Flavors of Youth

It is, overall, an experience in itself more than a movie. It's something you take in, interpret, analyze through your experiences and filter with your own feelings. It's entirely up to you if this movie is something you digest afterwards for a few hours wondering about your life as a whole or just something you ate popcorn to. In both cases it is extremely good. The lessons that are in it are numerous and varied enough to please everyone and it's auite easy to identify with something from the movie, be it a character, a scenery, a feeling, a phrase, and the list can go on. On purpose it is called flavour(S) in the plural form because to everyone there is something different to be taken out of it. This anime is about love, family, passion, dreams, and everything else that makes us human. It's a nice perspective on life, set in short stories that are pleasant on their own and connect, covering up all the issues someone might face, with characters that are really nice and a good development. It's similar to Life Itself in these aspects. For those who want to just chill out it's great too, the animation is beautiful (not stunning) but well done, the music and scenery is extremely absorbing, good play and twists, quite easy to follow up, and a really well made movie overall that should fill up and afernoon and make you feel good afterwards. So give it a shot no matter what!

It's all about the little things that make the difference in our lives. It's so alone-time kind of film. And the last film grabbed me by my heartbeats. This was also my first anime viewing.

Flavour of Youth has three stories( just like 5cm per second) and it is all based around China. The first one is called "The Rice Noodles" which is about a young man called Xiao Ming (Kendall Gimbi and Crispin Freeman) who had spent most of his time with his Grandmother (Dorothy Fahn) and has a nostalgic of Noodle soup in Beijing. The second chapter "A Little Fashion Show" is focusing on two sisters called Yin Lin (Evan Rachel Wood) and Lu Lu (Jona Xiao), one is a fashion designer and the other one is a modal, this segment mainly focus on Yin Lin and her devotion to protecting her sister and staying on top. The last chapter "Love in Shanghai" focus on three friends Li Mo (Ross Butler), Xiao Yu (Erica Mendez) and Pan (Tony Cavalero), Li Mo had a dream to confess and be with the girl he is in love with (Xiao Yu) and be in a house which all three of them could share but things go differently.

Overall this was a really good slice of life/romance movie, especially if you like Your Name and 5cm Per Second. I would definitely binge it. I am not sure where the sub is available but I watched the dub which I believe is available on Netflix if you would like to check it out.

As I sated on my Big Fish and Begonia review I am generally not a fan of chinese anime but this was again a really good change of pace. Especially because I got exposed to a bit of Chinese culture.

Composed of three, independent short stories, this anime film has beautiful animation. The stories are gentle, nostalgic slice-of-life, filled with childhood memories and regret, but also hope. Little action, just feelings and self-reflection. For some viewers it will seem boring, but for me it was very enjoyable. The shorter length of each story helped me not to lose interest. Rating: 9/10

Flavors of Youth is an anthology anime drama film. Produced by CoMix Wave Films (Your Name, 5 Centimeters Per Second), it is a beautifully melancholic look into the lives of three distinct individuals.

The film is told in three chapters, similar to that of 5 Centimeters Per Second. Chapter one, "The Rice Noodles," focuses on a young man with a nostalgic fondness for noodle soup in Beijing. Chapter two, "A Little Fashion Show", is about two sisters, one a fashion model and one a fashion designer, the former of whom's career gets in the way of their time together. Chapter three, "Love in Shanghai", concerns a young architect regretting not confessing his true feelings to a girl he knew in his childhood.

Showcasing gorgeous animation and artwork, Flavors of Youth is a carefully told and often touching collection of stories about living in the moment and enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Each individual protagonist lends themselves to their story in their own unique way, but never so much that the overall tone of the film feels inconsistent. The English dub voice acting is solid as well, featuring great performances from the likes of Crispin Freeman, Erica Mendez, and even Hollywood actress Evan Rachel Wood. While not on par with better anime films in CoMix Wave's library like 2016's Your Name, Flavors of Youth is certainly worth a viewing on Netflix.

I rate it 8/10