I just want to add that the plot of Suzu overcoming her trauma wasn't lost or forgotten; her mother died to protect a little girl that she didn't knew and Suzu was left with resentment over her mother throwing her life away for a stranger when she had a daughter to take care of. At the end, helping the beast, Belle understands what is like to see someone in pain and having to help them even if they are complete strangers. I noticed you didn't mentioned it and wanted to point it out that the plot do is still about Suzu overcoming her trauma even if her initial reasons to be interested in the beast do feel flimsy.
yup..the thought was same as mine. the introduction of The Beast kinda sudden and having Belle curious about him so much is so out a place at first for me. but in the last song when Belle stop singing..the memory flash back of her mother unfortunate event..got me understand. Finally Belle had the answer to the question that been traumatized her for years. the answer to WHY did her mother try to save that child.
Belle is undoubtedly a messy movie, but I kind of love it in spite of that. The emotional highs are incredible; A Million Miles Away especially is peak cinema. And ultimately I feel our lead does get a satisfying resolution and storyline, even if the surrounding stuff is more mixed. It stumbles under the weight of too many ideas and ambition, but I can't help but appreciate that ambition nonetheless. Not up there with the anime film heavyweights, but enjoyable and I'm glad I watched it nonetheless.
What were supposed to be the emotional moments in the movie I just couldn’t feel anything for the characters at all… 😩 they were beautiful moments but the overall execution is rushed and sloppy af omg I wanted to connect to the movie so bad but I just got frustrated while watching
Definitely agree with that, got obsessed trying to comprehend how I felt about it afterwards. Been many years, but Ive decided I should make a video review myself to try and put the feelings into words.
@@vixiestarfire Same here. Every time there was a “peak moment” I found myself laughing because I couldn’t take this seriously. I had such high expectations for the film due to it being a Ghilbi film but I actually have a headache now from how badly made it was. Now I find myself looking at all the reviews talking about how bad it was because I need to satisfy my frustration.
You can see why the side stories are actually important when they all come to head at the end. And each part is actually a part of her and help to give clarity to the ending theme. I also enjoyed and valued this film. I respect the recurring themes of the need to take action to help those who can’t help themselves on their own and the efforts shown by the characters in actually doing as much as they can to help the people in need- how Suzu’s mom knew that everyone standing around wasn’t enough to help the child and that someone needed to actually Do something to save them right away. And how Suzu and the boy she likes also realized that and tried to take action the best they could to not just give up but to do whatever things they could to help those children, even if at the time it may have seemed small or insignificant. We all need to do the things we can to help those around us.
What really took me out of the magic of the film for a bit was how unrealistic it was that Suzu- herself a child- was able to single-handedly “solve” the abuse situation by facing and scaring off (how??) an aggressive adult. And how Kei says he’ll fight now - wasn’t he fighting this whole time? I get that he got courage from Suzu coming to see him, but she didn’t and couldn’t really do anything that different from what others had done for the children before (ie talking to his father). It was a very unbelievable happily ever after for me. But still love this film - best I’ve seen in a while.
To be honest, I'll say that's the only thing I don't like about the film, I love how raw everything felt with it's 'messy' plotline being all over the place, but the ending felt like a kids educational video where you tell the bully to stop bullying and they just immediately agree
she stood up to the adult, something his children had never done. he didn’t know how to react. furthermore, kei’s “fighting” is probably more of a standing up for himself/calling the police type thing.
The dad had the "rule" that his house has its own rules, and the failed previous attempts of ppl saving the kids made them accept that. Beast knowing Belle and learning from her actions means now he for sure know he can't accept his dad's rules. Also, it's s implied the Dad is the Jude(?) The blond, I don't remember his name, therefore he knows who Belle is and her true identity since he was the one that unveiled her. He gets afraid when 1- a teenager stoods up against him, and 2- he slowly gets who this unknown girl is, an influent person (also remember he lost all his sponsors when he unveiled belle) Anyways, there's a lot to the movie that's between the lines, I hope my writing is comprehensive bc English is not my first language
I think there’s a big issue in anime regarding how children being returned to their abusive parents is a common trope. The first ones I can think of are Belle, Assassination Classroom (Nagisa and his mom), and Higehiro. I wonder if this is indicative of a bigger issue. Japan only recently enacted a law banning corporal punishment for children (2020) and that came after Belle began production.
It could be, but it could also be a cultural difference. For example, in many cases, policemen in Japan don't mess with domestic problems as they generally think those kind of problems unless they're VERY big, that they're more a family problem that they should fix themselves, and it seems many japanese also think this way, and as they don't want to get into conflicts they let others handle their own stuff because entering into other's problems can be seen as rude. So yeah, I guess it's both a law problem and a cultural difference but they have to be the ones to fux it, not to be the same as us necessarily but to find their own solution...
For me “Belle” ended a bit too….suddenly(?) I don’t know what it is and i surely don’t know how it could be improved but i felt like it was missing something.
Same here! I think it was because they paced the whole tracking down the boys thing, way faster than it needs to be, and they made the confrontation of the beast’s father, short. What makes it feel even more cut off, is that we don’t know the aftermath of those two boys
I agree. My problems with the film was that while I thought it was a nice concept to pay homage to Beauty and the Beast, I don't think we explored much of the Beast's character as much as I would have liked. The mystery behind the Beast was more of the focus of the story instead of the character. It would have been nice to get both of Belle and the Beast's perspectives equally, then opening up about their struggles.
There is no back story of the beast at all, from the original books to Disney and the 2017 French reboot, the beast goes back on the same method about a spoiled rich kid with no admiration sympathy or compassion then you get the beast based on the curse words of a witch or a curesd it self, Bell a heroin has to save him from his hatred of his resentment and his anger throughout society that's it, nothing there which has always been, there a young girl from a small village sit to save a young man's life from causing something that will literally be a catastrophe for him, that's the story of the beauty and the beast no backstory of the beast whatsoever you can't embellish a story of the beast just because you want to remake it that's not how it works it's inspired by the original book you get me.
@@DEMONFOXALEX Yeah, I totally agree with you that there's no backstory on the Beast, but I never said that there needed to be a backstory in order to explore a character. The movie's also not a remake, but a reimagining. In fact, Suzu had a backstory, in which Belle/Beauty never had at all in the original stories. In the first arc, Suzu overcoming her trauma of singing and loss over her mother has nothing to do with Beauty and the Beast until people start calling her Belle because it means Beauty. I really enjoyed this arc because this is where Suzu's character shined. When the movie does, however, start to focus on the tale of Beauty and Beast, the mystery behind the Beast becomes more important than other related plotlines, such as Suzu having a crush, romantic confessions, or even the times when Suzu is in this singing group. When the Beast gets introduced, he breaks into Suzu's concert, which actually gives a reason why the police of U tries to stop him and a bunch of exposition from the rumors is on the Beast. From there, Suzu is so interested in the Beast that she approaches him despite him constantly telling her to leave him alone. The movie makes us think that the real identity of the Beast is Suzu's crush, which would work thematically, but then subverts that the real identity of the Beast wasn't a spoiled kid at all. He was a boy abused by his father and puts up this persona that scares anyone away so that they won't hurt him. And it would have been nice to see how he views Belle or Suzu as a person but we don't see that as much when so much of the time was focused on the mystery. There's even a whole plotline where Suzu and her friend are going through many people on the internet and that just takes up a lot of screen time. In the original stories, there were many interactions with Belle and the Beast, and the Beast changes from being selfish and keeping Belle locked in his castle just for his curse, to selfless and loving. (In the Disney version, he even gives Belle more books to read and tries to become more of a gentleman). And then finally when he lets Beauty leave, he is in love with her, but he puts her feelings over his because he wants to see her happy, and he's willing to be a Beast forever. My biggest problem wasn't who the Beast was, but that if they were going to go that route, then the movies just ends up less satisfying in my opinion. If you liked it, then great. I even like some of the songs and the animation is beautiful, but narratively, it just doesn't work for me. (sorry you had to read this, this was long)
I agree with your points. It’s beautiful, cinematically, and has amazing singular moments but I feel the film was tackling a lot of themes but didn’t truly get to the heart of any of them. Like starting too many projects at once that ends up feeling disjointed and incomplete because as soon at a theme is being explored, it moves on to the next.
I think it's fine. I didn't initially like Belle either, but after talking with my teenaged daughter, I've come to appreciate it. I think part of it is my age - this means I'm more aware of plot elements, but I also bring a lot of baggage. But as we chatted, my daughter pointed out things that I missed initially, and further exploration brought more interesting and deeper meanings to light. It spoke to her in ways it didn't to me. I see the Uverse as a graphical representation of current online social trends and fads... and that can be sometimes uncomfortable, detestable and intriguing. They key of creating an avatar that most represents your true self is interesting as the user has no control over it and may even disagree with it. I agreed with a lot of your criticism with the inclusion of the Beast plotline. To me, the Beast plot felt awkward and cranked in, leaning on many tropes. But to my daughter, she understood and felt connected to Belle's interest in Beast, how she sometimes will instantly obsess over an internet personality. Even if the interest was solely on a platonic level. However, the actions of all the characters in the Beast plotline makes sense when you compare it to internet culture. Still not a fan, bnut I better understand how it hit for other people. I wouldn't say I really like the movie (the visuals carry the movie far more than the story and some plot points were way too close to Disney's Beauty and the Beast) I also like and appreciate the movie substantially more than my first reaction.
I really like this movie, but having evil power rangers as your villains for like half the movie and than introducing an abusive father gave me some serious whiplash.
As someone who has lived very closely to a family where there’s a lot of domestic abuse going on, the ending felt very depressing to me, hence why I was so disappointed by this movie. As Suzu left, what probably happened was that the dad beat the sh*t out of those children. In most situations like these, actively standing up to the abuser makes the abuse worse. It’s so awful but so true. They’ll only be free when they’re able to leave that house, and the movie doesn’t imply that’s going to happen anytime soon.
I heavily agree with this take, the disjointedness of the film was incredibly offputting and left me asking so many questions on the decisions taken. For the villains, what was the purpose that the "Admin" gave them the revealing green gem stone thing? Wouldn't the story have had significantly more interest if Bell had chosen to reveal herself without the green stone? It's not like that's not a possibility, the movie displayed so many individuals who chose to reveal themselves to the world U, so why not her? Why not let her reveal herself without the stone, without the villain? Like you said in the video, there isn't a need to have Bell to have an interest in Beast either. Nonetheless, the film was a solid 5-6.
Also I can't stop thinking about possible consequences of this villain's actions, which are never really addressed? Everyone seems to think that "revealing" the Beast is somehow necessary, when it could lead to them getting attacked both online and irl? I'm just really confused by this part. The absolute lack of any actual safety regulations is mentioned, sure, but it's not explained. Why is there no police in U? Why isn't forcing people online to reveal their private information not considered illegal? It might seem like nitpicking, but it really ruined the immersion for me.
I feel that Hosoda has had issues with his third act in just about every film he makes. They often feel disjointed from the films to me. The abrupt conclusion of the siblings relationship in Wolf Children (***Spoiler*** dropping your mother off in a parking lot and never speaking to her again ***End Spoiler***) and Summer Wars' koi koi were the least out of place for me, but the magic whale in Boy and The Beast and the furry train in Mirai just about lost me with how different they feel from with the rest of the film. Sounds like he's decided to start going off the rails in the second act now. His films are beautiful and I've enjoyed each one, but I've kind of lost hope that he will top The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars. Yes, I know there's a lot of love for Wolf Children, but I watched it with my wife and again with my mother and... it still sits in a strong third place for me and I have yet to be able to explain why I don't connect with it.
There's actually a reason why Hosoda's films go a bit off the rail in their final acts and why it's more noticeable recently. I only discovered this before I wrote my Belle video but Satoko Okudera was a script writer who wrote the films along with Hosoda. After Wolf Children, she stopped working with him and went on to do other projects, which is why his most recent works seem less cohesive I feel.
@@KevinNyaa I still really loved The Boy and the Beast but with Mirai I had quite similar problems... Haven't seen Belle yet but you did a really good job in analyzing it. Great video!
I went to watch Belle on my birthday weeks ago and I really enjoyed the film. The visuals were just stunning, and the score was peak cinema that puts Disney to shame. It was also the first Japanese animated movie I watched in theaters. I'm glad I invested a moment of my life to watch it. After some time I can say The middle of the film is sort of were the story gets questionable and all over the place. Which is underwhelming due to how good the introduction to the movie and Suzu's character was. But the third act does wrap everything quite nice to the point where I did tear up a bit in the theaters. Overall I still like the film and I'm excited to check out Mamoru Hosoda/Studio Chizu's future films because the other films they made look very good. Also side note. Suzu's English VA did an incredible job with Belle. I was surprised to discover that this is the first acting job Kylie McNeil has been a part of. She's a great singer on top of being a great voice actor. I'm excited to see what she does next in her bright future.
