Chironup no Kitsune

This movie starts off slow, but it is super adorable. The foxes may melt your heart. But I was not expecting for this movie to emotionally fuck me up by the end…

Personally, I believe this film would be best watched going in blind with little context. If you’re interested, just go ahead and watch it. However, if you’d still want to read a review, you can proceed.

As mentioned, this movie starts off pretty slow, with a musical intro that lasts for quite a few minutes. This isn’t your average anime intro with off the rails action or e expansive shots of a complicated world, but ... it is rather, a calm atmosphere.
The story is also very simple, and easy to follow as it goes along, but it certainly won’t impress those who are looking for a deep narrative.
These certain factors may immediately turn some off.

But for those who are interested nonetheless, be prepared for utter cuteness for the first half of the film. And then be really prepared for the second half… I will try not to mention what happens in the second half in this review.

In any case, I’d also like to give some thoughts and ratings on certain parts of the film, starting with;

Story - 6.5/10
As high as the overall rating I gave, it must be said that the story isn’t revolutionary, it’s not amazing, it’s nothing crazy. It is straight forward as you move along, but some things you might be confused about if you aren’t paying full attention. It is decent, but man, the suspense it provides on the second half really drives it up a bit, and there will be punches in your gut that won’t be pulled..

Art - 7/10
The art is simple, but it provides a good visual appeal for the movie, especially the characters. It isn’t incredible, but it is decent for its time, and does the film well. Also, Chibiko.

Music - 7/10
There are only a handful of music tracks, and they do their job well enough to set the mood. Nothing more nothing less. (Except for the end… It still hurts…)

Characters - 6/10
It must be said that the characters are not deep, there isn’t much in terms of development, and pretty much none of them have (spoken) names, not even the humans, except for Chibiko the fox. It might be different in the source material. But, they have their roles to play in the movie, even if they lack dimensions. However, Chibiko is best foxo. She’s too cute, and if it weren’t for her, the characters category would be a 3/10 at most.

Overall - 8/10?
It is reasonable to question why the rating given in this review is high. It is simple. Chibiko. In all seriousness, there is enjoyment to be had, but this film also gave me rare feelings with suspense and dread, that I often don’t have as much. You simply can’t guess correctly what will truly happen until it does. Despite how cute this film may look, it may divert your expectations by the end.
However, I truly believe that this film is simply not for everyone. Some will like, some won’t. I think the film deserves the ratings it has gotten. It’s probably a 7/10 AT MOST.
And while my score may be biased, a completely unbiased review is simply boring. I stand by what I said.




TL;DR / Ending notes (Minor Spoilers):

My expectations going in was that this would be a cute and simple story about some foxes…
But where there is war, there will be victims…

Also, Chibiko is best girl/best foxo, no contest.