If you ever seen Makoto Shinkai‘s previous works and loved them not just for the stories they told but for the visual aspects, then you’re in for a stunning treat with his latest animated feature film ‘Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo‘ (aka “Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below“). Granted, the story and characters lack depth in comparison to what Shinkai has done in the past and might not appeal to those who look for deep seated drama, I applaud him for tackling something different, the realm of mystical fantasy-adventure intersperse with action. Whilst ‘Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo‘ may seemed *Ghibli-esque* in parts (I see nothing wrong in that), Shinkai stamped his visual artistry to the max. That’s the one element that I thoroughly enjoy taking way from his latest work and I’m glad to see he hasn’t lost his touch in that aspect at all. The other thing of note is the music by TENMON which did far more than just complementing Shinkai’s gorgeous settings and breathtaking vistas. I guess one could say that these two elements went some way to make up for the film’s weak plot but hey, it is Shinkai’s first foray into a different genre after all. I still like the sense of adventure and journeying the film presented. Needless to say I had a blast capturing the screenshots for this post. Wallpaper, anyone?! 😆
::SCREENIES::
Some of my favourite scenes:
See Cute Kitty Run
The details on the hanging tapestry is amazing
Thinking man
I could do with a view like this…looking out at the world beyond
View more of the Screenies here:
the Brownie Post II 
The visuals are absolutely incredible. Especially the landscapes at the very beginning of a rural town. It was a wonderful movie to watch, with a lot of fantasy but still very realistic.
But since we already know that, I’m going to jump to the stuff that..wasn’t as well put together.
First of all, I noticed that the graphics were progressively worsening as the movie went on. And the characters themselves popped a bit too much because of the contrast between the movie components and the static backdrops.
As previous comments stated, the story itself was not as in depth as I would’ve liked it to be, especially considering the movie was based on life and death and the natural way of things, which is a topic that could’ve been greatly expanded on. They merely scratched the surface at the end.
And since I’m on the topic of the ending, it was quite short and uneventful. So much was left unanswered that it just left me hanging with a sour taste in my mouth. I’m not saying that everything has to be a happy ending where people ride off into the sunset, and I understand that this movie should not have ended super happy, but even tragedies leave on a bright note. They do, yes. Let’s say a woman meets a soldier. They fall in love, and the soldier goes off to war, and dies. NO ONE would leave a story ending like that. We all know that the woman then realizes that she needs to move on and be happy for herself, because he’s still alive in her heart. Or blah blah blah, probably.
Although cliche, I would’ve liked some sort of climax, because to be honest, there wasn’t. All of the characters were flat to the end because they did not change at all (probably because there was no climax dsklllldkd).
Anyways, that’s all I have to say about it. Other than these issues, it was still interesting. Not once was it dragged out or boring. I guess If you want to kill some time and see a stunning piece of work, then this movie is alright. If you’re looking for something beautiful and well thought out, perhaps like spirited away, then maybe not.
Lastly, could someone please explain WHY the teacher stayed in Agartha?
Yes, he lost his eyes, but I don’t really see that as a valid reason at all. That part was kind of confusing.
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I agree that the movie is visually stunning and I enjoyed some of the character interactions. Unfortunately, some of the clear Ghibili influences (copies) within the movie sort of ruined the experience a little. But, it’s still a good movie with a moral. ^_^ I love the cat creature. I only saw 3/4ths of the movie, but I’m patient enough to finish it when I can. Thanks for these lovely screenshots. 😀
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@Tgirl:
Yes, awesome visuals notwithstanding, the movie itself tries to pack too much of everything and ends up only touching the surface of the concepts that it is trying to weave in its story. I guess if you don’t look for anything deeper than a sense of adventurism and discovery of an unlikely world in Agartha, then it can still be an enjoyable film to watch as that is what I pretty much did. As for the Ghibli influence, I don’t think it detract too much as I see it in part, as Shinkai’s tribute to a childhood inspiration. As I’ve said, if I were to find flaws within the film, it would be with the lack of depth in the story and its characters. The concepts are great but it could have been better. Still, it is a brave and good attempt by Shinkai to try something different than his previous dramatic endeavours.
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Goodness me, that is indeed visually stunning. Mind if I ask if you know if there has already been an English-subbed copy of the film? I can’t believe I still haven’t watched it…
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Yes, an English sub version (from the actual DVD) has been floating around the net for awhile. Although, it’s also been posted at Youtube. Not sure about now though.
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@mithfalath:
Indeed, the visuals are breathtakingly good in spite of its flaws. But don’t let that stop you from watching it. It is still good if you’re looking for the sort of light adventure type of film. As regards to subs, yes they are out there and if you google for them, you’ll find them. 🙂
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Yea i saw the movie and it was good^^
I specially like those landscape XD
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@Yuuki:
Ya, the landscape scenes/ backdrops are glorious. Unfortunately, the film itself suffered from the lack of development of its characters & their motives in particular, Asuna. She seems lost in the big picture that the film is trying to portray. Pity though, it could have been better develop, for want of a better word. 🙂
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