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Belle (Mamoru Hosoda) Review Thread

Rainy

Rainy

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Oct 25, 2017
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There have been reviews since last July but more dropped in the last week since the movie is releasing in North America tomorrow.

Rotten Tomatoes: 97% (38 reviews)
Metacritic: 85 (12 reviews)

Ultimately, Belle is a thoughtful exploration of the opportunities allowed by internet anonymity.
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- Noel Murray, AV Club

Anime master Mamoru Hosoda imagines another forward-thinking virtual world, "U," using it as the backdrop for an empowering musical fairy-tale.
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Peter Debruge, Variety

The heart of Hosoda's sincere film never falters.
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Jake Coyle, Associated Press

If the moral of this story is ultimately a simple one, at least Suzu learns it in a way too novel to forget: The internet can give anyone a voice, but it's only a beautiful place when people actually hear each other.
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David Ehrlich, Indiewire

For all of the film's visually striking action and musical set pieces, it's the generosity of spirit with which it approaches the modern teenage experience that's its most impressive attribute.
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Derek Smith, Slant Magazine

Fast becoming one of the most exciting filmmakers in Japanese animation, Hosoda continues to build on an impressive body of work, dealing with heavy themes in a sensitive and artistic manner.
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Hannah Strong, Little White Lies

Belle is also incredibly funny, gear-shifting from soaring uplift and plunging lows to bone-dry comic moments that Hosoda edits perfectly to nail the endless awkwardness of high-school romantic encounters...
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Phillip De Semiyen, Time Out

Latest Trailer (Dub)
 
Blader

Blader

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Oct 27, 2017
26,715
I'm behind on Hosoda, I think the last of his movies I saw was The Boy and the Beast which was pretty forgettable, but he's otherwise got a great streak. The trailer for this looked good, I'll def check it out at some point.
 

XNihili

Banned
Jan 16, 2018
221
Knowing too much about computers, Internet and virtual reality can really kill the mood. I found it mostly absurd.
Like when I watched Hackers with Angelina Jolie.
 
GJ

GJ

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Oct 25, 2017
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The Netherlands
It's pretty good! Not my favorite Hosoda, but definitely worth watching. It has a fantastic soundtrack and visually it's stunning. And I say that as someone who usually doesn't like a mix of 2D and CGI animation. Hopefully my local theater will have it once they open again, but they usually don't have these kind of films so I'm not holding my breath. I'd love to rewatch it on the big screen though.
 
UnluckyKate

UnluckyKate

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Oct 25, 2017
10,649
I saw it last week. Loved the contrasting visuals : classic Hosoda 2D, expressive characters... and Belle being a 3D model, designed and animated like a Disney princess (look for the eyes animation, its stunning) its a nice visual and artistic experiment. The visuals are breathaking and I got chills during the last song and got tears of joy when it kick on.

But I thought the entire premise of the story was fluke : the antagonists are going batshit insane againt Ryu for literally no reason. The movie fails to explain or show why he did wrong... And I couldn't take much of the drama seriously because of that.

Overall, its great, all characters are so fun, charming and full of energy its a real Hosoda trademark, but it will be heavily compared to Summer Wars and it doesn't hold the light to that.
 
H2intensity

H2intensity

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Oct 27, 2017
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Saw it yesterday at theater. Love it..i think its Mamoru best movies yet. Incredible visual, music and the story is very relevant. Love everything about it.
 
chefbags

chefbags

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Oct 25, 2017
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Gonna try to watch it this weekend. Hopefully an empty theater on a random time works.
 
Enthus

Enthus

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Oct 27, 2017
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Saw it in Imax last night.

My GF and another random woman next to her both started laughing at the end
wondering why the hell she just left the brothers with their abusive dad. Like the resolution to that plotline is now the older brother will fight back? The chorus women didn't think maybe an adult should do more about the situation, at least until the "48 hr limit" is reached?
 
Nisaba

Nisaba

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Oct 28, 2017
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Canada
It was a fantastic movie, I loved the music and Suzu herself was a great protagonist. Plus the movie does a neat twist of the whole Beauty & the Beast tale.