@@curesaul5749 What about Mitchels vs the Machines & Flee? How did they get nominated while Belle didn't? I don't even understand what logic would lead to both of those being nominated. I hadn't heard of either of the non-Disney picks prior to a few days ago. I know these awards don't like to recognize Animation that isn't aimed at children & it also seems that they don't like acknowledging Japanese Animated Films.
@@bookmew1081 I have not seen Flee but I can absolutely say I enjoyed Mitchels VS. the Machines dynamic animation and emotional beats to their fullest. I do agree with you in major Western award nomination gloss over Japanese and other Eastern films. Belle had beautiful composition and animation (fight and scenes bogged it down in my opinion) but its flaws splits the watchers. I am in the cynical category in which I can only see the jarringly poor writing which overclouds the positives. I believe the worst problem being that it felt quite shallow in exploring its themes, especially the extremely delicate ones it presents, so much so I consider Belle in the same vein as Raya when fleshing them out. But where I enjoyed the fun dynamics the main characters had in Raya, I found Suzu to be quite 2D and the background characters as simple plot pushers with arms and legs.
I just watched the film with friends and we all felt the same; the ending felt rushed, unresolved and unpolished. You pretty much have to fill on your own all the gaps the movie left, which are a lot, really. I liked a lot the story between Belle and Beast. I think Belle somewhat felt they were similar and that's why she felt that attachment to Beast and wanted to know more about him. I think she just noticed he too was calling out silently for help in his own way, just as she was. And that, little by little, linked them. Their relationship feels deep, but it felt lacking because it's rushed and not very well developed, but still cute. And a bit misleading, not gonna lie. *Spoilers* I just don't understand why they built that close relationship (a bit rushed, yeah) just to have that lacking and lukewarm resolution. I wouldn't obsess myself with Beast, find him in RL, travel all the way to where he is (on my own, no less, because apparently all her friends just vanish and don't help her locate the kids in tokyo and let her travel alone after watching a big ass man-child abuse his own kids; which no gud start), put myself in dangers' way to save two brothers with whom I forged a deep (maybe a bit rushed) friendship (& even love) from their abusive dad, and then walk back home just in time to start developing a sudden relationship with my crush (not Beast, sadge for Beauty and Beast fans), finally surpass my deep mommy issues (which understandable, but messy resolution, nonetheless) and start talking with my dad again for the first time in forever (another thing that's dangling right there) and leaving said kids behind somewhere that's not by my side (biggest unresolved conflict for me and I just don't understand it) What happened to them!? Are they okay!? I mean, the movie goes "everything is well if it all ends well" and roll the credits. I am genuinely confused and upset about the abrupt ending. It was going fantastic before she just popped up again back home without the kids and then they're never mentioned again and ???? Like, the kids became the main focus in the movie and then they're shoved aside in the actual ending. I think there are way too many conflicts in the movie and they had to rush through them all to make it, and that didn't pan out okay. And that's pretty sad, because it feels like this movie could've been so much more if it just had everything that was left for imagination. Very pretty, a lot of beautiful moments, but a little all over the place. It's like we watched side 'A' of the film but now to fill in all the cracks, we need to see side 'B'. But side 'B' is all in our minds and we just have to get by with that. Sadge.
3:19 We saw mundane, day to day activities of the school children, but not what happens in U. It is mentioned that there are battles, but we don't see them. The multitude of avatars are moving from one place to another, but you don't see the activity they're heading towards.
Mamoru Hosoda is an amazing director and he's made a lot of great films in his career. However I feel like his most recent works don't live up to the same standards as his earlier films, which is such a shame. Going into BELLE I wanted to feel the same magic as I did for his previous works, which is why I may be more harsh on him as I know that's he's capable of creating heartwarming and profound stories. I can only hope that he his next films will live up to my expectations of him. Thanks for watching and I'll see you all in the next one! :)
Nah your wrong dude I've been next to the studio all my life and this was literally one of the best films I've seen them produce in a very long time! Literally became one of my favorite films last year %100 best experience I've had with a group of my friends at the theaters... EVER holy shit.
My friend and I saw this movie together and we were both really excited for it because I had told her about how wonderful all of Studio Chizu's movies were. Once we left the theater, we looked at each other and immediately agreed that we 'felt something was missing'. I agree with all of the points you made and the only reason I would ever watch this movie again is to see the beautiful animation and hear the songs.
So many things wrong with this movie. But I loved it. Best movie of the year for me a 7/10. The music is the best I’ve heard in a long time in a movie. Suzu’s character and story was really well done. All the other side characters, beauty and the beast similarities, and justice league police are what made the movie worse for me. It dilutes to what should’ve been a more simplistic story. Loved the review! I’m sorry that you didn’t feel or love Belle the way you wanted. But for me I was really glad to have watched in theaters, it was actually worth the money.
Glad that the other things in the film didn’t bother you as much as it did me. There are still great parts like the performances which are really touching.
I agree with what you're saying but I still almost cried when I watched Belle in the theatre. The story was messy but the atmosphere felt so powerful to me. I felt the songs and visuals alone built up a kind of mood I haven't seen before and for that I loved it. I think the music especially really made this movie good in my eyes
The adults in Suzu's life letting her run off to go protect children and take on an abusive ADULT MAN by herself really turned me off from the movie. I genuinely liked the movie even if it did become a bit convoluted but that last part made it sort of a miss. But i do have to say the music was great and definitely hits all those emotional beats for me, I don't think I'll ever watch the film again but the music has definietly been in rotation and still gives me chills.
Yeah that part confused me. All of Japan by that point were made aware of what was going on. Why didn't anyone inform the police to conduct a investigation and rescue? Like what if the dad went through with hitting her and didn't stop?
My nitpick about this anime film was the resolution in the real world. So Suzu finds out that a fellow user is the victim of abuse. But when she confronts this abuser by defending his kids, THAT could’ve been done better. It feels incomplete.
⚠️WARNING, RANT INCOMING. ⚠️ Just watched this movie with a friend, we were both so appalled when the story of the Beast ended with him saying “I’m gonna fight”. First of all, he already was a fighter. Second of all, the abuse was not his fault for “not fighting”, it was the fault of adults for not helping him and his brother get away when they knew what was going on, it was the fault of child protective services who needed 48 hours to respond when two children were in danger … and why would the adults let Suzu, a very young person, go and find these two children and their violent father ALONE? AND THEN she just leaves without them?! WHAT?! And then everything is supposedly fine? The “happy” ending just completely ruined this film for the both of us. Like what was the message here? Children who are abused need to fight their own battles by looking their abusers in the eye? Very strange.
Firstly, I wanna say thank you for posting an actual criticism video rather than one that has no substance behind it. Its interesting to hear others perspectives on how they view a story, not every character is going to feel super relatable. I personally didn't like the story of wolf children myself for reasons that felt similar of not fully understanding a characters motives. Though its a movie I'd like to try and give another chance. There a quite a few points I would like to state that I agree with, this movie definitely could have benefited with more world building. I also felt that it was a bit odd that she just found the boys randomly while screaming on the streets? And I dunno if its just a japan thing, but it also felt odd that she was willing to travel all that way, alone to go and confront an abusive stranger? Aside from these points though the one major one that surprises me is how often I hear that the beasts part feels shoe horned? Other than the ballroom scene, I felt the story was entirely different. I think there is a disconnect with the audience in understanding why Belle is so intrigued with this individual in the first place. With this colorful cast of online persona's, Beast stands out like a sore thumb and not in a positive way. A world where you can be you, authentically and not be tied down to realities rules. I think Belle's curiosity in the Beasts stems from a wanting to understand why someone would purposely go out of there way to cause destruction in this sort of world when it is meant to "start a new life" . As another person puts it, Belles actions mirrors that of her own mothers. I think its pretty clear to see that through the Beasts actions that his pain shown through even in this digital world which struck her curiosity. And when your a young person discovering a new interest in anything, our minds can obsess about that thing. The Beast struggled with anger but, it was also subtly implied that his pain stemmed through loss. Belle was able to show him love and compassion when it seemed that no other person was willing to do so. It also seems as though it may had been a familiar type of love, one that the beast knew would only lead to more pain. And it was through this pain that allowed Belle to connect on a deeper level with the Beast, even though they were strangers. Suzu didn't seem to connect with anyone on this sort of level before and It gave Belle the strength to overcome her trauma. Without the beast, Belle may had kept her two identities separate. She learned through this digital world, WHY her mom made a haste decision to help a stranger.
I agree for the most part. Me and my friends saw this in the theaters and right after the lend me your voice song, we all looked at each other and asked “ where is this going?” However I love this movie not because of the story of characters, but because the songs (english versions) really helped me. I lost a friend a few months prior to this movie coming out, and the songs just perfectly worded how I was feeling. A million miles away was just beautiful. I was actually singing along with the audience in U.
Totally agree with what you said, the Movie was Really Flawed and was really pushing the beauty and the best vibes. The reason is because Mamoru Hosoda loved The movie ( Read and watched in a interview) and wanted to do his own take of it with the touch of virtual reality since we have that in out Generation. Great concept but the execution could’ve been better. Overall I still love the Movie heck so far I’ve seen it Six times so I guess it’s doing something right.
You are absolutely correct. I was hoping to love this film as the trailer promised so much, but the plot... it gets so messy around the second half of the film. I think Mamoru Hosoda wanted to deliver a lot of messages and he got lost. But above all I fell in love with the soundtrack. This one is from another world.
The ending is where I had issues with film. She finds the two boys stands up to dad, and we don't see or hear from them again. You can't have a serious moment like that and then not tell us what happens. For all we know, the dad could've killed the kids and ran.
I also didn't love Belle but mostly for different reasons, the biggest one being that i never truly believed what happened in the virtual world carried real stakes. there were multiple times where I found myself wondering why characters didn't just log off lol. and similar settings CAN have high stakes! but i found the way U was handled, presented, integrated and (like you said) designed really prevented me from getting invested and was pretty immersion breaking at times. it didn't help that everyone talked about "unveiling" as something relatively low stakes that didn't have the potential to ruin somebody's life or anything lmao. there were other issues besides that but that was the main one for me. anyway great video, I'll check out the rest of your channel!
I whole-heartedly agree with this review. I was really enjoying the movie, but when the Beast came I just couldn't wrap my head around why Belle was so interested him. That was definitely one of my main issues with this movie, it just didn't seem natural, and by adding the Beast it's like we're taken on the side quest. And especially with the end, I just feel like it didn't get resolved the way I would've liked. For example, what happened to the kids after Suzu returned home. Although with the critiques I have I can say that I loved the animation and the music in this film. Even though I didn't what was going on half the time I still somehow felt emotionally connected to the movie.
Wow! Exactly my reaction to this film. I am a huge Hosoda fan, have all his works in my library, and like you, I really wanted to love Belle, but exactly at the same midpoint, began to lose emo interest. I think Hosada's rigid adherence to retelling "Beauty and the Beast" worked against his story for me. Would have preferred concentrating on Suzu Naito and her struggles with loss. Of course "Belle" is hugely popular, and any contrary reaction is sure to generate some hate-mail type reactions by those who love "Belle"! Strange how love generates hate!
The way that they found the building was so incredibly wtf and unbelievable. First they have this extremely low res image that they somehow magically enlarge to perfect hi res and it's the most generic looking building but somehow they recognize it right away. There could have at least been some defining feature of the building but there is none. This is on top of having pacing that was way too fast and pointless plotlines (online bullying) and pointless characters (the boyfriend). I was so excited for this movie because it was beautiful with good music and thought it would be a bit of a forbidden romance but it just ended up being disappointing. To end on a high note though I saw Wolf Children recently and that movie was fantastic!
The movie is great but I feel like the main issues with it would be the ending there is no real understanding of what happens to kei and tomo like yeah suzu protects them from their abusive father but like what happens after all that it just doesn’t add up do they go back to their probably more pissed and abusive father or what I feel as the ending there is just no clarification of what happens to them.
I watched this movie yesterday and I couldn't agree more with you. I kind of liked it but I think it's more because of the great visuals and music than the story itself. And I think the movie actually had the potential to have been a lot better with some better work on the things you mention and that didn't really work in the movie. My favorite movie by Mamoru Hosoda are Wolf Children and the girl who leapt through time Also I think the final scene when Suzu finds the kids could have been much better if they didn't make it so easy, like creating some tension because they cannot find them even with the help of other characters would have been better than Suzu just going there and find them in the street waiting for her
Ive been very jaded when it comes to anime movies. Im just used to them being amazing almost every time. But yeah.... Belle wasnt amazing. It was... good? Visuals were great and soundtrack too, but I wasnt buying the story at all.
