bass-9

So yes, It looked dumb at first, but my 9 1/2 year old son really seemed to like it, so I kept checking in.

And it definitely got better. In fact, there are some segments I've seen that had both me and my son laughing our asses off, together. ("Suzy Sewer Princess", "So What Song" come to mind immediately, but there are plenty more.) That already is a priceless thing.

The point of it is, I think, that's it's just plain old dumb humor, but usually well done. It's not intellectual, there are no life lessons, no double meanings, no fables - just dumb fun, sometimes poking fun at modern pop culture, other times just bizarre humor. A lot of it works, it's not offensive, the players are talented, have a lot of positive energy, and they clearly enjoy doing it.

Even better, no deleterious side effects, either! My kid hasn't suddenly gotten stupid, he still reads 3 years beyond his grade level, is even improving in math, and still loves playing piano and drums. Not everything has to "stimulate" or "challenge" your child. That's just plain boring.

So we approve! Looking forward to another season!

I agree with some others here in that it did start a tad slow (but I'm an American, so it's not entirely the film's fault...). But it was still very engaging and beautifully done, and it ended up sweeping me along in a most subtle yet powerful way. The way that the filming of the memories was handled in that very "making of.." style was brilliant, and the almost excruciatingly sparse music track was also quite wonderful. I only wish there had been a couple more close-ups during some scenes between Mochizuki and Shiori. Speaking of them, I'm sure we'll see more of Arata and Erika Oda in the future, they were fantastic.

I would suggest buying this film and showing it to others to get people thinking about their lives again... it sure got my wheels spinning...