Review of Ride Your Wave

I am again impressed with Masaaki Yuasa's unique way of directing films, and I'm also on my way to experience his other shows as well. Compared to Masaaki's previous works, this one's easy to follow and it has more appeal to general audience. It is easy to recommend this movie to anyone which is contrary to his other shows like "Night is Short, Walk on Girl" and "The Tatami Galaxy". The length of the film is perfect and there's a decent amount of characters introduced. In that case, you won't get any trouble with overwhelming information. The soundtrack is good and it plays a majorrole in the story. Animation is stunning, and the gradual change of colors to depict the vibe of the scene is so smooth. In short, it's a PERFECT high quality production.

The story is easy to acknowledge without any complications, and I didn't expect that coming from Masaaki Yuasa. The direction is simply beautiful, like who would've thought someone could come up with a scene where the MC is riding the wave from the top of the building all the way down to the bottom. The sequences were extraordinary depictions of how crazy the life is, and that's actually a trademark of Yuasa's works. The theme is also simple yet relatable to everyone. Things like losing something valuable and moving forward were showcased in this film. Basically, anyone could relate to Hinako as a main character since it could be experience by ourselves as well. I like how they successfully presented the theme and made a comparison through waves. The fire which was seen in different scenes is also significant as a symbol of conflict. The message of the movie is already on its very surface, that's why there's really nothing to dive deeper into. Like I said, this film is for everyone and you'll definitely get to enjoy its simplicity. Ja Matane!