Fair points brought up in the video and in all the comments. I'm on the side that some stuff confused me but I'm still entranced by it's emotional high moments, so I don't regret seeing it in theaters
I too, didn't love this movie as much as I was hoping to because many things seemed to make little sense, but now reading in the comments what other people got, I'm appreciating the movie more and actually understanding it more
I loved Belle mostly; I liked the story. And Suzu as a character. But I didn't like the ending, the way that the movie handled the abuse of the two kids felt like they didn't have an idea on how to fix the two boys' situation. So, they just ended the movie. Sure, Suzu stood up for them and tried to help but then she just leaves. And she leaves them with their abusive father, and it feels like nothing will change for them. Thats the one thing about the movie that didn't sit right with me.
It was pretty disjointed, I feel like they tried to do 2 different stories at the same time and it just kind of clashed with each other..... I get the point they where trying to make but as you said it came across as disjointed.
I agree with this but have seen some comments talking about how helping the beast let Suzus resentment toward her mother fade and I think this aspect is to subtle, if the beast somehow reminded Belle of her childhood friend I though this would have been more cohesive. When I first watched the movie I actually thought the beast was going to be her childhood friend and was disappointed when it was not. Her trauma with her mother was rapped up but in a way that seemed like reaching. She could have saved somone she already knew and had the same effect with less of a wild plot, that's just what I think
Great review and I agree with all your points. I was excited for Belle for the amazing music and art but was left feeling disappointed in the end. It wasn't a bad film by all means (it was just ok). However, the emotions didn't hit me as hard as they wanted to-the story was messily disjointed with out of nowhere character choices, unnecessary bloated cast that didn't need to be there, and plot devices for convenience sake. It doesn't help that the thematic narrative didn't compel me either. Despite that, I can see why someone could love it, just like how Summer Wars is my favorite Hosoda film despite its faults. If it had a more narrow focus and kept at a better pace, I think my opinion would have been different. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the music, even if everything else didn't reach my expectations.
Wholeheartedly agree with your thoughts! It's such a shame this movie doesn't know what it's doing. It throws so many potentially amazing concepts at you and doesn't go anywhere with them... Let's just hope Hosoda-san sees his mistakes and improves upon them in his next film.
I think a part of a movie that was lost was that Suzu wanted to save the boys. This parallels her mom’s decision to go into the water to save the child. I thought this was pretty clear, but I didn’t see many mentions on this part. Yes, the ending is rushed and I have no idea why they didn’t show a resolution to that part of the story. But it’s also about Suzu finally understanding why her mom left her to help. Again, it could have been clearer.
First half of the movie is a solid 10/10 but as soon as the weird plot line with the beast was introduced I would rate the movie overall 6.5. All of the issues I have with the movie are all literally in the 2nd half. Villain's motivation was so dumb, no mystery, no cool plot line no nothing. The introduction of the beast was weird it wasn't good or bad just weird story telling, like stated in the video it felt really out of place. And the resolution for the rising conflict was just bad. Sure send some 15 year old girl to save two boys from their abusive dad like what? Every character was so invested in the two boys story and they let suzu deal with it??? I would've appreciated a sense of community if they all banned together and went with suzu. And I don't believe that all it took was for suzu to just stare down the dad. WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THE BOYS ARE OK EITHER THE MOVIE JUST ENDS...
I'm a lover of Hosoda's films (Summer Wars being my top tier fave/fave of all time) and I loved the musical aspect and the cinematography of Belle. But I do agree on its plot holes and it made me feel like this whole Belle story could have been better if it was made into a series. I love the [not-so-main] plot part wherein Suzu is suffering from grief and when she saw the Beast, she felt like he was similar to him and she wanted to help a fellow grieving person out. But the journey itself on how Belle and Beast developed their relationship was very rushed and the way on how Suzu recovered from her own grief was also too quick (she just sang.. and the grief is gone?? ...okay? hahaha). It could have been written better especially the part on how Suzu discovers Beast's identity (and don't get me started on how dumbfounded I am that they figured out fast where Kei and his little bro lived LMAO). I also felt that the insertion of those weird power ranger dudes are not needed to build the story. But despite the messy plot, I still cannot help but fall in love with the movie because of how beautiful the cinematography is and the emotions conveyed in the songs are justtttt so chef's kiss.
The story of belle could have written better, that is why I want to rewrite it haha. But other than that, the movie was amazing and a unique experience compared to other anime.
Dude its not about just her trauma of the story. Its also about how her mother sacrifice her life for a stranger who's helpless and her(belle) understanding what she(mom) did and why she did it. asking what would you have done on a similar situation why the dragon doing what he does.
Exactly. This movie was dealing with with after math of her losing her mother which can be hard on a child. Her being distant and not understanding why her mother did that. Feeling like her mother deserted her. Then she finds a online place called U and goes in there seeing she can hide herself and try to gain all these followers trying to fill that hole she has. Then she meets beast who being hunted like a animal covered in brushes and also isolated from people. She gets intrigued in him wanting to learn more and help. Finding out him and his brother needs help. The boys feeling the helpless and mistrust of people. The isolation you get when your in their position and mistrust. She then begins to know why her mother did what she did. To help someone who is in need. She grows as a person and grows closer to her mother's death as well as her mother's decision
I'm glad you made this video. Partly because it is a major source of recommendations for my own review, but mostly because I really like reviews that dig into things that COULD have worked. You clearly love Hosoda's style, and I wish I had seen some of his other films before Belle to see his ideas actually working instead of this mess.
Good review Kevin. However, the movie was not confusing to me at all. In fact, the part from where you thought nothing was making any sense made the most sense to me. 😅 just because she was so invested in the beast doesn't mean she forgot about her mother. They tried to showcase that belle was actually exactly like her mother even tho she felt "betrayed" by her. She cares for other people just like her mother did. Compassionate people can tell a lot just by looking at someone. When she glanced at the beast she knew he was in pain that's why she was so desperate to find out who he was, so she could save him from his agony. It was like, if she's gonna die she's gonna while trying to save him. For someone like belle, revealing your true identity would be the worst nightmare, but still, she sacrificed, she didn't care what happens next, once again just like her mother. Then she finally broke free when she realised why her mother did what she did. This anime was the reality check we needed for this generation. How we are so quick to judge and how fast words spread these days. How advanced the technology is, etc. For people who's gone through some kind of family abuse, this movie hit them hard. (Plus, I think the whole beauty and beast like part was so beautiful, you wouldn't normally expect that part in movies like belle, but that's exactly what added the extra depth behind all the pain, using a famous fairytale to describe real life problems, I think it was brilliant). Anyways that was just my opinion, I watched this movie a few hours ago. I loved it, but haven't seen many videos made about it compared to animes like A silent voice, etc. So, I wanted to check if there was a marketing problem or what 😅
I did enjoy the film and visually it is beautiful and the songs are pretty good. But yeah I felt a barrier to get to a deeper emotional level for this movie. Like the story threads aren't connected enough. I really wish the Beast wasn't in the film. Not that the storyline with the two kids isn't an important one to tell, I just wish that it didn't share a movie with Suzu's story. I know the ending is suppose to be a parallel with her mom but it is so unrealistic because of course her friends and the choir group would go with her. They wouldn't;t send her alone. Also the kids are still stuck with the abusive father. Ya know the script writer could have made since Suzu is so famous after her reval her getting scratched by the dude could have gone viral and then he goes to jail. I felt like there was an amazing movie in this script but the visuals and music carried it and Suzu herself.
To me the beast Plotline does make sense, when he appeared Belle was the only one who wasn't judging him immediately, all others including Hiro were against him and they also didnt know him, or thought about what could be the reason for his behaviour. Like Suzus father also mentiones Suzu is a very kind and empathetic person instead of judging him she took a different approach, she rather saw the good and tried to think of the reasons why he acts the way he does. i dont think its unnatural to become interested heavily in someone or something, especially if you try to understand it on a deeper level. She has overcome her trauma bc she also learned why her mother saved that little girl. At least to me the movie did show it quite well
To be honest, I think "the beast plotline" makes so much more sense and reflects more accurate the real world in this movie then in the disney (or affiliate) versions.
(spoilers below) I agree pretty much with all that you said. I just read a comment that Belle's intrest in the beast came as a parallel to her mother who left everything to save a little girl in the river. And I can NOW see that. And that's the problem. I feel like the movie failed to convey the connection. Just a simple scene where we can see how she realizes that her interest comes from protection just as her mother. Which I feel is messily explained on the train where her father is like "your mom taught you to be like this". I also thought it was really ironic how Suzu is doing everything to hide she is Belle but then rudely demands the beast to tell her who he is. There is no transition or progression in their relaitonship. Then it is so good at conveying all of these emotions without the need to explain and then there are parts that are so overexplained too. I love the songs, the animation, the concept and the story they tried to tell. I just don't love how the story was told.
Let’s be honest, the dad would’ve served three bullets for dinner before the cops show up, especially after the whole world found out what he did…cuz ,,THEY NOT GONNA TAKE MY KIDZ AWAY!!!“
one thing that also bugged me was the slight theme introduced like how kamishin kind of is similar to beast, he is seen as strange and different from everyone else, yet he is internally sensitive and I'd say even sweet, from just a handful of moments that much is communicated about kamishin it would have made sense for him to be the beast which would also play into why she got so interested in the beast they could say that in her subconscious she felt it was someone she knew. anyways
I 100% agree with you. I wanted to love this movie to but the story is just not good. That’s what I find with Mamoru Hosoda’s films. The first half is great then the rest falls flat. The only one that’s good all away threw is Wolf Children
this was almost exactly word for word my take on this film, down to the narrative choices and mixed messages. of course, this film is still good underneath it all, and is held up a lot by the animation and music. all my feelings and thoughts about it were put neatly together in this video that i couldnt say myself.
I went into this film blindly I saw the DVD at target and thought it looked interesting and also the beast looked badass lol now I have never seen any studio chizu / Mamoru Hosoda films this is my first one and after watching it I was honestly confused and still am it had heart and soul but it felt messy and rushed towards the end Edited: they should of made this into a series and not a movie my opinion
Honestly even with your review I didn't really think it was that bad? Each movie speaks to a different person and this one spoke to me... no movie is ever gonna have a universal appeal where everyone gets it or loves it but that's what makes this movie special tbh and I love it for that ♡
Aside from what you've said, which I generally agree with, much of my suspension of disbelief over U as a platform strained my enjoyment, given so much of the story happens in it. It's really weird for the place to be as popular as it is when people are seemingly not allowed to customize their avatars, to the point that it forces features on a user they'd rather not, like the bruises of one's own abuse(!). Hope you like looking like a monster or a little sprite guy! It also has seemingly no administration to keep things running, leading to a goofy sentai group acting as authority and heading harassment campaigns against other users. And also why is there a arm cannon that can doxx people? I love stories that take place in virtual settings, but I also feel that not many have done a good job of it. Writing any kind of fantasy or science fiction comes with creating the rules of a world that works differently from the real world, but when it comes to stories like these, where the virtual world intersects with the real world, it becomes more important than ever for the rules of the virtual reality to be both consistent and believable, that real characters would want to go to that virtual space in the first place. I was frustrated by Hosoda's somewhat recent words in an interview calling out other artists/directors that use VR and the internet to tell dour and dire stories, rather than uplifting ones, and while he acted like he was some kind of authority on how to tell stories in VR settings, it made me look more critically at the above issues, that just made U such an unbelievable space. Although maybe that's just par for the course when the major conflict of Summer Wars was that critical infrastructure and nuclear weapons(!) existed on the same network as the rest of social media and the internet. For as much as the guy loves to tell stories in VR, I don't think he understands the internet very well. Amazing music though, in English and Japanese.
I agree that parts of the movie that felt disjointed, and there was some plot convience. However, as you pointed out, Mamoru Hosoda brilliantly presented the lonliness within Suzu. That's the exact reason why I didn't find her being drawn to the beast random or odd at all. I felt as though she understood that his actions were likely to be fueled by pain, loneliness, and helplessness and she immediately felt a strong connection due to that. It didn't just feel like convience to me because the relationship showed that Suzu's mother's caring nature lived on within Suzu and it allowed her to come to terms with the circumstances that led to her mothers death.
I agree with nearly everything you said. My main problem with the movie was that it became a bit dysfunctional when The Beast enters the picture. Now that it's been a minute since I've watched the film and I've pondered it, you nail the fact that the characters' intense interest in The Beast seems artificial. The actual character behind the beast was intriguing and certainly had a deep connection with the MC; it led to a pretty strong emotional climax. Yet the path to get there was very messy. I still think the film was spectacular in nearly every regard outside the main plot, with the amazing visuals and music. But that's probably what makes it frustrating to critique. There was mad potential in this one, but it missed the mark a fair bit when it comes to the plot. I'm definitely intrigued to see what the next Hosoda film will explore.
