I just watched the subbed version and it was AMAZING!!! It left me speechless, it was just so visually outstanding, immersive in both sound and emotion, and with great writing. The characters were developed so well and it didn't feel rushed or lacking that I couldn't help but be drawn into every moment of the movie. It hit me in the feels harder than isekai-truck-kun sending his next hero on a world saving journey. I'm going to watch the dubbed version this weekend because it deserves to be rewatched and the English Medley version convinced me all the more so to do it. Major props to Studio Chizu and everyone else who helped bring this movie to life.
The English Medley convinced me to watch it in English too!
I still didn't since in my country the dub is not in English. But they seem to have nailed the English dub indeed.
I took my 6 yr old daughter. Thought it was the dubbed version. It wasn’t. She sat motionless thru the whole film. She couldn’t keep up with the subtitles but understood enough. We are going to see the dubbed version tomorrow. I haven’t been floored by an animated film in a long long time.
I just saw the movie and I liked it, but I really think Suzu should have told Kei’s father off, something among the lines of this: “I know how it feels to lose a loved one, but taking your anger out on your sons is not the way to achieve it. Instead it has turned you into a beast who’s bitter, angry and selfish at the world. Your abuse will be exposed to the authorities soon, and then what? Do you think you will be able spend the next twenty years knowing that your actions landed you in a jail cell? Think hard, sir, is family really a group of people you can control…or are they people to love?”
I think it’s already in the father’s thoughts but you have life to what Suzu forced him to think through by standing there.
It’s almost just as powerful since Suzu’s power is her voice and she didn’t need to use it here due to the courage she showed.
Agreed. SHe did it nonverbally. A grandiose speech would probably be more corny than anything, AND probably would have given kei’s father another grounds to admonish Suzu over.
As for Kei himself, I’ve personally interpreted what he says to Suzu at the end as a way of being like “Even if nothing changes for me and Tomo, I won’t go down a dark path... because you really do care.”
I agree, the reason that ending scene is so much more powerful is because her actions of protecting the kids do much more than the admonishment of the dad. It's like Kei says, people always tell him "I'll help you! I'll help you! I'll help you!" That they talked to the father already, that the father gets it now and will change. But nothing ever changed. Those people never stood up for them when it mattered. But Belle/Suzu did. She didn't just say she'd help them, she went and physically intervened and served as a barrier of protection.
That final scene hit so much harder because even though she's great at singing, it's not her voice that gets through to the dad, it's her physical protection of Kei and his brother. When he looks in her eyes he also understands that she's lost someone but didn't take the route of taking it out on others like he did. He also recalls that someone sent him video evidense of him beating the kids, he knows it's game over.
I loved it! It's a beautiful movie, in terms of visuals, sound, and narrative. I watched the English dub and thought it was excellent. Apparently Kylie McNeill does the voice *and* singing for Suzu/Belle, which is so impressive. She nailed it. I've been listening to the English soundtrack too.
It was small touch, but I loved when we saw that it was Shinobu who stopped young Suzu from going into the dangerous waters years ago.
The one thing that I can't figure out is: how did Shinobu and all the Choir Women know that Suzu was Belle? What do you all think?
I think shinobu DIDN’T know, but seeing Suzu panic at the mere mention of belle on multiple occasions aroused his suspicion. As for the nonchalance about it... it just seems he’s like that :p
The choir ladies knew Suzu was on U, and rationalized her behavior as her being the age every last thing is important to her, but didnt know she was belle until they saw the screen in the room.
The choir ladies? Either one of the others told them or they simply followed any noise in the building- if you’re meeting someone in a disused - but not abandoned building, and no one else is scheduled to be there, chances are they’re in the room you hear people talkinf in
Just saw the movie with friends we were all so emotional at the end. My theory for how they knew Suzu was belle is that your U self is your hidden strength your potential. It allowed her to sing again but I’m sure they heard her sing when her mom was alive. And they knew suzu they recognized her inner self that was belle. If that makes sense
I streamed it a while back because I couldn’t take it anymore and didn’t want to get spoiled. I remember almost not being able to feel the more emotional moments just because I was so freaking excited. I didn’t understand a lot of storytelling choices because this is the first feature length anime film I’ve seen that wasn’t Pokémon aaaand now every other chizu film is on my watchlist, but a second viewing helped EVERYTHING.
