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| THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- OOOH! No, really ... OOOOH! Eye popping animation, excellent story telling, wonderfull score ... OOOOH! I've always held a negitive view on CGI productions. Well, Now, I may have to rethink those views, once I have seen what it really can be. OOH!, by the way - Go Cotton the Brave! Go Theo the Hero! |
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| This really is such a fantastic and spectacular film. Very good animation and story, and the whole concept is already so touching and sweet. Really recommended for everyone. |
| Extremely touching flick, agreed! It was spectacular in every way: great characters, story, music, and animation. |
| <---made of awesome! |
| It's visualy stunning, the story is predictable (it's a movie for kids), but enjoyable nonetheless. |
| I liked the story and the effects were quite awesome, shame about the horrid looking faces, they looked totally soulless to me. |
| awesome CGI and cute story especially Cotton! |
| You see there's no need to wonder where your god is, Coz he's right here! ...and he's fresh out of mercy. |
| dang that was very nice, its heart warming, and awesome animation!!! |
| Personally, I feel like the movie should have been about Cotton rather than Haru. Or, at the very least, it should have followed him a little bit more than it actually did. He is definitely one of the most awesome characters in the film. |
| Somewhere, there is an unplugged toaster sitting on a Coleman stove. Does it feel lonely? |
| I watched this movie last night but bc I was tired and wanted to think on how I wrote this I waited for when I woke up to post okay this was a movie that I had seen around on MAL but I was like I will maybe watch it maybe not well last night I couldnt think of what I wanted to watch so that was the one I chose in the end and I am glad I did When I first started the movie I was like what the hell this is not the animation that the pictures show I was about to quit it(for now though) and something in my stomache said wait so I did n then I saw what Haruka looked like n i was like okay that is better at first I thought it was going to be a dumb movie by what was being shown at the time but boy was I wrong it actually turned out to be a much better movie then I thought it was going to be I can see how it won the award though. Story was charming story had some faness it was actually quite good I did feel really bad for Cotton though that I would have to say is my least favorite part how the sound kept going to low to high was getting annoying but other then that I loved the movie it was really cute and well put together would recommend to anyone. |
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| Oblivion Island is one of the best looking anime I've ever seen. There's still some awkwardness with the humans at times but it's a small gripe in the grand scheme of things. That sequence where they were flying the ship avoiding Fireworks cannons was breathtakingly stunning, along with exhilarating. & I normally don't stuff off posts talking exclusively about the aesthetic but that's the defining feature of Oblivion Island. It was an absolute joy to look at for pretty much it's entire run-time. The OST was good too, not excellent but it always suited the scene really well. The voice acting was top notch as you'd expect really. Outside of the visuals, what drew me in to watch Oblivion Island (aside from my self-imposed "March Madness" challenge to complete as many anime as possible) was the premise. Just the idea of an island composed of those neglected niks naks from yesteryear is something that reminds of Pixar. Creativity centered around a concept brimming with easy emotional attachment. I think it's fair to say most people can relate to the idea of losing some precious alum & wanting it back but what the film delves in even greater, is why the items are precious. The key items involved in this film (the mirror, Cotton, the comb for example) aren't just important to the characters because of some nostalgia to childhood but as a connection to those who gave them to us. To the loved ones the mean the world to us. The titular mirror, clearly represents Haruka's mother, the item Haruka actively spends most of the film searching as well as being the one connected mostly to the past (hence the mirror showing her the past). Cotton would be the father, the one initially out of her mind, & the one that takes some struggles to come over (granted, it doesn't take a lot but the plot has to advance). Teo is their as both on aid to Haruka's journey (as well as give added value to the mirror, given that he's the one who saved it, it's hard to imagine that he wouldn't be on Haruka's mind whenever she looks at it now. The story is good with the thematic's & emotions but it also falls to predictability several times throughout the story & sometimes, like with Cotton's introduction, plot-points are just happened upon by the characters. It gets significantly better in the second half but the story still hits familiar beats along the way. They execute them all well but the question becomes how does it compare to the rest of its brethren. It may not be the best but it's no slouch, in my opinion. On to the characters & they are all, okay. None of them are really anything special but the main trio of Haruka, Teo & Cotton are all likable & they do grow throughout the film. My personal favorite with Cotton, who has the least development yet managed to be the most entertaining being both cute, bad-ass & heartwarming. Arguable the weakest part of the entire film is The Baron. He has a cool design (when he's in outfit) but his character is about as interesting as the dirt on the ground. He evil & self-obsessed, a mustache-twirling villain planning to invade the human world to take better things to create a new, better island after destroying the old one. It's not necessary & doesn't really add any additional stakes to the flick (hell, it's never even mentioned again). The Baron's most unique trait, though still not entirely uncommon, is his insecurity with his actual appearance, which turned his comeuppance to a punchline about his servants seeing him practically naked, & it's one that doesn't really land. In stark contrast to my Pixar comparison, Oblivion Island isn't that funny. There are small chuckles throughout the film & the movie's go-to tone isn't comedic so it isn't a big deal. I will note that I laughed a good deal at Haruka simply blowing the Oblivion pill/ball/drop (I don't remember the word they use) but yeah. As of right now, however after combining all my scores (Story = 8; Characters = 7; Visuals = 10; Audio = 8; Enjoyment = 9), the series just falls short of a 9/10. Still, I plan on revisiting the movie, next time dubbed with my brother on the big screen (as opposed to my laptop) so the score is subject to change. But as of now, Oblivion Island: Haruka & the Magic Mirror gets an 8/10. |