Felissa Maria

(Spoilers are not addressed directly, but can be assumed if you watched the trailer prior to reading): Mamoru Hosoda is an absolute genius. From Girl who Leapt Through Time, Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast, Summer Wars, and Mirai, I was SO EXCITED to watch Belle in theaters...however, I was greatly disappointed with the plot. YES, the music, the BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK, OH MY GOSH, I was ready for a Summer Wars meets Beauty and the Beast kind of breathtaking experience, but comparing the plot with all the movies I mentioned above, wow, I was more disappointed than anything. Pacing was off, not enough character development, I was confused if there was romantic interest between Suzu and the Dragon and Suzu and her childhood friend??? The most character development that happened was honestly the last 40 minutes of the movie with having the first 15 minute hype in the beginning, followed by some fever dream experience for the later mid to half of the rest of the movie that was not much noteworthy. At the end, I had more questions than answers such as the origins of the castle? How did Suzu overcome her shyness in the real world to transition and acclimate to the world of U? How did she get so famous so quickly to start hosting her virtual concerts? From the movie, it was addressed through fast paced transitions from one clip to another but for me, the flow was off. Personally, I think this movie would be GREAT for first-time anime movie watchers out there to introduce them to more of Hosoda's and even to Ghibli movies. But I think for more seasoned anime movie fans out there, this would probably be more disappointing compared to most. Don't get me wrong though, the visuals were elite. Music: beautiful Artwork: breathtaking Plot: disappointing and shortcoming, HOWEVER THE MOVIE DID ADDRESS an important social issue that goes unnoticed and not talked about enough, for that, I give props and the director took advantage of their platform to speak on these issues. If anything, all that was mentioned was my personal opinion, but hey, thanks for reading!