review is a perfectly devastating comic that already got an excellent animated movie two years ago, so I understand if you question the need for the same story to be retold in a live-action movie. This new adaptation is produced by Kore-eda Hirokazu and premiered at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals the same week it was released in Japan, it was the weakest of the three films. reviews, but it’s still the same great story and finds enough merit in its new medium to justify another version.
Honestly, what makes me most curious about the new film isn’t seeing a live-action take on the story (which would be easy enough to imagine for a realistic drama), but seeing how it could be expanded to feature-length length. The manga is short, while the anime completes the entire story in less than an hour, so fleshing it out to 100 minutes guarantees you won’t have the same experience.
Kore-eda expanded the story by investing more time in the manga production process. Watching characters draw is a neat trick for animation, but watching real people draw—rather than passing such a scene so quickly in a montage—has its own pleasure. Fujino and Kyomoto talk more about their story ideas here, both with each other and with their editors, giving us a better idea of what “Shark Kick” was like, beyond its broad implications. chainsaw man substitute. Their sources of inspiration also involve more life experiences and pop culture touchstones (which I’m sure fans noticed) Tatsuki Fujimoto Great to see his work being adapted and a direct shout out Nosferatu, great white sharkand my neighbor chinchilla).
All of these additions make sense, but adding so much, Kore-eda’s review It loses some of the punch of the original. Although not as long as the movie, it felt slow. Maybe it’s a side effect of the third version of this story I’ve seen (I feel like I need to read new people’s reactions to properly judge its validity), but for the most part, it doesn’t strike me as strongly.
Even in real-life stories, some things work better in animation than in live action. Anime and comics have a way of making scenes iconic because you can feel every emotion in the illustrations. Senzo UenoThe film’s cinematography is gorgeous, with scenic, natural wide shots and a bright color palette that contrast sharply with the darkness of the final act, but when you see the actors running with great emotion, you don’t feel the same power that you feel in the painted version. Without the effort and expression of these pictures, the film instead attempts to Yuta BandoThe score – which is great – and the occasional use of slow motion for emphasis – is a bit cheesy.
Also cheesy in the live action: the cuts between actors. Elementary school students Fujino’s children actually playing (Nanase Fuli) and Kyomoto (Rikka Okada) gives the first act a sense of realism and a different flavor than the anime. When I entered middle school, I was suddenly played by an actress in her twenties (Exit Natsuki and Aki Makita). There is no such switching technique in animation.
However, there is one scene where live-action surpasses animation: the final montage of Fujino’s memories in Kyomoto’s room. This is also where live-action films use rotoscoping animation, produced by Kuno Yoko and Xinying Animationa unique ending to this version of the story. Up until this ending, I respected how this adaptation conveyed shock and mourning without falling into it myself. At this point, I finally burst into tears.
Do we need another one? review? Maybe not. But unlike many live-action remakes, there’s a lot here that actually works. The core of the story remains intact, and the expansion is worthwhile. Even its relative weaknesses are entertaining and highlight just how great the manga is compared to the anime.