Mai Mai Miracle

I just stumbled upon this article over at Japanator regarding a new animated film which is to be released in Japan on November 21st. Now if you were to look at the picture above you would be hard pressed to think of anything else but Studio Ghibli. The famed animation studio which has bought the creations of Hayao Miyazaki to the world is possibly the greatest feature film animation studio in the world at this very moment. Thing is, that picture ain't from Ghibli.

The image is instead from Madhouse's new film Mai Mai Miracle. The studio was founded in 1972 and has found great success in creating or helping to create many anime films and TV series. They've worked on Trigun, Devil may Cry, Deathnote and for the more American audience, were part of the Batman: Gotham Knight collaboration working on "Deadshot" and "In Darkness Dwells," which were probably my two favorite parts. For this film they have enlisted the help of Miyazaki associate Sunao Katabuchi who worked on Miyazaki films Sherlock Hound and Kiki's Delivery Service and directed the Black Lagoon anime series. The influence of Miyazaki on Katabuchi is obvious as his characters and the world he has created is as beautiful and seemingly innocent as any Miyazaki has created. The story, which also resembles something that Miyazaki might tackle, is based on the novel of Nobuko Takagi's autobiography Maimai Shinko:

Shinko, a third grade elementary school student loves to imagine and daydream about the world of one thousand years ago. Her fantasies travel far into the days of the Heian Period (year 794-1185)... One day a girl called Kiiko transfers from Tokyo and joins Shinko's class where they become good friends. Before long, the two of them become engulfed in a strange incident of one thousand years ago...

Apparently Shinko's family have some sort of connection with a legendary province called Suō where a girl called Nagiko Kiyohara had lived 1,000 years ago. From the trailer there appears to be some sort of doubling or crossover between 1955, when the movie is set, and the Heian period as childlike shenanigans ensue. The film looks like pure fantasy based escapism that seeks to enchant audiences with its beautiful animation and wonderful story.

I like the idea of there being another studio which can produce anime feature films which are as amazing as Ghibli's. These sorts of films make going to the movies enjoyable with their wondrous tales and charming animation that embody the same childlike spirit that Walt Disney's earlier Disney films had and that, I think, are a credit to the industry. Mai Mai Miracle has already debuted at several film festivals and, as stated, gets its theatrical release in Japan on November 21st; no word on a worldwide release yet.

(Trailer is in Japanese, but the fact that you can recognise the beauty and enchantment without understanding the dialogue speaks for itself.)