Well I actually love Belle because not only the animation is so beautiful in a virtual world, but in my opinion I like simple stories (both fantasy and Slice of Life) I mean no one could have suspect a "beast" could be a child in the flesh What I mean is the 2 boys goes through abuse from their father, that was the biggest plot twist I've ever seen!!! I also see it as the biggest level of Beauty and the Beast. It's funny, sad, heartwarming and even some of the little characters (in the virtual world) are actually cute in my opinion. To me, this movie is just completely flawless! I have nothing bad to say about this movie really, even if I tried.
Visuals: 8/10 Music: 10/10 Story: 6/10 Overall: 7.5/10 Seems fair enough to me, seriously the music is just, the one scene where she does the whole reveal I think that would’ve made a better ending that scene was so freaking powerful makes me wanna cry all the time
Watched it over the weekend. I concur with you on the story. It really sucked. You talk about Suzu being alone, but her father was there the entire time and reached out to her through the entire movie, but she would just ignore him to go throw her pity parties. Also what happen to the two kids at the end of the movie? Nothing is said or even mentioned? Did Suzu help them out? Get them away from their father? Or just go there so she could feel good about herself afterwards? Also her going there all by herself seemed kind of dangerous and selfish. As she had to the hero. Why didn't any of her friends go with her? What a crap movie.
I agree. Suzu meeting the two kids in person to hug them, temporarily "fend off" their abusive father... For them to return to their parent anyway and endure more abuse? Nothing was ever explained. It was a poorly written, rushed movie. Couldn't really enjoy it because of the fact.
@@ManamiSoma I heard that this movie got a 15min standing ovation after it’s premiere. I think people were just caught up in the spectacle of the film. Once you have time to rent think it over the flaws become really apparent.
Good takes, but I still stand in the zone that this is a pretty good Hosoda film throughout, over Mirai too. I like the film more than all those nominated Oscar's picks (and even Josie, The Tiger and The Fish is better than those Disney picks). I seen revisited Belle multiple times because I love the music. The story could be worked in a better end, but imo I think it's a solid film and to me, things do make sense in a way, after few rewatches, I kind of find things that stands out more to more. I think Mamoru still got more stories to tell for the the better. People are pretty divided for Boy and the Beast too and I think that film is my third favorite out of his behind GWLTT and WC, it's a great film regardless imo. It's also like Shinkai's Weathering With You after Your Name, I do not think anything will touch the skies of Your Name from those titles coming after, Weathering With You felt like it just went off the rails a bit and the music is still great.
@@bookmew1081 Reminder, titles like Your Name and A Silent Voice never had their chance, you cannot doubt that they're biased against anime films which is the bigger animation pool in Japan.
For me didn't feel forced. I don't know for sure if is something cultural (most probably is) but for me it was very clear why Bell and the Dragon called unconsciously for each others feelings, and it shows in between lines but very obvious (like in the finals scenes), for example when the Dragon says "don't look at me" and the way Susu hides herself from others. There were differents ways of pain connecting with each other in this movie. To see this movie you have to be intuitive and not everything has to be explained in your face, Good directors/Authors tended to want to bring/provoke/evoke diferents self-explanations and emotions to the viewers. Like a good artist create their art gifting to the public/viewers the opportunity to give their own explanations about what they are seeing.
I thought you described this perfectly well. Almost everything you said is all true. I love its animation, music, and some characters but it really took me out when the growth and development of U was passed over rather than letting us experience more of the world itself. And the real world at times would always seem kinda boring to watch. Over all I think everyone shares this same thought about the movie. It was a great theater experience but its story really lacked any care of wanting to watch again.
100% agree with everything you've said! Only thing to add is that, for me, there's just too much heart and soul in this film for me to physically ignore. I'm still crying throughout despite knowing that several points just don't add up lol
Just saw the movie last night. It has issues, but I did like it a lot. I wish we saw what happened to the kids at the end, or, why the beast was being targeted in the first place? The movie that really connected with me was Summer Wars. So far nothing else has hit me the same way. I'm fairly certain this movie was more concept and art than it was story, and that's fine ultimately but not gonna be for everyone
I haven't seen Belle yet, but one thing I really *adore* about this movie is that it feels so *grand.* Seriously, I love the virtual-city like atmosphere. I suppose I technically fell in love (not quite) with this movie mostly because of it's aesthetic. I value the heart and emotion behind movies, so I'll probably check out the movie at some point to see if I see eye to eye with your thoughts. Also I really appreciate the calm and respective tone you used to express the movie's flaws so it doesn't offense anyone who disagrees. Great job with the video!
They deffiantly did hint at why Belle cared so much, only later on. She was much like her mother, seeing the childlike scared little boy. But that was just at the hug when she realised that. Every interaction before that should have had a better explanation as to why she cared so much.
You ask why Suzy was interested in finding out more about the beast, and that you don’t understand why, it’s pretty simple, the beast reminds suzu of herself, although she might have been that harsh, she shut people out and was angry and confused by her mothers choice to save another’s child before being there for her own. And in being sad and angry she can emphasize with the beast.
That would only make sense if she had known about his past before. But I’m saying the initial connection she has to him came out of no where. It’s like she just knows.
@Sparda G that’s just the power of human beings, we know or sense when someone is suffering, we may not go through the same trauma, but we all know what trauma is, and can relate to others.
@Sparda G well the beast was just another person suffering from the loss of their mom, just like suzu. even though it wasn’t mentioned, it was shown, ie the picture in the castle. And I never said she didn’t first judge him, but when she looked closer she saw someone suffering from loss.
I pretty much agree with almost every point. I wanted more from it. I liked it quite a bit, but maybe was way more hyped for it than I should have been. It just had so much potential.
My favourite character at the beginning was suzu but then it became the beast. All the beast 's actions made sense. Suzu is intersted in the beast for no reason. Also why is she distant from her father ? That was never explained. That's why I like the beast more. He has trust issues and it is explained why? I understand why suzu is depressed but the problem is that suzu 's father is actually a good guy he tries his best but suzu is the one that doesn't seem to care so yeah . I liked the ending of the film more than the beginning.
Agree the main story is a little gray, but damn, the soundtrack lifted the movie back up, especially the climax with “A Million Miles Away” that was a beautiful scene
I found the film quite barable to the point of not minding owning the Blu-ray of the film. But even then, it's one of those anime films of all time. It had great ideas but still wish it took its time fleshing out those ideas.
lol im happy that im not alone on this! expect Hosoda fan boy attacks coming your way, but the points you made in this vid was valid👍 keep up the good work Kevin!
I couldn't put my finger on it but your video is great! I was so confused at so many points and i thought it was just me 😅 I was so invested in Suzu but then it went off course, and then I was confused that she sort of had two love interests all of a sudden?
That's a nice review :) I like Belle's song and visuals but it felt like the 3d team did not mesh with the 2d team very well. So its like 2 movies in one.
I enjoyed Belle, but I was definitely left with some unanswered questions, mostly concerning the way the virtual world of U works. For example: Who are the creators known only as the Voices? What are their relationship to the Justices? Who is Justin in real life? Why does he and his sponsors feel so motivated to attack and unveil the Beast in particular? I may never know the answers to these and many more similar questions. Also, why did Belle become so obsessed with unveiling the Beast herself after meeting him for the first time? It’s a sign of bad filmmaking when a movie brings up questions it never intended to give the answers to. Belle was an ambitious film that would have been perfect if it had narrowed it’s focus on storytelling. There’s only so much a two-hour film can do and the film keeps your mind racing much of that time to understand it.
I love this film a lot, but that mostly is my love of the soundtrack, i find myself watching clips of my favorite parts more because the individual moments are so great. BUT when you put it all in a sequence they get really messy, so I really agree with your opinions here, though its because I want to love the movie even more than i already do
8:30 "Belle becomes interested in the beast for...no reason?" Holy hell, I actually shouted at my monitor, no no no! The entire point is, she can tell that someone else is in pain; they're suffering. She wants to help them because of that. She's determined to help a stranger in distress; just how her mother did. That's the entire point of the film. 11:30 "If the movie put more emphasis on this parallel, this could have been a much more compelling narrative than what we got". That is literally the narrative of the film.
I felt exactly like that about the movie. I can see the love put into it. I love the songs, animation, the ideas. I was sad at the end of the movie for not getting the well resoluted and dramatic story, with lessons to take, that I know I could have got.
Belle it's beautiful ...from the studio, but when you touch the story... I feel like o understood kingdom hearts and Evangelion, better than what the story came about
I still really like the movie . I find the story very right. Of course it's a movie , so it can't be completely similar to real world . But it's still have so undenied true feelings to it ( in a fairy tale away) :)
This film remind me a story of Beauty and the Beast🌹 expect this is a anime version done by Japanese writers and directors which inspire by the fairy tales of Beauty and the Beast🌹.Although there a few things that I'm disappointed about this movie because when I first watched the trailer and waiting for months on the story I would have though that Belle/Suzu becoming popular in U with her singing that the Dragon would appear at her concert to kidnapped her to have to himself, I also though that the identity of the Dragon would be Suzu's father since they're distant after her mother passed away or Suszu's childhood friend Shinobu who always watched over her. If I was the writer of this movie I would have made the story very interesting.
I also thought the way belle is just interested in the beast was forced . Here 's what should have happened The beast saving belle or doing anything interesting to get her attention. The beast is an interesting character but the way belle just chase him and the way they got well together is so forced and confusing. We got a sad backstory for the beast explaining his actions he is maybe the most interesting character but the plot moved so fast . He should have had more moments as a beast and a human. I don't really blame him for his attitude after knowing what he went through . Overall the story had alot of potential my favourite characters are probably suzu and the beast considering they had more moments than any other character but I thought the beast should have had more moments. If the story focused more on the beast and belle or suzu and the little boy just being themselves and learning g more about each other naturally the film could have been sooooo much better
I agree with Everything just said. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this movie ever since I watched it and it wasn’t in a “I loved it so much” way but more in a I was upset way that I couldn’t put my finger on. I really wanted to liek this movie, it had some good emotional beats which I’m a sucker for and both the visuals and the music were amazing. But when it came to the story, the plot was so janky it took me out of what I wanted to feel. But alas, hopefully they learn from this. Also side note: the English voice actor for Belle- SUPER TALENTED
That's funny, I've kind of gone through a similar arc when it comes to Mamoru Hosoda films and anime films, as Wolf Children used to be my favourite anime film, but was then dethroned by A Silent Voice. I still love Wolf Children though and Mirai is probably my 2nd favourite of his personally. I have not seen Boy & The Beast Yet though. But yeah I can't say I wasn't a bit disappointed with this film. It felt quite different from Hosoda's previous films, in the sense that it's trying to be quite big and ambitious, while also just feeling a lot less grounded to me. It felt forced and I wasn't expecting that from this director. It definitely had it's moments and it's a beautiful film to look at with some nice music, but I really just couldn't connect with it. I would be willing to give it a second chance, watching it on my own at home instead of with a friend at the cinema, but I'm mostly hoping his next film will resonate more. Then again, part of it might also be me getting older and such, whereas the film felt like it was more targeted at kids or teens.
I just want to add that the plot of Suzu overcoming her trauma wasn't lost or forgotten; her mother died to protect a little girl that she didn't knew and Suzu was left with resentment over her mother throwing her life away for a stranger when she had a daughter to take care of. At the end, helping the beast, Belle understands what is like to see someone in pain and having to help them even if they are complete strangers. I noticed you didn't mentioned it and wanted to point it out that the plot do is still about Suzu overcoming her trauma even if her initial reasons to be interested in the beast do feel flimsy.
exactly, though i think i'm biased cause i was crying through out the whole 3rd act TwT
and i watched it on pc, plus the copy i got was blurry
yup..the thought was same as mine.
the introduction of The Beast kinda sudden and having Belle curious about him so much is so out a place at first for me.
but in the last song when Belle stop singing..the memory flash back of her mother unfortunate event..got me understand.
Finally Belle had the answer to the question that been traumatized her for years.
the answer to WHY did her mother try to save that child.
@@zamafendy6755 for me i realized when she was texting with her dad :'D
1000%
Yeah I like how they tried to convey this message but to me it still feels so forced? I don't feel like they expanded on this enough
Belle is undoubtedly a messy movie, but I kind of love it in spite of that. The emotional highs are incredible; A Million Miles Away especially is peak cinema. And ultimately I feel our lead does get a satisfying resolution and storyline, even if the surrounding stuff is more mixed. It stumbles under the weight of too many ideas and ambition, but I can't help but appreciate that ambition nonetheless. Not up there with the anime film heavyweights, but enjoyable and I'm glad I watched it nonetheless.
I feel the exactly same way now. it was messy but I loved the mix of emotions and messages but I understand why it wasn’t the greatest.