I haven't been able to get this song outta my head:

 
Kyuuji

Kyuuji

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Nov 8, 2017
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Got a long wait before I can catch this at the cinema near me (tickets booked for Feb 4th) but I'm really looking forward to it.
 
PlatypusDude

PlatypusDude

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Oct 25, 2017
2,171
Saw this on the festival circuit a few months back. Loved the visuals and soundtrack (later partially done by Ludvig Forssell of MGSV and Death Stranding fame).

Story was a bit overstuffed (feel they try to cram multiple ideas in there that could of been there own movie) and didn't quite hit the landing, but still solid. Suzu is a great protagonist though and there is one scene that is one of the funniest I've seen in an animated movie in a while.

Definitely a maximalist spectacle to see in the theaters if you are able/comfortable. Might see it again with the dub in a matinee on my day off on Monday.
 
yap

yap

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
9,022
Saw it both subbed and dubbed. Liked it more on my second viewing. Film's got good heart and a fun supporting cast. Suzu/Belle is good protagonist.

I definitely recommend the dub. GKIDS did a fantastic job localizing the songs and the english VA sings them beautifully and plays the part of Suzu wonderfully. I also recommend dub because thetes a lot visual cues you might miss reading the sub.
 
Dice

Dice

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Oct 25, 2017
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Miker said:
so on a scale of 1 to Wolf Children, how much of this is just Hosoda being a closet furry again?
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I mean, there's a man-beast on the posters lol.

And I dunno... After playing Wolf Children's concept totally straight and telling the story about the trials and tribulations of motherhood and raising [wolf] kids, he can let that furry fetish fly šŸ¤£
 

Min

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Oct 25, 2017
4,085
All this man wants more than anything in the world is to direct a new Digimon movie and he's been chasing that zenith for decades.
 
Herb Alpert

Herb Alpert

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Oct 25, 2017
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Went to see this with the kids, dubbed in French (my kids won't stan for a japanese version sadly), I loved it. It's not reaching the Wolf children heights (it's hard to top) but it was really really good.
 
ClayModel

ClayModel

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Oct 29, 2017
1,952
Watched this a few days ago. If anyone is expecting Summer Wars, this film ain't it BUT it does deliver on the music and visuals(really solid use of CG, kind beats out studio orange's CG and they're at the top when it comes CG anime) along with an amazing tear inducing climax but the story was IMO rather disappointing and messy and characters were fine enough.
 
lvl 99 Pixel

lvl 99 Pixel

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Oct 25, 2017
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ClayModel said:
Watched this a few days ago. If anyone is expecting Summer Wars, this film ain't it BUT it does deliver on the music and visuals(really solid use of CG, kind beats out studio orange's CG and they're at the top when it comes CG anime) along with an amazing tear inducing climax but the story was IMO rather disappointing and messy and characters were fine enough.
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Orange does lower budget TV shows more now. Id like to see what they could do with a movie.
A better comparison would be like Lupin The First (the 3D one by Marza Animation Planet)
 
The Dragon Mask

The Dragon Mask

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Oct 25, 2017
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Can't decide yet but I think this is probably in at least the top 3 movies from Mamoru Hosoda. It hit harder than a lot of them, though I'll admit it was awkward or confusing occasionally.
 
Moara

Moara

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Oct 25, 2017
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Glad this seems to be a return to form. His last couple movies were fine but paled compared to Summer Wars and Wolf Children.
 
The Dragon Mask

The Dragon Mask

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Oct 25, 2017
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Moara said:
Glad this seems to be a return to form. His last couple movies were fine but paled compared to Summer Wars and Wolf Children.
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I'd definitely say it's a lot closer to their quality. Depending on your own personal preference I can see any one of those being best.

Currently I think my ranking is:
1) Wolf Children
2) The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
3) Belle/Summer Wars
4) Summer Wars/Belle

I thought Boy and the Beast was a bit disappointing, and Mirai too to an extent. But even on first watch there was a nostalgic tone poem quality that I enjoyed, understood and respected as a creative choice that made it divisive but really interesting as a peek into his mind and thoughts about parenting. And it improved on 2nd viewing so I'm wondering if The Boy and the Beast will too.

