Belle

Suzu is a young girl struggling with depression following the death of her mother.  Her best friend introduces her to the online world of U, where she helps Suzu develop a new persona, Belle.  Belle becomes a singing sensation overnight, boosting Suzu’s confidence.  But then she encounters a rogue known simply as “The Beast.”  Feeling a strange kinship with this outcast, Suzu seeks him out, hoping to discover more about him and in the process, discover the strength to confront her own personal demons as well.

While he may have directed my all time favorite Anime film, Summer Wars, I actually haven’t seen any other movie from Director Mamoru Hosada, save for I guess the second Digimon Movie that was molded into the US Digimon Movie that was a compilation of 3 different movies but that’s not here or there.  I’ve heard good things but I haven’t seen The Boy and the Beast, Wolf Children or The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.  After watching Belle, however, I might need to correct this because despite some reservations going in, I found myself moved to the point of tears, something that occasionally happens with some Anime films.  I personally think Summer Wars is still my favorite but Belle certainly is a good rival for its throne and I’m surprised once again that the Oscars overlooks an Anime this good that apparently got a 14 minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival…how often does that happen for an Anime feature film?
 
My concerns with Belle kicked off in the opening couple of minutes as the introduction of U felt just like the intro for OZ from Summer Wars.  But the more I watched, the more I feel as if U is an evolution of OZ and a look at internet culture in 2021 as opposed to 2009.  U looks more closely at streaming and the rise of online influencers as well as the positives and negatives of both.  This is a world where anyone can become anyone with a mask to escape the challenges of the real world or try to become a positive influence for those who need it.  While some are embraced, others ridicule and poke at these online personas to the point where the real world problems influencers try to escape, in particular for Suzu high school gossip circles, threaten to derail any potential positive progress.  Belle offers a glimpse of both sides of this bigger digital world and in the end, the positives do outweigh the negatives.  How?  You’ll have to watch to see.
 
The world of U definitely feels like OZ after a decade away from it and wow, I can see why Hosada would be a good choice to craft it visually.  Belle is an Anime that is meant to be seen on the biggest screen possible because otherwise, you never really get a good idea of just how massive U really is.  It’s a perfect stage with so much going on and plenty of evidence that so much hard work went into the creation of this place (seriously, the Oscars needs to start giving out Best Animated Feature awards to Anime even if there’s a Pixar movie on the ballot).  The scenes where Belle is singing for crowds large enough to fill up several stadiums is staggering in scope and a place probably provides perfect acoustics for the titular idol and her music.  Speaking of, The Music.  I haven’t watched a ton of musical Anime (and I do count Daft Punk’s Interstella 5555 as one of them) but I certainly would if the songs were just as good as any sung by Suzu.  Everything comes from the heart and tugs at your own.  “Gales of Song”, “U” and “A Million Miles Away” are just song of my personal favorites and a special shoutout has to go to Suzu’s English Voice Actress, Kylie McNeill, Oh my God what a gorgeous voice.  Honestly, if you aren’t moved by any of the songs in Belle, something is very, very wrong with you.
 
Beyond the visual splendor and hauntingly amazing soundtrack, there’s the story of Suzu that lies at the heart of Belle.  In and out of U, Suzu is a very compelling and likeable lead that you want to root for and support as much as her scene stealing hacker bestie, Hiro.  The movie paints a beautiful picture of the struggle to move past the traumas that have changed ones life and find new ways to enjoy life whether they be online or with the people you have right in front of you offline.  It’s equally rewarding seeing Suzu accomplish so much, especially when it comes to her relationship with The Beast, and seeing her gush over whatever social pratfall trips her up a little bit.  Her digital avatar is gorgeous too, Belle reminds me of a much more stable Sharon Apple from Macross Plus.  Shouldn’t forget about her kinship with The Beast, who has a freaking awesome design of his own.  Yes, this movie is a digital world version of Beauty and the Beast and its fun seeing the progression of the bond between these two and some especially nice nods to a certain Disney Adaptation with some of the imagery and a couple of iconic sequences.  Never feels plagiarized either, it’s an homage and a well done one at that.  In the end, this movie is about finding the courage to stand up and move forward, no matter the odds.  And Beauty and the Beast certainly is a good template to draw upon.
 
So what stops Belle from topping Summer Wars?  Well a couple of things hold it back.  I was going to mention the jumpy editing but I think in hindsight it works as an apt metaphor for Suzu’s erratic social life outside of U, so that’s’ ok.  Now much of my nitpicking has to do with some of the supporting cast.  Many of them are fine, they just lack some fine tuning.  There’s one character who ends up being the Gaston of this Beauty and the Beast tale and his story is left unresolved by films end.  Given how big of an antagonistic role he played, there should been some kind of greater comupance (also I thought he was connected to another character in the movie but I was wrong.).  Also, I was not a fan of Suzu’s RL love interest and childhood friend Shinobu.  They’re supposed to have a super deep connection, in particular tied to the key trauma at the heart of Suzu’s story.  But Shinobu is presented as a very wooden character, right down to his line delivery.  There was one scene where Suzu runs off and I’m just waiting for Shinobu to say “No, wait stop, come back,” sounding as disinterested as when Gene Wilder delivered that line in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  Everyone else in Suzu’s life seems to provide more emotion, personality and character no matter the size of their roles in her life.  For a guy who seems to care for Suzu as much as Hiro, Shinobu could emote more.
 
All in all though, Belle is still an amazing experience and a very welcome companion to Summer Wars in Mamoru Hosada’s impressive Anime resume.  Suzu’s story is one that speaks to a generation who might be enduring the same trials as herself.  The online world of U looks even bigger, bolder and more impressive than OZ from Summer Wars.  And the music…oh man, it’s up there with Your Name, Akira and Princess Mononoke as one of the best ever made for an Anime Feature and all of Belle/Suzu’s songs should be on anyones Anime playlist.  And as I said in my intro, I was left in tears by the end, crying for a good few minutes.  That is the sign of an Anime doing something very right with me and this is a title I cant wait to revisit with others.  What a flick, what an experience and, like most good Anime, what an unforgettable adventure.
 
9/10