Reviews for Hoshi o Ou Kodomo (7.77) 6y3r5x

I watched the New York premier of this movie at the New York Anime Festival on October 16, 2011. It was subtitled, I presume, by an official company, and was projected in 1080p or higher on a screen that was about 3/4 the size of a typical movie theater screen. Basically, it was huge.

Well, our director SHINKAI Makoto has a lot to live up to after the release of 5 Centimeters per Second... does he do it? The quick, to the point version is: he does, perhaps, but in a different way that is sure to appeal much more than 5cm to some, but in the process loses some other aspects of 5cm that appeal to others. Read on...

Art & Animation: 9.5
Well... it's amazing. Those who know Shinkai don't need me to tell them that these landscapes are beautiful; there is the utmost attention to detail: the movement of clouds behind the main character as she is talking, the way the whole scene appears to be moving and changing as in real life that many other anime lack is beautifully captured here. The mythical world of Agartha is beautifully executed and captures Shinkai's original concept. Characters are well drawn and consistent; animation is fluent throughout the movie. There is a nice balance between fast-moving and slow-moving scenes as well.
The only reason I dock .5 of a point is that during the ending song (credits), there is an animation of two characters walking off the screen... one disappears before he actually walks off about 1 second too quickly. But, it's in the credits after all.

Sound: 10
No, really. 10. There's absolutely no way the sound could be better for this movie. The BGM is again composed by Tenmon, who worked closely with Shinkai and his group to produce music that evokes the exact feel that the directors wanted. There are no problems there, of course, but the most important aspect of the sound in this movie is, again, the attention to detail. For example, when Asuna (our main character) runs across her house, one can distinctly hear her footsteps on the wooden floor; the brain automatically establishes that she must be running on specifically a wooden floor just because of the way the sounds emulate real life. The sound effects are not overdone or gaudy, and often music is given a complementary role that is balanced with the amazing visuals presented.

Story: 9
What, 9! BLASPHEMY! But no, there's only a few reasons that this story falls short of a 10. The first is the rather contrived nature of Asuna's original reasoning for journeying into Agartha. Second, there are some loose ends that are really never tied up, or are briefly brushed over and left as such even after the movie has concluded, such as the organizations that know of Agartha's presence.
Onto the amazing parts! The story has very nice, logical flow. Never are there strange timeskips or scenechanges that leave the viewer confused; likewise, most loose ends are tied up and even addressed early. Everything that the viewer sees is relevant and necessary; that is, there is no "fluff" in the story. Nor does there need to be, because the overall theme and impact are quite fantastic. The moral message is strong, and fits quite well with Shinkai's themes. He has successfully achieved his goal to bring out a sense that "Japan is now changing, with the earthquake and tsunami."
Additionally, Shinkai does a very good job of portraying a "world" as a whole, and having the viewer buy into it; this is explained in a bit more detail in the next section.

Character:9
Well, this really depends on how you define "character." I would take this to mean not only the staying power and impact of the characters themselves, but character development as well. In this sense, our main character Asuna isn't the focus; it is perhaps her teacher that has changed the most. Which is kind of strange, considering the premise of the movie. And although Asuna does indeed "change" somewhat, as I mentioned in the "Story" section, some of it could be seen as contrived, rather random, and in there just to give the story an overarching theme to go back to.
Regardless, the point that I was making before is that the way the characters are presented is very believable: the guardian gods, God himself, the dead, and the living, are all very vivid. The different creatures that inhabit the underworld, as well as those that inhabit Asuna's regular world, all give a sense of something that is epic in scale yet realistic in all the minor, but important details. Each "type" of creature serves a distinct purpose that is certainly appreciated and adds depth to the story.

Value:10
Well, I feel the value is definitely a ten. Ignoring the cost of BDs, which is typically irrelevant, the time spent on the movie (2 hours) is worth every second. Literally, it felt like such a longer movie (in a good way!) just because of the way Shinkai organizes and executes his work.

Enjoyment:9
I enjoyed this. A lot. Very much. I still like 5 Centimeters per Second better, but that's really personal preference. There is no reason to compare this to 5cm in any kind of "competition" manner; they both stand independently and truly have a different focus. As a work of art, this is something to truly be appreciated.

So what are you waiting for? Get it as soon as you can!