Amicinemici - Le avventure di Gav & Mei

This movie melt down my heart, I think it was a pure movie about true friendship.

I actually didn't feel it as a romance, but I've read some people did, and I can see why. I think this is just my interpretation of the movie, but still, the relationship between Gabu and Mei was sweet and beautiful.

The animation was surprisingly good, being a 2005 movie. I was very satisfied and the backgrounds were just incredible! The designs of the goats and wolves were also fantastic.

The story is simple, but very entertaining, with a final act that is very different from what I expected.

Overall, a very cute movie, I'd definetly watch it again and recommend.

This movie is unbelievably charming and cute.

It's about the friendship between a wolf and a little goat. The wolf defends the little goat from his wolf friends.... and you can really believe they love one another!

But the movie does deal with more adult themes too. It keeps you caring about what happens to the characters throughout.

The production values are quite good and the characters themselves have quite a wide range of expressions. The designs for the wolves don't look like typical anime designs. And the plot is less convoluted than most anime. I wouldn't show it to the youngest children as there is some mild violence and threat. I think it'd be rated PG.

But anyway You have to see it!

Arashi no Yoru Ni is a wonderful tale. It's well written, beautiful animation that I haven't seen since Akira, great voice talents, a nice ending, and it was kid friendly without being cheesy.

Admitedly the odds of a wolf and a goat being friends are practically zero, but after seeing a lioness take care of a gazelle there's really nothing to far-fetched about it. The friendship between Gabu and Mei was a strong bond that was able to get them through even life threatening situations throughout the film. I will grant, many anime tend to show a bond of friendship being close to that of guy love, and Arashi no Yoru Ni isn't an exception, but it's easy to look past that. I actually got a tear in my eye when I though Gabu had died.

What stunned me most was the animation. The colors in the film were vibrant, the shadows and highlights were smooth and easy moving without seeming like paint, and the backgrounds looked as if they had been drawn by Da Vinci himself.

If you want a good story that is fairly kid friendly without being cheesy, wonderful animation and some lovable characters, Arashi no Yoru Ni is right for you.

This movie is something of a real rarity at the time of this review being made. There really hasn't been a movie like this that can capture the hearts of those who watch it so easily and yet almost 5 years after release it still hasn't been seen by most of the world officially outside of Asia.

But when the time comes where the movie will be officially available worldwide, I'm certain this will be a new children's classic for generation to generation. You may think I'm over-exaggerating these words to get more people to see it, but I couldn't be more honest even if I tried.

"Arashi No Yuru Ni", or "One Stormy Night", is by far and beyond the best non-franchise, non-Ghibli anime movie you could possibly see. Released in 2005 and based on the phenomenally successful Japanese children's book of the same name, the story is about a goat and a wolf who accidentally met each other in a barn during a heavy thunderstorm. It was too dark for them to see each other at the time and they couldn't even smell each other to know what creature they are because they started suffering pretty bad colds. The next day, they decide to meet each other and from then on, after knowing what they are and accepting who they are, they end up having to make unbelievable sacrifices in order to remain friends.

There is way, way more to this story but the story is so well weaved- together and so intelligently-written that it would be cruel to say anything more about it to those who haven't seen it. Nothing of the story feels lacking in anything but at the same time nothing seems like it's going for too much. The entire plot evolves naturally, but is such an incredible story that you very easily emote to the main characters as if they are living, breathing creatures and that whatever happens, you'll be on the edge of your seat hoping for the best for both Gabu (the wolf) and Mei (the goat).

The animation is beautiful, it's similar to that of "The Snowman" in that it captures storybook art so well but coupled with such a great story it really immerses you into the world of the movie quite well. At the same time, it's an art style that'll appeal to everybody. Nothing is absolute cliché-anime but it's also not terrifyingly-realistic neither. Music is beautiful as well, definitely mirrors the beauty of the movie really well but also compliments the most emotional of scenes without being too over-the-top.

Some of the lines are overly-simplistic and repetitive in some certain scenes, but it really doesn't get in the way of the enjoyment of this movie too much and it's only a very minor complaint.

This really is the perfect animated movie for families to watch. And it's one of the very rare movies I've seen recently that legitimately almost made me cry and I can safely say that if no one who sees this movie and emotes with the characters so much cries in the last few scenes, I pity them.

Any opportunity you can, please check this out. You really won't regret it!

• Eric.

9/10

'Arashi no yoru ni' is a beautifully rendered animated film. It's a modern fable about wolf and a goat who overcome their natural enmity and become the best of friends.

On a stormy night, (the English translation of the title) Mei, a goat, and Gabu, a wolf, seek temporary shelter in the same barn. The inside of the barn is too dark for them to see each other. Mei thinks Gabu is a goat and, conversely, Gabu thinks Mei is a wolf. They strike up a friendly conversation and find they have very much in common. They agree to meet for lunch the next day at the same place. When they do meet in the light of day, the truth of the matter becomes mutually apparent. Instead of letting their instincts take over, they have a laugh about the mistake and agree to go to lunch together anyway.

As animation goes, this is a top-notch production. The backgrounds are colorful and detailed. More remarkable, the moving foregrounds are also detailed and rendered with subtle shades. As a story goes, it is a better than average presentation of the "your enemy isn't so bad if you get to know him" theme. There is a slight problem with the scenario, however.

Whenever the two meet, they tend to show great interest in each other. It's an attempt, within the short time constraints of the film, to depict how a strong friendship can develop between traditional enemies. From a child's-eye view, the connection between the two can be seen at face value--the two become good friends. From the perspective of a more jaundiced adult, the friendship seemed to me to have an unintended layer of sexuality. For me, it got in the way of the story.

Nonetheless, this is an excellent effort well worth watching. Presently, it is available on DVD in Japan without English subtitles. Keep your eye out for a US release of a film entitled something like, "On a Stormy Night." I give this film a 7.