Two years ago, director Naoko Yamada released the emotionally powerful and beautiful movie, A Silent Voice, based off the critically acclaimed manga by Yoshitoki Oima. With A Silent Voice, Yamada deftly combined both the one-shot that led to the series, as well as the series itself, while also imbuing her own artistry and style. The result was a two and a half hour movie that explored the difficulty of communication and empathy in the messy and fraught time of adolescence.
I talk about A Silent Voice, because in many ways, Liz and the Blue Bird is similar. It's also gorgeously animated by the talented studio, Kyoto Animation; it features many of Yamada's signature directorial traits, like a focus on body expression over facial expression to display how a character really feels; it even has the same composer, Kensuke Ushio, who uses minimalist music to add flavor to quiet and yet intimate scenes. On paper, A Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird mirror. But visually, and in terms of experience, you will find them drastically different.
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I talk about A Silent Voice, because in many ways, Liz and the Blue Bird is similar. It's also gorgeously animated by the talented studio, Kyoto Animation; it features many of Yamada's signature directorial traits, like a focus on body expression over facial expression to display how a character really feels; it even has the same composer, Kensuke Ushio, who uses minimalist music to add flavor to quiet and yet intimate scenes. On paper, A Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird mirror. But visually, and in terms of experience, you will find them drastically different.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...