Voice of London

Anime genius Mamoru Hosoda portrays, in his latest picture, the beauty within day-to-day life through a child’s eyes.

There is a time in every sibling’s life where envy is deeply endured, time is temporarily interrupted and attention is immensely craved. This is the inevitable moment in which childhood meets maturity- that is depicted so poignantly and innocently by director Mamoru Hosoda.

In this charming film, Kun (Moka Kamishiraishi) a 4-year-old boy who is accustomed to the undivided attention of his parents, experiences the challenging phase of becoming a brother when his baby sister, Mirai, arrives home. Kun’s furious tantrums lead him to experience the visit of three fantasised characters like an early Christmas Carol, which include his recently deceased great-grandfather, his parents as children, his dog reincarnated as a human, who seems more like a Steven Tyler wanna-be than anything else and Mirai as a teenager. 

Hosoda eloquently captures the beauty of the mundane moments of day-to-day life, turning into the most decisive and meaningful; there is a moment when Kun learns how to ride a bike for the first time thanks to the advice of his great-grandfather which becomes intensely touching. However, the film does carry this subtle touch of loneliness due to the remembrance of the passage of time.

Mirai of the future definitely elevates Hosoda to one of the masters of anime at the moment. The film’s soundtrack is simply outstanding and it continuously portrays a nostalgic journey through childhood. I was completely overwhelmed.

Words: Raquel Pacheco | Subbing: Matilde Moro