What were supposed to be the emotional moments in the movie I just couldn’t feel anything for the characters at all… 😩 they were beautiful moments but the overall execution is rushed and sloppy af omg I wanted to connect to the movie so bad but I just got frustrated while watching
Definitely agree with that, got obsessed trying to comprehend how I felt about it afterwards. Been many years, but Ive decided I should make a video review myself to try and put the feelings into words.
@@vixiestarfire Same here. Every time there was a “peak moment” I found myself laughing because I couldn’t take this seriously. I had such high expectations for the film due to it being a Ghilbi film but I actually have a headache now from how badly made it was. Now I find myself looking at all the reviews talking about how bad it was because I need to satisfy my frustration.
You can see why the side stories are actually important when they all come to head at the end. And each part is actually a part of her and help to give clarity to the ending theme. I also enjoyed and valued this film. I respect the recurring themes of the need to take action to help those who can’t help themselves on their own and the efforts shown by the characters in actually doing as much as they can to help the people in need- how Suzu’s mom knew that everyone standing around wasn’t enough to help the child and that someone needed to actually Do something to save them right away. And how Suzu and the boy she likes also realized that and tried to take action the best they could to not just give up but to do whatever things they could to help those children, even if at the time it may have seemed small or insignificant. We all need to do the things we can to help those around us.
What really took me out of the magic of the film for a bit was how unrealistic it was that Suzu- herself a child- was able to single-handedly “solve” the abuse situation by facing and scaring off (how??) an aggressive adult. And how Kei says he’ll fight now - wasn’t he fighting this whole time? I get that he got courage from Suzu coming to see him, but she didn’t and couldn’t really do anything that different from what others had done for the children before (ie talking to his father). It was a very unbelievable happily ever after for me. But still love this film - best I’ve seen in a while.
To be honest, I'll say that's the only thing I don't like about the film, I love how raw everything felt with it's 'messy' plotline being all over the place, but the ending felt like a kids educational video where you tell the bully to stop bullying and they just immediately agree
she stood up to the adult, something his children had never done. he didn’t know how to react. furthermore, kei’s “fighting” is probably more of a standing up for himself/calling the police type thing.
I agree, cuz home abuse is just able to be solved through one single option…DISTANCE! And there is nothing a kid can do.
The dad had the "rule" that his house has its own rules, and the failed previous attempts of ppl saving the kids made them accept that. Beast knowing Belle and learning from her actions means now he for sure know he can't accept his dad's rules.
Also, it's s implied the Dad is the Jude(?) The blond, I don't remember his name, therefore he knows who Belle is and her true identity since he was the one that unveiled her. He gets afraid when 1- a teenager stoods up against him, and 2- he slowly gets who this unknown girl is, an influent person (also remember he lost all his sponsors when he unveiled belle)
Anyways, there's a lot to the movie that's between the lines, I hope my writing is comprehensive bc English is not my first language
I think there’s a big issue in anime regarding how children being returned to their abusive parents is a common trope. The first ones I can think of are Belle, Assassination Classroom (Nagisa and his mom), and Higehiro. I wonder if this is indicative of a bigger issue. Japan only recently enacted a law banning corporal punishment for children (2020) and that came after Belle began production.
I wouldn’t be shocked. There’s a lot of issues in Japan, that you can see within anime. Another instance of this, bullying. Art truly imitates life.
It could be, but it could also be a cultural difference. For example, in many cases, policemen in Japan don't mess with domestic problems as they generally think those kind of problems unless they're VERY big, that they're more a family problem that they should fix themselves, and it seems many japanese also think this way, and as they don't want to get into conflicts they let others handle their own stuff because entering into other's problems can be seen as rude.
So yeah, I guess it's both a law problem and a cultural difference but they have to be the ones to fux it, not to be the same as us necessarily but to find their own solution...
For me “Belle” ended a bit too….suddenly(?) I don’t know what it is and i surely don’t know how it could be improved but i felt like it was missing something.
Same here! I think it was because they paced the whole tracking down the boys thing, way faster than it needs to be, and they made the confrontation of the beast’s father, short. What makes it feel even more cut off, is that we don’t know the aftermath of those two boys
Same it feels incomplete
Yeah I just wanna know if the boys are okay. That’s why I’m here 😂
Honestly for a 2 hour film
I have to agree
Needs a patch
I agree.
My problems with the film was that while I thought it was a nice concept to pay homage to Beauty and the Beast, I don't think we explored much of the Beast's character as much as I would have liked.
The mystery behind the Beast was more of the focus of the story instead of the character.
It would have been nice to get both of Belle and the Beast's perspectives equally, then opening up about their struggles.
There is no back story of the beast at all, from the original books to Disney and the 2017 French reboot, the beast goes back on the same method about a spoiled rich kid with no admiration sympathy or compassion then you get the beast based on the curse words of a witch or a curesd it self, Bell a heroin has to save him from his hatred of his resentment and his anger throughout society that's it, nothing there which has always been, there a young girl from a small village sit to save a young man's life from causing something that will literally be a catastrophe for him, that's the story of the beauty and the beast no backstory of the beast whatsoever you can't embellish a story of the beast just because you want to remake it that's not how it works it's inspired by the original book you get me.
@@DEMONFOXALEX
Yeah, I totally agree with you that there's no backstory on the Beast, but I never said that there needed to be a backstory in order to explore a character. The movie's also not a remake, but a reimagining.
In fact, Suzu had a backstory, in which Belle/Beauty never had at all in the original stories.
In the first arc, Suzu overcoming her trauma of singing and loss over her mother has nothing to do with Beauty and the Beast until people start calling her Belle because it means Beauty. I really enjoyed this arc because this is where Suzu's character shined.
When the movie does, however, start to focus on the tale of Beauty and Beast, the mystery behind the Beast becomes more important than other related plotlines, such as Suzu having a crush, romantic confessions, or even the times when Suzu is in this singing group.
When the Beast gets introduced, he breaks into Suzu's concert, which actually gives a reason why the police of U tries to stop him and a bunch of exposition from the rumors is on the Beast. From there, Suzu is so interested in the Beast that she approaches him despite him constantly telling her to leave him alone.
The movie makes us think that the real identity of the Beast is Suzu's crush, which would work thematically, but then subverts that the real identity of the Beast wasn't a spoiled kid at all. He was a boy abused by his father and puts up this persona that scares anyone away so that they won't hurt him.
And it would have been nice to see how he views Belle or Suzu as a person but we don't see that as much when so much of the time was focused on the mystery. There's even a whole plotline where Suzu and her friend are going through many people on the internet and that just takes up a lot of screen time.
In the original stories, there were many interactions with Belle and the Beast, and the Beast changes from being selfish and keeping Belle locked in his castle just for his curse, to selfless and loving. (In the Disney version, he even gives Belle more books to read and tries to become more of a gentleman). And then finally when he lets Beauty leave, he is in love with her, but he puts her feelings over his because he wants to see her happy, and he's willing to be a Beast forever.
My biggest problem wasn't who the Beast was, but that if they were going to go that route, then the movies just ends up less satisfying in my opinion.
If you liked it, then great. I even like some of the songs and the animation is beautiful, but narratively, it just doesn't work for me.
(sorry you had to read this, this was long)
That would be 4 hours long animated movie i guess.. 😂
@@coffeelatte8616
I don't think it needs to. You could easily take away all the other unrelated plotlines and have the main storyline still work.
I agree with this
I agree with your points. It’s beautiful, cinematically, and has amazing singular moments but I feel the film was tackling a lot of themes but didn’t truly get to the heart of any of them. Like starting too many projects at once that ends up feeling disjointed and incomplete because as soon at a theme is being explored, it moves on to the next.
I think it's fine. I didn't initially like Belle either, but after talking with my teenaged daughter, I've come to appreciate it. I think part of it is my age - this means I'm more aware of plot elements, but I also bring a lot of baggage. But as we chatted, my daughter pointed out things that I missed initially, and further exploration brought more interesting and deeper meanings to light. It spoke to her in ways it didn't to me.
I see the Uverse as a graphical representation of current online social trends and fads... and that can be sometimes uncomfortable, detestable and intriguing. They key of creating an avatar that most represents your true self is interesting as the user has no control over it and may even disagree with it.
I agreed with a lot of your criticism with the inclusion of the Beast plotline. To me, the Beast plot felt awkward and cranked in, leaning on many tropes.
But to my daughter, she understood and felt connected to Belle's interest in Beast, how she sometimes will instantly obsess over an internet personality. Even if the interest was solely on a platonic level. However, the actions of all the characters in the Beast plotline makes sense when you compare it to internet culture. Still not a fan, bnut I better understand how it hit for other people.
I wouldn't say I really like the movie (the visuals carry the movie far more than the story and some plot points were way too close to Disney's Beauty and the Beast) I also like and appreciate the movie substantially more than my first reaction.
I really like this movie, but having evil power rangers as your villains for like half the movie and than introducing an abusive father gave me some serious whiplash.
As someone who has lived very closely to a family where there’s a lot of domestic abuse going on, the ending felt very depressing to me, hence why I was so disappointed by this movie. As Suzu left, what probably happened was that the dad beat the sh*t out of those children. In most situations like these, actively standing up to the abuser makes the abuse worse. It’s so awful but so true. They’ll only be free when they’re able to leave that house, and the movie doesn’t imply that’s going to happen anytime soon.
I heavily agree with this take, the disjointedness of the film was incredibly offputting and left me asking so many questions on the decisions taken. For the villains, what was the purpose that the "Admin" gave them the revealing green gem stone thing? Wouldn't the story have had significantly more interest if Bell had chosen to reveal herself without the green stone? It's not like that's not a possibility, the movie displayed so many individuals who chose to reveal themselves to the world U, so why not her? Why not let her reveal herself without the stone, without the villain?
Like you said in the video, there isn't a need to have Bell to have an interest in Beast either. Nonetheless, the film was a solid 5-6.
Also I can't stop thinking about possible consequences of this villain's actions, which are never really addressed? Everyone seems to think that "revealing" the Beast is somehow necessary, when it could lead to them getting attacked both online and irl? I'm just really confused by this part. The absolute lack of any actual safety regulations is mentioned, sure, but it's not explained. Why is there no police in U? Why isn't forcing people online to reveal their private information not considered illegal?
It might seem like nitpicking, but it really ruined the immersion for me.
@Lx H beautiful said. Just watched it. I agree with you on all points which is why I give the film a solid 5 as well.
I feel that Hosoda has had issues with his third act in just about every film he makes. They often feel disjointed from the films to me. The abrupt conclusion of the siblings relationship in Wolf Children (***Spoiler*** dropping your mother off in a parking lot and never speaking to her again ***End Spoiler***) and Summer Wars' koi koi were the least out of place for me, but the magic whale in Boy and The Beast and the furry train in Mirai just about lost me with how different they feel from with the rest of the film. Sounds like he's decided to start going off the rails in the second act now.
His films are beautiful and I've enjoyed each one, but I've kind of lost hope that he will top The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars.
Yes, I know there's a lot of love for Wolf Children, but I watched it with my wife and again with my mother and... it still sits in a strong third place for me and I have yet to be able to explain why I don't connect with it.
There's actually a reason why Hosoda's films go a bit off the rail in their final acts and why it's more noticeable recently. I only discovered this before I wrote my Belle video but Satoko Okudera was a script writer who wrote the films along with Hosoda. After Wolf Children, she stopped working with him and went on to do other projects, which is why his most recent works seem less cohesive I feel.
@@KevinNyaa I still really loved The Boy and the Beast but with Mirai I had quite similar problems... Haven't seen Belle yet but you did a really good job in analyzing it. Great video!
Yes, i was so excited about the boy and the beast but It was a flop in the middle.
such a shame that for all his great ideas, the one thing consistently holding him back is learning how to tie them all together cohesively.
Oh my god so true. I love girl who leapt through time and boy and the beast, but their third acts are suuuper messy.
I went to watch Belle on my birthday weeks ago and I really enjoyed the film. The visuals were just stunning, and the score was peak cinema that puts Disney to shame. It was also the first Japanese animated movie I watched in theaters. I'm glad I invested a moment of my life to watch it.
After some time I can say The middle of the film is sort of were the story gets questionable and all over the place. Which is underwhelming due to how good the introduction to the movie and Suzu's character was. But the third act does wrap everything quite nice to the point where I did tear up a bit in the theaters. Overall I still like the film and I'm excited to check out Mamoru Hosoda/Studio Chizu's future films because the other films they made look very good.
Also side note. Suzu's English VA did an incredible job with Belle. I was surprised to discover that this is the first acting job Kylie McNeil has been a part of. She's a great singer on top of being a great voice actor. I'm excited to see what she does next in her bright future.
I loved the film too & it's really sad that it didn't get award nominations when it really deserved them.
@@bookmew1081 For real. It deserved it more than Raya. But that’s a Disney movie so it’s a guaranteed spot for it.