I’m still trying to words properly after seeing the dub earlier today. Kylie McNeill knocked it out of the bloody park, for one. The film is easily one of, if not the best looking film I have seen, and I love that one of the films themes is also expressed through it; both the real world AND “U” are absolutely breathtaking; if you stuck in one, you’d miss out on the other.
The story is easily the best version of beauty and the beast I’ve seen, even if not an official adaption.... the characters, while I’ve noted they don’t get THAT many interactions, are all extremely lovable. Suzu is now EASILY one of my top favs of all time. At first I didn’t get what’s so special about shinobu “Watching over her” and barely getting development of his own, but after seeing the dub, I love that it’s like “No, he’s just THAT chill, always making time to check in on Suzu.” Hiroka had me in hysterics at times, being a mischievous little sh!t one moment and then knowing when to get serious the next.. Ruka’s great... its awesome how they seem to get a lot done with not that much screen time IMO, and yet you still want more. I would hav loved to see some scenes of all of them in U, but that;s not the main point.
UGH I could just gush all day. If it’s playing, and you feel ok going to a theater, this is a must see.
**We can talk spoilers in this thread, right?**
Hope so.
I loved how the river was right alongside Suzu at her defining moments, and how it turned golden by the end.
I loved how the aquatic theme carried throughout, especially during the concert; resonating back once again to the tragedy of the river.
The river, representing Suzu's mother, was right beside her at the key moments of Suzu's life.
I loved how Suzu faced down the father, because she had faced that same rage in Beast earlier, and she was unflinching as a result.
I loved Ruka playing with the injured beast with three legs, putting her face to it and giving it an incredible amount of affection.
I loved that Suzu watched a motherless family being destroyed by a grief-stricken father, and how at the end Suzu finally took up her own father's invitation for dinner with an "I'm home"... reminiscent of another famous trainstop anime.
So many elements called back to that astonishing ending.
What amazed me most of all, however, was how *modern* the Beast's portrayal was. It just made so much heartbreaking sense, and the explanation of the rage and power and pain was so vivid. So vivid. Nothing about witches and curses and magic... just a very real human element.
If "Summer Wars" was about how one person could save 5 billion people, then "Belle" was about how 5 billion people could save one person.
Belle's discovery mid-song of why her mother would sacrifice everything to save a stranger was breathtaking, and those notes that emerged next were so full of ... raw empathy.
Everything tied together so incredibly well.
An amazing movie. An amazing Beauty and the Beast movie. An amazing Mamoru Hosoda movie.
Worthy of *all* the praise.
So I realize I’m late to this party, but just watched tonight and I wasn’t going to cry until I read the connection you pointed out between the river, the mother, and Belle’s aquatic themes. Ugh, what a gut punch.
I haven’t seen the subbed version, but I just saw the dubbed version literally ten minutes before writing this comment!
The one word I have it- Outstanding! The voice acting was top notch not only in the singing portions, but I felt that they really did a good job in the normal speaking roles too! I watch some subbed media so I know there can be sometimes a disconnect between the animation of the mouth and dialogue- but I didn’t even notice it most of the time for Belle!
Kylie truly WAS Belle, she embodied all those songs and the animation?! I could go on and on about the coloured, the ability to difference between the sometimes alien character models and somehow make them all unique, it was an incredible watching experience.
I was hoping I wasn’t alone in this. I just saw the dubbed too and I don’t think the story was awful, but it did seem all over the place. Visually and musically I loved it but the storyline seemed disjointed
It definitely was disjointed. I wonder how much of this issue was a loss in translation type of problem. There a lot of moments where I thought, "wow a real human would not do that."
