Pukapuka Juju

Young Animator Training Project/Anime Mirai short reviews: Part 7/12

Dudu the Floatie tells the tale of a little girl who wants to go to the beach with her dad but the dad keeps putting it off because of work and partly because he’s terrified of water. The directing in this one is remarkably good in how it pieces larger story beats in silly little asides. Things like the shots of the dad playing golf with his bosses, where they keep missing the golf ball entirely, signifying how utterly tedious his work obligations are. The story does get a bit silly when it reaches the fantasy bit. ... The kid buys the dad one of those floating killer whale things kids bring to swimming pools all the time, except instead of a fucking awesome killer whale, it’s some dumb manatee floatee instead. The floatie comes to life and they go off to magical land and do shit together which allows the young animators do animate something more exciting than a little kid with an oversized head sulk. I get why this part is in the story. It’s part of the child’s imagination and how they come to deal with their problems through elaborate fantasies that make no sense to parents. But the story works fine without that extended sequence. I was even welling up a little inside at the end where the dad and the daughter come together, because they manage it in a way that’s not aggressively maudlin and works well with the light-hearted tone of the rest of the piece.

Verdict: Watch

This is an adorable little story about a girl who wants to go the beach with her father, who is constantly held up by work. In the first five minutes of this special, I went from not enjoying it very much to being completely sucked into the story.

Story: 9. As I mentioned, it is just the story of a little girl who wants to go to the sea with her father. The only trouble is, her father can't swim, and has been afraid of going into the ocean ever since he was a small child. Right when they are about to go, he gets called ... off to work and is unable to go, and instead is stuck holding umbrellas and being an errand boy to people at his work. Meanwhile, in a world of dreams Maki discovers the dougong floatie she bought for her father wants to take her to the ocean and teach her how to swim. From here, she and the floatie, called Juju, swim around and go to an island where her father is being held captive. Several crazy hi-jinks happen, and I must encourage you to watch the rest to find out the ending. The story is in general, extremely adorable and heartwarming.

Art: 10. Being part of the 2011 Young Animator's Project, I would expect nothing less of the art. What made the art alone so gorgeous was the way the colors flowed together, and how beautifully everything in and under the water moved in the shots. I was reminded of the details put into the sakura blossoms floating around in 5 Centimeters Per Second; it actually felt like there was an extreme attention to detail that sometimes I feel are lacking in newer (and especially some older) series. The colors in this series somewhat reminded me of Usagi Drop, for the way Maki was colored. The animation flowed beautifully, and the movements, shapes, and sizes were distinct and unique. The underwater scenes in general were gorgeous.

Sound: 7. It was sound. There was nothing overly special about it, but the light soundtrack added to the heartwarming feeling. There was nothing wrong with the voice acting, but nothing that made it stand out.

Character: 6. I loved Maki's character design, as well as how Juju was drawn, but I think that is where everything ends. The father is drawn fairly blandly, and he is the only character that is given a semblance of development. The mother and son are forgettable, as is the antagonist and her assistant. This was my main problem with the episode, but I feel that, as that being my only real issue, this series holds out on its own.

Enjoyment: 7. I feel like judging one's enjoyment of something is a bit harsh generally, but in this instance I actually did understand where this rating comes from. In the beginning, I didn't think I was going to like it, and was tempted to quit watching it. But I stuck through, and once the art gets good, it stays good.

I completely recommend this to anyone who loves cuter series, but also to anyone who needs some good animation, or just a reason to smile.

This is my very first review in MAL so forgive me if i make any mistake. I just had to write a review on this anime because it seems that nobody cared writing one. so her goes.

Pokapokajuju or dudu the floatie one of the entries in the young animator training projects is a short heartwarming story that'll touch your heart. Dont know for others but it really did made my eyes wet a little while watching it alone in the dark. lol.

the story is simple but it is very heartwarming, a simple family with simple lives,the setting shows that their not really rich,in the family ... you have mika, mom, dad, and baby. it is about young mika who wanted to go to the beach with his father, but his father can't because he has work (even on weekends) as a caddie for golfers.

