Kimagure Orange Road: The Movie

Rating:
Summary: An anime masterpiece about the pain of teen romance
Review: "Kimagure Orange Road: The Movie" (aka "I Want to Return to That Day") is a 70-minute movie sequel to the KOR animated Japanese TV series and is best appreciated if you've seen at least a handful of TV episodes first to get familiar with the love triangle at the heart of the show and its high school-aged participants--earnest young Kyosuke, bubbly Hikaru and the more reserved Ayukawa. The movie takes place during summer vacation as Hikaru rehearses a role in a school musical and Kyosuke and Ayukawa go to summer school to cram for their upcoming college exams. Kyosuke has always been drawn to the more aloof Ayukawa but he's been sidetracked by the lavish attention poured on him by the devoted, somewhat puppy-like Hikaru. Things come to a head this particular summer as Kyosuke and Ayukawa bond at summer school and Kyosuke finally tells Hikaru his true feelings and that he doesn't think they should see each other anymore. The poor, stunned girl cannot believe this has happened and continues to call Kyosuke and seek him out and show up unannounced on his doorstep late at night. Her misplaced confidence tells her that such tactics will insure his return to her.

This is easily the most brutally honest treatment of teen romance I've ever seen--in either live-action or animation--and it's absolutely heartbreaking. Anyone who's ever been on the receiving end of a breakup like this will recognize all the different stages and sheer range of emotions on display.

It's all very beautifully animated, with strong character design and detailed visualization of the concrete everyday aspects of the Tokyo suburb where the action takes place. The music soundtrack includes a couple of love songs by Wada Kanako, an actual singing star referenced in the film. The movie's director is Tomomichi Mochizuki, who went on to direct another superb high school drama, Studio Ghibli's TV movie, "I Can Hear the Ocean" (1993), which has yet to see any kind of release in the U.S. The DVD comes with a Japanese soundtrack only, with English subtitles. I wouldn't have it any other way.