@@curesaul5749 What about Mitchels vs the Machines & Flee? How did they get nominated while Belle didn't? I don't even understand what logic would lead to both of those being nominated. I hadn't heard of either of the non-Disney picks prior to a few days ago.
I know these awards don't like to recognize Animation that isn't aimed at children & it also seems that they don't like acknowledging Japanese Animated Films.
@@bookmew1081 I have not seen Flee but I can absolutely say I enjoyed Mitchels VS. the Machines dynamic animation and emotional beats to their fullest. I do agree with you in major Western award nomination gloss over Japanese and other Eastern films. Belle had beautiful composition and animation (fight and scenes bogged it down in my opinion) but its flaws splits the watchers. I am in the cynical category in which I can only see the jarringly poor writing which overclouds the positives. I believe the worst problem being that it felt quite shallow in exploring its themes, especially the extremely delicate ones it presents, so much so I consider Belle in the same vein as Raya when fleshing them out. But where I enjoyed the fun dynamics the main characters had in Raya, I found Suzu to be quite 2D and the background characters as simple plot pushers with arms and legs.
I just watched the film with friends and we all felt the same; the ending felt rushed, unresolved and unpolished. You pretty much have to fill on your own all the gaps the movie left, which are a lot, really. I liked a lot the story between Belle and Beast. I think Belle somewhat felt they were similar and that's why she felt that attachment to Beast and wanted to know more about him. I think she just noticed he too was calling out silently for help in his own way, just as she was. And that, little by little, linked them. Their relationship feels deep, but it felt lacking because it's rushed and not very well developed, but still cute. And a bit misleading, not gonna lie.
*Spoilers* I just don't understand why they built that close relationship (a bit rushed, yeah) just to have that lacking and lukewarm resolution.
I wouldn't obsess myself with Beast, find him in RL, travel all the way to where he is (on my own, no less, because apparently all her friends just vanish and don't help her locate the kids in tokyo and let her travel alone after watching a big ass man-child abuse his own kids; which no gud start), put myself in dangers' way to save two brothers with whom I forged a deep (maybe a bit rushed) friendship (& even love) from their abusive dad, and then walk back home just in time to start developing a sudden relationship with my crush (not Beast, sadge for Beauty and Beast fans), finally surpass my deep mommy issues (which understandable, but messy resolution, nonetheless) and start talking with my dad again for the first time in forever (another thing that's dangling right there) and leaving said kids behind somewhere that's not by my side (biggest unresolved conflict for me and I just don't understand it)
What happened to them!? Are they okay!? I mean, the movie goes "everything is well if it all ends well" and roll the credits. I am genuinely confused and upset about the abrupt ending. It was going fantastic before she just popped up again back home without the kids and then they're never mentioned again and ???? Like, the kids became the main focus in the movie and then they're shoved aside in the actual ending.
I think there are way too many conflicts in the movie and they had to rush through them all to make it, and that didn't pan out okay. And that's pretty sad, because it feels like this movie could've been so much more if it just had everything that was left for imagination. Very pretty, a lot of beautiful moments, but a little all over the place. It's like we watched side 'A' of the film but now to fill in all the cracks, we need to see side 'B'. But side 'B' is all in our minds and we just have to get by with that. Sadge.
3:19 We saw mundane, day to day activities of the school children, but not what happens in U. It is mentioned that there are battles, but we don't see them. The multitude of avatars are moving from one place to another, but you don't see the activity they're heading towards.
Mamoru Hosoda is an amazing director and he's made a lot of great films in his career. However I feel like his most recent works don't live up to the same standards as his earlier films, which is such a shame. Going into BELLE I wanted to feel the same magic as I did for his previous works, which is why I may be more harsh on him as I know that's he's capable of creating heartwarming and profound stories. I can only hope that he his next films will live up to my expectations of him.
Thanks for watching and I'll see you all in the next one! :)
Nah your wrong dude I've been next to the studio all my life and this was literally one of the best films I've seen them produce in a very long time! Literally became one of my favorite films last year %100 best experience I've had with a group of my friends at the theaters... EVER holy shit.
My friend and I saw this movie together and we were both really excited for it because I had told her about how wonderful all of Studio Chizu's movies were. Once we left the theater, we looked at each other and immediately agreed that we 'felt something was missing'. I agree with all of the points you made and the only reason I would ever watch this movie again is to see the beautiful animation and hear the songs.
So many things wrong with this movie. But I loved it. Best movie of the year for me a 7/10.
The music is the best I’ve heard in a long time in a movie. Suzu’s character and story was really well done. All the other side characters, beauty and the beast similarities, and justice league police are what made the movie worse for me. It dilutes to what should’ve been a more simplistic story.
Loved the review! I’m sorry that you didn’t feel or love Belle the way you wanted. But for me I was really glad to have watched in theaters, it was actually worth the money.
Glad that the other things in the film didn’t bother you as much as it did me. There are still great parts like the performances which are really touching.
Isn't it a bit sad that the best movie of the year for you is a 7/10 with a lot of wrong things in it tho ? Must have been a crappy year
I agree with what you're saying but I still almost cried when I watched Belle in the theatre. The story was messy but the atmosphere felt so powerful to me. I felt the songs and visuals alone built up a kind of mood I haven't seen before and for that I loved it. I think the music especially really made this movie good in my eyes
The adults in Suzu's life letting her run off to go protect children and take on an abusive ADULT MAN by herself really turned me off from the movie. I genuinely liked the movie even if it did become a bit convoluted but that last part made it sort of a miss. But i do have to say the music was great and definitely hits all those emotional beats for me, I don't think I'll ever watch the film again but the music has definietly been in rotation and still gives me chills.
Yeah that part confused me. All of Japan by that point were made aware of what was going on. Why didn't anyone inform the police to conduct a investigation and rescue? Like what if the dad went through with hitting her and didn't stop?
My nitpick about this anime film was the resolution in the real world. So Suzu finds out that a fellow user is the victim of abuse. But when she confronts this abuser by defending his kids, THAT could’ve been done better. It feels incomplete.
⚠️WARNING, RANT INCOMING. ⚠️ Just watched this movie with a friend, we were both so appalled when the story of the Beast ended with him saying “I’m gonna fight”. First of all, he already was a fighter. Second of all, the abuse was not his fault for “not fighting”, it was the fault of adults for not helping him and his brother get away when they knew what was going on, it was the fault of child protective services who needed 48 hours to respond when two children were in danger … and why would the adults let Suzu, a very young person, go and find these two children and their violent father ALONE? AND THEN she just leaves without them?! WHAT?! And then everything is supposedly fine? The “happy” ending just completely ruined this film for the both of us. Like what was the message here? Children who are abused need to fight their own battles by looking their abusers in the eye? Very strange.
Firstly, I wanna say thank you for posting an actual criticism video rather than one that has no substance behind it. Its interesting to hear others perspectives on how they view a story, not every character is going to feel super relatable. I personally didn't like the story of wolf children myself for reasons that felt similar of not fully understanding a characters motives. Though its a movie I'd like to try and give another chance.
There a quite a few points I would like to state that I agree with, this movie definitely could have benefited with more world building. I also felt that it was a bit odd that she just found the boys randomly while screaming on the streets? And I dunno if its just a japan thing, but it also felt odd that she was willing to travel all that way, alone to go and confront an abusive stranger?
Aside from these points though the one major one that surprises me is how often I hear that the beasts part feels shoe horned? Other than the ballroom scene, I felt the story was entirely different. I think there is a disconnect with the audience in understanding why Belle is so intrigued with this individual in the first place. With this colorful cast of online persona's, Beast stands out like a sore thumb and not in a positive way. A world where you can be you, authentically and not be tied down to realities rules. I think Belle's curiosity in the Beasts stems from a wanting to understand why someone would purposely go out of there way to cause destruction in this sort of world when it is meant to "start a new life" . As another person puts it, Belles actions mirrors that of her own mothers. I think its pretty clear to see that through the Beasts actions that his pain shown through even in this digital world which struck her curiosity. And when your a young person discovering a new interest in anything, our minds can obsess about that thing. The Beast struggled with anger but, it was also subtly implied that his pain stemmed through loss. Belle was able to show him love and compassion when it seemed that no other person was willing to do so. It also seems as though it may had been a familiar type of love, one that the beast knew would only lead to more pain. And it was through this pain that allowed Belle to connect on a deeper level with the Beast, even though they were strangers. Suzu didn't seem to connect with anyone on this sort of level before and It gave Belle the strength to overcome her trauma. Without the beast, Belle may had kept her two identities separate. She learned through this digital world, WHY her mom made a haste decision to help a stranger.
I agree for the most part. Me and my friends saw this in the theaters and right after the lend me your voice song, we all looked at each other and asked “ where is this going?”
However I love this movie not because of the story of characters, but because the songs (english versions) really helped me. I lost a friend a few months prior to this movie coming out, and the songs just perfectly worded how I was feeling. A million miles away was just beautiful. I was actually singing along with the audience in U.
All the songs are amazing, which makes me think what this film could have been if the writing was so much more cohesive.
Totally agree with what you said, the Movie was Really Flawed and was really pushing the beauty and the best vibes. The reason is because Mamoru Hosoda loved The movie ( Read and watched in a interview) and wanted to do his own take of it with the touch of virtual reality since we have that in out Generation. Great concept but the execution could’ve been better. Overall I still love the Movie heck so far I’ve seen it Six times so I guess it’s doing something right.
You are absolutely correct. I was hoping to love this film as the trailer promised so much, but the plot... it gets so messy around the second half of the film. I think Mamoru Hosoda wanted to deliver a lot of messages and he got lost.
But above all I fell in love with the soundtrack. This one is from another world.
The ending is where I had issues with film. She finds the two boys stands up to dad, and we don't see or hear from them again. You can't have a serious moment like that and then not tell us what happens. For all we know, the dad could've killed the kids and ran.
I also didn't love Belle but mostly for different reasons, the biggest one being that i never truly believed what happened in the virtual world carried real stakes. there were multiple times where I found myself wondering why characters didn't just log off lol. and similar settings CAN have high stakes! but i found the way U was handled, presented, integrated and (like you said) designed really prevented me from getting invested and was pretty immersion breaking at times. it didn't help that everyone talked about "unveiling" as something relatively low stakes that didn't have the potential to ruin somebody's life or anything lmao. there were other issues besides that but that was the main one for me. anyway great video, I'll check out the rest of your channel!
I whole-heartedly agree with this review. I was really enjoying the movie, but when the Beast came I just couldn't wrap my head around why Belle was so interested him. That was definitely one of my main issues with this movie, it just didn't seem natural, and by adding the Beast it's like we're taken on the side quest. And especially with the end, I just feel like it didn't get resolved the way I would've liked. For example, what happened to the kids after Suzu returned home. Although with the critiques I have I can say that I loved the animation and the music in this film. Even though I didn't what was going on half the time I still somehow felt emotionally connected to the movie.
Wow! Exactly my reaction to this film. I am a huge Hosoda fan, have all his works in my library, and like you, I really wanted to love Belle, but exactly at the same midpoint, began to lose emo interest. I think Hosada's rigid adherence to retelling "Beauty and the Beast" worked against his story for me. Would have preferred concentrating on Suzu Naito and her struggles with loss. Of course "Belle" is hugely popular, and any contrary reaction is sure to generate some hate-mail type reactions by those who love "Belle"! Strange how love generates hate!
The way that they found the building was so incredibly wtf and unbelievable. First they have this extremely low res image that they somehow magically enlarge to perfect hi res and it's the most generic looking building but somehow they recognize it right away. There could have at least been some defining feature of the building but there is none.
This is on top of having pacing that was way too fast and pointless plotlines (online bullying) and pointless characters (the boyfriend).
I was so excited for this movie because it was beautiful with good music and thought it would be a bit of a forbidden romance but it just ended up being disappointing.
To end on a high note though I saw Wolf Children recently and that movie was fantastic!
The movie is great but I feel like the main issues with it would be the ending there is no real understanding of what happens to kei and tomo like yeah suzu protects them from their abusive father but like what happens after all that it just doesn’t add up do they go back to their probably more pissed and abusive father or what I feel as the ending there is just no clarification of what happens to them.
I watched this movie yesterday and I couldn't agree more with you. I kind of liked it but I think it's more because of the great visuals and music than the story itself. And I think the movie actually had the potential to have been a lot better with some better work on the things you mention and that didn't really work in the movie. My favorite movie by Mamoru Hosoda are Wolf Children and the girl who leapt through time
Also I think the final scene when Suzu finds the kids could have been much better if they didn't make it so easy, like creating some tension because they cannot find them even with the help of other characters would have been better than Suzu just going there and find them in the street waiting for her
Ive been very jaded when it comes to anime movies. Im just used to them being amazing almost every time. But yeah.... Belle wasnt amazing. It was... good? Visuals were great and soundtrack too, but I wasnt buying the story at all.
