Reviews of Modest Heroes (2018) and related work
- Entry: “Kanini & Kanino” (2018)
- Entry: “Life Ain’t Gonna Lose” (2018)
- Entry: “Invisible” (2018)
- Document: “The Modest Heroes of Studio Ponoc” (2019)
Modest Heroes (2018
)
Seen in 2019.
An anthology, billed as volume 1.
moving picture Japanese production animation fiction series
‣ “Kanini & Kanino” (2018)
Yonebayashi Hiromasa (writer-director).
Seen in 2019.
Aquatic little people.
The water effects are impressive, but it’s all the scaling flaws of The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) minus speech. The result is curiously similar to “Fish Out of Water”, the silent underwater episode of BoJack Horseman (2014), right down to “Kaka” bringing back a litter to rival that of BoJack’s seahorse.
moving picture entry Japanese production animation fiction
‣ “Life Ain’t Gonna Lose” (2018)
Momose Yoshiyuki (writer-director).
Seen in 2019.
Serious allergy.
A sensitively crafted, softly realistic and didactic children’s film. Too bad it doesn’t have time for a plot beyond the egg allergy.
References here: “The Modest Heroes of Studio Ponoc” (2019).
moving picture entry Japanese production animation fiction
‣ “Invisible” (2018)
Yamashita Akihiko (writer-director).
Seen in 2019.
An invisible man goes unnoticed even when carrying a fire extinguisher for added weight.
The most original work of the anthology, it develops into an effective metaphor for social invisibility, never stooping to allegory.
References here: “The Modest Heroes of Studio Ponoc” (2019).
moving picture entry Japanese production animation fiction
‣ “The Modest Heroes of Studio Ponoc” (2019)
Seen in 2019.
Producer Nishimura Yoshiaki talks about the collection at length. English-language dub actor Maggie Q is cut in briefly, talking about her role as the mother in “Life Ain’t Gonna Lose” (2018).
A minimal talking-head production, yet there are some interesting details in here about the transition from Ghibli and the artistic collaboration between producer and directors. Nishimura relates how, sitting in a chain coffee shop, he pitched an invisible man to Yamashita for “Invisible” (2018) with the argument that the would-be director had probably forgotten the face of the person who’d just served him his beverage. Though Nishimura doesn’t mention it, this is, in itself, carrying on a Ghibli tradition. Miyazaki always used to demand fully detailed characters in backgrounds for a very similar reason: It’s a sign of respect for all people.