The tripartite anthology "Shikioriori", is deeply ingrained in Chinese culture and recent Chinese history, in particular that of China's rapid economic development during the 1990s, so it pains me to read so many reviews that seem to exhibit no awareness and no understanding of the cultural context and demographic to which this film targets.
1) Sunny Breakfast
For non-Chinese people, or those who have not grown up in Chinese-influenced societies like much of South East Asia, you may not know that food is widely recognised as the most important part of Chinese culture. That Chinese people often greet each other with "Have you eaten" and that Chinese
...
parents will express their love for their children not with "I love you" but "Have you eaten/there is food" is merely one of the many culturally ingrained aspects of Chinese culture where food is often the basis for family bonding and socialising.
In "Sunny Breakfast", Xiaomin contemplates the ephemerality of people and things in life, with his most cherished experiences relating back to his favourite noodles. The whole vignette takes the form of Xiaomin's inner thoughts and soliloquising as we follow his life's journeys as we observe snippets of the memories he looks back to, as he feels his life is nothing more than a tasteless existence, that no longer has the "flavour of his youth" about which he reminisces and from which he begins to learn.
The extended metaphor and the experiences he goes through are very much those that most ordinary Chinese people that live in cities post the late 1980s when Deng Xiaoping begun the process of transformation Shanghai to the megacity it is today. For a short story, "Sunny Breakfast" does well in encapsulating the experiences many young Chinese adults will have gone through and the thought processes they felt. In the whirlwind of time, it is easy to forget the impermanence of that which one grows up with and just that alone is sufficient material for a short story like the first of Shikioriori's to explore.
2) A Little Fashion Show
This is the most straightforward and least attached to Chinese culture of the three and may be more accessible emotionally and storywise to MAL's Western base. It is a short story about cherishing those close to you and how family, as well as recognising the bilateral nature of such relationships. Perhaps the weakest of the three, its simplicity nonetheless means that its narrative is clear even if the experience of viewing it feels a bit rushed as the plot proceeds from one to the next, with little time for the nuanced introspection and characterisation we had of Xiaomin in the previous film.
I consider this to have been the weakest entry as its appeal to pathos is not particularly convincing and could have benefitted from more introspection of the sisters rather creating an antagonist, whose purpose had little value beyond advancing the plot whose message could have been achieved without so I felt it to be more shallow than the others. Luckily, being in the middle saves "Shikioriori" from giving a bad first impression or a disappointing finale.
3) Shanghai Love
Even though it's a homage to Byousoku 5 Centimeter, I think it's more of an indictment of MAL's demographic that this film is being likened to all of Shinkai's other works when really it shares very little with any of his works. That a mere story of 2 adolescents in love that faces struggle is enough for people to liken "Shanghai Love" with Byousoku 5 Centimeter is more of a testament to the lack of repertoire MAL's demographic has surrouding romance as a genre where people view romance as dating and "who ends up with whom" rather than romance as being a medium via which to explore human relationships, emotions, and growth etc. Regardless, that doesn't change the fact that it does not come close to reaching the sheer emotional profundity and character authenticity and complexity Byousoku 5 Centimeter achieved, nor the surgical precision with which Shinkai's film explored its themes.
"Shanghai Love" is more about Shanghai and Chinese culture than it is really about love. The story surrounds 3 friends who through various circumstances end up on different life paths that lead to our protagonist to ponder on his present and future, sparked by a reminder of the past. What I found impressive in this story was the way Chinese familial structure, relationships, and familial expectations are all accurately woven in the context of 1990s Shanghai which faced rapid modernisation, gentrification as well as technological development - themes that were all deftly used as metaphors in this romantic tale.
It is the longest of the three but aptly works as a conclusion to this anthology. Whereas the first focused heavily on one's past, the second on the present, this final film goes one step further using its additonal time to encompass the future and the film's ending culminates into an emotionally rewarding experience that feels like chicken soup for the soul.
--Final Thoughts--
Shikioriori is a Chinese production made for Chinese, or at the very least, Eastern audiences. Its audiovisuals are strong owing to its production committee and brevity but nothing exceptional. But crucially, it takes advantage of the time it has to provide a reflective and heartfelt piece about the transience of life, youth and on grasping the future, in a context that is often very ingrained within modern Chinese society. However, these themes are universal and I think audiences from all over the world can relate to the problems and feelings our protagonists hold, in a succinct package that can be digested separately in 3 parts, if you feel you don't want to commit to something long.
I think for a lot of mainland Chinese millenials in their twenties, there is something even greater to pontificate upon and extract from Shikioriori, a film that I personally thoroughly enjoyed, and captured me in its reminiscent and phantasmagorical atmosphere.
