the night is short, walk on girl

The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl (2017), Toho Co.

When speaking with film enthusiasts from western civilization, the topic of Japanese animated features will normally shift their focus to the work Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, etc.). This is to no one’s fault; Miyazaki is practically regarded as a god of animation (heck, the night prior to writing this review I watched Nausicaa for the first time and I was left dumbfounded by the sheer masterfulness in its artistry and storytelling). However, because Miyazaki’s work is so well beloved in the States, its long reaching influence can make it difficult for us westerners to find other sources of truly brilliant Japanese animated features. This was true for me as well, until I discovered Masaaki Yuasa’s The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl. Call it what you will, coincidence, fate, or otherwise pinpoint perfect timing for me to have viewed this for the first time; but, this film charmed me tremendously, to the point where, like Buckaroo Banzai, I watched it twice within the span of a week. While not quite as whimsical or epic as Miyazaki’s repertoire, The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl is contemporary, stylish, and beautiful in its own right. It’s like comparing a Wes Andersen film to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, both have their own styles and wonders to appreciate, but in much different ways.

The film follows a college sophomore, known only as Otome (which roughly translates to simply, “girl”), on a journey of experiences and encounters through Kyoto, Japan’s nightlife. Armed with an ever sunny, optimistic disposition and an impossibly high tolerance to alcohol, Otome is well equipped to face the world, which is otherwise filled with those lost to the crushing gloom of life and reality. All the while, a young man by the name of Senpai is attempting to set up an elaborate string of coincidences in order to win the affection of Otome by making her think their “chance” encounters are really predestined fate. And like Yin and Yang, the two protagonists experience the same events in very different ways throughout the night; all set against the beautiful, bizarre backdrop of Yuasa’s artistic animated wonderland.

To entirely describe the animation in this film, I feel, would detract from the effect it tries to achieve. The best I can say is that, like many other animes, the imaginative visuals and events that transpire within them make sense narratively and stylistically, if one can simply ignore all logic and comprehension of reality. By which, I mean to say that things happen within the film that make sense only in the world which the movie creates (for example, there is a film-cannon “god of used books” who exists, is an integral part of a particular plotline, and is never questioned). The climactic final segment of the film, which plays out mostly within the mind of Senpai, is fantastically bizarre and charming, as he has a heated internal argument (played out via a government debate in his mind) about his actions and feelings towards Otome. The debate is surprisingly accurate (speaking for myself, that is) and outlandishly wacky in its own right, perfectly bookending an already zany and bizarre film. To wrap it all up with a neat little bow, the film’s animation is like a dream you never want to see end.

The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl was at first, a film I wasn’t too sure about. But, after simmering on it for a couple of days, and then watching it a second time, I quickly realized it was not only one of my favorite examples of animation, but one of my current favorite films in general. It is a celebration of youth, which never fails to entertain, just as it never fails to stretch the limits of imagination. I later watched one of Yuasa’s earlier animated features, Lu Over The Wall (an equally charming film aimed more towards a younger audience), and I came to realize that his style is no one time fluke. I look forward to seeing what Yuasa has in store for the future, but in the meantime, I have The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl to keep me company.

Overall Rating: Most Triumphant

Entertainment Rating: Edge of My Seat