***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Children of the Sea. Reader discretion is advised.***
As a reminder: THIS IS NOT A REVIEW. Films and other posts under the Out and About: Eigakan label are watched in Japanese with NO English subtitles. Therefore, misinterpretations and misunderstandings are possible. With that said:
I just got out of Children of the Sea…
Children of the Sea
And I can easily say there were elements in this movie I thought were phenomenal. However, looking at everything as a whole, it is currently impossible for me to tell you whether or not I enjoyed what I sat through. The language barrier I experienced was quite steep.
At a minimum, though, I can confirm there is value to watching this film on the big screen. But before we go into any details, here is — to the best of my ability — a brief synopsis of Children of the Sea’s story.
As a child, a seemingly mythical encounter while at the aquarium struck Ruka with awe. Ever since then, the only thing she wanted to do was break out of her mundane existence.
Such was her state of mind when Ruka met someone who would make the coming summer vacation the longest, most magical one of her life. While visiting the same aquarium, she was introduced to a hyper-energetic boy named Umi, who loved nothing more than to swim.
Fueled by her new friend’s endless sense of wonder, Ruka began to see or perhaps recall images of the ocean and the mighty creatures within it. Although Umi was a big enough mystery, he was nothing compared to his brother, Sora.
Together, Ruka, Umi, and Sora embarked on a grand adventure that led them to the very depths of the sea.
And we will cut it off there.
I was actually able to follow this movie rather consistently throughout its first half. But looking back, I don’t remember much. On the surface, I understand why that doesn’t sound like the best start for any story but try not to jump the gun just yet.
I’m not blaming my lack of retention on Children of the Sea being boring because boredom was something I never once felt in this film. I forget the first half of this movie because, during the second half, it took all my brain power for me to keep pace with what was going on, and I didn’t do well in that regard.
During the last thirty minutes of Children of the Sea, I didn’t have a damn clue what was happening. For you see, that was the part of the movie where the filmmakers decided:
Let’s take a butt-ton of acid and see what happens.
Trust me, things got weird, and that is not me complaining.
If you ever have the chance to see Children of the Sea in a theatre, you jump on that opportunity. This film was f@#$ing gorgeous. Granted, the human characters were a bit nightmare-fuel, but everything else — the ocean, the sea creatures, the lighting, the waves, the 2001-A-Space-Odyssey-drug-trip finale — was jaw-dropping. While watching, you get the sense the animators knew they were good at their jobs. This film was their way of showing off.
Final Thoughts
To tell you the truth, I’m glad I will have already seen Children of the Sea’s artwork when I eventually review this movie. That way, I can solely focus on everything else I missed (as in damn near everything) and not get distracted by all the pretty pictures.
Then again, there were a lot of pretty pictures. Here’s hoping this story can hold its own.
But you know what? We will have to wait and see.
Thank you all so much for reading. Please comment down below if you have anything to say —positively or negatively — about this post. Also, if you have seen the film, I would love to hear your thoughts.
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