A_Different_Drummer

Not merely brilliant, but there is something else going on with this production. For example, consider the music of Bob Joyce. When you listen to Bob, you not only get good music, but, for viewers "of a certain age" there is an echo of nostalgia that younger people might miss. And that adds layers of dimension to the experience. Same here. Not only are the stories excellent, but the experience is a modern echo of the way, the style, cartoons (animation) was done in the 1930s and 1940s. For those of us who grew up in that environment, this production is very special indeed. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

The original is already on my list of the best films of all time. In that list, I comment that most sequels never meet the standards of the original, but this one does. Props to the production team. I have also commented, in my several thousand reviews here, that the vast majority of product being made these days features actors who, scene by scene, are always dressed in brand new attire, right off the shelf from the local box store. Sisu, and this sequel, are the anti-movies. Each character looks like he was dipped in liquid fertilizer before the cameras rolled. Film students would not be wasting their time to break down the specific elements that make these films pop. We could use more like them. A lot more. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

To be clear, I have several 1000 reviews here, have a passion for these sorts of films; and the greatest respect for Japanese culture. That said, whatever interesting ideas the writer may have had, the final presentation, the editing especially, is possibly the worst in recent memory. It is true that in current productions, there is ongoing experimentation with time juxtaposition; and we have come a long way from the days when one or two flashbacks or flashforwards were more than enough for any single production. This series seems to delight in deliberately busting up action scenes -- precious few though there may be -- with other completely unrelated scenes. The viewer is supposed to be entertained, not bewildered. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))