In This Corner of the World (2017)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Absolutely amazing

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Love anime to death, especially Studio Ghibli, so would see anything regardless of the studio and subject matter. There are many great animes out there that are among my favourites ever, and while 'In This Corner of the World' is not one of the best or one of my favourites it has a huge amount to admire and a worthy take on a heavy subject (one doesn't get that much heavier than the Hiroshima).'In This Corner of the World' doesn't completely engage in the first act, in this part of the film the slightness of the story does in particular show meaning that some of the first half suffers from being a bit meandering and draggy. The film is perhaps longer than necessary, would have trimmed around twenty minutes or so by tightening up the first act, and some of the secondary characters are not as fully formed as one would like for a film as long as it is.However, as said, 'In This Corner of the World' is worthy of a lot of admiration. It is always brave taking on heavy, sensitive subjects in any medium, let alone animation/anime. With a subject that is as both of those things as one can possibly get, 'In This Corner of the World' had a lot of traps it could have fallen into.Those who haven't seen it yet and are diffident about doing so will be relieved to know that the film feels neither over-simplified or melodramatic (two of the biggest traps). Instead it has genuinely poignant emotions even with an interestingly gentler tone (beautifully done too) than one would expect, the cultural quirks are similarly done beautifully and the historical aspects respectful and educational.Particularly good here is the animation, which is nothing short of wonderful. Rich in meticulous background and character detail, atmospheric and ethereal in colour schemes and alive to nuances in its use of settings and character gestures and expressions, it becomes a character of its own. The music has whimsy, haunting beauty and understatement, while not overbearing the drama and letting it speak when needed.Writing has a lot of sincerity and heart, while the story properly comes to life in the more dramatic and genuinely powerful second half. The emotions of the first half are also still done very well, the gentle nature of it works effectively, it's heart-warming, very moving and the messaging is inspirational. The coming of age aspects of the story have warmth, emotional impact and the sincerity really shines throughout. Being animation/anime, of course the full horrors of the event couldn't be shown but one does get the sense that it is an important part of history and a harrowing one treated with respect.Suzu is an engaging and likable lead character that one finds easy to relate to and the character relationships are executed with a lot of good intentions executed nicely, even with characters and motivations not as fully developed as one would like. Voice acting is dynamic.Overall, not perfect but quite beautiful. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Greetings again from the darkness. There is something hypnotic about the hand-drawn animation of writer/director Sunao Katabuchi's film based on the 2007-09 Japanese manga (comic) by Fumiyo Kouno. With some similarities to Takahata's 1988 classic Grave of the Fireflies, it's more than a wartime drama – it's a story of the human spirit.It's 1935 and Suzu is a young girl who lives in Eba, a town in Hiroshima. She is an exceptional artist with a vibrant imagination and an adventurous approach to life. Her innocence and pleasant childhood existence is rocked when, as a teenager, she receives an out-of-the-blue marriage proposal from a stranger. Life with his family in Kure forces Suzu into a daily routine of cleaning, mending and cooking – all while longing for her family in Eba. The film clicks through the months and years, and provides a history of war time from the perspective of a family and village. While the date of August 6, 1945 hovers on the viewer's mind, we experience how family dynamics are affected by war time. For Suzu, her daily routines such as food preparation provide a necessary structure and distraction, despite the ever-worsening shortage of food and supplies. These stresses are compounded by air raid warnings over the radio and Suzu suffers through vivid nightmares.We so easily connect with Suzu as she continually fights through hardships – both physical and emotional – because of her determination to live a good life and overcome all obstacles. This is such expert story telling with a beautiful presentation, that the film periodically reminds us that war is close by. Even in a war torn country, the people must find a way to go about daily life while treasuring the rare moments of joy and understanding the strength of togetherness. It's rare that an animated movie can deliver such a humanist look at fully formed characters and their feelings … all within a historical setting.

I couldn't engage with this and almost walked out several times especially as it was very bitty. The style jarred and I soon grew bored with the rapid changing of scenes as the dates went by.Obviously once you hear the word Hiroshima, you know this isn't going to be a happy little animated film. In all honesty, it was only towards the end when the bomb is dropped, that my interest piqued.I can see that my opinion is in the minority but I feel I must post to bring some balance to the overwhelming positive reviews. This could have been so much better.

This is my first anime film and I am glad I chose it. It combined a good (if meandering at times) story, excellent animation, unique art, and appropriate history together to produce a wonderful (if long) film. The characters do not take advantage of the medium except in dream sequences or when something untoward occurs. This keeping the film in reality is one of its strengths. Another strength is what I feel to be the accurate portrayal of Japanese citizens during the war. I have read a great deal and feel this might actually be a very good teaching tool about the hardships and loyalty born by the Japanese people during WW2. And, finally, with my limited knowledge of Japanese culture, I thought this offered a valuable insight into how the culture works and what is important to the people. For all these reasons, plus the beautiful animation and art in the film, I am glad this was my first experience with anime.