Absolutely brilliant

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It is a prequel to the 2004 film 'Hana and Alice' from the same writer, director. So I had to watch that before coming to this one and I found both the films were pretty good. Usually to watch a sequel, you have to be familiar with the original. But for a prequel, it's not necessary as the story wise it would be the original, despite not the first to release in the series or franchise. Either way watching both the films is good for the better understanding, and chronological order is the best way to go for.The formats are different, as well as the time gap between the two films. After all it was not a bad decision. This anime was like any other neat and cute anime you had seen. Yeah, I liked the smooth animation. The sketches were not very detailed, yet very detail in the motion presentation. If you are an anime fan, it will be a treat. I'm not saying it is the best anime ever, but surely a little gem and not be missed by the fans of the 2004 film.I don't know whether the final scene of this film and the opening of the other film are same (because of the different mood), but to me it looked like that way. This film is to reveal how Hana and Alice first met and become close friends. But it all begins with the Alice's new school's legend, the death of Yuda. Destined to meet Hana who was a classmate of Yuda, is now her neighbour. So their adventure begins to find new details about Yuda's life, but ends up with misadventures.❝I won't forget that pain as long as I live.❞The perfect characters, I mean two young teen girls. Also a perfect storyline, which is about finding the truth behind a mystery. But it's not thrillerised as everything about the film suggest, including the title. Very much dramatised with lots of fun filled often tense moments. The first act was good, but it was the remaining film that keeps getting better till the final scene. I liked the second half of the film, especially the quest taken by Hana and Alice was simple yet entertaining.There are some off the track adventures, like for a brief moment an old man enters the narration, but that added an extra flavour to take us in a new direction. Soon it reinstates to its original path and that's where the ultimate friendship blooms between two title characters. It's always about a boy between them. Their friendship was tested in the other film over a boy, but here joining hands to solve the mystery surrounding a boy's death. Like the first film, the ballet had its part, though not a main draw, except being a part of one of the main characters.The original cast from the 2004 film rendered their voices for the respective two lead roles. So except watching it in the anime version, the appeal is almost the same. As per some sources, a manga series is following after this. But I hope the story continues with the third film, either in live-action or in anime. This is an under- noticed anime, but well appreciated. I really surprised of its quality and theme. For me, it's definitely slightly ahead of the first film and this my review briefs why. So surely worth a watch and I recommend it.7/10

This is an interesting little tale of how two teenage girls became friends. It has a very honest feeling in how the characters speak and move. Having lived in Japan, this movie really gives a surprisingly unexpected sensation of the everyday there.What sets this movie apart is probably what bothers me. This movie reminds me of the Flowers of Evil TV series from 2013 since both are animated through rotoscoping (an animation technique in which animators trace over footage, frame by frame). This is a decent story, but it could have easily been done without animation. The animation gave some really pretty colors to some scenes, but in the overall it feels unnecessary. You could have told the same story with actors and the result wouldn't be much different.The fact that it is animated will most likely be an important factor to attract and repel some people and it shouldn't. This is not your typical high school anime. It is a movie that happens to be animated. Just that.All in all, a cute adventure of two girls living an unforgettable moment of their adolescence. If you are into teenage dramas and Japan, you might like this.

This film perfectly captures the adventurous spirit, the whimsical imaginations, and the awkward solutions that fuels every day life of a 14 year old. As someone who grew up in this kind of environment (although a decade ago) I was uplifted by nostalgia and the naive purity of all the characters.Just look at the screen! The sky painted in this film is absolutely stunning. Backgrounds are detailed and yet not an eye-sore. Sure the characters looked like rough sketch compared to other more visually accomplished Japanese anime, but I think it was simply a wonderful style to match the story.Iwai Shunji, the sensitive soul behind such classics like "Love Letter" and "April Story (Shigatsu Monogatari)" reunites with the original 2004 cast of "Hana and Alice" (Yu Aoi and Anne Suzuki) to tell this small but emotionally rich story involving ballet, a school cult, and a murder investigation. It's fine that you haven't watched the 2004 film. This sets up a new story and invests time in proper character development. The film follows Alice as she interacts with a number of people and proceeds to build relationships with them. Some are hilarious (the cult leader), some are touching (an old man) and her meeting with Hana, is something else entirely. Despite an over-the-top set-up, the mystery's solution actually makes sense and isn't contrived to deliver ridiculous twist.The laughs are there, it looks amazing, the characters are people whom I'd give big hugs to and Iwai Shunji is definitely on-form in his direction.

This anime is fresh and free-flowing. It follows the trials and tribulations of Alice who moves to a new neighbourhood and school. She soon discovers the harsh realities and related fictions around some recent incidents and its repercussions still affecting the surrounding school life.The narrative keeps you guessing and has great depth in character exploration and philosophical musing, including a mysterious old man. It physically and metaphysically moves with the colours of the beautiful drawings. There are a few chases, intertwined with moments of peace, pose and beauty like the underlying aesthetics of ballet.A rare mixture of quirkiness and quintessential existentialism, married with some strong storytelling elements to make it a superb artistic whole that will stand multiple viewing and the test of time.In terms of story, imagine Old Boy but with teenagers and love theme instead of grown-up violence and revenge. But it terms of tone, it is light-hearted yet intellectual, artistic and emotional.A great addition to the top-notch anime productions we come to expect from Japan. This time as a first animation feature from gifted and acclaimed Shunji Iwai who writes, direct, edit and even provides music to this miraculous masterpiece.Japan 2015 | 110 mins | FANTASIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | HD | Japanese (English subtitles)