Miss Hokusai

GKIDS | Release Date: October 14, 2016

7.9	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Ratings

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alejandro970Dec 2, 2016

A good proof that Studio Ghibli is not the only that shines in long features animes. Although sometimes a little slow, it appeal lies on a real fact story of living - beautiful art.

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TrailesqueMay 10, 2018

I really enjoyed this a lot. An animated biopic, drawn from a comic book, focusing on the life of O-ei, the daughter of the famous artist Hokusai. Very nice artwork, an interesting story, and a superb setting that effectively draws you intoI really enjoyed this a lot. An animated biopic, drawn from a comic book, focusing on the life of O-ei, the daughter of the famous artist Hokusai. Very nice artwork, an interesting story, and a superb setting that effectively draws you into the world of Japan circa 1820.… Expand

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NBFCJan 17, 2018

Loved the art direction and the Edo Japan setting. There are also some genuinely touching moments between Oei and her younger blind sister.

But....that's kinda it. The plot mostly boils down to an incoherent series of vignettes that neverLoved the art direction and the Edo Japan setting. There are also some genuinely touching moments between Oei and her younger blind sister.

But....that's kinda it.

The plot mostly boils down to an incoherent series of vignettes that never really build up to a story. I usually love it when animation takes the slice-of-life approach (Ex. Only Yesterday), which is something the film appears to be aiming for but it constantly undermines itself by placing odd supernatural elements in way that felt completely random.

As a historical biopic, it's very shallow and not very insightful when it comes to the art or the historical figures in question. It also commits the immortal sin of having the ending be one long exposition dumb about what happened to everybody.

This movie also has one of the most scatter-brained soundtracks I've ever heard in a feature film. It opens with Rolling Stones-esque rock tune....okay. Now it's traditional Japanese oriental music....okay. Now it's acoustic guitar.....MAKE UP YOUR MIND ALREADY!!!!!

I don't mind the movie taking "A Knight's Tale" approach of placing modern rock music to a period piece setting (it actually would have been something kinda fresh and different). But if you are gonna take this approach, you better commit!

Instead, the choice of soundtrack feels just as random as the story. During one particular downbeat sequence they play a really out-of-place piece of loud high-squealing guitar music that completely undermines the emotion of the scene.

It's a shame because I was really looking forward to this one but outside of a few poignant moments, Miss Hokusai ended just being heartbreakingly lackluster.… Expand

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DawdlingPoetNov 22, 2021

This is a nice anime film - its got one or two mildly risque images, hence the 12 rating. The plot I found a little confusing but I enjoyed it for the nice landscapes and charming music, which is mostly light, airy and playful, traditionalThis is a nice anime film - its got one or two mildly risque images, hence the 12 rating. The plot I found a little confusing but I enjoyed it for the nice landscapes and charming music, which is mostly light, airy and playful, traditional instrumental type music, with a sense of reminiscence I felt. I enjoyed the depictions of paintings - of course there's an irony, with such an animated film in itself depicting paintings within it. Most of the film features young children and indeed childhood innocence is a big part of the film. I thought some scenes were quite endearing, one example being seeing a young child playing with snow. I was a bit disappointed that it seemed the viewer wasn't shown too much time with the famous painter himself, Katsushika Hokusai. Of course the film is called Miss Hokusai and so it focusses on his daughter but I would have been interested to have seen a bit more of things from his perspective, although the story of the daughter, O-Ei, is interesting too. These people are, of course, real people, there was a famous painter called Hokusai etc. and so that appealed to me, as I love a good true story. I liked that at the end, there's more information given by way of text, which I assume to be accurate. I would recommend this to fans of anime who like a good 'based on a true story' film, although if your hoping for a thorough in depth film about Katsushika Hokusai's life then this may well disappoint you.… Expand

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