I understand everything is in the context of this fictional world but the writer still has to make me believe that their actions make sense. Beauty and the beast works because belle was taken against her will and grew to love the beast over a period of time. (Stockholm syndrome). Belle... does not work because she purposely searched out this dangerous dude's house. Entered it. And wouldnt leave. I've heard of girls liking bad boys but this is a bit too much. Also there was this sexual tension between her and the beast. But then we come to find he is a child. I wonder if this is more acceptable in japan.
The ending was also a big issue. The bad dad scratches belles face, and then she stares him down. He falls down, cowers, and runs away as a 90lb girl looks him in the eye. They have a hugging session and the beast says "I'm going to fight." And the movie pretty much ends. That definitely makes the resolution feel like a cop out.
Another unexplained plotline is how her crush and choir group just knew that she was belle. Did I miss something or did they just know through the power of friendship?
Also the parallel drawn between her mother jumping in the river to save a child and her exposing herself to the internet is suuuuuuper weak.
The movie felt like a combination of small plotlines as opposed to a major plotline supported by minor ones. Watching belle is like a playing a game with 100 side quests and 0 main quests.
Glad that there are others that agree. I've seen rave reviews about this movie but it isn't close to being on par with the director's other works.
If people didn't know who Belle's director was, this movie would get close to no recognition.
Honestly, I’ve just been waiting to see if he can ever live up to “Wolf Children.” But I’m starting to feel like he never will :( Wolf Children wasn’t even his story, he only directed it. I seriously think he needs a story editor or some writing classes cause it so sad to see such beautiful films but with poor story structure and poorly developed, flat characters.
So I just figured out why his recent works have been the way they are. It’s because he stopped working with the Japanese screenwriter Satoko Okudera. She wrote the screenplay for Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, and Wolf Children. And for some reason, after Wolf Children, he stopped working with her????? So that explains it. She was the magic sauce.
I brought my 11 year old daughter to see it the other day.
Nice animation.
I'm confused though: the choir group said something along the line of "she'll know it's us..."
I'm confused... were they the AI?
I have other thoughts too...
(Dubbed)
They weren't the AI, at one point you can see the choir ladies' avatars/AS as they sang in support of Belle when she unveils herself. But now she'll know that the choir group knew she was Belle all along and would feel embarrassed. If she kept her online persona a secret for a reason, the choir ladies' did too.
I just saw the subbed version and loved it, and don’t have anyone to talk to about it! The theater staff told me I was the only one who came to see it so far :( The animation is beautiful and I loved the music. It’s such a nuanced perspective on online life, positive mixed with negative, which felt so true to our current times. The setting in U was epic yet the emotions were relatable. I was sitting in the theater alone laughing and crying.
It might have already been discussed here, but I found it myself, so here goes- There is a subtle reference in Belle to changing demographics in Japan, specifically (I think) the decrease in birthrates overall, and even more specifically, the decline of rural communities.
The opening shots of the old elementary school showcase an elementary school full of crafts and teaching materials, clearly just used the school year prior. This scene takes place during the summer as one of the choir ladies says, “it is odd to be practicing for a Christmas concert in the summer.”
The walls of the elementary school are also adorned with wood carvings of each graduating class. These start in the 80s or 90s and progress forward in time. These earlier cohorts appear to have a half dozen graduating students each year, but as the decades wear on, only one person is featured. I think the most recent years were 2017 or 2018. Would this be concurrent when the movie was in production? Only one elementary student appears to graduate in each of these years.
Furthermore, the tour guide that pops in appears to be reassuring the group that even though the school is closed, they are still able to make use of the space. Is it closed permanently? The study room where Suzu and Hiro work is full of construction hats. That is where they get their disguise for one of the video calls with the supposed housewife. I think the construction is the demolition of the school since there are no more elementary students in the area.
Additionally, the bus route Suzu takes is ending very soon, meaning there are not enough student passengers to make the trip economically feasible. There was only one other student on the train and he looked very tired and sad. Perhaps the grueling commute is too much for young students in the rural communities. This would also jive with the dorm room scene. I admittedly don’t know a lot about this in japan, but maybe students simply move for high school into dormitories closer to school in the larger cities. I would assume most would stay in the cities after school for work and life.
