Netflix: From Bubble to Your Name, 5 must-see nuggets of Japanese animation

Netflix: From Bubble to Your Name, 5 must-see nuggets of Japanese animation

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On April 28, Bubble landed on Netflix. This animated film is directed by the director of the cult series Attack on Titan. For the occasion, we offer you 5 nuggets of Japanese animation to prolong the fun.

On April 28, the animated film Bubble landed on Netflix! This is a remarkable event because it was developed by a team of real big names.

First of all, the production was entrusted to Tetsurô Araki, filmmaker to whom we owe the staging of the anime Attack on Titan and several episodes of Death Note.

On the screenplay side, Gen Urobuchi (Psycho Pass) took care of it. To shape the design of the characters, the producers called on Takeshi Obata, designer of the manga Death Note.

Everything was overseen by Wit Studio, the company behind the first three seasons of Attack on Titan. As for the soundtrack, Hiroyuki Sawano (Attack on Titan, Promare) was responsible for composing the music.

The story is set in Tokyo, in a world overrun with bubbles that have altered the laws of gravity. Cut off from the rest of the world, Tokyo has become the playground of a group of young parkour enthusiasts bereft of their families, whose teams battle from building to building.

One day, after a dangerous trick, Hibiki, a young child prodigy known for his risky play style, is thrown into the gravity-free ocean surrounding the city. He is saved by the sudden intervention of Uta, a young girl with mysterious powers.

Both will then hear a sound that only they can perceive. Why did Uta join Hibiki so much? Their meeting will lead them to a revelation that will change the world.

To extend the fun after the Bubble adventure, we bring you 5 nuggets of Japanese animation to watch absolutely on Netflix (excluding Studio Ghibli feature films).

TOKYO GODFATHERS

Released in 2003, Tokyo Godfathers is a true masterpiece that is still too little known by the general public. Its availability on Netflix is ​​excellent news. This movie, directed by the late maestro Satoshi Kon, can finally be seen by as many people as possible! The story takes us in the company of a gallery of wacky characters. Gin, a ruined man, Hana, a sentimental transgender woman, and Miyuki, a teenage runaway, live on the streets.

One Christmas Eve in Tokyo, the three homeless find a baby among the trash and a key to the station locker in his crib. They then decide to visit the mother of the newborn, whom they now call Kiyoko ‘pure child’. Before them begins a formidable adventure that will confront them with their respective pasts through an incredible set of circumstances in six days1.

I WANT TO EAT YOUR PANCREAS

No, I want to eat your pancreas is not a horror movie! Behind this intriguing title lies a sensitive and incredibly moving work, which leaves an indelible impression on our hearts as a spectator. Don’t stop at the confusing title, let yourself be carried away by the grace of this gem without holding back your tears.

The film follows the story of Sakura, a popular and lively high school girl. Unlike one of her lonely comrades who accidentally stumbles upon her diary and discovers she has only a few months to live… United by this secret, they grow closer and tame each other. Sakura then makes him a proposal: to live a whole life together in accelerated, the time of a spring.

FAR FROM ME, NEAR YOU

Far from me, near you is a small sour candy to consume without moderation! If the screenplay isn’t wildly original, the magical atmosphere that emanates from the movie will easily carry you away. Plus, the animation is to die for and the characters extremely endearing. The story is set in the city of Tokoname in Aichi Prefecture.

We follow the daily life of Miyo Sasaki, a high school girl who is in love with her classmate Kento Hinode. Despite Sasaki’s best efforts to be noticed, Hinode pays no attention to her. One day, she discovers a strange mask that allows her to transform into a cat named Tarō. This object allows her to get closer to the one she loves. However, by using it, it cannot return to its original form.

TASTES OF YOUTH

Produced by Comix Wave Films, the studio behind Your Name, Flavors of Youth is a true gem of Japanese animation (in collaboration with China). The story consists of three stories that follow the fate of different characters. One remembers the taste of the rice noodles he ate in his hometown, the other remembers his first childhood sweetheart that he never fully experienced.

Between the two, there is the one who will do anything to succeed in modeling in order to take care of her little sister… These three Chinese destinies have in common that they are inhabited by regret. Did these characters really go to the end of their dream? If not, can they fix it? Flavors of Youth responds with poetry to these questions we all ask ourselves. Steeped in nostalgia and melancholy, the work shares similarities with Your Name.

YOUR NAME

To end this selection of animation nuggets from the Land of the Rising Sun, how not to forget your name † Signed Makoto Shinkai, this masterpiece is one of the greatest successes in the history of the Japanese box office. And it is totally deserved, because this film is a pure marvel in every sense of the word, from the animation to the screenplay, including the sound and musical atmosphere. We follow Mitsuha, a teenager trapped in a traditional family.

She dreams of leaving her native region to discover the hectic life of Tokyo. She can’t imagine living the urban adventure in the skin of… Taki, a young high school student living in Tokyo, busy between his job at an Italian restaurant and his many friends. Through her dreams, Mitsuha sees herself literally being driven into the young boy’s life to the point where she believes she is living in reality…

Everything changes when she realizes that Taki also dreams of a life in the mountains, surrounded by a traditional family…in the shoes of a young girl! A strange relationship develops between their two bodies, which they mutually monopolize. What mystery lies behind these strange dreams that unite two opposing destinies that have never met?

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