Kaiju no kodomo
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Ruka, a lonely and somewhat rebellious teenager, is kicked off the handball team for the entire summer vacation due to a disagreement with a classmate. Both bitter and bored, she decides to go to the aquarium where her father works and to which some happy childhood memories are linked. There, she accidentally comes across Umi (‘sea’ in Japanese), a bizarre boy who seems to have been raised by dugongs together with his brother Sora (‘sky’) and who has the gift of communicating with marine animals. Ruka is fascinated by him. One evening, however, some supernatural events begin to occur that will involve her in an incredible adventure, thanks to which she will discover that she has a bond with the oceans much stronger than she could have ever imagined.
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About the Movie Children of the Sea
«Children of the Sea is based on the manga of the same name by Daisuke Igarashi, from which it takes up the fundamental themes. In particular, it focuses on a fascinating cosmological and cosmogenetic principle, which supports the uniqueness of a generative principle and the identity of every creature with the whole, with the Universe. The film begins as a usual coming-of-age story, with a shy and problematic young protagonist desperately trying to find her place in the world. However, the horizon shown is much broader than a single existence. Thus, the description of Ruka, the evolution of her friendship with Umi and Sora, some events within the film narrative may appear partly sketched, lacking a worthy in-depth analysis. In truth, the film is a profound reflection that goes beyond the surface of things and that, through the adventures of an ordinary and grumpy student and two enigmatic peers of hers, brings the viewer towards the archè, the roots of the entire cosmos. Good and Evil, the end and the beginning, the individual and the whole. A series of existential questions follow one another that will probably not find a definitive rational answer, since they belong to the great mysteries of life itself. […] The visual component is fundamental: we witness the beauty of Nature shown with infinite amazement, like the sea that turns red at sunset or that shines at night thanks to the luminescent phytoplankton, or the scales of whales that light up with reflections of dazzling light. The drawings, the colors, the animation bring this wonder to life. The creatures of the abyss, the planets and galaxies, the marine currents and deep space merge in an epiphany of shapes and colors. The final touch is given by the music composed by Joe Hisaishi, a historic collaborator of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, magical and pregnant».
(Sabrina Crivelli, ilcineocchio.it)
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