Mirai (2018)

While it's true that Dir. Hosoda's works are appealing less and less to me with each subsequent release, Mirai stands out as a drastic drop in that direction. That's a wholly subjective feeling, consolidated by my hatred of the lead character, a yapping four-year-old that I found to be completely insufferable. The basic premise, about a child who meets various members of his family from differing time periods, thus influencing his whiny little turd attitude in his own (present) time, is a genuinely fun idea, but the concepts and leaps of understanding that the child makes are much too advanced to be believable, meaning that even objectively the work fails to respect its own agenda.
In the interest of balance, the film has received a lot of praise elsewhere.

2½ bullet trains out of 5

The Boy and the Beast (2015)

Shaken by a recent tragedy, nine-year-old runaway Ren ends up lost and alone, confused and angry on the streets of Tokyo. More than that, although maybe not aware of it at the time, he's in need of a parental figure to look up to. When he encounters Kumatetsu, a resident of the Beast Kingdom in search of a disciple to train, Ren’s hunger and curiosity get the better of him.
Dir. Mamoru Hosoda's film is a coming-of-age tale in an unusual guise, that being it's set mostly in a world that's populated by anthropomorphic beasts.
It took me a long time to warm to it, but its exploration of what constitutes 'strength' in the eyes of others and oneself, and showing how differences can be celebrated and learned from won me over eventually. If it had achieved the same in a lesser time, I'd have liked it more. As is, it felt too long.

3 dishrags out of 5

Wolf Children (2012)

The trials that a parent must endure when raising children are often difficult, but kids transforming into wolves isn't typically one of them. Not so for Hana, who's forced to move to the countryside lest her secret be discovered.
Dir. Hosoda's slow pace during the early parts of the film allow moments that are focussed on growing closer to ease themselves into play, setting the tone for the themes of fitting in and the importance of discovering one's role in life that develop further in the later parts.
Narrated by the firstborn wolf child of the title, it's a sweet and loving coming of age tale, but I feel that it could've benefitted from a few more buoyantly powerful scenes, like that of the wonderful first snow tumble.

3 piggy promises out of 5

Summer Wars (2009)

Japanese high-school student Natsuki travels to the countryside to celebrate an elderly relative's 90th birthday. She drags mathematical genius Kenji with her, posing as her boyfriend; it's a role that Kenji would love to fill for real.
A high-tech online world (named OZ) features alongside a traditional and pastoral offline family-focussed world. The network of 4 million communities (1 billion users) is contrasted with the small network of family and friends that help and protect one another, highlighting how individual strengths and group strengths can support each other in times of crisis.
The virtual world's vibrant energy and explosion of colour is memorable, but I prefer the simplicity of Hosoda's previous work, TGWLTT (2006).

3 squeamish ossifrages out of 5

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

High-school student Makoto isn't good at timekeeping. Prone to oversleeping, she's often in a rush to not be late for classes, which, coupled with her slightly clumsy nature, can have disastrous results. As summer approaches and the final push into maturity threatens to turn her world inside out, a hard-won realisation that you can't fix everything in life looms at every turn.
The lessons that accompany the coming-of-age concerns are woven into the story wonderfully, as are the relationships that define the school-friends.
A great film on first viewing, subsequent revisits have caused me to fall in love with it more. Although, I do feel that it has a few too many resolutions.

4 rollbacks out of 5