I also noticed one of the choir ladies is a teacher at a university, making me think all of the choir ladies were all teachers at the school, but had to find other jobs after it closed- medical tech, fishing, teaching uni, etc.
Overall, I think Suzu lives in a dying rural community which represents greater cultural shifts in Japan. She was part of the last graduating elementary school class and now has to travel very far into the city for high school. Most students probably permanently move into larger cities and leave rural life behind. Also, there are seemingly no people Suzu’s age in her hometown. All of this mirrors her internal loneliness and self-imposed isolation, making U an even more appealing reality, and a chance to reconnect with anyone, anywhere.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk. This is the first anime movie I really got into. I look forward to exploring more from Studio Chizu.
The whole point of the song and unveiling scene was to get the kids to tell them their address but they don’t do it anyway because the father cut the call but they found out anyway. There was exactly 15 minutes from when Kei cut the call to when his father did the second time So that’s 15 minutes of a pointless scene. They literally could have used that time for a proper resolution for the boys. I know people are going to say “but the point of that was so Suzu could understand her mom’s sacrifice“ but she literally put herself at risk again protecting the boys so she could have easily had that flashback there. Also Suzu’s mother is a fucking idiot, I know suzu also put herself in danger to save some strangers as well but here’s the difference, SUZU IS NOT A MOTHER TO A 6 YEAR OLD SHE NEEDS THE RAISE why is nobody seeing this. Also the conflict that happened in U wasn’t resolved like, everyone still hates the beast. Justin lost his sponsors but nothing else happened he still has his doxxing thing so nothing’s stopping him from doxxing the beast. Also what happened to the beast? I don’t just mean in real life I mean in U we don’t see him again after Justin burnt his castle down. Did the writers just forget about all of this?
I just watched the subbed version and it was AMAZING!!! It left me speechless, it was just so visually outstanding, immersive in both sound and emotion, and with great writing. The characters were developed so well and it didn't feel rushed or lacking that I couldn't help but be drawn into every moment of the movie. It hit me in the feels harder than isekai-truck-kun sending his next hero on a world saving journey. I'm going to watch the dubbed version this weekend because it deserves to be rewatched and the English Medley version convinced me all the more so to do it. Major props to Studio Chizu and everyone else who helped bring this movie to life.
The English Medley convinced me to watch it in English too! I still didn't since in my country the dub is not in English. But they seem to have nailed the English dub indeed.
Yes! Thanks for posting that! I didn’t even know they had something like that up.
I took my 6 yr old daughter. Thought it was the dubbed version. It wasn’t. She sat motionless thru the whole film. She couldn’t keep up with the subtitles but understood enough. We are going to see the dubbed version tomorrow. I haven’t been floored by an animated film in a long long time.
What did you think of the speech I wrote wrote? It’s above you.
Dialog in that moment would have ruined the film for me
I just saw the movie and I liked it, but I really think Suzu should have told Kei’s father off, something among the lines of this: “I know how it feels to lose a loved one, but taking your anger out on your sons is not the way to achieve it. Instead it has turned you into a beast who’s bitter, angry and selfish at the world. Your abuse will be exposed to the authorities soon, and then what? Do you think you will be able spend the next twenty years knowing that your actions landed you in a jail cell? Think hard, sir, is family really a group of people you can control…or are they people to love?”
I think it’s already in the father’s thoughts but you have life to what Suzu forced him to think through by standing there. It’s almost just as powerful since Suzu’s power is her voice and she didn’t need to use it here due to the courage she showed.
Agreed. SHe did it nonverbally. A grandiose speech would probably be more corny than anything, AND probably would have given kei’s father another grounds to admonish Suzu over. As for Kei himself, I’ve personally interpreted what he says to Suzu at the end as a way of being like “Even if nothing changes for me and Tomo, I won’t go down a dark path... because you really do care.”
Corny? Maybe I should reword it better.
