The latest animated film by Japanese auteur Mamoru Hosada – whose impressive roster of works include Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time – sticks close to his overarching theme of ‘family’, and Mirai is definitely a heart-warming story that’s very suited for family bonding. Especially if you have siblings, because Mirai is all about the relationship between a 4-year-old boy and his newborn sister.
Despite its title, the story is told from the perspective of Kun, a precocious toddler who is the epitome of a spoiled brat. The arrival of his newborn sister Mirai creates havoc in the household, as Kun tries to adjust to a new presence in the house that’s taking away all the attention that he’s had the privilege of having when he was an only child.
Watching the film, you get the sense that the writer/director is writing the story from a very personal perspective – the way Kun behaves is very believable, and not at all like how toddlers are normally portrayed in your average anime. He’s very needy, and will cry – or worse, hit his sister – to get any attention.
But it’s only when he throws a huge temper tantrum that his imagination truly runs wild – the garden in the house has a proverbial ‘family tree’ that introduces Kun to his varied family members from the past and the future. It’s through these characters that Kun’s mind manages to cope with his current predicament.
From the past, he meets his great-grandfather and mother (as a child) – one teaches him how to ride a bicycle, and the other about the importance of picking up after himself. From the future, his teenage sister Mirai first drops in to ask for his help, making it a rare moment where the two siblings actually get along. A weird moment was Kun’s encounter with an anthropomorphic version of Yukko, the family dog.
Despite all these interventions, he still behaves like a spoiled child who can’t accept Mirai as his sister – that is, until he finds himself lost in an unfamiliar and scary dream sequence at a train station during a temper tantrum involving yellow pants and a family picnic.
While the story doesn’t have a plot, it’s a slice of life that takes us into a rare emotional space where no other animation has gone before. The film makes you relate to the parents, to Kun, and to Mirai depending on where you stand in your own family tree. At times it’s lighthearted and fun, but there are plenty of heartfelt moments that require the aid of tissues.
Despite Kun’s misgivings for his sister, Mirai doesn’t hold any grudges. She not only saves toddler Kun at the train station, she also accepts him as a grumpy teenager (yes, toddler Kun sees a teenage version of himself).
Story aside, we can’t not mention the animation itself – the opening sequence (and subsequent scenes) of the townscape was so realistic we thought we were watching a live-action film. The house where Kun lives is a sleek modern piece of architecture, designed by Kun’s architect father – it seems to be Hosada’s tribute to late architect Zaha Hadid (in one of the scenes of the bookshelf, we see a book emblazoned with ‘Hadid’ on the spine).
The only rare complaint comes in the casting of 18-year old Moka Kamishiraishi as Kun. While it would be impossible to find a four-year-old with acting chops, watching a toddler with a grown-up’s voice was a bit jarring, which at times made the film a bit odd since most of the it involved a talking/crying Kun. However, the overall quality of the film makes you forgive that minor complaint.
By the end, you wonder if all of Kun’s encounters were all make-believe or if there really was a magical ‘family tree’ that enables him to see his relatives. It’s definitely a unique storytelling concept that is simple as it is heartwarming – and definitely one to watch with your family members.
