A Work of Whimsy: "Hinata no Aoshigure"

Synopsis

Hinata, a young boy who likes drawing, finds himself falling in love with his classmate Shigure. The problem, however, is that Hinata has trouble talking to other people and resigns himself to his drawings and imagination. Following an incident involving Shigure seeing his drawings though, the two end up as friends and all seems right for Hinata. That is until he learns that Shigure’s family has decided to move away. On the day of their move, Hinata says to himself, “I must tell her my feelings!” and starts to chase after the train which is taking Shigure away.

The Good

It’s a story that takes on puppy love and friendship, as a whole it’s a rather innocent piece. The art gives a soft feeling and truly presents the wonder of a child’s imagination with it’s bright and pastel colors. It especially stood out in the latter half of the film when Hinata was chasing after Shigure’s train. From the flying to the way the scenes would shift from reality to fantasy, it was by far the highlight of the film.

Seeing how the main characters are kids, there’s nothing much that can be held against them. The way their friendship and growth were shown presented a solid development on the story’s part. Simply put, the way it flowed in introducing the characters, showing their friendship and to top it off. presented different moods was well done and gave a short and sweet story to enjoy.

The Bad

It’s a short work so there isn’t much to be said against it. However, it could have done more in presenting the characters and there were moments when it went a bit heavy in presenting Hinata as this awkward and clumsy character. Other than this, it could have taken away a bit from the montage, maybe show more dialogue between the characters. Basically, there were some character development points it could have done better on.

Conclusion

It’s a short and sweet film with an innocent story and a well-done plot flow. While the characters were cute in the way their friendship was developed, it could have done a little better in terms of character development. Still, the art and animation more than make up for any nitpicks. Really, the chase scene is a highlight to look forward to in the film. If you’re looking for something cute to watch but doesn’t take too much time, this is a film to watch.

Rating: 7.5/10