So, after writing a positive review of the film and thinking it was another Ghibli home-run, my mind just seemed to linger more than it should have. The more I thought about it the more I found my self seeing the cracks and flaws, that are hidden underneath the gorgeous visuals.

At first I think I was distracted by the fantastic animation and amazing sound design and the fact that I wanted to love it. Then I pinpointed the reason for my lingering troubles with the movie, and unfortunately it was Jiro, the main character. My disdain stems not only from his character but from what the film-makers decided to do with him.Therefore my dislike for the character slowly decayed everything that had him in it (which is most of the film).

My main quarrel with the character, beside the fact that I think he’s quite bland and uninteresting, is that for such an ostensible “Good” character, the way that he and the film treats the morale dilemma is so disingenuous. The fact that the character and film just simply ignores this ethical issue creates this strong dissonance between the character and his attitude. The characters in-curiousness about his actions and the world around is mirrored in the films in-curiousness about delving in to such subject matter. This just leads to some very frustrating moments in the film

Then there is the romance which is made dull and uninteresting by his involvement. It often feels forced and contrived because the two lack any resemblance of a spark or chemistry together.

Ultimately the film falters due to a lack of conflict and urgency in the story and the characters. The film felt like it often had a lot to say, but just decided to say nothing at all.