Children Who Chase Lost Voices (Journey to Agartha) (Blu-ray) (2011)

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General		Extras
Category	Anime	Main Menu Audio & Animation Interviews-Cast & Crew Featurette-Making Of Music Video Theatrical Trailer Teaser Trailer
Rating
Year Of Production	2011
Running Time	116
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Makoto Shinkai
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Hilary Haag Corey Hartzog Leraldo Anzaldua David Matranga Shelley Calene-Black Shannon Emerick Sam Roman Emily Neves Brittney Karbowski George Manley Kalob Martinez
Case	Standard Blu-ray
RPI	$39.95	Music	Tenmon

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Japanese DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English English Titling	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery which may explain this latest movie, Children Who Chase Lost Voices (aka Journey to Agartha or Hoshi o ou Kodomo) from young Japanese anime director, Makoto Shinkai. This film certainly has the look of Studio Ghibli films from master animator, Hayao Miyazaki. The animation is magnificent, with beautifully painted backgrounds, magical colours, excellent use of light and a very similar style of character design to that employed by Ghibli. The director mentions it during interviews on Disc 2 and says that he specifically set out to design the characters to look like Ghibli characters which was a departure from his previous style of character. This film has been accused of being derivative of the Ghibli style, however I think the director sees it as paying tribute to that style rather than just copying it. Where this film differs from the Ghibli masterpieces is that it has a more serious tone, more spurting blood and exhibits a lesser skill for storytelling. This is not to say it is a bad film as there is much to like about it.

     The plot involves a young girl of 12, Asuna, whose father has died leaving her to live with her very hard working mother and basically look after herself. She has one memento of her father, a crystal which she uses as part of a crystal set radio to listen to strange ethereal music, which she can only hear on top of a rocky outcrop near her home. On one of her many visits to this outcrop she meets a young man, Shun, who wears a similar crystal around his neck. He rescues her from a strange beast which is not from earth. Shun is from the underworld, called Agartha in Japan, as is the creature. Asuna is smitten with Shun but shortly afterwards he dies, leaving her without even a chance to say goodbye. Asuna's school teacher is on maternity leave so she is replaced by a new teacher, Mr Morisaki who teaches the class about the underworld or Agartha. His wife died a year earlier and he has become obsessed with the legend that it is possible to bring people back to life if you find a way to journey to Agartha. Soon Mr Morisaki & Asuna are on an adventurous journey together to Agartha. They must overcome many dangers together if they wish to succeed in their objective.

     As I mentioned above there is a lot to like about this film especially its exceptionally beautiful animation. Water, colours and light are especially well rendered bringing the landscapes of Agartha to life and significantly adding to the atmosphere of the film. The story is interesting, however it is convoluted and at times moves too slowly. It seems to me that some subplots could have been removed to make this film more accessible and easier to follow. There were also some frankly weird creatures that would certainly scare young children. Accordingly it has been rated M here in Australia probably also because of the blood splattering. In the English dub some of the dialogue becomes quite self-important sounding, blathering on about the mysticism behind the story. Generally, the English dub is quite good and sympathetic to the film. The film is an interesting combination of coming-of-age story, mystical science fiction and grand adventure. The film has a very serious tone and sets out to be deep and meaningful, touching on themes such as loss, mourning, life and death and more.

     This is certainly a high quality production with some marvellous animation which will appeal to older lovers of Ghibli work but may alienate younger fans that have enjoyed Ponyo or Arrietty. More general fans of Anime will also enjoy this film.

Video

     The video quality is excellent with only one minor problem.

     The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is close to the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. It is 1080p HD encoded using the AVC codec.

     The picture was very clear and sharp throughout except where the picture was stylistically opaque. Shadow detail was excellent.

     The colour is simply marvellous showing off the incredible use of colour and light in this production.

     The only minor problem with this transfer is that in one early scene as the 'camera' moves there is quite a bit of shudder.

     There are subtitles in English for the Japanese version and English titles for the English version. They are easy to read.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is excellent.

     This disc contains a Japanese and an English soundtrack in DTS HD-MA 5.1. The tracks include great ambiance and atmosphere along with a variety of directional effects in action scenes.

     Dialogue is clear and easy to understand throughout.

     The score by Tenmon is generally marvellous but strays into melodramatic swells at times which are just a little over the top.

     The surround speakers provided significant ambiance and atmosphere such as during rainfall, wind, storms and cicadas. Action scenes added growls of the beasts, gunfire and other surround effects. Generally this is a very well designed soundtrack.

     The subwoofer added bass to the music and action scenes without standing out.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

     A second disc (which is unfortunately a DVD) includes the extras.

Menu

     The menu includes scenes and music.

Interviews with the Staff & Cast (55:40)

     A lot of interview material is included here which is unfortunately inane for the most part. It is in Japanese with English subtitles. Most of the voice cast plus the director and other crew members make appearances. They cover the animation, the characters, the story and the dialogue.

The Making of (45:18)

     A comprehensive and very interesting making of special which is in Japanese with English subtitles. It covers the director's career, the writing of the script, his inspiration, the production, links to Ghibli, character design, storyboards, locations, creatures and the creation of the backgrounds. Well worth watching especially for animation fans.

Japanese Promotional Video (4:55)

     The theme song Hello, Goodbye & Hello over various imagery from the film.

Japanese Teasers (2:22)

     Various trailers in Japanese.

The Works of Makoto Shinkai (7:10)

     Trailers for the director's earlier works.

Other Madman Trailers

    There are some overseas versions of this Blu-ray which are quite similar although some do include a Japanese Audio Commentary with English subtitles. Completists may want to go for this version which is from Japan. The UK version is the same as our local one.

    The video quality is excellent.

    The audio quality is excellent.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall