Mirai: Film Review

Mirai: Film Review

Director: Hosoda Mamoru

Apparently inspired by director Hosoda's observations of the interaction of his own kids, Mirai is the tale of sibling jealousy.

Kun is the apple of his parents' eye - or so he believes. The four-year-old thinks the world revolves around him, but finds his view shaken up when a younger sister is born into the family.

Riddled with jealousy at his parents' loss of time for him, Kun's resentment of baby Mirai reaches fever pitch, and he hits the child with one of his beloved bullet trains. Struggling to find his place in the world post baby, Kun finds a magic world in his garden, as the importance of a sibling is demonstrated to him.

Mirai's touches are sweetly despatched, as the darker edges of the tale come to light.

It's one of seething inadequacy from the whining baby Kun; but despite Kun's apparent anger toward his situation, the Ghosts of Christmas Past / Future style visitations show really what could lie ahead for him as an older brother.

There's some further darkness in Mirai, with a heartbreaking scene of a child clearly in trouble after Kun's visit and subsequent trashing of the house. And the lessons doled out are a little on the heavy-handed side and obvious to anyone with an eye for them.

However, given this anime is aimed more at a family audience, Hosoda's sweeping touches can be forgiven within the simplicity of the story.

Mirai won't possibly win over everyone, and it lacks the timelessness of some other anime, even though there's a universality of theme at play here - but for the start of the school holidays and with an ever-growing awareness of the genre, its messages may be timely in today's world.