Mamoru Hosoda: He's done far more than leap through time!

I watched the latest trailer for Mamoru Hosoda's (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) upcoming Summer Wars, and decided that I'd give his other films a watch.

I'd watched his delightful 5-minute short Superflat Monogram several months ago, but I hadn't gotten around to tackling his two Digimon movies and his One Piece movie, though I'd heard good things about both. Today I tackled all three remaining films, starting with the two Digimon movies. It should go without saying that I watched both of the Digimon films subtitled.

Digimon Adventure


I'm in no way a fan of Digimon, so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the first movie (which is only 20 minutes long, by the way).

Having seen The Girl Who Leapt Through Time I recognized Hosoda's distinct visual style instantly. He didn't design the characters, mind you, but they have a look as if they are rendered in an ever so slightly-blurred fashion and the designs have a simplistic look to them as well. He uses this unsharpened approach in all of his films, making it easy to pick out.

The plot of the first Digimon film is a simple one. It's about Taichi's first encounter with a digital monster, and the havoc it wreaks. It's a rather light-hearted piece, but Hosoda is very skilled at interweaving seriousness with lightheartedness. Not to mention it's very cute. How little Hikari communicates by mostly faintly blowing a whistle is very clever, not to mention it comes in handy towards the end.

Despite being his first time in the director's chair, Hosoda puts his talent on full display here. He manages to take something I've never been too keen on and produces quality entertainment.

(out of 5)

As a side note: I was saddened (though not surprised) to see that it was butchered when I sampled a bit of the English dubbing. They certainly ruined a quality short film.

Digimon Adventure: Our War Game


Impressed by the first movie, I moved on to the 40-minute second film, which is much grander in scale than the first. More characters, more monsters, more everything! Hosoda doesn't have any problem handling the big jump in responsibility. In fact, he seems to relish in the fact that he's got more to handle.

The plot of Our War Game is a bit more complex than the first, but just as easy to follow. There's a rogue monster on the loose in the Internet, wreaking havoc on computer systems due to the fact that it needs to eat data in order to survive. Of course, Taichi takes it upon himself to defeat this monster, although he can't do it alone.

With more characters there's more freedom for interaction, and with that comes humor. Hosoda proves he's got a deft hand when it comes to comedic timing and facial expressions. I laughed out lout plenty of times while watching this. The Digimon films are all in good fun, and they succeed quite well in that respect. Of course, there are plenty of things that don't make a lot of sense as things that could have used some explaining are glazed over, but this is a film aimed at kids so you can forgive such flaws. Even if you're not a fan of Digimon, check this and the previous film out.

(out of 5)

One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island


Lastly, I watched the Hosoda's One Piece (OP) film, which is a full-length feature, and the sixth in the OP movie series.

Of course, since there isn't any need to develop already established characters, the film jumps right into the action. The Straw Hat Pirates come across an advertisement for Omatsuri Island that promises something that caters to each of the characters loves the most while calling for those who are pirates among pirates among pirates among pirates to set sail for their island. Of course, in usual OP fashion, there's a catch. The Straw Hats first have to endure an "Ordeal of Hell!" Of course, Luffy is up for the challenge.

What really made this film great is something I've touched upon before: Hosoda's ability to interweave lightheartedness with seriousness. He did a good job with the Digimon movies, but the OP film takes the cake. The film starts out as what appears to be a zany adventure, but little hints are dropped here and there and events slowly unfold and the one finds themselves immersed in a very dark story. The transition from light to dark is almost seamless - it really sneaks up on you. Quite different from a series like Trigun in which in the transition was akin to flipping a light switch.

The movie does go too much over-the-top at times (which is one of the many things I dislike about OP), Baron Omatsuri is underdeveloped, and the opening act is a bit of a chore to get through, but the film is very rewarding which outweighs most anything else. Plus, it's very funny and highly entertaining. I figure any other OP film would have a devil fruit of a time topping the sixth movie.

(out of 5)

Though we'll never get an uncut version of Hosoda's Digimon movies, there's still hope that FUNimation will snatch up his OP movie.

Let me rephrase that: FUNimation had better snatch up his OP movie! It remaining unlicensed is a travesty.