Fair points brought up in the video and in all the comments. I'm on the side that some stuff confused me but I'm still entranced by it's emotional high moments, so I don't regret seeing it in theaters
I too, didn't love this movie as much as I was hoping to because many things seemed to make little sense, but now reading in the comments what other people got, I'm appreciating the movie more and actually understanding it more
I loved Belle mostly; I liked the story. And Suzu as a character. But I didn't like the ending, the way that the movie handled the abuse of the two kids felt like they didn't have an idea on how to fix the two boys' situation. So, they just ended the movie. Sure, Suzu stood up for them and tried to help but then she just leaves. And she leaves them with their abusive father, and it feels like nothing will change for them. Thats the one thing about the movie that didn't sit right with me.
It was pretty disjointed, I feel like they tried to do 2 different stories at the same time and it just kind of clashed with each other..... I get the point they where trying to make but as you said it came across as disjointed.
It was messy but i cried so much🥲
That’s good that you could connect to it!
I agree with this but have seen some comments talking about how helping the beast let Suzus resentment toward her mother fade and I think this aspect is to subtle, if the beast somehow reminded Belle of her childhood friend I though this would have been more cohesive. When I first watched the movie I actually thought the beast was going to be her childhood friend and was disappointed when it was not. Her trauma with her mother was rapped up but in a way that seemed like reaching. She could have saved somone she already knew and had the same effect with less of a wild plot, that's just what I think
Great review and I agree with all your points. I was excited for Belle for the amazing music and art but was left feeling disappointed in the end. It wasn't a bad film by all means (it was just ok). However, the emotions didn't hit me as hard as they wanted to-the story was messily disjointed with out of nowhere character choices, unnecessary bloated cast that didn't need to be there, and plot devices for convenience sake. It doesn't help that the thematic narrative didn't compel me either. Despite that, I can see why someone could love it, just like how Summer Wars is my favorite Hosoda film despite its faults. If it had a more narrow focus and kept at a better pace, I think my opinion would have been different. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the music, even if everything else didn't reach my expectations.
Wholeheartedly agree with your thoughts! It's such a shame this movie doesn't know what it's doing. It throws so many potentially amazing concepts at you and doesn't go anywhere with them... Let's just hope Hosoda-san sees his mistakes and improves upon them in his next film.
I think a part of a movie that was lost was that Suzu wanted to save the boys. This parallels her mom’s decision to go into the water to save the child. I thought this was pretty clear, but I didn’t see many mentions on this part. Yes, the ending is rushed and I have no idea why they didn’t show a resolution to that part of the story. But it’s also about Suzu finally understanding why her mom left her to help. Again, it could have been clearer.
The movie had so much potential but the story felt so rushed, without much depth to it. It was quite painful to watch tbh
First half of the movie is a solid 10/10 but as soon as the weird plot line with the beast was introduced I would rate the movie overall 6.5. All of the issues I have with the movie are all literally in the 2nd half. Villain's motivation was so dumb, no mystery, no cool plot line no nothing. The introduction of the beast was weird it wasn't good or bad just weird story telling, like stated in the video it felt really out of place. And the resolution for the rising conflict was just bad. Sure send some 15 year old girl to save two boys from their abusive dad like what? Every character was so invested in the two boys story and they let suzu deal with it??? I would've appreciated a sense of community if they all banned together and went with suzu. And I don't believe that all it took was for suzu to just stare down the dad. WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THE BOYS ARE OK EITHER THE MOVIE JUST ENDS...
I'm a lover of Hosoda's films (Summer Wars being my top tier fave/fave of all time) and I loved the musical aspect and the cinematography of Belle. But I do agree on its plot holes and it made me feel like this whole Belle story could have been better if it was made into a series. I love the [not-so-main] plot part wherein Suzu is suffering from grief and when she saw the Beast, she felt like he was similar to him and she wanted to help a fellow grieving person out. But the journey itself on how Belle and Beast developed their relationship was very rushed and the way on how Suzu recovered from her own grief was also too quick (she just sang.. and the grief is gone?? ...okay? hahaha). It could have been written better especially the part on how Suzu discovers Beast's identity (and don't get me started on how dumbfounded I am that they figured out fast where Kei and his little bro lived LMAO). I also felt that the insertion of those weird power ranger dudes are not needed to build the story.
But despite the messy plot, I still cannot help but fall in love with the movie because of how beautiful the cinematography is and the emotions conveyed in the songs are justtttt so chef's kiss.
The story of belle could have written better, that is why I want to rewrite it haha. But other than that, the movie was amazing and a unique experience compared to other anime.
Dude its not about just her trauma of the story. Its also about how her mother sacrifice her life for a stranger who's helpless and her(belle) understanding what she(mom) did and why she did it.
asking what would you have done on a similar situation why the dragon doing what he does.
Exactly. This movie was dealing with with after math of her losing her mother which can be hard on a child. Her being distant and not understanding why her mother did that. Feeling like her mother deserted her. Then she finds a online place called U and goes in there seeing she can hide herself and try to gain all these followers trying to fill that hole she has. Then she meets beast who being hunted like a animal covered in brushes and also isolated from people. She gets intrigued in him wanting to learn more and help. Finding out him and his brother needs help. The boys feeling the helpless and mistrust of people. The isolation you get when your in their position and mistrust. She then begins to know why her mother did what she did. To help someone who is in need. She grows as a person and grows closer to her mother's death as well as her mother's decision
I'm glad you made this video. Partly because it is a major source of recommendations for my own review, but mostly because I really like reviews that dig into things that COULD have worked. You clearly love Hosoda's style, and I wish I had seen some of his other films before Belle to see his ideas actually working instead of this mess.
Good review Kevin. However, the movie was not confusing to me at all. In fact, the part from where you thought nothing was making any sense made the most sense to me. 😅 just because she was so invested in the beast doesn't mean she forgot about her mother. They tried to showcase that belle was actually exactly like her mother even tho she felt "betrayed" by her. She cares for other people just like her mother did. Compassionate people can tell a lot just by looking at someone. When she glanced at the beast she knew he was in pain that's why she was so desperate to find out who he was, so she could save him from his agony. It was like, if she's gonna die she's gonna while trying to save him. For someone like belle, revealing your true identity would be the worst nightmare, but still, she sacrificed, she didn't care what happens next, once again just like her mother. Then she finally broke free when she realised why her mother did what she did. This anime was the reality check we needed for this generation.
How we are so quick to judge and how fast words spread these days. How advanced the technology is, etc. For people who's gone through some kind of family abuse, this movie hit them hard.
(Plus, I think the whole beauty and beast like part was so beautiful, you wouldn't normally expect that part in movies like belle, but that's exactly what added the extra depth behind all the pain, using a famous fairytale to describe real life problems, I think it was brilliant).
Anyways that was just my opinion, I watched this movie a few hours ago. I loved it, but haven't seen many videos made about it compared to animes like A silent voice, etc. So, I wanted to check if there was a marketing problem or what 😅
I did enjoy the film and visually it is beautiful and the songs are pretty good. But yeah I felt a barrier to get to a deeper emotional level for this movie. Like the story threads aren't connected enough. I really wish the Beast wasn't in the film. Not that the storyline with the two kids isn't an important one to tell, I just wish that it didn't share a movie with Suzu's story.
I know the ending is suppose to be a parallel with her mom but it is so unrealistic because of course her friends and the choir group would go with her. They wouldn't;t send her alone. Also the kids are still stuck with the abusive father. Ya know the script writer could have made since Suzu is so famous after her reval her getting scratched by the dude could have gone viral and then he goes to jail.
I felt like there was an amazing movie in this script but the visuals and music carried it and Suzu herself.
To me the beast Plotline does make sense, when he appeared Belle was the only one who wasn't judging him immediately, all others including Hiro were against him and they also didnt know him, or thought about what could be the reason for his behaviour. Like Suzus father also mentiones Suzu is a very kind and empathetic person instead of judging him she took a different approach, she rather saw the good and tried to think of the reasons why he acts the way he does. i dont think its unnatural to become interested heavily in someone or something, especially if you try to understand it on a deeper level. She has overcome her trauma bc she also learned why her mother saved that little girl. At least to me the movie did show it quite well
To be honest, I think "the beast plotline" makes so much more sense and reflects more accurate the real world in this movie then in the disney (or affiliate) versions.
(spoilers below)
I agree pretty much with all that you said. I just read a comment that Belle's intrest in the beast came as a parallel to her mother who left everything to save a little girl in the river. And I can NOW see that. And that's the problem.
I feel like the movie failed to convey the connection. Just a simple scene where we can see how she realizes that her interest comes from protection just as her mother. Which I feel is messily explained on the train where her father is like "your mom taught you to be like this".
I also thought it was really ironic how Suzu is doing everything to hide she is Belle but then rudely demands the beast to tell her who he is. There is no transition or progression in their relaitonship.
Then it is so good at conveying all of these emotions without the need to explain and then there are parts that are so overexplained too.
I love the songs, the animation, the concept and the story they tried to tell. I just don't love how the story was told.
Let’s be honest, the dad would’ve served three bullets for dinner before the cops show up, especially after the whole world found out what he did…cuz ,,THEY NOT GONNA TAKE MY KIDZ AWAY!!!“
one thing that also bugged me was the slight theme introduced like how kamishin kind of is similar to beast, he is seen as strange and different from everyone else, yet he is internally sensitive and I'd say even sweet, from just a handful of moments that much is communicated about kamishin it would have made sense for him to be the beast which would also play into why she got so interested in the beast they could say that in her subconscious she felt it was someone she knew. anyways
I didn't expect you do make a vid on Belle.
I 100% agree with you.
I wanted to love this movie to but the story is just not good.
That’s what I find with Mamoru Hosoda’s films.
The first half is great then the rest falls flat.
The only one that’s good all away threw is Wolf Children
It’s messy but it all I watch it for is the song
this was almost exactly word for word my take on this film, down to the narrative choices and mixed messages. of course, this film is still good underneath it all, and is held up a lot by the animation and music. all my feelings and thoughts about it were put neatly together in this video that i couldnt say myself.
I went into this film blindly I saw the DVD at target and thought it looked interesting and also the beast looked badass lol now I have never seen any studio chizu / Mamoru Hosoda films this is my first one and after watching it I was honestly confused and still am it had heart and soul but it felt messy and rushed towards the end
Edited: they should of made this into a series and not a movie my opinion
Honestly even with your review I didn't really think it was that bad? Each movie speaks to a different person and this one spoke to me... no movie is ever gonna have a universal appeal where everyone gets it or loves it but that's what makes this movie special tbh and I love it for that ♡
Aside from what you've said, which I generally agree with, much of my suspension of disbelief over U as a platform strained my enjoyment, given so much of the story happens in it. It's really weird for the place to be as popular as it is when people are seemingly not allowed to customize their avatars, to the point that it forces features on a user they'd rather not, like the bruises of one's own abuse(!). Hope you like looking like a monster or a little sprite guy! It also has seemingly no administration to keep things running, leading to a goofy sentai group acting as authority and heading harassment campaigns against other users. And also why is there a arm cannon that can doxx people?
I love stories that take place in virtual settings, but I also feel that not many have done a good job of it. Writing any kind of fantasy or science fiction comes with creating the rules of a world that works differently from the real world, but when it comes to stories like these, where the virtual world intersects with the real world, it becomes more important than ever for the rules of the virtual reality to be both consistent and believable, that real characters would want to go to that virtual space in the first place.
I was frustrated by Hosoda's somewhat recent words in an interview calling out other artists/directors that use VR and the internet to tell dour and dire stories, rather than uplifting ones, and while he acted like he was some kind of authority on how to tell stories in VR settings, it made me look more critically at the above issues, that just made U such an unbelievable space. Although maybe that's just par for the course when the major conflict of Summer Wars was that critical infrastructure and nuclear weapons(!) existed on the same network as the rest of social media and the internet. For as much as the guy loves to tell stories in VR, I don't think he understands the internet very well.
Amazing music though, in English and Japanese.
I agree that parts of the movie that felt disjointed, and there was some plot convience. However, as you pointed out, Mamoru Hosoda brilliantly presented the lonliness within Suzu. That's the exact reason why I didn't find her being drawn to the beast random or odd at all. I felt as though she understood that his actions were likely to be fueled by pain, loneliness, and helplessness and she immediately felt a strong connection due to that. It didn't just feel like convience to me because the relationship showed that Suzu's mother's caring nature lived on within Suzu and it allowed her to come to terms with the circumstances that led to her mothers death.
I agree with nearly everything you said. My main problem with the movie was that it became a bit dysfunctional when The Beast enters the picture. Now that it's been a minute since I've watched the film and I've pondered it, you nail the fact that the characters' intense interest in The Beast seems artificial. The actual character behind the beast was intriguing and certainly had a deep connection with the MC; it led to a pretty strong emotional climax. Yet the path to get there was very messy.
