Summary
Masaaki Yuasa makes a (mostly) grounded romantic comedy? What’s even more surprising is just how well it works.
Anime filmmaker Masaaki Yuasa first made a name for himself with 2004’s Mind Games, and the likes of Space Dandy, Lu Over the Wall, Devilman Crybaby, and the sublime Night is Short, Walk on Girl have rightly earned the prolific director a rabid fanbase.
RIDE YOUR WAVE (きみと、波にのれたら) is markedly different from Yuasa’s prior works, all of which could politely be described as ‘a bit weird.’ It follows Hinako Mukaimizu (voiced by former AKB48 performer and actor Rina Kawaei), who moves to a seaside apartment to pursue her love of surfing. When the building catches fire, she is rescued by firefighter Minato Hinageshi (singer and actor Ryôta Katayose).
Their montaged courtship sees the duo rapidly falling in love, and they look set to spend their lives together. When tragedy strikes and Minato drowns while saving someone, Hinako falls into a deep depression. Yet the gods of magical realism are on her side, as Minato appears to her in various bodies of water when she sings ‘Brand New Story’ from Generations from Exile Tribe (which happens to be Katayose’s band in real life),
In the immediate wake of the magical twist, much of the charming film’s narrative concentrates on the comedic aspects of Hinako carrying around an aquatic Minato in a bottle or a giant inflatable dolphin. The height of this thread, or perhaps its depths, is Hinako singing into a toilet bowl where her waterlogged love promptly appears. (Ok, maybe this is still ‘a bit weird’).
Helping us navigate this curiously light-hearted journey through the grieving process is a remarkably comforting group of charming characters, crafted by veteran screenwriter Reiko Yoshida (A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird). While the romance is cloyingly affectionate to start with, this only serves to kick us in the feels when it counts and I will happily admit to a lump in my throat from a certain point onwards. Besides, Minato’s acerbic sister Yôko (voiced by My Father, The Bride’s Honoka Matsumoto) acts as a ready foil.
While not as experimentally abstract as Yuasa’s previous works, the animation is still first rate. Animated by Science Saru, the studio he co-founded, there’s a simple dichotomy in much of the visual imagery that contrasts fire and water. Yet it’s the small details that sell this film, from the egg splattered across Hinako’s phone to the gorgeously rendered omurice that acts as a meme throughout. The vocals have the same attention: just listen to the leads – both professional singers – giggle and waver their way through a carpool karaoke scene.
Rarely has an animated comedy dealt with grief so effectively as RIDE YOUR WAVE, and if Yuasa’s film isn’t an instant classic then it’s got all the makings of a cult favourite. Written with a much broader appeal than his previous films, it’s a deeply cynical viewer indeed who won’t find this one of the more amiable animes of the year. Now try getting that song out of your head.
2019 | Japan | DIR: Masaaki Yuasa| WRITERS: Reiko Yoshida | CAST: Ryota Katayose, Rina Kawaei, Honoka Matsumoto, Kentaro Ito | DISTRIBUTOR: Japanese Film Festival 2019 (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 96 minutes | RELEASE DATE: October – December 2019 (JFF)
