Pretty bad movie honestly.
I'm assuming Momo's voice actress was a kid, and she really couldn't deliver a solid performance. Typical for child actors, but it really hits the second time she tells off her dad. She doesn't sound angry or upset at all.
It really bugged me that the mom couldn't even admit she missed the dad. Even when she's just sitting on the bench with her mother she's like, "I'm not lonely at all!" I get her character is supposed to be very guarded, but she could at least say "I feel better now being here with you" or just ignore the question. She says it so many times, it really feels like she doesn't care at all until the scene with her crying over the photo album.
The yokai were meant to be endearing, but honestly they were just annoying. They ruined everyone's crops, constantly stole from others, and broke Momo's shit. They aren't very funny either.
Momo doesn't reminisce about her dad at all, so we know next to nothing about him. It seems like she doesn't have any fond memories, and like he was always away on research expeditions. It's also weird that the grandparents hadn't even met their teenage granddaughter once. The mother acts like she spent a lot of time on the island, but she only lived there for a year. It feels more like they're supposed to be the dad's parents in that case, but again they never reminisce about either parent.
The final sequence is just absolutely stupid. Riding a motorbike in a typhoon is a deathwish in and of itself. The mailman doesn't even get to be a hero, and they cut out the scenes where she begs the doctor and drives back.
The scenes with the other children felt completely pointless. They're supposed to emphasize how lonely Momo is, but she really just comes off as a bitch. She can't even be nice to them long enough to hold a conversation or swim for 5 seconds. If she can't jump, she can still wade into the water wherever they get out.
This whole movie just feels empty. Everyone either seems like an asshole who can't communicate to save their lives, or a background NPC. Momo's mom should be furious with her in the attic. She should think her daughter is the one ruining the fields, stealing the crops, and stealing from the other children. It should elicit more of a response, even if she sees it as understandable angsty rebellion.
They could have easily cut out the yokai completely, eliminated half of the scenes, and filled the runtime with characters talking. That's what they needed to do. Tell me how you feel. Show me how you interact with others. Instead it's sit around here, laze about there, yell at the yokai for being stupid, ghost the other kids, rinse repeat. Over and over again with dashes of NPCs having pointless conversations.
4/10. If I ever watch it again, I'd try the dub. Can't imagine I would though. |