by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
Even for those not entrenched in the anime scene, the titles Death Note and Attack on Titan are easily recognizable. So, what happens when one of the prominent directors on those shows tries his hand at directing something unconnected to those universes? Apparently, you get Bubble.
No, this isn’t the Judd Apatow pandemic comedy; Shane’s already got you covered there. Here, we find our young protagonists in an abandoned Tokyo overrun by bubbles and gravitational abnormalities after a catastrophic event. The only people left are teams of orphaned kids competing in a game that’s a mix of parkour, Ninja Warrior, and capture the flag called Battlekour for basic supplies. Our protagonist, Hibiki, is different based on the fact that he can hop on the floating bubbles and hear an odd melodic high-pitched tone that is laced throughout the score. He’s the only one, until a mysterious girl saves him and forms a connection with him.
Right from the start, you can feel the television influence from director Tetsurô Araki. Bubble has an anime intro song following a cold open, much like you’d see in a TV show. Though not his first feature, it’s his first feature film that isn’t based on one of the properties he’s directed for television. There’s a technical flair here that’s really quite exciting. The use of sound, score, and music is handled quite well. The animation (for the most part) is bursting with color and vibrancy. There’s even a sheen to a lot of if that really seems to fit the setting. The action sequences feel inventive and never fail to excite. He knows when to mix in the third dimension into the animation in a way that elevates and doesn’t detract from the scene. Despite their fast-paced and high-flying nature, the Battlekour scenes are shot in a way where I never lost my sense of place. The only downside is our main villains (a rival Battlekour team), who don’t appear until around the 30-minute mark, and even after that, disappear for long stretches. While the technology versus nature dichotomy holds some interest, there not built up in a way that got me invested in them.
The Netflix description compares it to The Little Mermaid. Though Hans Christian Andersen doesn’t get a story credit, you can certainly see the parallels. The initial meeting, the fish-out-of-water interactions with the girl as she familiarizes herself with the humans, her non-speaking nature (at least initially), a great singing voice, and the connection between the mysterious girl and Hibiki. The film itself even name checks the story multiple times. It’s a take on a tale you’ve heard a million times before. Ironically, it’s in the moments of synchronized action way more than the actual character and story moments that I buy in more to the relationship.
When it comes to the source of the catastrophic phenomenon and the otherworldly bubble Tokyo finds itself encased in, the story explains enough about the world, but doesn’t get too bogged down in the details. We get what we need in a series of flashbacks that explain enough. The way in which that backstory is delivered can feel clunky at times, but at the same time isn’t overused. Admittedly, things do get a little wonky at the end.
There’s nothing groundbreaking here in terms of the story and the characters, but they’re not bad either. It gives you the bare minimum, but isn’t bad or frustrating to the point that it takes away from the star of the show, which is the vibrant animation style. Despite the relationship (or really, much of the emotional strings this movie tries to tug on) not working as well for me as the filmmakers intended, I’m sure, Bubble always managed to re-hook me with a stunning visual or a cool sequence in the nick of time.
If you can handle the basic story and let the technical aspects of the film take you away, you’re in for an enjoyable time. If you’re someone who relies heavily on story to hold your interest, this one might be something you want to skip.
Score: 6/10
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