OH-HOH CHERRY BOY!!
In life love never fades
We pass it along
I love this movie, so very much. It's beautiful and vividly animated by a staff who clearly love the project. The neon pallet captures the tone of summer and the simplicity and naivete of youth. The main characters are real and lovely in their own ways; maybe a bit cliche, but relatable and endearing. I loved the supporting characters and wish we got to see a bit more of them and their lives. (Juri and Mari seemed the flattest and least developed characters, sadly.) The focus of the movie is definitely centered on the leads.
There's something wonderful and poetic about celebrating bad art. Or perhaps I should say cherishing amateur art. This movie takes the theme to heart and it works! It really complements these slice-of-life stories featuring every-day people spinning their wheels in their very normal but very personal problems. It's also offers an incredibly hopeful message that anyone in their own arc can find a point to relate. Either those lost in youth and possibilities, those marching through the mid-life, or those staring down their sunsets. This movie has love for us, where we are.
This movie feels like a response to Your Name. The arc is similar, but the stakes are lower. The problems in Your Name are not there, but neither is the ambition. The love is there, but the depths are not delved. I feel mixed about this; it's great to finish a manageable project, and there's also something heroic about struggling with an overly-ambitious one. This movie knows what it is, what it is not, and I will just love it for what it is.
My biggest critique is the lack of connective tissue. The elements, themes, art, characters, and pacing are great, I just wish there were more to tie them all together. Rather, it feels more like a highlight reel of pieces that aren't tied together as tightly as they may be. In this vein, I wanted the secondary characters to have more screen time and bigger lives than merely supporting the main characters. The culture of the town would have a clearer identity and made its impression on more characters in many ways.
Nevertheless, this is a great movie. There is only one joke, but it's used three times, and each time it was so successful I had to pause to laugh. This movie was funnier than most "comedy" anime. I highly recommend this movie if you're up for a sweet treat.