I still think the film was spectacular in nearly every regard outside the main plot, with the amazing visuals and music. But that's probably what makes it frustrating to critique. There was mad potential in this one, but it missed the mark a fair bit when it comes to the plot. I'm definitely intrigued to see what the next Hosoda film will explore.
Well I actually love Belle because not only the animation is so beautiful in a virtual world, but in my opinion I like simple stories (both fantasy and Slice of Life) I mean no one could have suspect a "beast" could be a child in the flesh What I mean is the 2 boys goes through abuse from their father, that was the biggest plot twist I've ever seen!!!
I also see it as the biggest level of Beauty and the Beast.
It's funny, sad, heartwarming and even some of the little characters (in the virtual world) are actually cute in my opinion.
To me, this movie is just completely flawless! I have nothing bad to say about this movie really, even if I tried.
Visuals: 8/10
Music: 10/10
Story: 6/10
Overall: 7.5/10
Seems fair enough to me, seriously the music is just, the one scene where she does the whole reveal I think that would’ve made a better ending that scene was so freaking powerful makes me wanna cry all the time
Watched it over the weekend. I concur with you on the story. It really sucked. You talk about Suzu being alone, but her father was there the entire time and reached out to her through the entire movie, but she would just ignore him to go throw her pity parties. Also what happen to the two kids at the end of the movie? Nothing is said or even mentioned? Did Suzu help them out? Get them away from their father? Or just go there so she could feel good about herself afterwards? Also her going there all by herself seemed kind of dangerous and selfish. As she had to the hero. Why didn't any of her friends go with her? What a crap movie.
I agree. Suzu meeting the two kids in person to hug them, temporarily "fend off" their abusive father... For them to return to their parent anyway and endure more abuse? Nothing was ever explained. It was a poorly written, rushed movie. Couldn't really enjoy it because of the fact.
@@ManamiSoma I heard that this movie got a 15min standing ovation after it’s premiere. I think people were just caught up in the spectacle of the film. Once you have time to rent think it over the flaws become really apparent.
Good takes, but I still stand in the zone that this is a pretty good Hosoda film throughout, over Mirai too. I like the film more than all those nominated Oscar's picks (and even Josie, The Tiger and The Fish is better than those Disney picks). I seen revisited Belle multiple times because I love the music. The story could be worked in a better end, but imo I think it's a solid film and to me, things do make sense in a way, after few rewatches, I kind of find things that stands out more to more. I think Mamoru still got more stories to tell for the the better. People are pretty divided for Boy and the Beast too and I think that film is my third favorite out of his behind GWLTT and WC, it's a great film regardless imo. It's also like Shinkai's Weathering With You after Your Name, I do not think anything will touch the skies of Your Name from those titles coming after, Weathering With You felt like it just went off the rails a bit and the music is still great.
Why wasn't Belle nominated for an Oscar? I agree it was better than most of the nominations.
@@bookmew1081 Because Disney bought their spots. It's about the same asking why Your Name wasn't nominated for their 2017 award.
@@michaelfang1393 What about the 2 movies that weren't Disney that somehow ended up nominated? Do you think these award shows hate Eastern Animation?
@@bookmew1081 I still do.
@@bookmew1081 Reminder, titles like Your Name and A Silent Voice never had their chance, you cannot doubt that they're biased against anime films which is the bigger animation pool in Japan.
For me didn't feel forced.
I don't know for sure if is something cultural (most probably is) but for me it was very clear why Bell and the Dragon called unconsciously for each others feelings, and it shows in between lines but very obvious (like in the finals scenes), for example when the Dragon says "don't look at me" and the way Susu hides herself from others. There were differents ways of pain connecting with each other in this movie.
To see this movie you have to be intuitive and not everything has to be explained in your face,
Good directors/Authors tended to want to bring/provoke/evoke diferents self-explanations and emotions to the viewers. Like a good artist create their art gifting to the public/viewers the opportunity to give their own explanations about what they are seeing.
I thought you described this perfectly well. Almost everything you said is all true. I love its animation, music, and some characters but it really took me out when the growth and development of U was passed over rather than letting us experience more of the world itself. And the real world at times would always seem kinda boring to watch. Over all I think everyone shares this same thought about the movie. It was a great theater experience but its story really lacked any care of wanting to watch again.
100% agree with everything you've said! Only thing to add is that, for me, there's just too much heart and soul in this film for me to physically ignore. I'm still crying throughout despite knowing that several points just don't add up lol
The only good thing from Belle is just the songs. The story, message and pretty much a lot of things needed a lot of work.
Just saw the movie last night. It has issues, but I did like it a lot. I wish we saw what happened to the kids at the end, or, why the beast was being targeted in the first place?
The movie that really connected with me was Summer Wars. So far nothing else has hit me the same way. I'm fairly certain this movie was more concept and art than it was story, and that's fine ultimately but not gonna be for everyone
I haven't seen Belle yet, but one thing I really *adore* about this movie is that it feels so *grand.* Seriously, I love the virtual-city like atmosphere. I suppose I technically fell in love (not quite) with this movie mostly because of it's aesthetic. I value the heart and emotion behind movies, so I'll probably check out the movie at some point to see if I see eye to eye with your thoughts. Also I really appreciate the calm and respective tone you used to express the movie's flaws so it doesn't offense anyone who disagrees. Great job with the video!
3:35 somehow the inside out ost fits this scene more than the original one
They deffiantly did hint at why Belle cared so much, only later on. She was much like her mother, seeing the childlike scared little boy. But that was just at the hug when she realised that. Every interaction before that should have had a better explanation as to why she cared so much.
You ask why Suzy was interested in finding out more about the beast, and that you don’t understand why, it’s pretty simple, the beast reminds suzu of herself, although she might have been that harsh, she shut people out and was angry and confused by her mothers choice to save another’s child before being there for her own. And in being sad and angry she can emphasize with the beast.
That would only make sense if she had known about his past before. But I’m saying the initial connection she has to him came out of no where. It’s like she just knows.
@@KevinNyaa you don’t have to know about someone’s past to emphasize with them, it can be surface level
@@KevinNyaa empathy is a feeling, not some backstory log-icy bs.
@Sparda G that’s just the power of human beings, we know or sense when someone is suffering, we may not go through the same trauma, but we all know what trauma is, and can relate to others.
@Sparda G well the beast was just another person suffering from the loss of their mom, just like suzu. even though it wasn’t mentioned, it was shown, ie the picture in the castle. And I never said she didn’t first judge him, but when she looked closer she saw someone suffering from loss.
I pretty much agree with almost every point. I wanted more from it. I liked it quite a bit, but maybe was way more hyped for it than I should have been. It just had so much potential.
My favourite character at the beginning was suzu but then it became the beast.
All the beast 's actions made sense.
Suzu is intersted in the beast for no reason.
Also why is she distant from her father ?
That was never explained.
That's why I like the beast more.
He has trust issues and it is explained why?
I understand why suzu is depressed but the problem is that suzu 's father is actually a good guy he tries his best but suzu is the one that doesn't seem to care so yeah .
I liked the ending of the film more than the beginning.
Agree the main story is a little gray, but damn, the soundtrack lifted the movie back up, especially the climax with “A Million Miles Away” that was a beautiful scene
Can you make a review about Maquia: When the promised flower blooms? It is my favourite anime film. It is about motherhood btw
Not a bad idea in the future. Mari Okada is really hit or miss with a lot of her dramas.
I found the film quite barable to the point of not minding owning the Blu-ray of the film. But even then, it's one of those anime films of all time. It had great ideas but still wish it took its time fleshing out those ideas.
Honestly I was so confused and I rly didn’t like this movie 😕
Very glad to see a review from this point of view! Thanks for your work!
lol im happy that im not alone on this! expect Hosoda fan boy attacks coming your way, but the points you made in this vid was valid👍 keep up the good work Kevin!
Thanks bro and don't worry, I am a Hosoda fan boy.
I couldn't put my finger on it but your video is great! I was so confused at so many points and i thought it was just me 😅 I was so invested in Suzu but then it went off course, and then I was confused that she sort of had two love interests all of a sudden?
That's a nice review :)
I like Belle's song and visuals but it felt like the 3d team did not mesh with the 2d team very well. So its like 2 movies in one.
I enjoyed Belle, but I was definitely left with some unanswered questions, mostly concerning the way the virtual world of U works. For example: Who are the creators known only as the Voices? What are their relationship to the Justices? Who is Justin in real life? Why does he and his sponsors feel so motivated to attack and unveil the Beast in particular? I may never know the answers to these and many more similar questions. Also, why did Belle become so obsessed with unveiling the Beast herself after meeting him for the first time? It’s a sign of bad filmmaking when a movie brings up questions it never intended to give the answers to. Belle was an ambitious film that would have been perfect if it had narrowed it’s focus on storytelling. There’s only so much a two-hour film can do and the film keeps your mind racing much of that time to understand it.
I love this film a lot, but that mostly is my love of the soundtrack, i find myself watching clips of my favorite parts more because the individual moments are so great.
BUT when you put it all in a sequence they get really messy, so I really agree with your opinions here, though its because I want to love the movie even more than i already do
8:30 "Belle becomes interested in the beast for...no reason?" Holy hell, I actually shouted at my monitor, no no no! The entire point is, she can tell that someone else is in pain; they're suffering. She wants to help them because of that. She's determined to help a stranger in distress; just how her mother did. That's the entire point of the film.
11:30 "If the movie put more emphasis on this parallel, this could have been a much more compelling narrative than what we got". That is literally the narrative of the film.
Which movie replaced your previous favorite (wolf children)? I think shown at 1:52
I felt exactly like that about the movie. I can see the love put into it. I love the songs, animation, the ideas. I was sad at the end of the movie for not getting the well resoluted and dramatic story, with lessons to take, that I know I could have got.
Belle it's beautiful ...from the studio, but when you touch the story... I feel like o understood kingdom hearts and Evangelion, better than what the story came about
It’s really similar to the beauty of the beast… I loved the movie soo much I liked belle her character voice really fits on her.
I still really like the movie . I find the story very right. Of course it's a movie , so it can't be completely similar to real world . But it's still have so undenied true feelings to it ( in a fairy tale away) :)
This film remind me a story of Beauty and the Beast🌹 expect this is a anime version done by Japanese writers and directors which inspire by the fairy tales of Beauty and the Beast🌹.Although there a few things that I'm disappointed about this movie because when I first watched the trailer and waiting for months on the story I would have though that Belle/Suzu becoming popular in U with her singing that the Dragon would appear at her concert to kidnapped her to have to himself, I also though that the identity of the Dragon would be Suzu's father since they're distant after her mother passed away or Suszu's childhood friend Shinobu who always watched over her. If I was the writer of this movie I would have made the story very interesting.
I also thought the way belle is just interested in the beast was forced .
Here 's what should have happened
The beast saving belle or doing anything interesting to get her attention.
The beast is an interesting character but the way belle just chase him and the way they got well together is so forced and confusing.
We got a sad backstory for the beast explaining his actions he is maybe the most interesting character but the plot moved so fast .
He should have had more moments as a beast and a human.
I don't really blame him for his attitude after knowing what he went through .
Overall the story had alot of potential my favourite characters are probably suzu and the beast considering they had more moments than any other character but I thought the beast should have had more moments.
If the story focused more on the beast and belle or suzu and the little boy just being themselves and learning g more about each other naturally the film could have been sooooo much better
I agree with Everything just said. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this movie ever since I watched it and it wasn’t in a “I loved it so much” way but more in a I was upset way that I couldn’t put my finger on. I really wanted to liek this movie, it had some good emotional beats which I’m a sucker for and both the visuals and the music were amazing. But when it came to the story, the plot was so janky it took me out of what I wanted to feel. But alas, hopefully they learn from this.
Also side note: the English voice actor for Belle- SUPER TALENTED
Wolf Children is still my favorite film of all time.
That's funny, I've kind of gone through a similar arc when it comes to Mamoru Hosoda films and anime films, as Wolf Children used to be my favourite anime film, but was then dethroned by A Silent Voice. I still love Wolf Children though and Mirai is probably my 2nd favourite of his personally. I have not seen Boy & The Beast Yet though.
But yeah I can't say I wasn't a bit disappointed with this film. It felt quite different from Hosoda's previous films, in the sense that it's trying to be quite big and ambitious, while also just feeling a lot less grounded to me. It felt forced and I wasn't expecting that from this director. It definitely had it's moments and it's a beautiful film to look at with some nice music, but I really just couldn't connect with it. I would be willing to give it a second chance, watching it on my own at home instead of with a friend at the cinema, but I'm mostly hoping his next film will resonate more.
Then again, part of it might also be me getting older and such, whereas the film felt like it was more targeted at kids or teens.