Hana et Alice mènent l'enquête

This anime is fresh and free-flowing. It follows the trials and tribulations of Alice who moves to a new neighbourhood and school. She soon discovers the harsh realities and related fictions around some recent incidents and its repercussions still affecting the surrounding school life.

The narrative keeps you guessing and has great depth in character exploration and philosophical musing, including a mysterious old man. It physically and metaphysically moves with the colours of the beautiful drawings. There are a few chases, intertwined with moments of peace, pose and beauty like the underlying aesthetics of ballet.

A rare mixture of quirkiness and quintessential existentialism, married with some strong storytelling elements to make it a superb artistic whole that will stand multiple viewing and the test of time.

In terms of story, imagine Old Boy but with teenagers and love theme instead of grown-up violence and revenge. But it terms of tone, it is light-hearted yet intellectual, artistic and emotional.

A great addition to the top-notch anime productions we come to expect from Japan. This time as a first animation feature from gifted and acclaimed Shunji Iwai who writes, direct, edit and even provides music to this miraculous masterpiece.

Japan 2015 | 110 mins | FANTASIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | HD | Japanese (English subtitles)

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.

Through anecdotes, superstitions, and myths, the story captures the essence of Asian culture in a straightforward yet profoundly significant way. It emphasizes the errors made in high school and is sympathetic and relevant. Western and European audiences find the story's straightforward yet profound delivery to be endearing and delightful.

Alice was a transfer student at first, and when she arrived at her new school, her classroom had a tale. The tale of her desk made her the center of attention, and I suddenly realized that I was drawn into the narrative as well. Can you tell me about her desk? Abruptly, I found myself immersed in a tale of friendship, revelation, veracity, and the frailty of human emotions. Without knowing the truth, you cannot move on, and without accepting reality, you cannot move at all. Otherwise, your life would be stagnate and you will suffer.

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!!!

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.