One of my favorite topics is revealed under a new magic street. In anime, I have never seen such a charming, mysterious and beautiful ocean with myriads of a wide variety of living creatures scattered across it, like clusters of stars in space.
In the work of Daisuke Igarashi, the Universe and the Endless Ocean will collide – two of the least studied dimensions by man, yet so similar to each other. They always make it clear that man, space and the ocean are inseparable, no matter how the former understands the other two most important links in such a mysterious process as life.
The work itself is unusual, I would even say experimental. It tells a story much deeper and larger than it might seem at first. The plot is quite complex, it is not immediately possible to understand the main thoughts and ideas of the work. The religion of different countries, the theory of the universe, and most importantly, the inviolable circle of life and the connection of all living things with each other are intertwined here.
With the help of the manga by Daisuke Igarashi and the film adaptation by Ayumu Watanabe, we can put ourselves in the place of the main character and take part in such a strange and completely unexplored event as the origin of life on Earth.
General information
Kaijuu no Kodomo – an interesting, beautiful and specific manga authored by Daisuke Igarashi. The release took place in 2005, at the moment the status of the title and translation is completed.
Compound: 45 chapters.
Genres: drama, mystery, adventure, seinen, supernatural.
A full-length anime film based on Igarashi’s work was released on big screens May 19, 2019 from the team Studio 4°с. When rating the film, reviewers from various media publications mostly praised the film, and especially highlighted the virtuoso work of the composer Joe Hisaishi – Longtime Studio Ghibli collaborator.
It’s hard to blame the visual, because it’s simply magical. Bright rich colors and the artists’ great attention to detail give birth to an absolutely fabulous picture before your eyes, giving free rein to your imagination.
But the plot was criticized, but https://casinopalm.net/ here the message is so ephemeral and illusory; simultaneously obvious and so mysterious that it easily changes the viewer’s initial understanding of the painting. Well, whether you saw a deep message there or not is entirely up to you.
Plot and characters
The main character in this beautiful drama will be an ordinary, reserved schoolgirl – Azumi’s hand, who has a hard time with social life. Her parents divorced and her relationship with her mother deteriorated. The only place where a girl can feel calm and “float” is the school handball section.
And now the long-awaited summer holidays are finally coming to the seaport town where Ruka lives, and the girl planned to spend her free time playing her favorite sport. However, everything is ruined by a chain of accidents and misunderstandings, as a result of which Ruka is suspended from handball games.
Upset by all this, the girl heads to the local aquarium, where her father works. There he unexpectedly meets a strange boy named Umi, gracefully swimming right in the aquarium with the rest of the fish. Him and his brother Sora – very unusual creatures – Children of the Sea. They were born among the foamy waves and raised by a flock of dugongs. These boys see and understand the structure of our world completely differently. Desperately trying to tell something not only to the Hand, but also to all of humanity.
At the same time, something strange is happening to the ocean. The water is constantly glowing with bright flashes, various types of marine animals have begun to be spotted in completely unnatural waters, and deep-sea fish and herring kings are thrown onto land to die – a common bad sign. And it all started after a meteorite fell onto the seabed.
The festival is approaching, he is looking for his Guest, and Umi, Sora and Ruka will become its direct participants, trying to convey to people the secrets of this world and the Universe. The festival’s artists are sea creatures, and the Song of the Sea will be performed by the wind and humpback whales. All existence will merge in a passionate sensual dance of birth and death. And such a grandiose event will be witnessed by a very proud, stubborn and confused schoolgirl.
Narration
At the very beginning of the film and the source material it comes very directly and clearly. One gets the feeling of an upcoming teenage drama with a touching denouement and a conclusion to the plot. However, you definitely don’t need to expect this from the work – the author cannot do without surrealism and abstract thoughts of the characters, which can sometimes lead to a dead end. Simply because they begin to discuss far from everyday things like religion, rebirth and the connection of everything living and dead on the planet and throughout the Universe as a whole. In general, everything manages to accelerate quite quickly to such proportions. And, of course, not every viewer will be ready for this.
At times it was hard to comprehend what was going on. However, the climax of the manga explains the main points to the reader, and strong plot scenes will leave you feeling dumbfounded. The adaptation beautifully conveyed all the emotions and sensations of Igarashi’s manga, but remained more surreal and mysterious, inviting the viewer to think for himself about the details, references and general message.
What actually happened to the Hand in the middle of the open sea??
What happened at this festival and how it affected the girl?
These are the main questions that you still need to try to answer, even if you familiarize yourself with the original source and adaptation.
Manga
This is the very option when you want to get tired and read something more complex. Look for hidden meanings and double bottoms hidden behind various small details. But I think it’s worth it, even if you’re not a fan of controversial plots. History takes unexpected turns, its next steps are impossible to calculate. She can knock you off your feet with a seemingly completely illogical decision or turn.
That’s what drew my attention to this work. It is much deeper than it seems, although at first it seems like just melancholic everyday life. And as soon as the dramatic metamorphoses in the plot came, I wanted to see where it would ultimately lead.
At the very end, you get a feeling of being lost, and you are left somewhat confused by the stream of thoughts that the mangaka dumps on you and tries to justify.
The author’s style is simple, undetailed, and sometimes even very careless. This is especially evident in the character designs. But what takes your breath away from reading is the contemplation of close-up frames of the sea, animals and fish, depths and corals. Such illustrations are pleasant to look at – they seem to pull the reader to the very bottom and give the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful views underwater. Take a look at the entire Universe without leaving the stratosphere.
Anime
The delightful full-length film adaptation pleased me no less than the original source, playing with the feeling of a fairy tale and something unknown, frightening, incomprehensible. The anime film only enhances this feeling, but unfortunately, it cannot be called particularly informative. The original source will have a stronger impact on the reader in terms of understanding the plot. There are more details to the legend about the appearance of boys from the sea: stories of fishermen, divers and just random people who noticed them in different parts of the planet; strange inexplicable cases, their own experiences from meeting Umi and Sora.
The adaptation lost greatly in this regard, showing only the main plot line, without focusing on details and explanations. Most likely, in order not to stretch the already large running time of the film. And at the same time, it still hits hard on the feeling of the overall picture.
Not everyone will like the last act, it seems to me. But on my own behalf I will say that it was a powerful, emotional and completely surreal video sequence of beautiful, sometimes incomprehensible images, designed to tell humanity without words the secret of the origin of all things. These images are conveyed beautifully, very sensually, but continue to carry more questions than answers.
I would really like to watch this film in a cinema on the big screen, because all the sounds, music, transitions and animation are literally created to pull the viewer to the bottom of the sea right from the cinema. But even watching through a laptop with headphones, you are still fully immersed in this magical, delightful world. The sounds are pleasantly deafening and at the same time softly enveloping, forcing you to pass through this impulse until a tingling chill runs down your spine.
Long shots and drawing of backgrounds are the strongest side of the full-length visuals. The way the beautiful ocean was depicted from different angles simply cannot leave indifferent lovers of this enormous, immense beauty. One of the most interesting and all-consuming mysteries of our planet. The style itself is also pleasing to the eye. Many backgrounds with rich, lush colors, the artists’ love for the small details of drawing and animation – all this personally made me incredibly happy. The anime is very beautiful, visually in many moments it skips over the original source.