Movie Review: ‘The Anthem Of The Heart’ - The Magic Of Words

 

Source: Wikipedia

“I'd talk, but...I fell into the habit of not saying what I really felt, somewhere along the way. And then I started believing that there wasn't anything...that I really wanted to tell anyone.”

From the creators of Anohana and Toradora, a group that’s expert at depicting adolescent struggles, ‘The Anthem of the Heart’, succeeding admirably, revisits the idea of self-expression, reminding people that it is perfectly okay to voice their genuine feelings about anything. It isn't flawless, but it's a charming and well-crafted drama, depicting a coming-of-age story, full of burning youth that many people may connect to.

Introduction

Movie’s Name - The Anthem of The Heart (Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterunda)

Directed by - Tatsuyuki Nagai

Genre - Animation, Drama

Language - Japanese

Running Time - 120 minutes

The Chatterbox Girl’s Curse

‘The Anthem of the Heart’ tells the story of Jun Naruse. Jun was a very talkative and imaginative little girl. One day while exploring around a castle, which was actually a love hotel, she saw her father coming out with another woman. She went home and told her mom about her father’s adultery that she saw as a prince and princess coming out of their castle.

Her talkative nature resulted in her parents’ separation. While crying and blaming herself, an egg fairy appeared and laid a curse on her, sealing her lips as punishment. Naruse, who had been a vivacious chatterbox before, had now grown into a timid, shy high schooler who had never spoken a single word since. 

But her life starts to change when she is appointed as a member of the Community Outreach Committee. Through many ups and downs, she learns to put her feelings into words and turn those words into melody, breaking the egg fairy’s curse.

Movie Review - Spoiler Alert!

Veiled hearts, friendship, music, fear, regret, and the struggle to articulate sentiments are all explored in the film. The story is about how words, even though they’re something intangible, can hurt way more than any physical injury. They can never be taken back and you’re only left with deep regret. But words are a double-edged sword. Just how they can hurt, they can also work like a wonder medicine.

There were numerous instances where careless or harsh words caused someone to be hurt. Jun's father, for example, faulted his daughter for being chatty and told her that it was because of her that her mother divorced him. This traumatized Jun and she conjured up an imaginary fairy that helped her lock away her talkative self in the deep end of her conscience.

Instead of seeking professional help or counsel, she decides to live in seclusion for several years. The fact that neither her mother nor her classmates realize this until her callous teacher decides to lump her and the other key characters into a Community Outreach play highlights the truth of how unsympathetic most outsiders are toward individuals suffering from mental illness. In fact, her rejection from her friends, as well as the isolation that comes with it, is particularly painful.

But when Takumi Sakagami says that she helped him and that it was thanks to her that he was able to gather the courage to speak what he felt, Jun starts coming out of her shell little by little. The school’s musical at the end was when she, cracking out of the shell she had put herself in for several years, was reborn.

I didn’t particularly like the way it ended. For me personally, it was completely unnecessary and came out of nowhere. The whole storyline was going in the direction of Jun and Takumi ending up together but I was completely shocked when he said that he was in love with Natsuki because there were no signs whatsoever. 

Maybe this too was a way of depicting a person’s internal conflicts, how they might be thinking about a whole mountain of things and still manage to keep a poker face and hide them perfectly instead of expressing them. But for me, this twist only had the element of surprise and nothing else.

Sound is one of the key characteristics that distinguish Kokosake as a stunning film. The anime's voice acting and music are exaggerated to promote freedom of speech. The voice acting is accurate to the characters' characteristics, and the soundtrack is well-composed to match the plot's events, adding to the anime's vitality. 

As the heroes who can speak, deliver their dialogues, the music fills in for Jun's silence and adds to the film's overall ambiance. The music in the film may cause viewers to cry along with the nostalgic plot.

The artwork too was splendid in depicting her emotions through her body language. Naruse's expressions and body language convey a notion of what she is trying to say because she does not initially communicate with actual words in the movie. The background scenery is also drawn with precision and adds to the realistic element of the story. 

The Bottom Line

The film disproved a fundamental misunderstanding that most people hold: talking is the same as communicating. Past traumas have a significant impact on how we regulate our lives in the future. Despite there being ways to rehabilitate, not everyone seeks help and they often transform completely with no point of return.

As the plot wraps up, it emerges as one of the most profound anime of all time, thanks to its strong social criticism and brilliant use of the routine and common to defy all of our assumptions, resulting in a really unique package.

The plot, artwork, voice acting, and soundtrack all contribute to the anime's beauty, making the film delightful to watch. The film does a fantastic job of conveying its message. As a result, The Anthem of the Heart’s coming-of-age story is one of much excellent anime that both young and old can appreciate.

IMDb ratings - 7.4 on 10

Written By - Sanjana Chaudhary