Kimi to, Nami ni Noretara

I watched this film in the theater purely because it's hard for Anime films to screen in theaters overseas and when one makes its usually a really good one. I came in, with no pre-exisiting notions, i hadn't even seen the trailer so i had no pre-conception of the film.


SPOILERS AHEAD!!

Story (3):
Firstly I thought the Film was Mediocre at best. The story was very linear and simple. Girl falls in love boy, boy dies trope. Although this is okay and can be interesting, the story didn't make it interesting and instead dragged out a semi-pointless story of Hinako dating water Minato.

Art (6):
The art was really ... good at times and really bad at other times. When it came to scenery and back ground, the art was fantastic. Especially the water. However, when it came to characters the art was just bad, I myself am an Artist/Animator and this was something an independent could do on their own.

Sound (7):
Now the sound in this movie was relatively good, especially the music and sound effects. However a big problem with the title song is that it played almost throughout the whole movie (whether it was sang by the characters or played in the background) which made the audience sick of the song by the end of the music. So although it was a good song, it's overplayed too much.

Character (4):
I think where the movie really failed was in establishing any emotional connection between the audience and the characters. We basically got a short montage of Minato and Hinako and then when story kicks in it expects you to already be connected to Hinako, who we have seen no character development for and only seen her ride a wave and get saved by Minato. We are then expected to engage with Hinako and her post-minato's death mentality. At first I thought that they were gonna deal with psychosis and denial, because it seemed like the water Minato was not real and in her imagination (which i thought could've explored some interesting territory) but ultimately it turned out that it was real and gave emotional weight to her character.

Enjoyment (3):
i'll be honest here, i did not enjoy this movie. It set up the premise really quickly and was straight to the point and i was not able to connect to the movie on a personal level despite any similar experiences i have had.

Overall (5):
Overall the movie is mediocre at best. There's nothing groundbreaking and the story is very bland and linear. So if you're expecting to be wow'ed then this movie is not for you. I'd say watch this movie if you're looking for an anime flick to pass the time with.

Great first half, lack luster second half. My main issues with the movie are the rushed pacing and constant repeating of the films main message, moving on from sadness/grief and relying on yourself in life. The movie isn't a complete dud as it has great visuals and cute moments between the main characters but I can't say that's its more than average. Worth a watch but not highly recommended! I think Josee, the Tiger and the Fish has very similar vibes to this movie but executes the romance aspect better so give that a try if you like this one.

I will review this going straight forward to the PTSD of the main character, a thing that I did not see in other reviews, I don't know why.

This review doesn't have spoilers.

the main character has post-traumatic schizophrenia, but although this is a remarkable adult plot, the movie doesn't completely understand the mental illness of hers as so and ground the situation into a child-like fantasy-power experience.
Didn't expect much before watching it, but the movie itself shows its potential and then just disappoints a bit.

I didn't see a single review talking about the PTSD which is in many real-life cases the cause of this type ... of psychosis Hinako has. I don't wanna think I overthought the movie, it seems so explicit to me that makes me nervous nobody saying it.
So I think a movie more focused on this would be awesome, but despite having all the resources to do so, the movie takes a more 'animely' path.. what a waste.
Because anime can't have deep themes like mental illness, can it?

Finishing the movie has some nice but very predictable and forced plot twists.

Good visual art, good sound, surf scenes well animated, a catchy song, can make you cry (...) definitely the type of movie you'd see with your family or girlfriend to spend time together

Probably a 6,5.

Great art, especially the riding-the-waves-on-the-air scenes and even the bubbly love scenes.
But the characters were almost annoying. Their love story had developed fully at 20 minutes in. The back story was revealed almost in the end, so before, it was hard to relate. Also the type of all 4 characters was again, the "happy, harmless, hard working" type so it becomes impossible to relate. Like, this is a systemic stereotype, give us a break. Lastly, it seemed that everyone else other than the 4 youths, was either too promiscuous or too old to be considered a character.

When I first watched the film, I thought the pacing was way too quick for me to actually understand what was going on. Although I will say that the fire fighter scenes were pretty intense regardless if they were only training or had to attend buildings that were on fire due to fireworks.

I understood this films backdrop involving the feeling of losing someone through drowning and honestly the ending was a near hard hitter for me. However I would have liked if the couples experience together was more in depth because as I said yet again, it was rather rushed. It didn't give much in ... depth either with the other guy who had a crush in her or if he was going for someone else. Since I'm not gonna say spoilers to telling you who's who, it's best to watch the film.

Animation wise, it was pretty alright. Not amazeballs but it was easy on the eyes at least.

As much as the film did offer a bit of emotion, it's not the ultimate worse or disappointment I've ever seen. However room for improvement is what it definitely definitely needs in terms of story pace development.......

