Flavors of Youth

It is evident all over the world, wherever you are born, you'll never forget the place you are born. And that's the irony of today's gov't all over the world. All the world's gov't is demolishing the memory we have of our child dream homes where we were born. Same here, the gov't demolished our home in the name of development and now all we've left is some vague memory. Sure we will never be able to rewind the past. Such a beautiful past we had. Hats off to the team.

Flavors of Youth is an anthology anime drama film. Produced by CoMix Wave Films (Your Name, 5 Centimeters Per Second), it is a beautifully melancholic look into the lives of three distinct individuals.

The film is told in three chapters, similar to that of 5 Centimeters Per Second. Chapter one, "The Rice Noodles," focuses on a young man with a nostalgic fondness for noodle soup in Beijing. Chapter two, "A Little Fashion Show", is about two sisters, one a fashion model and one a fashion designer, the former of whom's career gets in the way of their time together. Chapter three, "Love in Shanghai", concerns a young architect regretting not confessing his true feelings to a girl he knew in his childhood.

Showcasing gorgeous animation and artwork, Flavors of Youth is a carefully told and often touching collection of stories about living in the moment and enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Each individual protagonist lends themselves to their story in their own unique way, but never so much that the overall tone of the film feels inconsistent. The English dub voice acting is solid as well, featuring great performances from the likes of Crispin Freeman, Erica Mendez, and even Hollywood actress Evan Rachel Wood. While not on par with better anime films in CoMix Wave's library like 2016's Your Name, Flavors of Youth is certainly worth a viewing on Netflix.

I rate it 8/10

It's all about the little things that make the difference in our lives. It's so alone-time kind of film. And the last film grabbed me by my heartbeats. This was also my first anime viewing.

As a chinese myself, it is actually quiet surprising when I saw the cities named in the anime are Chinese cities and protagonists are all Chinese (maybe I haven't watched enough anime lol). Even the names of the food and street gave me so much memories.

I'm glad to see such collaboration between the Japanese and Chinese artists, given all the histories between the two and numerous political conflicts. It's simply beautiful to witness such mixture between cultures and I look forward to seeing something similar in the future!

It is also surprising to see how the rating here on IMDB is only 6.6. And I feel this one at least deserves a seven. The stories are a bit cheesy to be quite frank but it's very authentic and realistic to see. And the stories are heartfelt.

So this film is about three short stories. I guess every now and then we forget how life is about the littlest things we do for each other, about the meaning we grew up with (no matter how small they are), and about the love we share with one another.

They are the meanings. The important flavor we grew up with, the love from family and friends, as well as the powerful heart beat we felt being with our loved ones. Youth is everything about that.

A lot of delicate feelings were depicted in this film. You might not feel anything when the restaurant down the street shuts down, but to some people the flavor is the memory of their grandma. Working is rewarding but competitive and being on the top could easily cloud your from seeing how your family and friends are supporting you, guiding you through this muddle. And you would possibly never know what sacrifices your loved ones make for you, even though you're essentially doing the same thing.

I enjoyed all three stories but if I have to pick a favorite I'll say the last one as it was really well developed. It was heart-breaking when Xiao Ming was fast forwarding the tape searching for more messages from Xiao Yu, after she said she will not go for the elite school because of him and he was the one who was too stubborn to listen to the tape she sent her. Part of me feels if the story ends there it would be very VERY sad but at the same time very VERY powerful. But oh well at least they're together now.

But that's just love isn't it. Such passion so strong that you'll do anything for each other, to a degree it becomes too much and it hurts.

Our youth. Just like our memories, it is something we had and it won't come back ever again. It made us who we are but it is also in the past. I guess all we can do is cherish our time here, and be very mindful about the unseen beauty around us.

Composed of three, independent short stories, this anime film has beautiful animation. The stories are gentle, nostalgic slice-of-life, filled with childhood memories and regret, but also hope. Little action, just feelings and self-reflection. For some viewers it will seem boring, but for me it was very enjoyable. The shorter length of each story helped me not to lose interest. Rating: 9/10