Bubble

The trailers for this movie honestly didn’t inspire much confidence. The visuals were undoubtedly gorgeous, and I was extremely excited to see what this outstandingly talented group of industry veterans was going to create, but the premise and characters looked so boring, and boring is the last word that comes to mind when I think of Tetsuro Araki. Typical “boy meets girl” story; obsession with the Tokyo Metroplex; generic Eve pop song; inconsequential-looking friend group; pretty boy protagonist wearing Beats™ by Dre. If you told me those were the trailers for the next Makoto Shinkai film, I would’ve been like, “Wow! Why is his directionsuddenly so engaging?!” But I still would’ve believed you. However, after having actually watched the movie, I’m glad to say many of these elements were likely included for marketing purposes only, none of them are ultimately a detriment to what makes the film good, and the actual execution is quite something. I was surprised to realize this film was inspired by The Little Mermaid. More specifically, the Hans Christian Andersen tragedy, not the Disney fairy tail. Its highly symbolic world and setting is visually breathtaking and a total joy to become immersed in the beauty of, but it’s also deliberately mystifying. A giant bubble has formed around the city, and gravity has gone haywire, but never do you comprehensively understand why. The film provides the audience with the exposition necessary to understand what’s directly relevant to the plot, but otherwise, it let’s your imagination run wild, and it’s done not in a way that feels cheap and underdeveloped, but instead deliberate and magical. If Bubble had deep and memorable characters on top of everything else it has going for it, it could’ve easily been a genuine masterpiece, but without them, it’s not suddenly a bad movie, because everything else about the film suggests it might actually be one anyway. Araki’s imagery combined with the thrill of Sawano’s music never fails to blow your mind. The artwork and animation is simply stunning, even for WIT, Obata’s designs are splendid, Sawano is rightly praised as a legend by virtually everyone, and Araki is one of my favorite directors for a really good fucking reason. With more and more studios desperately trying to copy WIT’s 3D environments, it’s worth reminding ourselves why WIT’s were so impressive in the first place. Yes, the renderings and graphics were perfect, but the real reason they felt so exhilarating was because Tetsuro Araki was the one directing the shots. If you saw the trailers for this movie and didn’t immediately think, “Well, alright. This is obviously just an excuse to have people parkour around a weightless and inventive cityscape with jaw-dropping animation and electrifying visual action.” Then, honestly, you need to do yourself a favor and watch more of Araki’s work. Watching this felt like watching Promare in theaters. Around half an hour in, I realized it wasn’t trying to be Imaishi’s next Gurren Lagann or Kill la Kill; it wasn’t trying to be deep; it was just trying to be a visual feast, and it succeeded. GKIDS had a translated interview with some of the creative staff which played after the screening, and if I remember correctly it was Shigeto Koyama who kept talking about how the “movement” of the film was constantly bringing him to tears. Everyone laughed as if he was joking, including himself, but he insisted he was serious, and when asked to elaborate, he just kept repeating that same word. “Movement.” While Bubble didn’t move me to tears or anything, I completely understand what he was saying after watching it. I wasn’t terribly invested in the story or characters, but I understood and appreciated them, and with even such a simpleminded connection established, I was able to get swept away by Araki’s sheer creative vision. People, generally speaking, think I’m a cunt. They think I hate anime, and I just make excuses to bitch and complain. They think I nitpick and overemphasize every tiny little issue I can find as a cynical excuse to hate on whatever anime I’m talking about. I insist this isn’t true. I insist my harsh analytical criticism is merely a product of my high standards, and should an anime meet those basic standards—a competent production, a competent script, a competent director, and so on—then I’m actually extremely generous. As long as an anime has a solid foundation and doesn’t actively annoy me, I’m very easily entertained, and Bubble is irrefutable proof. It’s not that the film is nothing special, because it is special; it’s that the film isn’t tremendously deep or complex. If, by the sound of things, you think you’re too good for something this fast and loose, then Bubble may not be for you, but I cannot say the same for myself. Indeed, this film may just be too good for me. Thank you for reading.