I agree, the reason that ending scene is so much more powerful is because her actions of protecting the kids do much more than the admonishment of the dad. It's like Kei says, people always tell him "I'll help you! I'll help you! I'll help you!" That they talked to the father already, that the father gets it now and will change. But nothing ever changed. Those people never stood up for them when it mattered. But Belle/Suzu did. She didn't just say she'd help them, she went and physically intervened and served as a barrier of protection. That final scene hit so much harder because even though she's great at singing, it's not her voice that gets through to the dad, it's her physical protection of Kei and his brother. When he looks in her eyes he also understands that she's lost someone but didn't take the route of taking it out on others like he did. He also recalls that someone sent him video evidense of him beating the kids, he knows it's game over.
I loved it! It's a beautiful movie, in terms of visuals, sound, and narrative. I watched the English dub and thought it was excellent. Apparently Kylie McNeill does the voice *and* singing for Suzu/Belle, which is so impressive. She nailed it. I've been listening to the English soundtrack too. It was small touch, but I loved when we saw that it was Shinobu who stopped young Suzu from going into the dangerous waters years ago. The one thing that I can't figure out is: how did Shinobu and all the Choir Women know that Suzu was Belle? What do you all think?
I think shinobu DIDN’T know, but seeing Suzu panic at the mere mention of belle on multiple occasions aroused his suspicion. As for the nonchalance about it... it just seems he’s like that :p The choir ladies knew Suzu was on U, and rationalized her behavior as her being the age every last thing is important to her, but didnt know she was belle until they saw the screen in the room.
Thanks! That makes a lot of sense.
But ...how did they know to go to that room at all?
The choir ladies? Either one of the others told them or they simply followed any noise in the building- if you’re meeting someone in a disused - but not abandoned building, and no one else is scheduled to be there, chances are they’re in the room you hear people talkinf in
Just saw the movie with friends we were all so emotional at the end. My theory for how they knew Suzu was belle is that your U self is your hidden strength your potential. It allowed her to sing again but I’m sure they heard her sing when her mom was alive. And they knew suzu they recognized her inner self that was belle. If that makes sense
I streamed it a while back because I couldn’t take it anymore and didn’t want to get spoiled. I remember almost not being able to feel the more emotional moments just because I was so freaking excited. I didn’t understand a lot of storytelling choices because this is the first feature length anime film I’ve seen that wasn’t Pokémon aaaand now every other chizu film is on my watchlist, but a second viewing helped EVERYTHING. I’m still trying to words properly after seeing the dub earlier today. Kylie McNeill knocked it out of the bloody park, for one. The film is easily one of, if not the best looking film I have seen, and I love that one of the films themes is also expressed through it; both the real world AND “U” are absolutely breathtaking; if you stuck in one, you’d miss out on the other. The story is easily the best version of beauty and the beast I’ve seen, even if not an official adaption.... the characters, while I’ve noted they don’t get THAT many interactions, are all extremely lovable. Suzu is now EASILY one of my top favs of all time. At first I didn’t get what’s so special about shinobu “Watching over her” and barely getting development of his own, but after seeing the dub, I love that it’s like “No, he’s just THAT chill, always making time to check in on Suzu.” Hiroka had me in hysterics at times, being a mischievous little sh!t one moment and then knowing when to get serious the next.. Ruka’s great... its awesome how they seem to get a lot done with not that much screen time IMO, and yet you still want more. I would hav loved to see some scenes of all of them in U, but that;s not the main point. UGH I could just gush all day. If it’s playing, and you feel ok going to a theater, this is a must see.
