Usually
flying spheres are bad news in movies—really bad, like the Loc-Nar in Heavy Metal or the Sentinel Spheres in Phantasm. This glowing marble is different.
When thrown, it initiates cosmic rewinds. It came along just in the nick of
time for Norimichi Shimada. He will need plenty of do-overs to properly express
himself to his long-time crush before she moves away for good in (chief
director) Akiyuki Shinbo & (“co-director”) Nobuyuki Takeuchi’s Fireworks (a.k.a. Fireworks,
Should We See it from the Side or the Bottom?, trailer here), one of
twenty-five animated features officially submitted for Oscar consideration, which
releases today on DVD.
This
lazy summer day has a Fourth of July feeling, even though school is still
winding down. The annual village festival will culminate with a firework
display in the evening that has prompted a ridiculous debate among Shimada’s
friends. The question is whether the fireworks will look flat or round
(spherical might be a better way of putting it) if viewed from the side.
Shimada is supposed to accompany these deep-thinking pals to a lighthouse that
should have the perfect vantage point to settle the question. However, he would
rather be with lovely but painfully reserved Nazuna Oikawa. The truth is his
loud-mouthed buddy Yusuke Azumi would rather be with her too, but he doesn’t
have the guts to own up to it.
Unfortunately,
Oikawa’s mother has just sprung the news she is remarrying and moving them both
to Tokyo. The resentful teen has a half-baked notion to run-off with Shimada,
but through a perverse twist of fate, she asks Azumi to take her to the
festival instead. However, the weird glass ball she picked up at the beach will
be able to rectify that mistake of destiny. It will also intervene whenever the
tongued-tied Shimada makes a hash of things, but they can’t flee from reality
forever, unless perhaps they can.
Fireworks is based on an
hour-long 1993 made-for-TV movie written and directed by Shunji Iwai that had a
theatrical release two-years after its initial broadcast. Presumably, the more fantastical
elements that dominate the anime film’s third were pumped up by screenwriter
Hitoshi One. However, the chemistry between Shimada and Oikawa, as well as the hazy
late summer vibe that must have made Iwai’s film such a sentimental favorite
are still the best things going for this Fireworks.
The
animation is also quite lovely. Frankly, it is even more appealing during the
grounded early scenes than the big woo-woo climax. Shimada and Oikawa are also
very relatable teen characters (to a lesser extent, Azumi is too). Yet, the
real appeal of the film is the nostalgic feelings it inspires.
Japanese
animators have a real affinity for this kind of story, whereas Hollywood
animation studios could not be bothered such wistful and romantic subject matter.
That is too bad, because animation gives filmmakers more flexibility and
options for connecting with viewers on an emotional level. Fireworks definitely lands in that way. Highly recommended (especially
for Academy members), Fireworks releases
today (11/20) on DVD.