*Spoilers marked* I can't say a lot about this movie, because there is not a lot to speak about. We start with the foundation which is basically Akira, going down into the route of Weathering with You, The Little Mermaid, and countless other "outsider must learn how to behave like a human" anime—I swear at one point I felt a Chobits vibe. This should already sound alarm bells that there is too much inspiration from other works, and nothing here to call their own. Even when attempted, it'd just be forgotten as fast as it came in (see last few minutes and Hibiki backstory). Seriously, if Ihad to go and think up what was originally here, I'd have to go and rewatch the entire thing because I got nothing for you. The actual inspired content was nothing too heartfelt anyway. I suppose that's a given with some elements here, like how the side characters exist to only aid the main guy in whatever he wishes, but it's not even like the main dude was the strongest of characters I've come across in recent time. The same is also true for Uta. That reminds me, the romance here is mediocre as well since it only existed during parkour moments or moments that were dramatic. There was nothing of natural romance which is quite a shame. The only selling point here, although somewhat of a sellout way to go, seems to be only the audiovisuals, which are undoubtedly amazing. Well, maybe not Shinkai level if we are going to talk about crystal looks being on a pedestal compared to the actual story, but you know, it's stuff people would usually look at with starry eyes. No less expected from Wit. Music was good for the most part too, Sawano did well on that. Everything was correct to the scenes that took place. Although it was just a variation of the main theme and song only Hibiki and Uta can hear, they still delivered to high quality if nothing else. --------- *Spoilers here* Now, this part is going into spoilers and the review has essentially finished, but whilst watching this movie I came up with too many damn questions. It was unreal. In fact, some moments were so flawed my initial 7 is now turning into a 5 lol. I usually don't like being too critical, and I find enjoyment in most things I come across. But when you hear the following, led by a team of elites, you will see where I am coming from. The biggest issue I have is some of the world's logic and questions are never answered. Let's start with Hibiki's mom. Some no-one who looked like she wanted to kill her son. For what reason? Dunno, probably because he had hearing aids or something, but her existence feels so wrong in what she does, or at least, the directing made it confusing to present her in a light that was simultaneously two different things. She's a no one in this story, but since she is connected to the main character I thought I'd talk about her. Hibiki seemed to have no problem with her from what I recall tho, maybe I am overthinking. There's also another question as to why the hell Hibiki is even the prince to Uta anyway, of all people. Because he could hear the song? Would love to know but it never goes into detail. They just found each other and fell in love. Some world logic that makes zero sense. Towards the end of the movie, Shin's prosthetic leg is perfectly fine in kicking steel from Tokyo Tower AND well enough to continue on inhuman parkour with zero problems, but breaks when Hibiki jumps from it lol. Also, the Under Takers are literal plot devices. Those guys streamed all the parkour in an illegal area and no one is coming to bust down the place. Odd if you ask me. It also made zero sense for them to help out Blue Blazes save Uta when they had no issue with sending people close to their deaths via that blackhole thing. Lol. You could call all this nitpicking, but I found it funny that this existed. There are a lot more irregularities that feel unnatural but I'd be here forever if I listed them all so I just left my favourites. --------- That's all from me really. Can't keep expectations too high these days, but I don't really regret watching this, it's a time killer thing rather than anything to look back on with great pleasure. It is what it is.

This is my first review and probably the last. I usually watch anime and don't give much thought to what other people think, but I just can't ignore the reviews this masterpiece of anime is getting. I know you shouldn't comment on other people's reviews or opinions but in this case I just can't help it so I apologize in advance and hope for the best. I've seen people claim the story and plot doesn't exist, which I think is absolute nonsense in my Opinion. The Film begins and you are thrown into a story that focuses on the Plot and the Fate that binds the twomain characters from start to finish, You yourself as a viewer are completely sucked in not only into the story itself but also into the world which Art and details are beyond amazing underlined by melodies and sounds that perfectly support and harmonize with the anime and the world. In addition, there may be people like me who now forever have the certain melody in there mind that will bring them back to this anime. I'm willing to admit that if you were expecting an anime that has parkour as its main focus, you might not be entirely convinced but i think even this part was handled quiet well. I also think it was to be expected that this film also had more of a Your Name or Weathering with you vibe. For my part, I am completely convinced and picked up by the masterpiece that this film is the emotions were completely believable for me but maybe they are just not for everybody. I for one think if you were expecting an exciting parkour anime and now you are disappointed then please don't write a bad review based on your disappointment when it was absolutely not what the anime was aiming for! :) Ah that felt good to get out. Thats it for my review. Great day to everyone reading this.