Mirai

A few short days after watching Ambiguous Places and feeling that I don't get Japanese humor, I got a chance to mend things between me and the Japanese sense of humor. This is a very Japanese family story, that manages to be universal at the same time.

Charming witty and fun, all the way through. Superb animation of nature, nature's phenomanons (think of the falling snow) and city surroundings. The people as always with Japanese anima, are secondery. but it doesn't hurt the overall result. One of the best real life fantasies I've seen from Japan or anywhere else in a very long while. Kids will love it and will identify with the four years old hero and his lovely family. Adults will love its wit and wisdom.

'Mirai (2018)' is a bit of an odd mix of straight-up realism and surrealist fantasy, with its time-travelling interludes feeling sort of out of place amongst the otherwise almost 'kitchen sink' aesthetic. It's never made clear whether or not the time-hopping is real or imagined; though the hero seems to travel to accurately presented time periods he can't possibly have knowledge of, his trips also don't have tangible consequences outside of his own character arc (aside from, perhaps, on one occasion). Because the thing is told entirely from the perspective of a four-year-old boy (a relatively unique protagonist for a feature film to have), the blending of fantasy and reality is actually rather pertinent. Whether or not it's real is irrelevant, as its mechanics are far less important than its thematic resonance. The movie's final movement, which makes full use of its otherworldly elements, is genuinely rather beautiful. It's by far the best segment of the film, hitting a raw emotional nerve in a rather poignant way. The rest of the picture is pretty inconsistent, though it's always generally enjoyable. There are a number of strange stylistic choices and the plot is a bit uneven. However, it's typically charming. Plus, the animation is generally pleasing, even if some 3D models are more obvious than they ought to be, and the voice acting is pitch perfect. The piece does an excellent job of portraying the realities of temper tantrums, attention seeking and the otherwise far-too-loud actions that come with small children; at times, it's almost as stressful to watch as it must be to experience. It's really realistic, though. It's strange that one of the best representations of what it's like to have two small children comes in a film in which one of those kids can seemingly travel through time. Though the protagonist is sometimes stubborn and, in all honestly, incredibly annoying (not to mention loud), the flick does a good job of reminding you of his age. He doesn't feel emotionally mature, which is appropriate, and the movie ultimately does a good job of making you care about him - perhaps precisely because he isn't portrayed as a perfect kid (which, as we all know, doesn't really exist). The film is rather endearing overall. It's a distinct and enjoyable experience despite its few flaws. Its ending is genuinely touching, too. 7/10.

Mirai is the story of Kun, the eldest child of a pair of young professionals. He, at the start of the movie, ends up becoming a big brother. The new addition to the household of course creates some new tensions, and the way Kun ends up dealing with the divided attention of his parents is by travelling through time to meet his family members in different points in time. Like you do.

Mamoru Hosoda, the director, is a real up-and-coming name in the anime industry, with some true gems under his name. Wolf Children and Summer Wars to name a few. His second to last film, The Boy and the Beast, did not impress me all that much, but fortunately Mirai is a slight uptick from that. And I've always liked his animation style, and I still do. The almost too simplistic character designs set against elaborate backgrounds are a joy to watch and there's a really great sense of movement in everything he does.

I like the idea of Mirai, on paper. A young boy, settled with new responsibilities, turns to make-belief and fantasy in order to grow as a human being and as a big brother. Unfortunately the focus of the film is on his temper tantrums and his difficulties in accepting that he is not the sole focus of his parents' love. The problem with that being that almost the entirety of the film is him acting like a total brat. And it's hard to get behind a character like that. This film sorely needs a bit more sugar to make the medicine go down, if you know what I mean.

I would also have liked for the movie to confirm that he is in fact imagining all these things. Now it's a weird "is it or is it not" that pleases no one.

Then again, some of the individual segments are really great. I especially liked the bit about his great-grandfather with its post-war aesthetics and its focus on looking ahead and not giving up no matter what the circumstances.

Is it the best movie Mamoru Hosoda has ever done? No, not by a long shot, but it's still a very well animated movie with some truly inspired pieces. The main character is a bit hard to swallow, but then again he's a four-year-old boy. None of them are angels to begin with.

This film tells the story of a young child who experiences sibling rivalry, after the arrival of his little baby sister.

The emotions of all family members, especially the child's, are conveyed effectively. The Oriental concept of family is presented without being too preachy or suffocating. I enjoyed it.

Mirai tells the story of Kun, the first child of a young married couple who lives in Japan. Kun gets all the love from his parents until one day, they return home with their newborn daughter. Not getting the same attention as he used to, Kun becomes jealous with her sister and starts doing naughty things just to get his parents to notice him. However, they are so busy with work and the new baby that Kun feels like he was abandoned. Until one day, he finds his dog turned into a grown-up man and is greeted by none other than his sister, Mirai, who comes from the future and is now a teenage girl. From that day on, Kun experiences different events that happen both in the future and the past and are some how related to his family from generation to generation. Kun is the main character of the movie and director Mamoru Hosoda has shown that he understands children really well through the emotions and the mind, specifically the imagination of Kun. The movie is simply the story of a family's daily life that is told through the eyes of a 4 years old child and the process of how that child can become a loving son and a loving brother. The narrative of the movie is just like the way Mirai Mirai (Mirai is the name of his sister which means future in Japanese) told his brother about how their family came to be through those little things that happen every day in our lives. Mirai is a film that shows you how wonderful a child can be, and although Kun is very jealous with his newborn sister, deep down inside he loves her very much.