Anne no Nikki

On June 12th, 1929, about ten-years before the start of World War II, Annelies Marie Frank was born to parents Otto and Edith Frank in Frankfurt, Germany. Rendered stateless by the Nazis in 1941, and without any means to flee the country, Anne and her family were forced into confinement for two-years in a cramped attic to avoid persecution. While staying there, Anne documented her life in a now famous diary, which has since been adapted into movies, plays, and even an anime.

It was surprising to learn that an anime of Anne Frank’s diary had been made—by Madhouse, no less, one of my favorite studios. ... I’d known about Anne’s story for a while, but I avoided it because I feared that it might be too depressing for me to handle. Regardless, my curiosity for this especially unique adaptation eventually got the best of me, and I relented.

As expected, this story was difficult to watch. Even seemingly peaceful moments are underpinned by anxiety and melancholy that keeps you from ever feeling at ease. The presence of the Nazis encroaching the lives of Anne and her family are always felt even when they’re not seen. And Anne and her family weren’t the only victims of this time. There were countless other families and individuals across central-Europe who were made to endure similar struggles. It all ultimately begs the questions: Why did this have to happen? How could such paranoid hatred develop?

A lot of care was put into the production of Anne no Nikki. The character designs matched their real-life counterparts, and the animation was often inbetweened on twos, resulting in a lifelike fluidity atypical of anime animation. The soundtrack was minimalist, lightly enhancing the atmosphere of particular moments without being a distraction.

Furthermore, I appreciated the subtlety of the directing. People are portrayed as historical figures rather than as characters. A naturalistic approach is taken that resists the temptation to exaggerate for the sake of dramatic effect. The sedate pacing might be trying for less patient viewers, but a more energetic portrayal wouldn’t have rung true to the actual events that this adaptation drew from.

If I had to dig deep for a flaw, I’d say that there was an occasional tinge of sentimentality, which, considering the strong emotions that were already present, didn’t feel necessary. Despite this, the heart and salient moral lesson that Anne no Nikki paints more than compensates for any apparent flaws.

For me, as a Jewish Otaku, Anime about Anne Frank- real story about a Jewish girl that wrote a diary while hiding from the Nazis, means a lot. Still, I expected something better, the anime storyline didn't seem to follow her original diary, lots of parts were missing, the art wasn't even close to beautiful but somehow, an Anime movie about Anne Frank still made me cry.
Story:
The story doesn't seem to be great at all- big parts of te diary are missing- and somehow, I dont think these parts coul be replaced. No, these Anime is not good enough with these parts missing.
Art:
The art ... was just awful, no other way to explain it.
Sound:
Wow. I was definitely surprised here. I didn't think an anime about Anne Frank could have such a beautiful soundtrack, a soundtrack that comes just in the right moment, and shows some hidden feelings that you cannot just explain.
Charcter:
I think here's the best thing in this anime. They managed showing the life of a teenage girl breaking out to pieces. They managed showing the way she felt, the way she thought. They made it all just, wonderful.

Anyway, I think Its a good anime to watch- but can't replace her original diary, though.

It's sad to see such a well made movie have absolutely no attention given to it. Obviously the subject matter has been covered many times over but this movie covers it in a delicate studio ghibli type of way that is aesthetically enjoyable.

The animation in this movie is done very well. Every moment is savored, the color pallet is pleasant to look at and all movement is fluid.

The soundtrack is good, nothing amazing but just enough to help better portray pivotal moments in the story.

Characters were done well, Anne was portrayed as well as she could've been with the information we have about ... her actual life.

I insist you check this movie out. Its easy to find, right now there is a free version up on youtube.