2020-12-15, 01:34 | Link #1 |
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Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Somewhere on Earth
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Ryu to Sobakasu no Hime/Belle (Mamoru Hosoda)
Ryu to Sobakasu no Hime ("Belle") movie announced for Summer 2021, by Mamoru Hosoda
The official website is up https://ryu-to-sobakasu-no-hime.jp/ https://twitter.com/StudioChizu/stat...35797898338305
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Last edited by Stark700; 2020-12-15 at 01:45. |
2021-06-14, 03:28 | Link #5 |
#1 Akashiya Moka Fan
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So I recently learned something about the title that I absolutely love.
Turns out, it's a triple pun. Of course, the English title is basically being called Belle. Obvious Beauty and the Beast themes here. What is not so obvious at first glance... the main girl's name is Suzu. Suzu in Japanese means bell. I hope you can see where this goes.
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2021-07-24, 09:23 | Link #8 |
#1 Akashiya Moka Fan
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I saw it myself... it was a good movie, but it was not a Great Movie. Of course, keep in mind my Japanese skills are still low-level, so I probably missed a bunch of nuances.
Oh, and Hosoda needs to get better at directing before he opens his mouth again. He gave an interview recently where he was criticizing a "very famous director", and everyone believes that was in reference to Miyazaki. Well, this movie was definitely not Ghibli level. In fact, I went in with high expectations... and was disappointed. It's NOT a bad movie... I just felt it had a lot of issues. But take Cosmic Eagle's word more than mine; I don't know how much I missed. I'll write everything that I understood in the spoiler tag. Spoiler for Belle:
Now, if you read that LOOOOOONG spoiler, you might think that i thought it was a bad movie. Again, it's NOT terrible. I've just seen two other FANTASTIC movies, and this one didn't live up to expectations.
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2021-07-24, 16:26 | Link #9 |
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Join Date: Apr 2006
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To be fair, the reason Hosoda criticized that "very famous director" has little to do with film-making and more to do with said famous director having the bad habit of glorifying his female characters instead of treating them as flawed human beings. And to be honest, Hosoda kinda has a point.
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Last edited by Kazu-kun; 2021-07-24 at 16:36. |
2021-07-24, 21:05 | Link #10 |
#1 Akashiya Moka Fan
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This is true... but being a director means the whole package as well. It's very true that Suzu is heavily, heavily flawed... but Hosoda is quick to forget that one of his most famous movies (Summer Wars) has a heroine who is glorified. I can't speak for some of his other movies like Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Mirai because I haven't seen them... but Hosoda is in danger of being a hypocrite, as much as I like the works I have seen. Of course, there's the whole point that he may have said this just to get buzz around his name.
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2021-07-24, 21:17 | Link #11 | |
今宵の虎徹は血に飢えている
Join Date: Jan 2009
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Quote:
Spoiler:
Speaking of two other movies....is サイダーのように言葉が湧き上がる one of them? Going to watch that next. Looks not bad
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2021-07-24, 22:49 | Link #12 | |
Seishu's Ace
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kyoto, Japan
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Quote:
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2021-11-25, 03:29 | Link #18 |
Moving in circles
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 49
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I finally got to watch the movie on the silver screen. It's a pretty film, and I wish it luck at any awards it might get nominated for.
Ultimately, though, while I enjoyed Belle, I wasn't wowed by it. For starters, I'm disappointed that Hosoda rehashed familiar ground that he had already explored previously, particularly for the setting of U. As someone else pointed out, it instantly reminds me of Summer Wars, and the virtual worlds of both movies are functionally the same thing. Narratively, I also felt that the story threads were pulling in different directions, and while they eventually did tie together, the payoff didn't feel satisfying. For example: Spoiler for character relationships and plot points:
The plus points: The soundtrack and the songs are really good and suitably pleasing. The movie is at its best whenever Belle/Suzu gets to sing her heart out, especially towards the poignant finale. And the characters, while not particularly memorable, are at least good fun to watch. Overall, I feel that, creatively, Belle is actually a step backwards for Hosoda. Most fans seem to dislike Mirai, but I still maintain that that was the film which Hosoda should be better noted for, because he took more daring risks with that movie than he did with Belle. In conclusion, like others said, Belle is not a bad movie. But it's not a great movie either. It's just a little bit above-average at best. |
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