I was on Threads (IG) last night and I saw a clip of an Anime that intrigued me. I took a quick screenshot and went on to use Google Image to find it. Arrietty is the name.
Arrietty is a bittersweet fantasy anime based on the 1952 novel The Borrowers by Mary Norton, an English author of children books. It centres on the relationship of one human boy, a Borrower (tiny person), and every other thing in between. Arrietty is purely fictional with imaginative characters and details that just makes you want to stay.
In only one hour and thirty-four minutes, Arrietty manages to steal my heart with its vibrant perspective on relationships and fear. In this movie, we see things mostly from Arrietty’s point of view and I won’t lie, every time they left their little cocoon, my heart went crazy staccato in my chest especially with Niya (the cat) lurking.
In candid dialogue and moments, we get to know about our characters and see the challenges they face. Our human boy, Sho, from the moment I saw him gave off that sweet vibe. His mannerisms and far-off aura told me a little bit about him even before I got to the part of knowing his heart condition. It was also a little bit ironic to me because this guy had a heart big enough to accommodate strange things but it was sick.
Arrietty the curious one, who later let her curiousity get the best of her. Of course, she was as careful as can be, but still the heart want what it wants.
The movie in general was hauntingly beautiful. I love how even if it was fantasy and fictional, the writer did not go above and beyond with the “happy ending”. Disney would give us the cliche tale of either the girl finding a magic potion to become bigger or vice versa. I guess this is why you can never put “cartoons” and “Anime” in the same category no matter how “reasonable” it seems.
What some would claim is a sad end, satisfied me immensely. There was a clear line between the characters and instead of moving the whole thing side ways, the writer gave it raw, simple and compelling. All there was to it was a friendship that would never be forgotten. This, like I mentioned in the beginning, is bittersweet.
Of course I have moments that ticked me off. There were parts that showed the blatant disregard for boundaries when it came to humans. One was Sho’s move towards the borrowers, when he replaced their kitchen. This was an act of love on his part but it felt like a violation of sacred space to the people in question. Not holding it against him either, he was a child and excited to finally be able to protect something despite his condition.
The second was the Haru lady. Not everything can be kept but it shows even in society today how we want to hold on to the shiny things and people that are meant to be free. I can’t tell if Haru didn’t like the borrowers but her actions spoke volumes of her thoughts towards them. Her nosiness made me hiss a lot!
I recommend this movie. It’s only 1hr 34mins and can be found on Netflix. It’s a PG rated movie and can be seen by kids as well. In fact, I recommend they see it. It’s a good contribution to their imagination.
Posted using CineTV
