Anime Review: Kimi Wa Kanata

Also Knowns As: Over The Sky
1 Hrs 35 Mins

Rating

★★★★

Duration

1 Hrs 35 Mins

Anime Digest

In the rain, Mio Miyamasu makes an effort to make up with her childhood friend Arata Kishimo after a brief altercation. She meets a catastrophic accident death, nonetheless, and awakens in a strange magical realm.

The Feel-Good Part

When it comes to cinematic narrative, animation is swiftly rising to the top of the list. The standard is continuously being raised when it comes to producing outstanding animated films by visionary studios like Disney, Pixar, Aardman, Studio Ghibli, and Dreamworks. The movie is a remarkable animated film and showcases stellar artwork, scenes, and sounds, which add some value to the story.

The Disappointing Factor

The disappointing fact is that the story seems a little meaningless and quirky, which makes it difficult to watch the movie till the end.

In-Depth Analysis

Arata Kishimo, a classmate and childhood friend of Mio Miyamasu, suggests the term “above the sky” as they are discussing the border between the sky and space at school. After her marking test, Mio is approached by her closest friend Madoka and finds out that she likes Arata as well, which makes her uncomfortable because she struggles to acknowledge her feelings. While with Mio in a fortune-telling store, Arata starts to see multiple white orbs. Following an argument, Mio questions her relationship with Arata and departs. A broken-hearted Mio tries to tell Arata her genuine thoughts later that night, but she gets into a car accident. The next day, Mio approaches Arata, but he doesn’t appear to notice her. Mio is sent to a foreign planet named “World Border” as they travel home, where she encounters her beloved character Gimon. A kimono-clad girl who introduces herself as Kiku-chan stops Gimon as he is guiding Mio to a new realm where she would forget everything. A train ticket and the “desire” to return to the human world are required to transport Kiku-chan back to the human realm after she unintentionally crossed the World Border during an out-of-body experience. Arata strangely returns Mio’s call after visiting her comatose corpse in a hospital. When Mio, Gimon, and Kiku-chan arrive at the Forgotten Things Counter, Mio finds it difficult to explain to the officer in charge of lost and found her recollections of Arata, so they go to the goddess Mrs. Mori for assistance. Arata goes back to the fortune-teller for assistance after receiving the enigmatic call from Mio, but unexpectedly, his soul departs and travels across the World Border. The World Border’s protector, Mogari, forbids Mio from crossing it even after she successfully obtains a ticket from the lost-and-found officer. Mio returns to the human world with the aid of Gimon, Kiku-chan, and Arata, but is unable to connect with her body. Arata takes Mio’s lifeless body to the cliff, where they had a special moment in the hopes that her spirit may return. Accepting her fate, Mio makes a solid decision to go back to the human world and, at last, recalls her “want” to confess her love to Arata. She rejoins Arata after making a successful return to the human realm.

Star Power

The animated characters are showcased wonderfully and are in line as expected with the story.

Overall Opinion

Viewers who enjoy watching animated films, regardless of whether the plot has essence or not, should not miss out on such a gem of a movie, which is rare to come across.