Despite all of its issues, Netflix continues to be a good (for lack of a better term and lack of alternatives) platform to discover anime. I must admit, I can't remember when was the last time I was fully focused in watching anime -- hell, I can't even remember half of Spy x Family.
Since I don't have the energy for heavy action anime, I settled with a slice-of-life. At first, I just want to watch Doraemon. Unfortunately, the classic episodes are not available on Netflix.
But then, the streaming gods will not allow me to leave the damned app and suggested this seemingly innocent anime -- Child of Kamiari Month.
At first glance, Child of Kamiari Month feels like one of those newer anime that jump on the bandwagon of Studio Ghibli nostalgia. I'm talking about picturesque scenery, a touch of tradition, and a mix of romantic sentiment. Thankfully, I'm only half correct with these initial impressions.
The movie opens with a young girl, Kanna Hayama, running in the woods. She then trips off of a tree root and falls. Her mother approaches her slowly after. Here, the audience is first acquainted with Kanna's love for running and how her mother is a big factor in her developing love for the sport.
However, the opening sequence is merely a flashback from Kanna's memory. In the following sequence, we learn some tidbits about our now 12-year-old main character: she lives with her father in Tokyo, her mother is no longer around, and she now despises running.
The change in Kanna's outlook in running becomes apparent when the whole school starts talking about the much-awaited marathon. Kanna is engulfed in an overwhelming feeling of disdain for the sport that she'd rather hang out in the school's rabbit enclosure (and take care of a white rabbit named Shiro) than participate in the practice.
Come the day of the marathon and Kanna is overcome by anxiety and starts to get upset to the point that she can no longer finish the race. In the height of her emotions, she ran away to Ushijima Shrine.
This is when things start to get exciting. Once in Ushijima Shrine, Kanna wears her mother's bracelet as a way to feel her mother's presence.
Wearing the bracelet triggered a supernatural event that makes time slow down and allow Kanna to see the gods. Yep, the gods (or their mortal manifestations). Aside from gods, she can also see other supernatural creatures. One of them is the demon Yasha, who immediately attacks her and asks for her bracelet.
Fortunately for Kanna, she is rescued by Shiro, the white rabbit, who introduces herself to be a messenger of the gods.
Shiro explains that Kanna's mother, Yayoi, is an 'idaten' or, in this case, a deity who delivers the food offerings from 'caketaker' gods to the matchmaking conference of all deities in Izumo. Think of them as a Japanese version of Hermes. Through magic and her fantastic running skills, Yayoi has served as the idaten, delivering goods and making sure that the conference is successful, until her death the previous year.
As expected, the role of the idaten is passed down to Kanna. This brings out a new kind of tension as Kanna vows to never run again.
Child of Kamiari Month is interesting, to say the least. It feels like the lovechild of Spirited Away and xxx Holic. The movie was also able to portray grief beautifully and how it encourages people, through the protagonist, to slowly rediscover the things they love that reminded them of their departed loved ones.
The downside of the movie is that the dialogue tends to focus on explaining everything -- the lore, the history, and whatnot. All the explanations are stuffed in the first act as well, making it feel dragging.
Although I kind of implied that it has the vibe of Spirited Away, it lacks the vibrancy of the storytelling that the latter has. Granted, our protagonist is grieving but, her meeting dragon gods, and other types of deities should at least make you, as the viewer, feel a little excited.
Child of Kamiari Month can work as a series, in my opinion. This way, the story will have the privilege to explore more subplots. I think if this was made into a series, we can have a deeper understanding on why her mom died, where did she go if she's a deity herself, why Kanna and her father tiptoe with each other, and all that.
A series format may also give way to a richer character designs. It is quite unfortunate, for me, that the gods look bland. They look too uninspired to be deities. They do have their personalities, but still bland due to the lack of space where the artists can explore designs.
Despite having a rushed storyline, Child of Kamiari Month was able to tell the story that it wants. If you're experiencing loss and grief, this is a good movie to cry to and undergo a much-needed catharsis.
No comments:
Post a Comment