Flavors of Youth

Kirik0h★ 8

The tripartite anthology "Shikioriori", is deeply ingrained in Chinese culture and recent Chinese history, in particular that of China's rapid economic development during the 1990s, so it pains me to read so many reviews that seem to exhibit no awareness and no understanding of the cultural context and demographic to which this film targets. 1) Sunny Breakfast For non-Chinese people, or those who have not grown up in Chinese-influenced societies like much of South East Asia, you may not know that food is widely recognised as the most important part of Chinese culture. That Chinese people often greet each other with "Have you eaten" and that Chineseparents will express their love for their children not with "I love you" but "Have you eaten/there is food" is merely one of the many culturally ingrained aspects of Chinese culture where food is often the basis for family bonding and socialising. In "Sunny Breakfast", Xiaomin contemplates the ephemerality of people and things in life, with his most cherished experiences relating back to his favourite noodles. The whole vignette takes the form of Xiaomin's inner thoughts and soliloquising as we follow his life's journeys as we observe snippets of the memories he looks back to, as he feels his life is nothing more than a tasteless existence, that no longer has the "flavour of his youth" about which he reminisces and from which he begins to learn. The extended metaphor and the experiences he goes through are very much those that most ordinary Chinese people that live in cities post the late 1980s when Deng Xiaoping begun the process of transformation Shanghai to the megacity it is today. For a short story, "Sunny Breakfast" does well in encapsulating the experiences many young Chinese adults will have gone through and the thought processes they felt. In the whirlwind of time, it is easy to forget the impermanence of that which one grows up with and just that alone is sufficient material for a short story like the first of Shikioriori's to explore. 2) A Little Fashion Show This is the most straightforward and least attached to Chinese culture of the three and may be more accessible emotionally and storywise to MAL's Western base. It is a short story about cherishing those close to you and how family, as well as recognising the bilateral nature of such relationships. Perhaps the weakest of the three, its simplicity nonetheless means that its narrative is clear even if the experience of viewing it feels a bit rushed as the plot proceeds from one to the next, with little time for the nuanced introspection and characterisation we had of Xiaomin in the previous film. I consider this to have been the weakest entry as its appeal to pathos is not particularly convincing and could have benefitted from more introspection of the sisters rather creating an antagonist, whose purpose had little value beyond advancing the plot whose message could have been achieved without so I felt it to be more shallow than the others. Luckily, being in the middle saves "Shikioriori" from giving a bad first impression or a disappointing finale. 3) Shanghai Love Even though it's a homage to Byousoku 5 Centimeter, I think it's more of an indictment of MAL's demographic that this film is being likened to all of Shinkai's other works when really it shares very little with any of his works. That a mere story of 2 adolescents in love that faces struggle is enough for people to liken "Shanghai Love" with Byousoku 5 Centimeter is more of a testament to the lack of repertoire MAL's demographic has surrouding romance as a genre where people view romance as dating and "who ends up with whom" rather than romance as being a medium via which to explore human relationships, emotions, and growth etc. Regardless, that doesn't change the fact that it does not come close to reaching the sheer emotional profundity and character authenticity and complexity Byousoku 5 Centimeter achieved, nor the surgical precision with which Shinkai's film explored its themes. "Shanghai Love" is more about Shanghai and Chinese culture than it is really about love. The story surrounds 3 friends who through various circumstances end up on different life paths that lead to our protagonist to ponder on his present and future, sparked by a reminder of the past. What I found impressive in this story was the way Chinese familial structure, relationships, and familial expectations are all accurately woven in the context of 1990s Shanghai which faced rapid modernisation, gentrification as well as technological development - themes that were all deftly used as metaphors in this romantic tale. It is the longest of the three but aptly works as a conclusion to this anthology. Whereas the first focused heavily on one's past, the second on the present, this final film goes one step further using its additonal time to encompass the future and the film's ending culminates into an emotionally rewarding experience that feels like chicken soup for the soul. --Final Thoughts-- Shikioriori is a Chinese production made for Chinese, or at the very least, Eastern audiences. Its audiovisuals are strong owing to its production committee and brevity but nothing exceptional. But crucially, it takes advantage of the time it has to provide a reflective and heartfelt piece about the transience of life, youth and on grasping the future, in a context that is often very ingrained within modern Chinese society. However, these themes are universal and I think audiences from all over the world can relate to the problems and feelings our protagonists hold, in a succinct package that can be digested separately in 3 parts, if you feel you don't want to commit to something long. I think for a lot of mainland Chinese millenials in their twenties, there is something even greater to pontificate upon and extract from Shikioriori, a film that I personally thoroughly enjoyed, and captured me in its reminiscent and phantasmagorical atmosphere.

dcasparov★ 9

This is going to be my first review! (LIGHT SPOILERS) Story: 7 This movie is an anthology that is composed of 3 stories. I'll briefly comment about it one by one. "A Sunny Breakfast" 6/10 it comes off as an introduction story of an adult lingering the remnants of youth. The story doesn't really progress instead it comes off poetic and nostalgic. But that's just it. "A Little fashion show". 8/10 A story about two sisters with different careers that separates them from living a kind of lifestyle yet they share the same roof. It's pretty decent to look at it as a whole but somehow it lackedsomething. It's still predictable as it is but what brought significance to the 2nd story is that they managed to breakthrough and intermingle their different passionate careers, showing the good side of sisterhood while approaching adulthood "Love In Shanghai" 9/10 To be honest, the last part made me cry. It's well invested with emotional flares with full of mishaps that breaks the bond between two supposed-to-be lovers. It' starts slow then gradually gives an aching slow burning experience. Cliche as it may sound. The whole execution of the events caught my attention and I felt like that I wanted it to be separate from the anthology because it deserves a movie itself. It can be as good as Garden of Words or nearly good as Your Name. Overall. It's very decent. The stories are well narrated. The score is deserving enough since it really followed the movie's theme.—the different viewpoints of adults looking back at their tracks from their youth—ranging from familial love, love for career and the love from someone. Art: 10 As expected, it was from the studio Haoliners and ComixWaves (The one that animated Your name, Garden of Words, 5 centimeters per second etc). I'm never disappointed by their past works so does now. From the city landscapes to the delicate food animation, the color schemes and the tame character designs. The art just gave the movie the realistic vibes. That way, I felt more resonated and connected while watching it. Sound: 9 The sound is very varying from each stories. It was all distinct yet somehow forgettable. But the best part is that the orchestration is so good, it managed to weave out my emotions while the protags narrates their story. And also, for me, the sound always worked with the art/animation in tango. They are always intertwined. And in this movie, they gave us a full-scale combo for a beautiful, radiant and emotional anthology. Characters: 7 The protagonists in every story did their roles properly in every story. Their personalities made them appear more natural and realistic. But somehow, they still lacked a little bit of substance. But I can't really blame the short amount of time. It's hard to read a character when they appear just 30mins or less and nothing more. Enjoyment: 8 Even though some parts felt boring, the narrative is very good altogether with sound and animation that it kept me relaxed and watch patiently until it ends. Overall: 9 It's a must watch!! Don't watch with full of expectations so you could enjoy and appreciate it fully. It's not very twisty like Your Name. Watch it alone in a calm environment with a nice cup of tea. This is a grounded movie anthology with full of bittersweet yet radiant stories of nostalgic youth!