Miss Hokusai (Sarusuberi: Miss Hokusai) 2015
I definitely enjoyed this film, as I tend to gravitate toward stories that are about artists of just about any form, but this was bright and memorable for me in terms of visuals and characters too, if not the storyline, precisely. More on that below however.
Obviously I’m hardly qualified to discuss the source material in terms of its balance between historical fact and drama, but I wouldn’t say I was surprised to see Hokusai often relied on his daughter to finish commissions and so Ōi’s work probably went unrecognised fairly often.
Though that wasn’t precisely the main source of tension in the film for me, I think the family relationships and Ōi’s efforts to help her younger sister took up a bigger portion – that and Ōi’s personal struggles with her work and identity.
I know some folks didn’t enjoy the episodic nature of the storytelling and maybe I personally would have preferred a more conventional approach in some ways, because I think I’m somewhat conditioned to expect that when a film is biographical.
And yet, asking and expecting that would kinda be a bit reductive of me… because in a way, I think the film now rests in my memory as a collection of impressionistic moments that aren’t necessarily connected to the cause and effect of a traditional linear narrative, and that’s probably just as impactful anyway!
Overall, I think I was most excited to be offered a look at the lifestyles of painters during the Edo period and ended up really enjoying the detours into mythology, along with the actual artworks themselves of course.
Definitely recommended if you like somewhat meandering family dramas or biographical films that don’t precisely play out in a typical fashion.
4 Stars
The Review Heap 
I thought Miss Hokusai was just an okay movie, but I noticed you saw my review on that matter. I felt like Production I. G. has done better with different stories.
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Yes! I meant to say that it looked like we had similar issues with the storytelling. I think for me I’ve enjoyed it mostly as a look into history and the lives of artists, and my score probably reflects that more than the overall film itself, perhaps.
I always hesitate over the actual moment of a choosing the star rating – maybe I should introduce more half stars. Or change it to another marker – 4 out of 5 ‘cels’? 😀
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Yeah, I definitely noticed that in your review. The art and history was quite fascinating, but I wished other factors were just as interesting though.
I totally understand. Cels would be a good measuring mark for quality in animation. Haha!
Funny enough, that drag queen who shows up late in the film is played by Miyu Irino. That’s Haku from Spirited Away, Shun from Children Who Chase Lost Voices, and Takao from The Garden of Words.
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Cool! I hadn’t picked up on those connections at all – I need to train my ear better 😀
(I really should go back and change old review to ‘cells’ but I fear I’m too lazy to put in the time. I was thinking of trying to create an ‘A-Z’ list which I really love to see when I visit a new blog as a reader, but I’m hitting the same problem, not sure I have the energy to collect and link to them all.)
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That’s right. You should give it a try. However, there are times where I get surprised by certain voice actors if they can be chameleonic in different performances like (surprisingly enough) Kotono Mitsuishi. That same person has played Sailor Moon as well as Misato from EVA for example.
I would definitely recommend an A-Z list. I update mine every time I post a new review. In my opinion, I feel that it’s handy for someone to see one’s reviewing catalog as well as one’s backlog for older posts.
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