Wars are a very common theme in anime, but this movie treats this trite subject differently. It focuses on the coming of age of a teenage girl who moves in with her teenage husband after an arranged marriage. Together with her husband's family, they go through and survive the hardships of the war. The cell animation, a rarity in modern anime, is visually stunning, kind of Hayao Miyazaki-esque but still very different. Despite being set during World War II Japan, the movie is still mostly dreamy, warm and funny. It didn’t hurt that the director threw in some abstract painting-ish scenes as icing on an otherwise already perfect cake, reflective of the main character who is a talented artist. After Kimi no Na Wa, I didn't know when I’ll be blown away by an anime next, or by a movie, for that matter. But this one did. Rating: 10/10.
(Image above is a screenshot from the official trailer.)
