Review of Ride Your Wave
*WARNING: I DO ALLUDE TO A FEW SPOILERS!!!* I wanted to love it (especially after watching the pretty appealing trailer that came out early last year along with the preliminary hype), I really do, but I have to go with the generous 5.5. I say generous because despite the multitude of disappointment, I still had the patience to get some enjoyment out of it. I held off on watching this too because I thought it was going to rip my heart out, given the premise provided to us from the get-go. However, I was sorely disappointed by the lack of anything really. The plot, simple enough,has nothing to offer and just leaves you hanging in the end, which claims to be relatable after having to deal with the loss of a loved one. Sure, I get that. The execution, however, was just not it. Likewise, connecting with the main female protagonist proved to be difficult, when there were just bits and pieces of a character. A lot of mystery surrounds her as an individual. As I see it, her characterization is simply defined by her fleeting romance with a boy, who pretty much thrives off of a savior complex. While the savior complex is not entirely problematic in the general sense, it does come off as problematic in how Hinako "copes" throughout the whole entire film. Even in the end, closure would have coincided well right after the resolution of the whole building arc, but unfortunately, an unsatisfying finish was what we got instead.
As for our main male protagonist, he gives off the whole "Superman" presence, which is giving too much credit for an ideal and has no inkling of the relatable character we always tend to look out for. Naturally, we are made to like him because he's the definition of PERFECT. The reality is, there is no one like that. We, instead, as imperfect individuals, strive to be as such. That's why we care more for a character with relatable flaws and unbelievably great character development, instead of the cookie-cutter hero dished out to us from the very beginning. The film literally gives him ONE weakness trying to pass off as a character flaw, which I find seriously ridiculous. The harsh reality is that his hero persona is all he has going for him. Other than that, he's pretty much a shell of a person. Even the memorial, shown briefly, only serves to strengthen that hero persona, which is kind of messed up when you think about it. In short, there's no depth to him as an individual and unfortunately only serves as a crutch to his leading lady.
Aside from all that and much more (which will just turn more into a rant than a review), the visuals were pretty stunning and did well to show contrast in lighting and color to immerse the viewer in the tone or mood they were trying to achieve for a particular moment or scene. The music did its job as well, but nothing too notable aside from the song they play repeatedly for the purposes it does serve.
Overall, I gave this a generous 5.5 (rounding up to a 6) due to the art and some enjoyment I got from the film itself.