Miss Hokusai Premiere
I was invited to the screening of Miss Hokusai on its premiere day, October 14th, in Los Angeles at the Nuart Theater. I was very happy about this opportunity as I like watching anime movies when they have screenings in the US and supporting them. Many thanks to GKids for bringing movies to the US for people to see! The movie was available in two versions, subtitled or dubbed.
The film is an adaptation of Hinako Sugiura’s manga, Sarusuberi, that depicts the daughter of famous Ukiyo-e painter Hokusai: O-Ei.
Director Keiichi Hara and Production I.G. brings to life Sugiura's story of O-Ei with wonderful animation and storytelling. O-Ei is a shyly sweet young woman and the daughter to a popular Ukiyo-e artist. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree for O-Ei is an artist as well. Although she is talented, her artistry is overshadowed by her father due to her “lack of experience”. Her struggle to set her apart father isn’t her only trouble. Though O-Ei loves her father as an artist, she dislikes him as a parent as he is estranged from her little sister, O-Nao, who is blind and fragile. While she juggles through the hardships of finding herself, trying to be a good sister, and dealing with her dysfunctional family, she finds her own path that leads to the wonderful paintings she is known for.
Since I didn't know the source material, I didn't expect the supernatural elements in the story. O-Ei's Edo is filled with demons and spirits. The film shows how the spirit world mingles with art and how Hokusai and O-Ei's paintings accomplish this connection between the two realms.
My favorite scene was the brothel one with a male crossdressing prostitute. While it was a scene showing how she handles romance and her lack of experience, it included humor, which I thought made it very interesting and it stuck with me.
The movie will be available until the 20th of October in Nuart Theater in Los Angeles with showing in New York as well. Please check it out and support anime screenings in the US!
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