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doomonfilm · 6 years ago

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Review : Mirai (2018)

Due to the amount of time I spend in movie theaters, I am no stranger to Fathom Events. The group strives to bring festival fare, international films and new screenings of old films to standard theaters in hopes of widening awareness for movie fans. Their latest show running is a heartfelt anime about learning to adjust to a growing family (as well as learning about your past) known as Mirai.

Kun (Moka Kamishiraishi) is a young boy living with his architect father (Gen Hoshino) and working mother (Kumiko Aso). At four years old, his mother becomes pregnant and gives birth to Kun’s younger sister, who is eventually named Mirai (Kaede Hondo), which means ‘future’. With the new addition to the family, everyone is forced to adjust, but Kun struggles with the adjustments, initially throwing tantrums in hopes of regaining the attention and admiration of his mother and father, but eventually resorting to threats of violence against the defenseless Mirai. With each drastic action, Kun finds himself swept away to a land created in his mind where he takes part in a series of strange encounters. During these journeys, he meets his dog Yukko in human form (Mitsuo Yoshihara), Mirai as a teenager (Haru Kuroki), his mother as a child and his great-grandfather (Masaharu Fukuyama). Through these journeys, Kun learns important lessons about his family, his history and himself.

Kun is the embodiment of childhood wonder, with each passing moment presenting opportunities for life lessons due to his connection to these moments. Due to this focus in the narrative, the film really lets each moment sit with the viewer as well, taking time to let characters associate spatially and not just jamming in wall to wall conversation. Naming the sister Mirai also provides a subtle opportunity to show how Kun learns to accept a future he did not expect or prepare for.

Focusing on the adjustment of a new addition to a family doesn’t seem like a thrilling topic for an anime, but Mirai uses that foundation and builds a story full of wonder on top of it. The wonder comes in to play in the outside portion of the family home, where Kun projects new environments for him to interact with alternative versions of those closest to him, like a human version of his dog, his now-teenage sister, and his great-grandfather. These projections allow him to cope with the adjustments, while simultaneously providing him with opportunities to demonstrate to his parents that he is maturing. Through these interactions, he also learns how to communicate and act for others rather than himself, as opposed to going to pieces each time Mirai needs the attention of her parents.

A subtle aspect this ‘time travel’ story touches on that I find interesting is the amplification of time in regards to how present actions impact the future. Mirai tells Kun about how what is just a day to them cost her years when it comes to the dolls, and the ultimate lesson learned is that seemingly little things do hold weight in regards to how the future develops. The way that Kun takes over the presence of Yukko, or the fact that Mirai cannot exist as both her future and baby self in the same room, also raise interesting questions. The way that the father questions the physics of objects moving due to teenage Mirai and Yukko’s interactions is akin to spirits impacting the physical realm.

The highly textured animation, especially the establishing overhead shots of the city, are highly styled, and at times nearly photorealistic. The movement of the characters and Yukko has touches of animated exaggeration, but they are rooted so much in believable movement that it draws viewers in. The transitions used in lieu of cuts when inside the home are stylistically pleasing and fresh. Tons of detail is found all over the film, down to the books on the shelf in the home in relation to the father. Placing the family index (which is a stunning sequence) inside a literal family tree was a nice touch. The train station sequence was equally breathtaking in the way that it seamlessly mixed several unique styles of illustration and animation together.

Moka Kamishiraishi provides a performance full of toddler frustration and immaturity, easily integrating the urgency and confusion that comes with being a young child that doesn’t understand the change of a younger sibling joining a household. Kaede Hondo provides the cute cooing of young Mirai, while Haru Kuroki brings in the attitude of a bullied younger sibling while mixing in the sharpness of someone able to travel back in time with a clarity of what the future holds for them. Gen Hoshino plays the comically overwhelmed father to a tee, while Kumiko Aso brings a diversity of emotions and protective urges to her portrayal of the mother. Mitsuo Yoshihara and his human version of Yukko the dog lays on the resentment thick, even with a committed nature still in tow. Masaharu Fukuyama and his determination to continue moving forward makes his casting in the role of the great-grandfather extremely moving. Additional voicing of the grandparents by Yoshiko Miyazaki and Kaji Yakusho help round out the cast.

In the end, Mirai teaches us to appreciate how the small things in life add up to help develop us and those we love. Taking care of ourselves is very important, but we shouldn’t focus on ourselves at the expense of those around us. Definitely a highlight of 2018 in terms of animated movies.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #MamoruHosoda #Mirai #MokaKamishiraishi #HaruKuroki #KaedeHondo #GenHoshino #KumikoAso #MitsuoYoshihara #YoshikoMiyazaki #KojiYakusho #MasaharuFukuyama

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