Now you might wonder who is dudu? dudu is a dugong floatie that mika and her mother bought for her dad because mika's dad doesnt know how to swim. (atleast thats what she thinks)

So fast forward, they were about to go to the beach when worked again interrupted mika's dad. Mika's Mother prepared a Mini Pool in the backyard, Mika briefly enjoyed it but soon realizes that it's still not like the beach and with his dad. She fell asleep and dreamt being on the beach with an alive dudu, she and dudu goes to rescue her dad from mimika ( looks like a bad mika) who held mika's dad captive. (it was a bad dream in the end anyway as dudu , dad and mika were crushed by the monster mimika created)

Fast Forward, it was raining and mika was still asleep in the pool, her father came home, mika told him her dream and the father soon realizes that he must admit why he cant really go to the beach.(besides work) its not really because he cant swim but because hes traumatized from the sea because of what he experienced when left alone in the sea when he was a child. But as soon as the weather became good again dad gathered all the courage and went to the beach with her daughter.

Now heres my favorite part. mika's dad was still scared of the sea, but mika was pulling hes hand, he doesnt want to go deeper so he resisted and their hands finally let go, mika was taken by the waves away further, thats when the Dad's father instincts get the best of his fears,dad went for mika while riding dudu.he reaches her and he realizes that it isnt so bad afterall and both of them enjoyed while floating in the wavy ocean.

Story:8
Art:7
Sound:7
Character:8
Enjoyment:8
Overall:8

its not really one of those magnificent anime titles but it was well done considering its from young animators with limited budget. plus i must admit that i am a little biased because I myself still dont know how to swim at an age of 21. Its a sweet short story that is worth watching

This movie was created by inexperienced animators with the sole purpose of practicing and improving their professional skills. I know this because I read the MAL entry and not because it's noticeable. What I'm trying to say is that visually it doesn't look unfinished or unpolished. The visuals are pretty to look at and the action sequences look fluid and entertaining.

There are some flaws in terms of sound design, particularly the dialog's volume being too low compared to the sountrack and sound effects' volume.

The story and the characters are adorable and it's a really sweet and short experience that will warm your heart ... in less than half an hour.

Puka Puka Juju, a tale of a young daughter wanting to go to the beach with her father but can't because of work obligations.

Effective is a word I would use because it covers the bases of family, creativity, and imagination from a child's perspective. Which links to animation, colorful and full of life.

It is vibrant and works with the themes of the plot and the desires of the characters. Which, again, contrast well with the imagination part of the child's mind with how each character must overcome said idea.

As a whole, it is the strongest of the 4 shorts of 2011 in terms ... of simplicity of story and message yet fun expression with animation.

The set up for Puka Puka Juju begins with a pretty standard family unit - an overworked father who has to prioritize his job, a small child who just wants to spend one weekend with him despite all the broken promises, and a housewife who has to constantly sacrifice her social life to juggle the kids. They all deeply care for one another and the situation is hard on each of them for different reasons. Despite its shortness, you can feel the bond between them within the first few minutes. It may get shaky at times, but they do their best to keep it together.

Although ... the story is fast-paced, it keeps the viewer dwelling in the moment all the way through to its end. Throughout the story, Mika struggles to sort out her feelings through a fantasy sequence that is beautifully animated and truly does its best to show off the art direction. There are some very touching emotional moments that really shine and become the catalyst for addressing the overarching themes of childhood trauma and fear of the ocean. Along the way, we learn right alongside Mika that sometimes offering understanding to someone is the most meaningful gesture. There's something about the very childlike maturity in the way Mika reconciles her feelings that may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it provides a satisfying conclusion to the adventure.

If you have about 25 minutes to spare and feel in the mood for a quick summer adventure about some mild family drama with a sweet conclusion, check this one out.