Saw this in the cinema today, a lovely bittersweet anime movie. It has some amazing animation throughout the movie. One of a few movies that I have seen recently that wasn't that predictable. The main song although annoying a few times in the movie (as it is literally the only song you hear properly over and over in the movie) is actually really good (big Backstreet boys vibes) and cant really be changed or removed as it would not work with the plot. i think the main think i disliked is the freaking hand gesture the main guy does ahaha. Seriously though if you have ... seen the trailer and liked it, its enough for you to watch it , trust.

needed more yonkage. in terms of art it was good. the song playing in throughout? good song. now in terms of the yonkage mentioned earlier, i felt as if there wasn't enough, ya know? girl needed more sad cause, and i only felt the yonk towards the end (the New Years Scene). Overall pretty forgetful except for the song they drilled into your head.
needed more yonkage. in terms of art it was good. the song playing in throughout? good song. now in terms of the yonkage mentioned earlier, i felt as if there wasn't enough, ya know? girl needed more sad cause, and i ... only felt the yonk towards the end (the New Years Scene). Overall pretty forgetful except for the song they drilled into your head.
needed more yonkage. in terms of art it was good. the song playing in throughout? good song. now in terms of the yonkage mentioned earlier, i felt as if there wasn't enough, ya know? girl needed more sad cause, and i only felt the yonk towards the end (the New Years Scene). Overall pretty forgetful except for the song they drilled into your head.
needed more yonkage. in terms of art it was good. the song playing in throughout? good song. now in terms of the yonkage mentioned earlier, i felt as if there wasn't enough, ya know? girl needed more sad cause, and i only felt the yonk towards the end (the New Years Scene). Overall pretty forgetful except for the song they drilled into your head.

"Ride your wave" is a story about overcoming hardships and learning to grow up and let go. It deals with the motif of water, being the main driving force of flowing through time, hardships and coming to terms with life. It is also a connector between our main characters, which were made to be as dull and one dimensional as possible.

Hinako is the only salvageable character in the film and that is solely because she is the main focus of the theme of letting go and growing up. Despite this, I perceived her character more as a sort of stepping stone to present the theme ... of the movie rather than actually portraying an interesting person.

Minato was an absolutely eye-sore. It's like they tried to jam the perfect human male role model inside a seemingless, pointless and uninteresting creature that comes off as fast and agressive to the viewer as he does to Hinako, but due to plot-reasons, he actually gets his way and performs the most plain and dull dialogue ever in a romantic movie.

Seeing as this is an adaption of an already plain storyline, I have no hard feelings toward Masaaki Yuasa, as his production work and art quality were over the top, and the animation was an absolutely treat to watch. This may be the only redeeming quality of a hard to swallow piece of media.

This feels like a rushed romantic melodramatic film that was produced in order to either compete or gain advantage of the sudden rise of interest in these types of films thanks to already amazing productions such as "Your Name" and "Weathering with You", both which deal with what "Ride your Wave" was trying to convey is a cleaner way.

It's worth a watch, but if you decide to indulge in this snooze-fest, I'd recommend plugging off your brain from listening to the dialogue and enjoy the mesmerizing visuals that Yuasa has given us.

i came across this while just browsing for anime films to watch and i thought it was interesting so i gave it a try. didnt have high expectations for it, neither low ones but i was excited to watch it.

my review will mostly be critiquing a certain part of the story that rly disappointed me so im gonna start of with some nice stuff !!
the animation. so fucking pretty. the waves looked like waves, water looked like water, everything looked so pleasing to look at. its not one of those films where you can make every frame a wallpaper but its still so so pretty. ... the music and voice acting too!! the song thats used a lot is lovely, warm, perfect for the story. bgm for each scenes matched well, and so does the voices for each character. i
now onto the story !

story started out really nice !! we got introduced to the main characters rly well, and we got a rly cute compilation kinda on the main couples relationship. what they do, how they are, etc with them singing the theme song in the background, which i absolutely love. it rly felt like they were singing and i could feel how happy they were.

though all of that was a bit.. Too nice. which made me feel a bit uneasy on whats gonna happen next. and it happened. spoiler ? i guess but the story revolves around this so i cant rly not say it lol. minato dies. from this point on you can guess that the story is gonna be about overcoming grief. heres where it started to become disappointing for me. the way the characters act after minato's death didn't really feel like he Died. it just felt like he broke up with her. his sister didnt even looked like she cared lmfao?? i was hoping to get a moment where its shown that shes been holding it in or something but spoiler.. we didnt get one. she just moved on her day like it was nothing.
hinako's grief was played pretty well id say, spoiler ! //she started to hallucinate that minato appears in water whenever she sings their theme song. i interpreted of it as she just couldn't believe that he's gone so she imagines that she can see him to cope with it, which i thought was rly smart and interesting but it wasn't like that. minato actually does appear whenever she sings and could even control water n shit lol. so she didnt rly.. have him Gone. thoughh ofc she ends up overcoming her grief, she moves on with her life yada yada the end.

