Children of the Sea (film)

Children of the Sea (海獣の子供) is a 2019 Japanese animated fantasy surrealist film directed by Ayumu Watanabe and produced by Eiko Tanaka, with animation production by Studio 4°C. It is based on the manga of the same title by Daisuke Igarashi, who also wrote the film's screenplay. It is Watanabe's first theatrically released film since Space Brothers #0 (2014), and the first animated film adaptation of an Igarashi manga.[3] The film stars the voices of Mana Ashida, Hiiro Ishibashi and Seishū Uragami. Set by and in the ocean and themed on the mysteries of life, it depicts the connections between humanity and nature. It was released in Japan on June 7, 2019.[4][5]

Plot

Reception

Box office

Children of the Sea grossed $2,892,603 during its worldwide theatrical release, with more than $2.2 million of the total earned in Japan.[2]

In the United States, the home-video Blu-ray of Children of the Sea was released on September 1, 2020, and debuted in 18th place on The Numbers weekly sales charts, with 12,260 units sold for a sales total of $183,777; the ranking was the third highest among titles newly released that week.[35] Subsequent sales brought the home-video total to $644,661 as of December 2021.[36]

Critical response

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that of critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of. The critics consensus is: "An animated adventure perhaps best appreciated as a visual experience, Children of the Sea is strikingly lovely if less than satisfying on a narrative level."[37] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 8 critic reviews, signifying "generally favorable reviews".[38]

Anime-focused website Anime News Network featured responses from four reviewers. Kim Morrissy gave the film a C+ rating, with praise for the visuals and criticism of the "obtuse" nature of the plot.[39] Reviewing the home-video release, Theron Martin rated the film a B−, highlighting the "spectacular visual sequences" but criticizing the film as "too long" and "aimless."[40] In a joint review, Steve Jones and Michelle Liu praised the film, with Jones calling the film "a contender for the best-looking animated film I've ever seen," and Liu heralding the film as "a masterpiece" and "an incredible experience."[41] In his review for Variety, critic Peter Debruge praised the film for its "splendid attention to detail and seemingly boundless imagination," for composer Joe Hisaishi's "lovely" score, and for director Ayumu Watanabe's "stunning adaptation" and exploration of the "age-old tension between those who recognize a rare and fragile being that they wish to protect and the callous impulse to experiment."[42]

director	Ayumu Watanabe
producer	Eiko Tanaka
screenplay	Hanasaki Kino
based on	Children of the Sea by Daisuke Igarashi
starring	Mana Ashida Hiiro Ishibashi Seishū Uragami Win Morisaki Goro Inagaki Yu Aoi Tohru Watanabe Min Tanaka Sumiko Fuji
music	Joe Hisaishi
editing	Kiyoshi Hirose
studio	Studio 4°C
distributor	Toho
runtime	111 minutes
country	Japan
language	Japanese
gross	US$5.09 million (worldwide)‡R1R‡‡R2R‡

Children of the Sea (film)

Plot

Voice cast

Production

Marketing

Release

Music

Theme song

Score

Reception

Box office

Critical response

Accolades

External links

References