Japanese animation (Anime) is one of those rare art forms that has the prestige to be easily forgiven for faults that would usually weigh heavily on a films appraisal. Because it is still a traditional hand-drawn medium (with the occasional use of computer graphics), one can't help but be in complete and utter awe at the gorgeously realized visual spectacle on display. Because of the unique advantage, an Anime can get away with things like a not-so-developed script or cheesy voice acting, so long as it retains the visual majesty that has become synonymous with the medium. Flavors of Youth is just such an Anime. It is beautifully realized with breathtaking animation and fabulous design and is a joy to observe, despite the lack of fully fleshed out scripts and the occasional gran inducing line delivery. It is true that pretty pictures can't tell a story on their own, but sometimes, it is just enough to get you through the day.
This particular piece is an anthology film consisting of three separate stories revolving around a similar theme: the nostalgia of youth. The first story revolves around a young man reflecting on his past about his love for his grandmother and for rice noodle soup. He goes into detail about the best bowls and the worst bowls and how each and every one is connected to a memory of childhood. The second story follows a fashion model becoming more and more afraid that she is getting too old for her passion and may lose her ability to model. She also has to contend with the fear of losing her relationship with her sister and has to determine which is more important. The third and final story is a classic young love story about a boy and a girl trying to break from their fears and express their feeling for each other. Even worse, they're both likely going to be attending different schools and may never see each other again. Will they confess their feelings, or will they become a footnote in each other's lives?
All three of these stories are charming in their own way, as well as visually fantastic, and each one leaves a different impact.
The first story earns bonus points for making rice noodles a central thematic element, as I am indeed a big fan of the same dish, and serves as a clever little nod to how even the smallest of events can have a lasting impact on who we grow up to be. Sadly, it also loses a lot of points from me for relying way too heavily on voice-over narration. Mostly because it is wildly unnecessary as it spends most of its time describing things we can either already see or should have been visualized in the first place. At other times it tries to drive up the poetry of the visuals when they are already strong enough on their own. It just felt like the voice-over narration from the theatrical cut of Blade Runner, it didn't need to be there but was thrown in because the studio was afraid that the audience was too dumb to understand the visual language. Granted, in this case, it was more unlikely, but I can't help but suspect.
The second story also maintains the voice-over narration, but it has the good sense to keep it to a minimum. Only being employed when best suited to the situation. While this story follows the tried-and-true storyline of "beautiful model getting jealous of a younger replacement," it doesn't fall into the usual trap of becoming a story about obsession or seeking eternal youth like so many other stories like this have done before. Instead, it takes a different and more optimistic approach and becomes a story about transitions and new beginnings rather than about the end of something. Furthermore, it spends a little more time revolving around the relationship between the main character and her sister, as they grew up relying upon each other after the death of their parents. It's a charming and unconventional story that I wish more western studios would do when telling these kinds of stories. Granted, this may not be the best version of said execution, but it is at least close enough for a start.
The third and final story is kind of up in the air for me. While the romance between the lead characters is sweet and charming to behold and serves as a decent commentary on unreasonable expectations of parents, the story gets severely bogged down by an incredibly untalented voice actor as the male lead. Regardless of the nature of the scene, this guy is just ridiculous. He sounds like a volunteer from a local community theater who's only doing this to gain the required credits for his other classes which have nothing to do with the performing arts. It completely hinders what would otherwise be a decent romantic story. When you can't overlook a bad performance, it's kind of hard to appreciate anything else.
Overall, despite its flaws, this is a pretty and touching piece of work from some very talented artists who deserve the opportunity to work on bigger and better projects. Some of them have indeed already done so and will likely continue getting more work after this, but others who are still getting their foot in the door have shown that they deserve a shot. Give this one a look if only to support the art form.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment