[Tempester]

Okay, this movie was very much inferior to Shinkai Makoto's other films I've seen, Hoshi no Koe and 5 cm/s. But consider how those two movies were freaking awesome, it doesn't really matter.

Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo is a solid fantasy adventure movie. The plot's nothing to scream over, but it's acceptable.

Spoiler for spoilery stuff:

I admit that I didn't shed a single tear over this (although a rewatch may fix that), but I did feel sad in a few moments. Asuna's immediate reaction to the news of Shun's death was one. Mimi's death was surprisingly sad, it being the cute mascot of the movie and taking up a good amount of screentime.

However, what took the cake for me was Morisaki-sensei's loss of vision coupled with his apparent loss of faith. He diligently worked so hard to revive his wife, researching hard, braving danger, and trespassing worlds. But after all that, everything amounted to seeing his wife for a few seconds to say goodbye. Even if his wife was to stay, she would have stolen the life of Asuna, which would have of course been terrible. So, in the end, he was left with nothing gained except a final farewell with his wife, and his lost vision to curse him for the rest of his life. Just writing this paragraph depresses me a little. It must be hard for him, and while I'm doubtful, I truly hope that he can find solace some time in the future.

As with Shinkai's other films, the art and animation is pure bliss. They added well to my enjoyment. Shinkai's style worked quite well for action and adventure.

And am I the only one who found Asuna to be really cute? Okay, she isn't a strong character, and her primary motivation should have been made clear earlier in the movie, but her bubbly effervescence was at least exciting and pleasant to watch. Kanemoto Hisako's voice worked like magic for her.

By the way, how do you abbreviate the name of this movie? Hoshikodo? Children Chase Voices? Both Japanese and English names are a little long to mention in normal conversation.

Originally Posted by Reckoner

Now I don't think this quite matches up to Shinkai's 5cm by any means, but I thought it was a rather excellent film that pays nice tribute to the Ghibi style while adding in a huge flavor of Shinkai in the mix (Really this movie was very Shinkai from the background visuals to the themes present, it was all him).

You could say it is a Frankenstein's monster of Miyazaki and Shinkai. The movie worked fine for me as well, although I can see why some people may not think highly of it.