When eleven-year-old Wataru is told he can change his destiny by entering a magic gateway into another world, he jumps at the chance. But on his quest to find the Tower of Fortune and be granted any wish, he must conjure up all his bravery to battle a world of demons, his own friends and ultimately himself.
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Watch this if you liked: "Valley of Dragonflies", "Alice In Wonderland"
Click here for pictures Japanese cartoons or "Anime" has carved a niche of their own in modern cinema. Ever since the arrival of the now legendary "Akira", modern anime has pushed the limits of what can be done in animation.
"Brave Story" is a production that combines the efforts of three very successful film studios; Warner Brothers Pictures, Fuji Television and Gonzo. The goal of this effort was to raise the global standard in feature length animated films. "Brave Story" looks to do just that.
Wataru is an eleven year old boy, the familiarity of his surroundings is shattered when his father walks out on the family and his mother is admitted to hospital for attempted suicide. He soon learns from a new student in school of a magical gateway into another world. This world is called "Vision".
Wataru then goes through the gateway into the magical world where he finds himself on a quest for five gemstones. When found, these gemstones will lead him to the Tower of Fortune, whereupon his one wish will be granted.
The animation work on this film is outstanding. The use of cutting-edge animation and the combination of 2D and 3D art makes the visuals on this film a feast for the eyes.
Animation work that is usually used in anime productions is given the back seat as each scene is fully animated. In almost all anime releases, there are budget constraints and to achieve animation, stills are used for economic purposes. For example, in some animation projects, the subject in the foreground is still while the background moves in order to achieve the illusion of animation. The animation in "Brave Story" however is built on the more 'western' animation where more animation slides are used in order to provide a smooth effect. This enhanced the look of the film, because while the art was definitely anime, there's something very different about how it came across.
The charm of "Brave Story" is actually in the story itself. It is very well presented and is easy to follow. The story of Wataru's quest in a fantasy setting will always be entertaining and the production crew responsible for character concepts did a good job. The initial twist of the lead characters leading to their final stand-off was very well done; in fact, at certain points, you'll probably find yourself sympathising with the antagonist in the film. This type of storytelling is very popular in Japanese anime, which is the art of fleshing out key characters in the story.
The dialogue translations in the film is merely passable, and perhaps a little more effort would have made the audience better appreciate the finer concepts of the film. Having to read the subtitles did devalue the visual impact of the anime slightly, and unless you understand Japanese, this is something you're going to have to overlook.
"Brave Story" was fun and as for me, it was great to watch some good anime on the big screen.
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