Totsukuni no Shoujo (2022)

Ignore all the people complaining about this being a bad adaptation; it's simply trying to do something different than the source material. I was honestly confused seeing the score here, until I remembered that anime communities tend to be overly hostile towards anything that takes the source material in a different direction.

I really love this film; it has a unique fairy tale vibe that is furthered, not hampered, by its nonsensical plot. The story not making sense quite literally elevates the experience in this instance. I highly recommend watching this if you desire an anime that plays out like a literary fairytale from centuries ago.

So, ... if you are on the verge of watching it, but the reviews are pushing you away, ignore them and give this OVA a chance. It's really a shame, because if this weren't connected to manga, it would easily be sitting above an 8.

I scored this a 6

The question for if you will enjoy this small 3 episode OVA (wouldn't classify as a film per say) is: Do you like the poster art work and/or the trailer? If yes and your only expectation is good art, then you won't be disappointed. If no and you want something deeper, then you might not find it here.

The reason that I bench a lot of your enjoyment of this work on the art-style is that the overall story can be confusing to decipher and interpret. It does have a message and you will understand it and the themes present, but the ... in-between of getting to the smaller conclusions might have a lot of confusion mixed in that make it not as enjoyable to watch. Its like watching works that are really good at expressing concepts (March Comes In Like a Lion, Monogatari, Ranking of Kings) and having those expressions miss the mark.

What carried this show was the art-style and animation. Never disappointed when I hear unique art-style and Wit Studios in the same breath. Again, if you like the teaser or just the poster art for this and that is all you care about, you won't leave disappointed at the least.

Maybe it's because I'm getting old, I can't understand what Totsukuni no Shoujo or The Girl From the Other Side trying to convey. Yes, you might say the general idea of pain and acceptance is there. But when a short anime that leans too hard on vague mystery and disconnected storytelling, it's never gonna end well.

There are two main characters in this OVA, a beast-man and a young girl, nothing that we haven't seen before. And honestly, the man's development feels too rush while the girl is flat out one-dimensional. This combine with the blurry story make the movie longer than it actually is.

The ... only positive thing is the strange artstyle and some catchy melancholic OSTs. So overall, The Girl From the Other Side is not something I would recommend even just for an hour break.