelling which tries to relate with social issues such as xenophobia (?) and others that we as a whole are currently grappling with. Lu Over the Wall is funny, uplifting, and delightful. TN.

(Watched and reviewed at its India premiere at the 3rd Japanese Film Festival of India in Mumbai.)