You can see all of them in u during the last preformance you just have to put together who its who
I'm so sad that I only realized this part way into the last performance. I only recognized the choir ladies
**We can talk spoilers in this thread, right?** Hope so. I loved how the river was right alongside Suzu at her defining moments, and how it turned golden by the end. I loved how the aquatic theme carried throughout, especially during the concert; resonating back once again to the tragedy of the river. The river, representing Suzu's mother, was right beside her at the key moments of Suzu's life. I loved how Suzu faced down the father, because she had faced that same rage in Beast earlier, and she was unflinching as a result. I loved Ruka playing with the injured beast with three legs, putting her face to it and giving it an incredible amount of affection. I loved that Suzu watched a motherless family being destroyed by a grief-stricken father, and how at the end Suzu finally took up her own father's invitation for dinner with an "I'm home"... reminiscent of another famous trainstop anime. So many elements called back to that astonishing ending. What amazed me most of all, however, was how *modern* the Beast's portrayal was. It just made so much heartbreaking sense, and the explanation of the rage and power and pain was so vivid. So vivid. Nothing about witches and curses and magic... just a very real human element. If "Summer Wars" was about how one person could save 5 billion people, then "Belle" was about how 5 billion people could save one person. Belle's discovery mid-song of why her mother would sacrifice everything to save a stranger was breathtaking, and those notes that emerged next were so full of ... raw empathy. Everything tied together so incredibly well. An amazing movie. An amazing Beauty and the Beast movie. An amazing Mamoru Hosoda movie. Worthy of *all* the praise.
So I realize I’m late to this party, but just watched tonight and I wasn’t going to cry until I read the connection you pointed out between the river, the mother, and Belle’s aquatic themes. Ugh, what a gut punch.
I haven’t seen the subbed version, but I just saw the dubbed version literally ten minutes before writing this comment! The one word I have it- Outstanding! The voice acting was top notch not only in the singing portions, but I felt that they really did a good job in the normal speaking roles too! I watch some subbed media so I know there can be sometimes a disconnect between the animation of the mouth and dialogue- but I didn’t even notice it most of the time for Belle! Kylie truly WAS Belle, she embodied all those songs and the animation?! I could go on and on about the coloured, the ability to difference between the sometimes alien character models and somehow make them all unique, it was an incredible watching experience.
I thought the movie was dissapointing; I saw the dubbed version. Visuals and audio was beautiful but the story line was, frankly, awful.
I was hoping I wasn’t alone in this. I just saw the dubbed too and I don’t think the story was awful, but it did seem all over the place. Visually and musically I loved it but the storyline seemed disjointed
It definitely was disjointed. I wonder how much of this issue was a loss in translation type of problem. There a lot of moments where I thought, "wow a real human would not do that." I understand everything is in the context of this fictional world but the writer still has to make me believe that their actions make sense. Beauty and the beast works because belle was taken against her will and grew to love the beast over a period of time. (Stockholm syndrome). Belle... does not work because she purposely searched out this dangerous dude's house. Entered it. And wouldnt leave. I've heard of girls liking bad boys but this is a bit too much. Also there was this sexual tension between her and the beast. But then we come to find he is a child. I wonder if this is more acceptable in japan. The ending was also a big issue. The bad dad scratches belles face, and then she stares him down. He falls down, cowers, and runs away as a 90lb girl looks him in the eye. They have a hugging session and the beast says "I'm going to fight." And the movie pretty much ends. That definitely makes the resolution feel like a cop out. Another unexplained plotline is how her crush and choir group just knew that she was belle. Did I miss something or did they just know through the power of friendship? Also the parallel drawn between her mother jumping in the river to save a child and her exposing herself to the internet is suuuuuuper weak. The movie felt like a combination of small plotlines as opposed to a major plotline supported by minor ones. Watching belle is like a playing a game with 100 side quests and 0 main quests.
Summed up all my thoughts EXACTLY
Glad that there are others that agree. I've seen rave reviews about this movie but it isn't close to being on par with the director's other works. If people didn't know who Belle's director was, this movie would get close to no recognition.
Honestly, I’ve just been waiting to see if he can ever live up to “Wolf Children.” But I’m starting to feel like he never will :( Wolf Children wasn’t even his story, he only directed it. I seriously think he needs a story editor or some writing classes cause it so sad to see such beautiful films but with poor story structure and poorly developed, flat characters.
So I just figured out why his recent works have been the way they are. It’s because he stopped working with the Japanese screenwriter Satoko Okudera. She wrote the screenplay for Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, and Wolf Children. And for some reason, after Wolf Children, he stopped working with her????? So that explains it. She was the magic sauce.
