Movies
Too many people in the anime scene want to be the next Shinkai or Hosoda. Without their skills to match and a sizeable budget to back some decent animation, the result is often extremely derivative. Over the Sky is a perfect example. I felt like I'd seen this film before, only executed with much more precision and way better skills. Mio is secretly in love with Arata, her childhood friend. She doesn't dare to confess her feelings, fearing it might mess up their friendship. After a spat with Arata, Mio seeks him out to apologize, but a traffic accident gets in the way of her plans. Mio wakes up in a realm between our world and the afterlife. There she'll have to choose her future. The animation quality is pretty poor and the art style quite dull. It really feels like a cut-and-paste job of more famous films and directors, with very little personality present to set the film apart. If you like a decent fantasy/romance, it's not the worst film ever made, but the bar is set quite high and Over the Sky never comes close.Read all