By Robert Yaniz Jr.

DAY 13 OF THE 2018 HOLIDAY BINGE

The challenges of running a family receive a surreal touch in this poignant adventure.

THE HYPE

Over the years, anime has become increasingly mainstream. What was once a sort of fringe counterculture (at least in North America) for sci-fi, comic book and animation fanatics has become embraced for the innovative style and perspective this style brings to storytelling. Certainly, much of this has to do with the works of Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away), but writer/director Mamoru Hosoda (The Boy and the Beast) aptly retains a similar freshness with his latest film, Mirai.

THE STORY

The tale begins when a little  boy named Kun (voiced in this English dub by Jaden Waldman) meets his new baby sister. Like most new older siblings, Kun alternates between wonder and disdain when it comes to his sister, whom his parents decide to name Mirai (Japanese for “future,” natch). He bristles at the thought of being supplanted as the center of attention and yet begins to see his family in a whole new light when a grown-up Mirai (voiced by Victoria Grace) decides to pay the family a visit.

THE CAST

Unfortunately, the only version of Mirai that was available was the one dubbed in English. A subtitled version would certainly have retained more of Hosoda’s vision, but at least the English-language cast attacks the material with gusto. Waldman and Grace capture their characters’ journeys well, but ultimately, it is John Cho and Rebecca Hall as their parents who have a more difficult task. The children deal with the more fantastical elements of the story, but their parents emotionally ground Mirai, allowing its message to hit.

THE PRODUCTION

And yet, despite the powerful simplicity in the major takeaway of Mirai — how children undervalue and underestimate everyone around them, especially the people who love them the most — the film pounds away at that lesson incessantly. The story has a very episodic feel and, though each segment shifts its focus, the message is inevitably the same for each. Hosoda clearly has a very distinctive voice, but save for a gorgeous (in both visuals and messaging) finale, Mirai begins to feel like it’s stuck on repeat.

THE VERDICT

Overall, Mirai is a solid animated film with something worthwhile to say and a beautiful visual style. If viewers can look past its vignette-heavy approach to storytelling and the slim focus of its themes, the film is a testament to how anime can capture bold, real-life truths wrapped in ambitious fantasy and unravel them in methodical yet surprising ways. Hosoda has come a long way since his directorial debut with Digimon: The Movie in 2005, and if Mirai is any indication of what he can do, we could be in store for something even better.

Mirai stars the voices of Jaden Waldman, Victoria Grace, John Cho, Rebecca Hall and Crispin Freeman and is directed by Mamoru Hosoda.