Lu Over the Wall

This was a fun movie, with infectious music. It taps in to what seems to be a running theme of modern industrailzied Japan making war on its traditional spirits, kind of like in Summer Days with Coo. It also features mermaids, who have an exuberance like Ponyo, but less child-like, and more adolescent-angsty.

A mixture of delightfully refreshing and painfully stale, Lu Over the Wall is a film that shows flashes of greatness but never really comes together as a definitively above-average film. Just like its lead character, Kai, Lu Over the Wall spends a lot of its time going through the motions. While much of this movie is uniquely displayed from a visual standpoint, most of what's being conveyed is an obvious plot-line told through point-blank dialogue & characterizations. Simplicity is sometimes to be expected from cartoons but Lu Over the Wall plays its narrative hand so plainly that it may have its viewers bored before the halfway point.

The playful direction and cinematic choices of this movie may help hold the attention of its viewers but, due to Lu Over The Wall's meandering pace, I would not be surprised if some will be eager for the ending. There is beautiful, frightening and humorous imagery in this movie and enough overall quality that I would say the film was an enjoyable experience. But there is also enough fat along the way that I won't be eager to experience it again. In the end, Lu Over the Wall's combination of ancient folklore, modern music and striking images gives it a special feel that is, unfortunately, overshadowed by its limited script.

Writing: 5/10 Direction: 7/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Acting: 7/10 Editing: 6/10 Sound: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack: 7/10 Production Design: 7/10 Casting: 7/10 Effects: 8/10

Overall Score: 6.9/10

For a movie that begs a comparison to Ponyo, it barely squeaks past it in terms of it's creative presentation, but stumbles at style consistancy and plot coherency.

While nothing in the movie *doesn't* make sense, a lot of it is hard to follow due to weird pacing decisions during important events, and visual decisuons that hamper communication in favor of leaning into Yuasa's presentation style.

The music is just OK for a movie about music, and the few scenes of high energy have a peculiar disconnect from the rest of the film.

Ultimately this movie feels like it started with good intentions, but ran out of creative steam somewhere in development. If you're a big Masaki Yuasa fan, there are things here for you, but it's otherwise OK to miss.

Go watch Mind Game instead if you wanna know what this director is about.

Lou and the Siren Island piqued my interest as soon as i saw the trailer. I'm far from being an anime or animation expert but I can say that I've watched a fair amount of Japanese anime, films or series. The overall style of the anime is certainly quite different from what I'm used to and that felt refreshing.

What I liked - The music worked really well with the anime and different scenes. I'm actually a tiny bit disappointed that they didn't exploit that aspect a bit more. The character design was simple, a bit hazy at times but it worked very well with the animation style that I enjoyed very much. The film also dares to do interesting things with animation, colours, visuals in general and that is very welcome. There are good vibrations in this film and overall it made me feel good. They also manage to make Lou, the siren, a very likable character, at least that's how I experienced it. Finally the whole mystery/mythology/mystic aspect of the Siren felt captivating to me at times and certainly entertaining.

What I liked less - I once again have a problem with character development as I didn't relate enough to the main character. He still had his moments but I needed a bit more from him for this film to have a significant emotional impact on me. The second thing that kinda disturbed me is how random some parts of this movies felt to me. Like it lacked some kind adhesive substance to make it all stick together in a more coherent form. Finally, the way the the main stakes of the movie are handled and ultimately resolved didn't really feel satisfactory to me. That last issue may come from the fact that the audience targeted could be a very young one (I'm 30) but it felt a bit "easy" and oversimplified to me. The way people react to the Sirens was also not realistic at all given that it's taking place in a similar world than ours. Then again, if the movie was intended for a very young audience that could explain that problem.

In the end it was a good experience and I'd recommend it for young kids or if you want to watch a rather simple story with interesting elements and good vibrations!

Verdict : 7.4/10. This rating isn't an attempt to evaluate the actual objective value of the film but merely reflects my own enjoyment of the work.

I really enjoyed this film. It's an upbeat, colourful and very imaginative movie full of joy that is sure to put a big smile on your face. With a cute, cartoonish animation style to go with its generally light-hearted atmosphere, this is an absolutely delightful watch from start to finish, and although some of its intended deeper meanings may get lost in the process, you're guaranteed to have a great time with Lu Over The Wall.

So, let's start off by reaffirming that point once again: this film is really enjoyable. It may not be a moving piece of animated artwork, nor is it a constantly riveting and exciting action adventure, but it's comfortable enough in being a light-hearted and imaginative fantasy adventure with a great sense of humour, and that was absolutely enough to have me grinning ear to ear throughout.

If there's anything that sums up what this film is really like, it's the animation style. Rather than being a hand-painted extravaganza like a Ghibli movie or a detailed and hardcore-styled anime, Lu Over The Wall is simply a bright and lovely film to look at. With a very soft yet hugely colourful visual style that matches the overall film's light-hearted vibes, the delightful animation here is enough to have you smiling within seconds.

What's more is that this film doesn't shy away from being excessively cute, and goes so far to the point that it doesn't feel all that cheesy. Lu, the mermaid, is absolutely adorable from the moment she first appears, and that actually helps to make the story a lot more investing, as you care enough about her as an adorable baby-like character that you support her and those around her to succeed in the story.

And although there are some elements of the middle school students' story that feels a little cheesy, it's all done with a great sense of fun and humour, meaning that you can sit back and look past some of the sillier elements of the story in exchange for nearly two hours of solid entertainment.

A lot of people have pointed out the similarities in plot between this film and Ponyo, and although that's undeniable, I'll tell you why I think Lu Over The Wall brings this story to life even better. It's a film that's completely gleeful in everything it does, knowing full well that it's filled to the brim with some ridiculous fantasy elements, but taking that in its stride to make a properly enjoyable movie that all ages can enjoy and smile at. It's never too serious about itself, and rarely gets bogged down in its storytelling like Ponyo does, and that's why I think it's a perfectly pleasant movie that you can't miss.

With all that said, there are a few issues that I do have with this film. On the whole, it works brilliantly as a light-hearted and enjoyable adventure, but there are moments when the film tries to say something a little deeper with regards to mob mentality, segregation and exploitation. Some of those themes come through better than others, but in general, they're not covered strongly enough in the story to make the desired impact, instead getting lost within the sea of colours and smiles that really make this film special.

What's more is that the film's final act is a little too drawn out for its own good. As fun as the finale is, it really feels like it goes on for a very long time, even suffering from multiple different endings all being crammed into one climax. It doesn't have a huge impact on the smile factor, but there are moments when the plot becomes a little tiresome.

Overall, however, I had huge fun with Lu Over The Wall. Colourful, happy, imaginative and fantastically light-hearted, it's a wonderful animation that will definitely have you smiling from start to finish.