My Beautiful Girl Mari (DVD) - Anime Reviews


	Running Time 80 Minutes Language Options English/Korean/English Subtitles Released by ADV Films
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My Beautiful Girl Mari (DVD)

Follow the story of Nam-woo, a boy whose fear of abandonment and life’s changes take him on a journey to a land of fantasy. There, in a spectacular place of magical creatures and tall luscious green plants he meets Mari, a delicate girl who will come to support him and give him the stability he needs through his hardest of times.

Well, this isn’t “anime” per se, more international animation than anything, but that isn’t going to stop me from appreciating and review it so here goes.

The first thing that you’ll notice has got to be the animation style – instead of the bright CG that otaku (like me) are used to, the bulk of the character animation looks like cardboard animation and reminds me of the Canadiana film shorts that I used to see growing up (most of us 20-somethings from up north will quickly relate and remember). The backgrounds however are the typical GG detailed ones – so you get a taste of high money animation with the earthy feel for the character animation.

Starting in the present, childhood friends Nam-woo and Jun-ho finally get a chance to meet each other, having not visited for years. The occasion will not last, as Nam-woo is due to leave town soon for an extended tour for his work. The pair reminisce about the last time that they spent together before they were separated. Nam-woo is a dreamer – so lost in thought and his own mind that he doesn’t seem too concerned with the world around him, nor the people in it. He has a love of animals, and is greatly affectionate to the stray cat that he’s currently taking care of. His family is just his mother and grandmother, having lost his father at an early age. He also contends with another man – a would be suitor for his mother, who he tries his best to ignore despite how much the man tries to befriend him. Jun-ho is the stereotypical sidekick – picked on and has a bit of a complex about life not being fair. He’s currently having problems with a young girl named Sung-y who not only picks on him, but goes out of her way with her friends to mess with him.

Both boys frequent an abandoned lighthouse and play in both the water and the fields near it; but one day, Nam-woo enters a strange world with his cat and meets a mysterious girl. But before he can learn anything about her, he is returned to the normal world. A few days later, he learns that his grandmother has been hospitalized (and his mother has gone to help take care of her) and the poor suitor is trying his best to try and watch him – but Nam-woo will have nothing to do with the man.

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The next night, he has his second trip to the world – this time while sleeping. He still was not able to speak to the girl before returning home, but this time when he awoke, he knew that her name was Mari. Despite his attempts to tell Jun-ho about the world, Nam-woo cannot convince his friend to believe him. Even worse, he has to contend with spending time with the suitor to his mother’s affections as well as his lighthouse being condemned and worked on by construction workers.

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The next night, he convinced Jun-ho to sneak into the lighthouse with him and this time they both travel to the world. Seeing the beautiful world, Jun-ho finally believes his friend; and while Jun-ho sleeps, Nam-woo spends the evening with Mari (who has yet to actually talk).

Back in the “real world”, Jun-ho is still trying to get ready to move away from his hometown and his last night in the town is going to happen while his father finishes a shift on the fishing boat. That night, one of the most powerful storms comes into the area, and the fishing boat cannot find its’ bearing in the powerful gale. Sensing trouble, Nam-woo and Jun-ho rush into the lighthouse and expose the magical land which lights up the path back home for the boat and calms the storm. The next day, Jun-ho heads away and the story is brought back into the present where the boys talk about their present lives.

The animation is very different, which is definitely part of the attraction of this movie – it is very divergent from most anime and so it really gives a new look that I haven’t really seen before. I can compare it to other animations that I’m familiar with, but it doesn’t really do it justice to describe it that way.

The score is simple and understated – nothing amazing or terrible. Same can be said for the voice acting – adequate but not mind blowing. The plot itself is a little jittery to me. I understood what was going on, but some of the action really required some more fleshing out or background to explain what was going on. I wasn’t sure if the whole magical land was some part of Korean mythology that I wasn’t familiar with, or if I missed something on the 3 times that I watched the movie (hey, I’m sure that other nationalities have the same problem in watching some Disney movies I suppose – lack of reference).

- Tazman

(September 9, 2005)

“We've got to hurry to Greg's house, he's in trouble.”

“What's wrong?”

“No time to explain.”

“What do you mean no time to explain? We're like 40 minutes away from Greg's house.”

- Jack and Count Blah (Greg the Bunny)


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