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Ame wo Tsugeru Hyoryu Danchi
Drifting Home
Japan 2022
produced by Koji Yamamoto for Studio Colorido, Twin Engine/Netflix
directed by Hiroyasu Ishida
starring the voices of Daiki Yamashita, Inori Minase, Kana Hanazawa, Ayumu Murase, Nana Mizuki, Asami Seto, Mutsumi Tamura, Yumiko Kobayashi, Bin Shimada
written by Hiroyasu Ishida, Hayashi Mori, music by Umitaro Abe, character design by Akihiro Nagae
anime
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Back when they were kids, Natsume (voiced by Asami Seto) and Kosuke
(Mutsumi Tamuri) were the best of friends, ever since Natsume moved in
with Kosuke's granddad (Bin Shimada) after her parents spit up. But
inseparable as they were back when, now at age 11 they've drifted apart,
even though they're attending the same school. But Kosuke's granddad is
dead, Natsume moved back in with her mum, and the apartment building
they've all lived in is abandoned, supposed to be haunted, and up for
destruction. On the last day of school, on a dare, Kosuke and two of his
friends re-enter the apartment building ... to find Natsume who claims to
have a friend who still squats here, Noppo (Ayumu Murase), who turns out
to be a rather creepy kid their age, and it soon becomes apparent she just
can't let go of old times. Enter Reina (Inori Minase), who's (not so)
secretly in love with Kosuke, and her best friend Juri (Kana Hanazawa),
and ... and then the apartment building suddenly floats in the middle of
the ocean (even if until just now it wasn't even by the seaside). With no
way to steer the building or get home any other way, the kids must fend
for themselves with what they got, which is not much, but at least Noppo
has stocked some supplies. By the by, other (abandoned) buildings float
by, including a department store and a Ferris wheel, sometimes so many
that they threaten to crash into the kids' building - and many of these
buildings seem to be anchored in at least one of the kids memories. Things
go weird with Noppo though, as soon plants start to grow all over his
body, like they do on abandoned buildings, and evidence soon suggests he
might not be human at all but the soul of the apartment building the kids
float in. And yet, even he doesn't know what's happening, let alone how to
get the children home ... Now ok, this film might be a little
blunt when driving home its message, and it's thus not at all free of
cheesy moments - but how it delivers its message is nothing short of
fascinating, wrapping it all into an absurd to surreal story that combines
adventure with introspection and offers a visually rich world of its own
without ever making the mistake of trying to over-explain the goings-on as
they're simply vehicle to the basic story, which really is about such
banal things as rekindling one's friendships and letting go of the past.
But no matter how banal the premise, the film's something very unique.
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