This movie is presented as a parallel-universe follow up to one of director Masaaki Yuasa's previous work, The Tatami Galaxy. That series rendered me helper - it seemed that the inner contents of my entire being were spilled on screen in a Watashi-shaped puddle, as my pitiful and embarassing lifestyle was mercilessly portrayed on film for the entire world to see. Given that, when Night is Short had a small American screening (thanks GKIDS) I jumped at the chance. And I certainly don't regret it.
Compared to its predecessor, Night is Short is like yarn to string. Looser, wackier, and not worse off for it. I will say that there are certainly something that bothered me about the film and some scenes that failed to land properly, but more often than not, I was grinning ear to ear.
[++] The absurd content and visuals lead to some truly great comedic moments!
[+] Masaaki Yuasa does some cool and expressive visuals, as usual.
[+] The story is super all over the place but thats a-ok with me. Each individual arc has strong, defined high points.
[+] Sound design is generally on-pont. And the singing... the singing!
[+] Like its predecessor, the character archetypes are very distinct and unique in the world of anime, and art in general.
[=] A couple moments fail to stick, but this might be intentional. I sort of attribute this to the necessity for downtime and low-interest moments in film, but I still think it could have been handled more gracefully.
[-] I will say that I could see this film being a little harder to digest if not familiar with Tatami Galaxy
[-] Something about the ending and how Otome and Senpai settle out is just very sour to me.
[On the Ending] (Spoilers)
I do have a serious complaint about the ending. To me the fact that Otome and Senpai end up on a date is just... a little disgusting. Maybe I don't know enough about Otome's character archetype - that which will take on and accept whatever is in front of her - but it feels like using her character traits as an excuse to hitch her with Senpai is just misplaced. Throughout the movie, Senpai was just creepy. I would think even girls like Otome would recognize this. Having the relationship resolve in this way just feels like fan-service to for the male demographic. I, as someone who slots in perfectly with Senpai's obsessive, observational habits, wanted to bleed at the hands of this film. Shatter my shitty habits, don't inspire hope in them.
Story: 7
Art: 8
Sound: 8
Character: 7
Enjoyment/Overall: 8
