Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Bubble is an absolutely beautiful movie to look at, with a very simple plot and set of characters.
| Director(s) | Tetsuro Araki |
| Screenplay By | Gen Urobuchi, Renji Ohki, Naoko Sato |
| Date Released (Netflix) | 4/28/2022 |
| Genre(s) | Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Animation, Non-English (Japanese) |
| Duration | 1 Hour 41 Minutes |
| Content Rating | TV-PG |
| Noted Cast | |
| Hibiki | Jun Shison |
| Uta | riria. |
This content contains pertinent spoilers.
Film Summary
An unexplainable event involving bubbles in Tokyo has caused an alternate world to become accessible after a huge explosion. In this world, gravity is far more lax, and with people being told not to go into that world, naturally, many teenagers do. One of them, Hibiki, is a star in that world’s game called Battlekour, which is basically parkour capture the flag, but there is only one flag.
But, after trying to parkour to great lengths on his own, with no member of his team knowing where he is or what he is doing, he finds himself crashing into the ocean and nearly drowning. That is until a girl named Uta saves him. This leads to her latching on, and as she gets to know Hibiki’s team, she is introduced to the story of The Little Mermaid and comes to believe she is The Little Mermaid and Hibiki the prince, leaving us to wonder if her story will end as tragically?
Things To Note
- Reason(s) for Film Rating: Violence (Minor violence – mainly during the races), Miscellaneous (People drinking)
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- So no one from the government was trying to get any of these kids back or shut down them treating a restricted zone as their playground?
Character Descriptions
Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.
Hibiki
Due to a heightened sense of hearing, Hibiki has long tried to stay away from the hustle and bustle areas and parts of life. Often, he even wears noise-canceling headphones to help him function in public. Hence him going into the restricted area to get away from the loud noises of Tokyo. But, in order to stay, have shelter and eat, he joins a Battlekour group and learns he is probably one of the top players, without enhancements, in the restricted zone.
Uta
A girl from what might be another world, Uta, is basically a bubble that has taken on a human form to get closer to a boy who caught her eye. And the longer she is around him, the more she falls for him and the bigger desire she has to stay a human forever. However, with being a human an unnatural state for her, trouble begins as she continually extends her time with Hibiki, despite the consequences.
Review
Highlights
It’s Visually Stunning
More often in still shots than when there is a lot of active movement, Bubble is a stunning piece of animation. It’s the kind you would want to make a wallpaper of or maybe have as your phone lock screen, and it really shows, in moments, how lovingly detailed certain characters were done.
Uta and Hibiki’s Story
Following the premise of the non-Disney Little Mermaid makes for a decent love story. I wouldn’t say, if you know how that story goes, you’ll be bawling your eyes out or getting butterflies during the cuter parts. However, it is a cute story that ties in everything well, and is developed enough between these two to keep you watching.
The Battlekour Races
Rarely when watching any type of competition in an anime my mind goes to, “That would make an interesting video game.” Battlekour is an exception for Bubble establishes teams and specialties, and an arena that is slowly crumbling and the acrobatic moves of the characters, it makes you wish you had some control over what was going on rather than just being a spectator.
On The Fence
Wishing You Got To Learn More About Characters
While there are multiple Battlekour teams, and we spend a lot of time with Hibiki’s, I wouldn’t call Bubble the kind of film which really cares much for character development. It’s more story-driven, with a keen focus on Uta and Hibiki’s, and everyone else fills up the space. They are there to push you to understand while Hibiki is part of the team, most see him as aloof. Uta is a welcomed member of the group, but they find her weird.
Which, for someone like us who believes you shouldn’t introduce characters that aren’t necessary and have lives outside the lead? That was frustrating. For telling us, at most, this person is an orphan, they got a crush on someone, this person is a scientist, and that being the beginning of the end of you learning about them? That took Bubble down several notches.
Overall
Our Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing)
What saves Bubble is its visuals, Battlekour being such a cool-looking game, and while it doesn’t have the kind of story that would elevate Bubble to a pedestal, it is cute enough to keep you watching.
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