tldr on all of that: story was abt overcoming grief but it didnt rly felt like they grieved for him. didnt felt like he was Gone. like dead gone. he's never coming back. and none of the characters felt different after they "overcame the grief" it didnt rly feel like anything. minato was removed from the story but thats it.

id recommend you to check it out if you have time or is interested in it though !! i think i was just a bit too disappointed so i didnt end up enjoying it as much hahah. i did get teary eyed a couple of times and fucking cried at the end on the christmas message part. it came out of nowhere so idk how it made me cry but it broke me

This is not the typical Maasaki Yuasa film, so if that’s the only reason someone chooses to watch this, they’d probably be disappointed.
The animation is very pretty and expressive. I didn’t find the film consistently great, and it dragged at several points (for me), but it has it’s moments, of which I thoroughly enjoyed. Also, Props to Rina Kawaei for an incredible performance! Her voice acting was really endearing. I had a hard time telling how much time had passed at several points, and some things felt really off (like characters reaction to certain things). I dunno…. It’s not amazing, but it’s certainly not bad ... either.

I would say this anime movie is enjoyable, it did make me drop some tears, but i dont think its really sad like the way people made it seem. I like the art, the characters are also unique. Hinako is really strong along the way, but minato is... i think he is just usual, nothing really special. i like the ending where minato saved all his family and friends, and the ending i quite hurtfull, but thats the most favorite scene i liked from this movie. anywat this movie is good for me to sit and enjoy some snacks to watch with.

*WARNING: I DO ALLUDE TO A FEW SPOILERS!!!*

I wanted to love it (especially after watching the pretty appealing trailer that came out early last year along with the preliminary hype), I really do, but I have to go with the generous 5.5. I say generous because despite the multitude of disappointment, I still had the patience to get some enjoyment out of it. I held off on watching this too because I thought it was going to rip my heart out, given the premise provided to us from the get-go. However, I was sorely disappointed by the lack of anything really.

The plot, simple enough, ... has nothing to offer and just leaves you hanging in the end, which claims to be relatable after having to deal with the loss of a loved one. Sure, I get that. The execution, however, was just not it. Likewise, connecting with the main female protagonist proved to be difficult, when there were just bits and pieces of a character. A lot of mystery surrounds her as an individual. As I see it, her characterization is simply defined by her fleeting romance with a boy, who pretty much thrives off of a savior complex. While the savior complex is not entirely problematic in the general sense, it does come off as problematic in how Hinako "copes" throughout the whole entire film. Even in the end, closure would have coincided well right after the resolution of the whole building arc, but unfortunately, an unsatisfying finish was what we got instead.

As for our main male protagonist, he gives off the whole "Superman" presence, which is giving too much credit for an ideal and has no inkling of the relatable character we always tend to look out for. Naturally, we are made to like him because he's the definition of PERFECT. The reality is, there is no one like that. We, instead, as imperfect individuals, strive to be as such. That's why we care more for a character with relatable flaws and unbelievably great character development, instead of the cookie-cutter hero dished out to us from the very beginning. The film literally gives him ONE weakness trying to pass off as a character flaw, which I find seriously ridiculous. The harsh reality is that his hero persona is all he has going for him. Other than that, he's pretty much a shell of a person. Even the memorial, shown briefly, only serves to strengthen that hero persona, which is kind of messed up when you think about it. In short, there's no depth to him as an individual and unfortunately only serves as a crutch to his leading lady.

Aside from all that and much more (which will just turn more into a rant than a review), the visuals were pretty stunning and did well to show contrast in lighting and color to immerse the viewer in the tone or mood they were trying to achieve for a particular moment or scene. The music did its job as well, but nothing too notable aside from the song they play repeatedly for the purposes it does serve.

Overall, I gave this a generous 5.5 (rounding up to a 6) due to the art and some enjoyment I got from the film itself.

I like the theme: grief and finding yourself after it. But the delivery, not so much. Hinako and Minato don't give the feeling one would have when seeing couples we root for. The characters are "problematic" (no, not that kind of problematic) in varying ways: Hinako is such a klutz, it makes me cringe seeing her drop things non-stop, and that singing, ohhhh God; Minato is the perfect boyfriend who is practically good at everything (except surfing which he had Hinako teach him) but is otherwise such a bland colourless character; Youko just irritates me; Wasabi I guess is kinda okay because he is more ... interesting than Minato, though he and his love interest has no chemistry as far as I can see. I don't hate it but I certainly am not raving for you to watch it either.