Wow!
I was not prepared for the level of seriousness this brought. I can’t remember if I’ve ever said this about an anime, but this would make a great live-action. Felt like something Bong Joon-Ho (Memories of Murder) or Park Chan-wook (Decision to Leave) could make.
The story is an unraveling tale of tragedy: a man loses his daughter in a car crash and blames himself. He goes missing and his wife sends a private detective to track him down. The rest, well, please watch to find out.
The story is well written, not even relative to its fellow genre peers; it’s just plain good. Every character gets enough substance and each character’s arc interacts in a way which continuously pays off. The intrigue keeps building, the mystery keeps unraveling, and the tragedy keeps growing. The runtime feels perfect, no fluff or excess. It’s a mature story who isn’t afraid to get dark but not in a self-reveling sort of way.
Aside from the quality of the story, its moral investigations are poignant and timeless. It reenforces these dilemmas through several conversations between characters, like the train convo between Goro (better known as Hedgehog to his friends, apparently) and Inspector Yamagashi. The film makes a point to highlight a distinction between legality and morality. I feel like that concept has fallen so far off the radar of modern society. But here the moral issues are paramount and reenforced as what really matters, what drives these characters.
The relationship between Inspector Yamagashi and Toyama didn’t have to be so meaningful. Many movies wouldn’t have taken the time to give us the flashbacks and memories between these two. It’s another small thing that impressed me about the care taken to tell this story. Relative to anime, the striking thing is how fleshed out this story is, despite its shorter 51-minute runtime. They even have this arc tied together in its beautifully sad climax.
Of all the obscure anime I’ve watched over the years, this is among the most sophisticated and legitimate in a non-anime sense. It transcends its formal trappings and taps into a very real, very human story. There’s nothing flashy in terms of stylism, instead opting for solid-ass storytelling. Highly recommended for anime fans seeking something a bit more grounded, and consequently, refreshing.
Wow!
I was not prepared for the level of seriousness this brought. I can’t remember if I’ve ever said this about an anime, but this would make a great live-action. Felt like something Bong Joon-Ho (Memories of Murder) or Park Chan-wook (Decision to Leave) could make.
The story is an unraveling tale of tragedy: a man loses his daughter in a car crash and blames himself. He goes missing and his wife sends a private detective to track him down. The rest, well, please watch to find out.
The story is well written, not even relative to its fellow genre peers; it’s just plain good. Every character gets enough substance and each character’s arc interacts in a way which continuously pays off. The intrigue keeps building, the mystery keeps unraveling, and the tragedy keeps growing. The runtime feels perfect, no fluff or excess. It’s a mature story who isn’t afraid to get dark but not in a self-reveling sort of way.
Aside from the quality of the story, its moral investigations are poignant and timeless. It reenforces these dilemmas through several conversations between characters, like the train convo between Goro (better known as Hedgehog to his friends, apparently) and Inspector Yamagashi. The film makes a point to highlight a distinction between legality and morality. I feel like that concept has fallen so far off the radar of modern society. But here the moral issues are paramount and reenforced as what really matters, what drives these characters.
The relationship between Inspector Yamagashi and Toyama didn’t have to be so meaningful. Many movies wouldn’t have taken the time to give us the flashbacks and memories between these two. It’s another small thing that impressed me about the care taken to tell this story. Relative to anime, the striking thing is how fleshed out this story is, despite its shorter 51-minute runtime. They even have this arc tied together in its beautifully sad climax.
Of all the obscure anime I’ve watched over the years, this is among the most sophisticated and legitimate in a non-anime sense. It transcends its formal trappings and taps into a very real, very human story. There’s nothing flashy in terms of stylism, instead opting for solid-ass storytelling. Highly recommended for anime fans seeking something a bit more grounded, and consequently, refreshing.