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: 肆式青春, Si Shi Qing Chun
Japanese: 詩季織々(しきおりおり)
More titlesInformation
Type:
Movie
Episodes:
3
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Aug 4, 2018
Producers:
The Answer Studio, Sound Team Don Juan, Tokyo Theatres, Haoliners Animation League, bilibili
Licensors:
None found, add some
Studios:
CoMix Wave Films
Source:
Original
Duration:
26 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#38042
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#1312
Members:
181,862
Favorites:
422
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 62 / 65
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Your Feelings Categories Aug 4, 2018
The tripartite anthology "Shikioriori", is deeply ingrained in Chinese culture and recent Chinese history, in particular that of China's rapid economic development during the 1990s, so it pains me to read so many reviews that seem to exhibit no awareness and no understanding of the cultural context and demographic to which this film targets.
1) Sunny Breakfast For non-Chinese people, or those who have not grown up in Chinese-influenced societies like much of South East Asia, you may not know that food is widely recognised as the most important part of Chinese culture. That Chinese people often greet each other with "Have you eaten" and that Chinese ... Aug 4, 2018
This is going to be my first review! (LIGHT SPOILERS)
Story: 7 This movie is an anthology that is composed of 3 stories. I'll briefly comment about it one by one. "A Sunny Breakfast" 6/10 it comes off as an introduction story of an adult lingering the remnants of youth. The story doesn't really progress instead it comes off poetic and nostalgic. But that's just it. "A Little fashion show". 8/10 A story about two sisters with different careers that separates them from living a kind of lifestyle yet they share the same roof. It's pretty decent to look at it as a whole but somehow it lacked ... May 18, 2019
There are two things you should know about "Flavors of Youth":
1. It's a great anime. 2. You probably won't think it's a great anime. "Flavors of Youth" strikes me as an inaccessible anime - particularly to western audiences - and not just because of its meandering, introspective nature that would put a lot of people to sleep. I would describe it as a cultural piece that, to fully appreciate, you not only need to know about Chinese culture, you must have been submerged in it at some point in your life. On top of that, the anime homes in on a very specific Chinese generation: the generation who ... Aug 4, 2018
As I was sitting down and scrolling through kissanime new anime additions something caught my eye, like a a really pretty bowl of noodles in a fish shop. That would obviously be this movie. Obviously.
Throughout watching the first part of the movie there was a lot of thoughts swirling in my mind. Why is there only narration? Why does this sink look better then the entire movie? Why aren't there more noodles? To many questions were going through my mind. One minute the dude is eating noodles and looking at this pretty girl next second were at his grandma's death bed and I'm like ... Aug 4, 2018
• SLIGHT SPOILER REVIEW •
Shikioriori, English name: Flavors of Youth, is divided into 3 Chapters: First (Sunny Breakfast), Second (Small Fashion Show), Third (Shanghai Love). Similar on what Shinkai did on 5 Centimeters per Second. The movie is placed in China and even the main character’s name is all in Chinese. But the studio and voice actors are Japanese. Here’s my quick review of the film: Story: As the film begins, you're greeted with an aesthetically beautiful art and animation followed by a few words and the first chapter’s title. The MC of the first chapter then is introduced. As the first chapter ends, the second chapter ... Aug 25, 2018
The 3 parts covered in Shikioriori are the about the 3 basic needs of human life.
It's my first review. Excuse me if it's not structured properly. Spoilers Ahead! 1. Food "Hidamari no Choushoku" (Sunny Breakfast) It took us through the need for food. The magical taste of San Xian noodles. How the loss/change of the taste would make us feel, the people with whom we eat and the atmosphere of where we eat. ... Aug 4, 2018
Netflix refuses to stop with their nu-animu. This time we have the privilege of experiencing the walk of our lifetime, offered by the Chinese because why should anime be Japan exclusive.
This movie is split in 3 section that all are about walking, 1) The first one is really poetic. Walk and talk because why would person just want to simply enjoy scenery and relax. No, being treated like some plebeian tourist is much more rewarding. I personally recommend turning off the sound to avoid this thing from ruining the visuals as well. This in case you, for some weird reason, still decide to watch this anime 2) ... Jul 19, 2020
--- > *Minor spoilers* <---
First story was just about a guy smacking on some bomb noodles and that was pretty cool. The animation when they were whipping it up in the kitchen was kinda heat ngl. I personally found this pretty average. The animation was nice and all but the story wasn't that interesting, it's just about a guy that likes grubbing on some noodles. 6/10 The second story was about 2 sisters, one of them worked as a model and the other worked as a designer for her model sister. This story was like eh bruh like I lowkey could've just skipped it and ... Mar 2, 2020
Move along, I’m Chinese, this show is targeted at me and I’m telling you, it’s shite, other Chinese people think so too. End of review.
