Lu Over the Wall
GKIDS | Release Date: May 11, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
The Film StageDaniel SchindelMay 10, 2018
It’s an energetic, frequently hilarious, always visually riveting ride. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaMay 9, 2018
Lu Over the Wall...is every bit as imaginative as the rest of his body of work, but whereas previous Yuasa works would veer from ominous to outrageous to sweet to explicit to metaphysical, Lu is perfectly happy to stop at sweet. And so am I, quite frankly: Yuasa can be really good at sweet, something that’s often overshadowed by his more mile-a-minute tendencies. Read full review
79
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiMay 11, 2018
It’s gorgeous, it’s distinctive, it’s quirky, it’s definitely about mermaids, and it might just make you question your sanity. Read full review
77
Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpMay 9, 2018
Does the experience improve under the influence? Possibly. Then again, Yuasa’s work is effectively intoxicating on its own merits, squiggly and colorful, animation off-kilter enough to send you on a cinematic trip so long as you let it wash over you. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeMay 11, 2018
In terms of craftsmanship, the film has a scrappy, sometimes cheap look to it (characters look flat, like thin-lined Etch-a-Sketch drawings, superimposed over more colorful hand-painted backgrounds), for which it more than compensates via other strengths — namely, a trio of relatable, well-written human protagonists and Lu, who can change form and bend water at will. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesCharles SolomonMay 10, 2018
Yuasa's bold imagery and sometimes convoluted storytelling defy the conventions of traditional animated filmmaking, but he is clearly an artist with an individual vision whose work offers something genuinely new and eye-catching. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerMay 9, 2018
This is no Disney mermaid, not least because the conventions of creepy in Japanese culture are very different to what would pass standards and practices in the U.S. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineDerek SmithMay 7, 2018
Throughout, director Masaaki Yuasa’s imagination runs so wild that it becomes impossible to resist. Read full review
60
Total FilmKevin HarleyMay 10, 2018
The end-stretch is overlong, but the Flash animation style pops with colour, the music is fun, and off-the-scale creature cuteness abounds. Read full review
60
Village VoiceSherilyn ConnellyMay 10, 2018
Even by anime standards, Lu Over the Wall is best enjoyed by disconnecting your logic circuits and just enjoying the pretty colors and sounds. Read full review
60
The New York TimesTeo BugbeeMay 10, 2018
Lu sometimes feels more like a cynical plot device than a character. The problem is only amplified by the animation itself. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsMay 11, 2018
A crashing disappointment, even if you haven't seen director Masaaki Yuasa's relatively inspired and completely unpredictable 2004 anti-coming-of-age fantasy "Mind Game." Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonMay 10, 2018
It’s colorful and imaginative, but other than Lu, the characters don’t have much depth. Emotional, that is, not oceanographic. Read full review
40
The GuardianPeter BradshawMay 10, 2018
It seemed overextended and self-conscious. Read full review
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