My Neighbours the Yamadas (1999)

The Ghibli film that often gets forgotten, and with good reason. The pseudo-watercolour visual style, far removed from the usual template, would work well as a picture book but as an animation it's too empty, with little or no backgrounds. That emptiness could've been compensated for by filling the story, by having a solid beginning, middle and end that carried the viewer along an emotional track, but that doesn't happen. Instead, it's a collection of vignettes that attempt to reflect real life. Some are wry or ironic, and some are touching and heartfelt, but it's not enough.

2 proverbs out of 5