I'm very curious now to see his one off One Piece movie, having only seen One Piece Gold at the behest of a friend and being intrigued by how Mamoru's is apparently very unusually dark among other things. I'm also curious about the Digimon work he's done too.

There were a couple things that could have been better though in Belle, and I wonder if that might have come down to some of the VA feeling slightly off and needing to see it in Japanese. Either way, a great movie, and I enjoyed it more than Hosoda's more recent outings, as well as Weathering With You from his rival (imo) Makoto Shinkai. WWY was good, but suffered a bit from the ending imo, whereas this story, while confused at times was a lot more successful in general.
 
Gaucho Power

Gaucho Power

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Feb 10, 2021
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Only seen The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars. Girl Who Leapt was pretty basic, yet good romance movie. Summer Wars I could appreciate for the visuals but beyond that it left me cold. Been meaning to watch Wolf Children but everything after that including Belle just don't strike me as something I would like to watch.
 
jwk94

jwk94

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Oct 25, 2017
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Saw this dubbed today. Didn't care for the plot or script, but goddamn did Kylie fucking kill it. This woman has an amazing voice. I've been bumping the ost all night.
 
Cheesebu

Cheesebu

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Sep 21, 2020
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I have my tickets for Sunday. Can't wait, it looks great. I don't even know the last time I saw a brand new anime in the theater, maybe The Wind Rises? I always go to Ghibli fest though, and I went to Ghost in the Shell IMAX 3 times lol. I just don't follow anime as much anymore
 
Godai

Godai

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Oct 25, 2017
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Would have gone to see this, if you could watch movies in theatres here.
 

Jayuk

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Oct 27, 2017
106
My fiance and I saw this last night. We both loved it, and I personally thought it was beautiful. Wasn't a whole lot of people in the showing we were at, but I'm pretty sure everyone around us was tearing up and getting emotional near the end. The animation and music were incredible.

I'd have to wait for the Blu Ray release to see if it holds up when it comes to repeat viewings, but so far this is arguably my favorite film from Hosoda next to Wolf Children.
 
Dice

Dice

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Oct 25, 2017
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I had my ticket refunded in Ontario because of omicron, so I just drew a picture in lieu of seeing the movie. šŸ™ƒ šŸ˜­ . It's important to stay healthy and all that whatnot, but man I'm getting cabin fever... a movie sounded like a nice break.

 
yap

yap

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Oct 25, 2017
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I'm a little curious. Have any vtubers (jpn, eng, etc.) reacted to this yet?
 
Wislizeni

Wislizeni

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Oct 27, 2017
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Went to go see this with my sister. We were about seven minutes late, unfortunately, but thankfully that didn't leave me feeling lost. I did feel like, in regards story, it bites off more than it can chew, and leaves some things underdeveloped, but I didn't even notice until after the movie was over, and we talked about it. That said, its strength is absolutely in its visuals and audio. There were a lot of scenes that had me completely immersed within the sights and sounds. I definitely want to rewatch it when it comes out on digital, since I missed the first few minutes. Overall, it was a gorgeous movie, and though the plot wasn't as satisfying, I still enjoyed my time with it. Definitely worth watching in theaters, if possible.
 
sophora

sophora

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Oct 29, 2017
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Saw the movie yesterday with a friend, saw a dubbed showing so I can bask in the visuals. Well worth seeing and hearing using a theater system. I'll probably end up picking this up on bluray when it releases just to pause on some crowd scenes to see the detail. Some fun designs in there. The story itself is pretty light, and would of liked a bit more but the scope seems to be more of a personal level that can resonate, definitely did with me.
 

Deleted member 4353

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Movie was soo good. It starts of quite slow but picks up so much later on. Also gets pretty dark too. Music was amazing.

This is tied with Girl Who Leapt Through time as best Hosoda movie.
 

Deleted member 4353

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Dice said:
I had my ticket refunded in Ontario because of omicron, so I just drew a picture in lieu of seeing the movie. šŸ™ƒ šŸ˜­ . It's important to stay healthy and all that whatnot, but man I'm getting cabin fever... a movie sounded like a nice break.

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Saw this art on Twitter didn't know it was you.
 
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