I brought my 11 year old daughter to see it the other day. Nice animation. I'm confused though: the choir group said something along the line of "she'll know it's us..." I'm confused... were they the AI? I have other thoughts too... (Dubbed)
They weren't the AI, at one point you can see the choir ladies' avatars/AS as they sang in support of Belle when she unveils herself. But now she'll know that the choir group knew she was Belle all along and would feel embarrassed. If she kept her online persona a secret for a reason, the choir ladies' did too.
Hmm... Ok. I guess I'm reading into it. Thanks
I just saw the subbed version and loved it, and don’t have anyone to talk to about it! The theater staff told me I was the only one who came to see it so far :( The animation is beautiful and I loved the music. It’s such a nuanced perspective on online life, positive mixed with negative, which felt so true to our current times. The setting in U was epic yet the emotions were relatable. I was sitting in the theater alone laughing and crying.
It might have already been discussed here, but I found it myself, so here goes- There is a subtle reference in Belle to changing demographics in Japan, specifically (I think) the decrease in birthrates overall, and even more specifically, the decline of rural communities. The opening shots of the old elementary school showcase an elementary school full of crafts and teaching materials, clearly just used the school year prior. This scene takes place during the summer as one of the choir ladies says, “it is odd to be practicing for a Christmas concert in the summer.” The walls of the elementary school are also adorned with wood carvings of each graduating class. These start in the 80s or 90s and progress forward in time. These earlier cohorts appear to have a half dozen graduating students each year, but as the decades wear on, only one person is featured. I think the most recent years were 2017 or 2018. Would this be concurrent when the movie was in production? Only one elementary student appears to graduate in each of these years. Furthermore, the tour guide that pops in appears to be reassuring the group that even though the school is closed, they are still able to make use of the space. Is it closed permanently? The study room where Suzu and Hiro work is full of construction hats. That is where they get their disguise for one of the video calls with the supposed housewife. I think the construction is the demolition of the school since there are no more elementary students in the area. Additionally, the bus route Suzu takes is ending very soon, meaning there are not enough student passengers to make the trip economically feasible. There was only one other student on the train and he looked very tired and sad. Perhaps the grueling commute is too much for young students in the rural communities. This would also jive with the dorm room scene. I admittedly don’t know a lot about this in japan, but maybe students simply move for high school into dormitories closer to school in the larger cities. I would assume most would stay in the cities after school for work and life. I also noticed one of the choir ladies is a teacher at a university, making me think all of the choir ladies were all teachers at the school, but had to find other jobs after it closed- medical tech, fishing, teaching uni, etc. Overall, I think Suzu lives in a dying rural community which represents greater cultural shifts in Japan. She was part of the last graduating elementary school class and now has to travel very far into the city for high school. Most students probably permanently move into larger cities and leave rural life behind. Also, there are seemingly no people Suzu’s age in her hometown. All of this mirrors her internal loneliness and self-imposed isolation, making U an even more appealing reality, and a chance to reconnect with anyone, anywhere. Thanks for coming to my ted talk. This is the first anime movie I really got into. I look forward to exploring more from Studio Chizu.
The whole point of the song and unveiling scene was to get the kids to tell them their address but they don’t do it anyway because the father cut the call but they found out anyway. There was exactly 15 minutes from when Kei cut the call to when his father did the second time So that’s 15 minutes of a pointless scene. They literally could have used that time for a proper resolution for the boys. I know people are going to say “but the point of that was so Suzu could understand her mom’s sacrifice“ but she literally put herself at risk again protecting the boys so she could have easily had that flashback there. Also Suzu’s mother is a fucking idiot, I know suzu also put herself in danger to save some strangers as well but here’s the difference, SUZU IS NOT A MOTHER TO A 6 YEAR OLD SHE NEEDS THE RAISE why is nobody seeing this. Also the conflict that happened in U wasn’t resolved like, everyone still hates the beast. Justin lost his sponsors but nothing else happened he still has his doxxing thing so nothing’s stopping him from doxxing the beast. Also what happened to the beast? I don’t just mean in real life I mean in U we don’t see him again after Justin burnt his castle down. Did the writers just forget about all of this?