Hana et Alice mènent l'enquête

This is a strange little movie. OK, so in 2003, Shunji Iwai makes a live action film named "Hana and Alice". Then 9 years later, he makes a prequel starring the same two actresses, but animates it. In this world of making live action adaptations (which I hate) this is one that goes the opposite direction.

The animation is all rotoscoped. That is where you trace over a live action reference to make your animation. It reminds me of Matthew McCleskey's YouTube videos. It is a very...distinct style for a feature.

The titular case is the worst run investigation I have ever seen. As I explained it out loud, I couldn't help but laugh at Hana and Alice's incompetence in solving the mystery. The movie spends most of its runtime on these misadventures. The two of them spinning their wheels as they go nowhere.

And to think, the whole mystery happens because of a Kit-Kat bar. Give me a break.

The best part of this movie is the animation, which features very saturated colors that look like vibrant watercolor paintings. It takes a little while to get going but once the two main girls meet things really pick up. There are some laugh out loud moments, particularly the back and forth between Hana and Alice. There's one point where one of the characters is calling after the other, "ne? Ne? NE? NnnNEEEE?" that made me giggle. Also some very weird/awkward school drama that was handled in an atypical way, especially for anime. I recommend for anyone who wants a strange, mysterious drama about a couple of awkward teenage girls.

No pun intended - and of course not comparable with the new phone thing I am ripping this off. But I hope you are not too mad about me trying to be a bit funny. Even darker stuff that the movie does have some in, do not take away from some funny moments here too. So there is always light - without which there can be no darkness ... or was it shadows? Well I think you get the sentiment.

Being new somewhere - I think we can relate to that. Most of us, especially if we have some years/experience. If not we will earn or get that. But even without that, you can relate to the school thing at least. You have to love animated movies - or at least not dislike them. I wouldn't know why you should or would have a problem with them - but in case you have, skip this. You'll be missing out on a pretty good movie, even though there are better ones of course. Still imagination is running high and the movie/story is quite packed. A lot of characters and a lot of stuff to keep track of. Nice twists and turns too ... right up until the end ... finding out stuff/people ...

This film perfectly captures the adventurous spirit, the whimsical imaginations, and the awkward solutions that fuels every day life of a 14 year old. As someone who grew up in this kind of environment (although a decade ago) I was uplifted by nostalgia and the naive purity of all the characters.

Just look at the screen! The sky painted in this film is absolutely stunning. Backgrounds are detailed and yet not an eye-sore. Sure the characters looked like rough sketch compared to other more visually accomplished Japanese anime, but I think it was simply a wonderful style to match the story.

Iwai Shunji, the sensitive soul behind such classics like "Love Letter" and "April Story (Shigatsu Monogatari)" reunites with the original 2004 cast of "Hana and Alice" (Yu Aoi and Anne Suzuki) to tell this small but emotionally rich story involving ballet, a school cult, and a murder investigation. It's fine that you haven't watched the 2004 film. This sets up a new story and invests time in proper character development. The film follows Alice as she interacts with a number of people and proceeds to build relationships with them. Some are hilarious (the cult leader), some are touching (an old man) and her meeting with Hana, is something else entirely. Despite an over-the-top set-up, the mystery's solution actually makes sense and isn't contrived to deliver ridiculous twist.

The laughs are there, it looks amazing, the characters are people whom I'd give big hugs to and Iwai Shunji is definitely on-form in his direction.

A heart warming and sweet, and most certainly hilarious, story about relationships and the many different encounters in life that shape who we are and where we go. We follow the two leads on their investigation to solve a mystery that is as enigmatic and confusing as being a teenager. The musical score is a a perfect compliment to the simple and charming pace and tone of the film. A anime must!!!