Okay. This review took a yearlong because I struggled to finish the film when it first came out, here I am a year later, finished it, felt compelled to write a review because it was bad bad. First of all, the Netflix version and the Bilibili version is not the same, not only the voice actors are different, the music is different. The Netflix Chinese dub was absolutely awful, the writing was extremely inarticulate, almost seems like it was written and read by ... Aug 4, 2018
To begin, this anime was premiered at AnimeExpo 2018 if this is in fact what I think it is, so despite the fact that I haven’t been able to add it to my watched list, this is a review for a show that was shown long before MAL said it first aired (and I’m still slightly upset that MAL wouldn’t let me say I completed it, but that’s not your problem)
While I normally review in the same boring style based on the categories of story, art, sound, character, enjoyment, and overall as per MAL recommendation, Shikioriori/flavors of youth (FoY; sorry but I will be abbreviating ... Oct 26, 2023
Shikioriori 8/10 but uniquely enough for me to write a review for the kind you to give it a try
This movie's theme is: REGRET I know we humans are bitterly imperfect, but please give your best. I plead with you to do it every time. This movie's storytelling is different from the usual. 3 individuals with their own monogatari (story). Each has made a mistake by not trying their best in their own respective way. 1/ Not trying to confront his own feelings and always choosing to watch from sideways 2/ Misplacing her priority between work and family. A major setback e is part of life, stay strong. 3/ Acting based ... May 2, 2020
Beautiful animation, though not quite on the same levels as they have produced in other films. The problem comes with the stories, firstly because of the short run time and the choice of making 3 short films rather than 1 long or 2 semi-short. This makes it so that there never really is that much time to delve deeper into the characters in each one, so they feel kind of distant and not as relatable as they could be.
There is also an issue with how the films build up their climax and end game, because there is no build up. They introduce the characters, ... Nov 6, 2018
Shikioriori or Flavours of Youth reaches out to Chinese and by extension Asian youths but ohh boy does has that tinge of pretentiousness in the mundanity as it's biggest obstacle.
Shikioriori is made up of 3 short stories spanning 25 minutes each to make this "movie", "Rice Noodles, "A Little Fashion Show" and "Shanghai Love" all of them covering different perspectives of the changing times of being a Chinese youth through differing aspects of their lives, be it noodles, fashion and sibling bonds and friendship. Rice Noodles - "You know what...his inner monologue about noodles melds oddly well with Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san..they need to get together ... Sep 2, 2023
Flavors of youth.
Damnit why does Anime have to portray food that looks like that? Even though I cannot eat beef, I want some San Xian Noodles so bad... the way they animated it.... holy It was advertised as the same people who made Your Name, but no Makoto Shinkai this time. What you get is the beautiful animation. ... Jul 24, 2023
I might have people dislike this comment but I just going to speak my opinion. The animation and story really lured me into this anime. I did see the international film on Netflix which had it all together I suppose. I didn't really like the narration. It really got boring; I thought it was going to be like a film not just someone speaking about their life story. It really got boring for 8 minutes, so I dropped it. I felt really disappointed on how it led up. I was going to see it with my friends, but it just got boring for them too.
...
Oct 20, 2018
Really amazing work!
The stories are about the little things in life and why we should cherish them. They are easy to relate to and did bring back quite a lot of memories from my youth (I'm not even 25, what am I saying, haha). It's one of those anime that, while nostalgic, evokes a sort of inner piece and brightens your day. I enjoyed it throughout! Story: 9/10 Art: 10/10 - The art really is outstanding! Very colorful and well made Animation: 9/10 - While not having many fast-paced scenes, simple ones like making noodles were taken to the next level. ... Aug 14, 2018
This is a difficult one for me. To give some background, I’m a 17 year old who lived in ShangHai for 11 years of my life, and trust me, I have a few things to say about this film.
Setting: I did not know the stories were located in China before I started watching it, since it was suggested by a friend, but I did enjoy the fact that it is something new and different. Without losing the forces on the story the film is trying to tell, it does a great job of setting the right location with the right context. Everything felt right, but not ... Aug 6, 2018
I wrote a review for this movie, but it seems like it didn't get saved, cause now it's gone (maybe I accidentally deleted it). So here's a VERY summed up review of the anthology movie mostly so I can go back here if I ever forget why I liked the movie
Short 1: Had good animation but looked very weird sometimes. The story was very plain and so was the main character who didn't get any development either. The music was okay Short 2: Had much better animation, characters, and story, but the music was still just okay Short 3: Had a great story, good animation, and okay ... Aug 5, 2018
I must say, I found Flavors of Youth pretty disappointing. Firstly, I'm all for short films, but I felt like the second and third stories deserved their own full films. They were emotionally compelling, and I just wasn't given enough time to become emotionally invested. Especially with the third film, it progressed so quickly that everything became quite predictable. And, I found it really hard to sympathize with Li because, at the end of the day, there is no fucking way he deserves to be with Xiao Yu. At least not according to how he is portrayed in the movie.
Rewinding a bit, the first ... Jul 10, 2019
[Spoiler Free Review]
I am someone who was born and raised in the country of Iceland so I've never really properly experienced urban life for long period of times, yet even though these stories take place in china, the reminisced quite well with me and my old cold heart. The Movie Follows the sweet young love stories of three characters from different areas and in different cities of china. I've always been a big fan of china and its rich juicy history, and have even considered moving there if it was not for its urban pollution problems and messed politics. Its obviously directed towards the Chinese ... |