Mle's 2024-2025 Mamoru Hosoda Movie Marathon

January 26, 2025

After finishing my studio Ghibli binge, I thought it was time to begin exploring other Japanese anime film directors. The first to come to mind was Mamoru Hosoda. Like many, I was introduced to Hosoda via the chaotic mess that is Fox’s Digimon The Movie. Luckily, I was exposed to more of Hosoda’s work as I got older (including the uncut Digimon OVAs), and came to really appreciate his style and storytelling. Similar to my Ghibli list, the order these films and OVAs are in fluctuates in my brain, so take it with a grain of salt.

Wolf Children

Wolf Children has been a favorite movie of mine since my first viewing of it back in 2013. It just has so many things I like: a pretty artstyle, slice of life stories, coming of age, family drama, wolves, and nature.
Perhaps what I love most about Wolf Children is the film takes its fantastical premise seriously. Hana genuinely falls in love with a wolfman who loves her back. She has two children who are quite literally half wolf. While this may sound humorous and whimsical, the film gives so much thought to some of the realistic challenges this type of situation presents.
My favorite example is towards the beginning of the movie. Yuki, one of the wolf children, is a toddler and accidentally swallows some poison. Hana can’t decide if she needs to take Yuki to the pediatrician or the vet. It’s hilarious, but the outlandish concept doesn’t diminish Hana’s genuine worry for her daughter and getting her proper medical care. It’s moments like these that really make the audience buy into the movie’s world. There are no fourth wall breaks, or “well that happened” lines. The wolf children themselves are great characters and both act like real children throughout the movie. There are moments of play and humor, but also moments of quiet contemplation and strife. Hana, their mother, is the strongest character of them all, meeting every challenge with an optimism that is infectious.
Wolf Children is one of my favorite movies, I like it the more I watch it, and recommend it to anyone willing to give it a try. If you’re a fan of wolves, anime, Hosoda, Ghibli films, or just good cozy movies, please give it a watch.

Digimon Our War Game

This is the best Digimon OVA hands down. It is such a tight and fun story with high stakes and great moments that can be enjoyed even for someone who hasn’t seen Digimon before. The story takes place in the year 2000 and centers around a virus Digimon getting into the human internet and wreaking havoc on systems worldwide. The resulting technological malfunctions range from humorous (price tags being set at $1,000,000 for chicken) to catastrophic (a nuclear warhead being fired at Japan).
The stakes of the story are compounded by the unsophistication of the internet in 2000. There are no mobile phones and access to the web is sporadic. Taichi and Koushiro, our leads, can only get a hold of two of the six other Chosen Children to help fight against Diablomon (the virus), and even then those kids are located in rural Japan. They have to run around town to find a computer with access to the web. Taichi and Koushiro themselves aren’t immune to malfunctions seen when Taichi hits the monitor and blue screens it, the dial up connection goes down, the phone lines stop working, and e-mail traffic creates literal movement lag for their Digimon.
The culmination at the end when children from around the world band together to encourage Omegamon is a great climatic moment. The cool kaiju fight that results is punctuated by Koushiro using forwarded emails to create the same movement lag in their opponent. It’s so smart and satisfying.
One complaint I often see about this movie is that most of the cast from the show is sidelined. I understand this criticism - Digimon Adventure has a large likable group of characters, and it does suck that they don’t all get to shine. On the other hand, Hosoda only had about 40 minutes to work with. The story is already punchy and tight, and I do think adding in all the characters may have bloated it. That, and I think showing that not all the Chosen Children are readily on call to save the world is realistic - they’re not in the Digital World anymore, they went back to real life!
War Game is a great OVA. Like the others, I recommend watching it subbed or with the 2024 English dub. I will also admit it is the least offensive of the three movies within the “Digimon the Movie” Fox cut, and does have some fun bangers from the early 2000’s.

Summer Wars

Summer Wars is Hosoda getting the chance to retell his story from Our War Game without being constrained to by the limits of the Digimon IP. Given that I adore Our War Game, it probably isn’t a surprise that I also love Summer Wars. The strength of Summer Wars is that the world-ending technology event coincides with a large family reunion. The conflict isn’t just about defeating the mysterious A.I. Love Machine, but also about getting a large family to reconnect.
Summer Wars shows off some of Hosoda’s strongest traits as a storyteller - intimate familial relationships, high stakes action, incredible character design, and great animation. I particularly loved the design of King Kazma, one of the avatars used in the online world of OZ to fight Love Machine.
Summer Wars also has the benefit of taking place over a longer period of time, and therefore giving a variety of characters a chance to shine. I loved the large family, and their devotion to their “Granny” who encourages everyone to always fight and do their best. I think it was a nice touch that almost all of her sons went into a civic service type job, jobs that made a difference in the movie. I like the fish out of water main character Kenji who was brought into this family reunion as part of a ruse by his classmate Natsuko, but ends up really finding his voice to help save the day. I like that Natsuko herself gets to fill the “Omegamon” role at the end of the film by being the vessel the other users of Oz connect to in the climax against Love Machine.
It’s a great film with humor, heart-warming interactions, and even some gut punches. I highly recommend it to any anime fan.

Digimon Adventure (OVA)

It might sound a bit outlandish to say that Hosoda’s 15 minute Digimon Adventure OVA is one of my favorite OVAs of all time, but here we are. This short really goes to show that stories don’t have to be long or complicated to be memorable and endearing.
The OVA presents a very simple premise - a very young Taichi and Hikari meet their first Digimon friend. The beginning of the film is slow, taking its time to let the children endear themselves to Botman and then its evolution Koromon. As the OVA progresses, Koromon continues to evolve, eventually culminating in a kaijou-like battle between a Greymon and a giant Parrotmon. This version of Greymon is wild, behaving more like Godzilla to the point of having a Mega Flame attack that looks exactly like Atomic Breath. Greymon is only able to win the day and save Japan thanks to the bond formed between him and the children, really distilling Digimon down to its core theme.
But perhaps my favorite part of this OVA, and the reason I think it works so well, is because it is solely scored by Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero”. The song is on point for the story, starting very slow and steady before climaxing in a bombastic arrangement of instruments. I love the pairing of this song with this OVA, and I love that it became a recurring track in subsequent Digimon projects.
So it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that I cannot stand the original Fox cut of this OVA for Digimon the Movie. The dialogue changes are inoffensive, but the removal of Bolero hurts. The dub is just so much louder containing extra noise without any of the quiet moments in the original Japanese version. I admit that it can be fun to watch for its absurdity, but the pretentious side of me really loathes that such a charming feature had to be butchered for American tastes. Thankfully, it has since been redubbed with its original score intact making for a much better experience.

Mirai

This is a film that I would have hated if I had watched it ten or more years ago. I would have thought Kun was a selfish, annoying, and whiny brat. Now, as an almost 30 y/o, I loved it! Kun is a selfish and whiny brat because of course he is - he's like three! I love that this movie was the study of a small child’s inner psyche and how they comprehend their world and problems. I don't know if the time travel element was real or Kun’s imagination, but I think that's part of the point.
The movie has an episodic structure that begins with Kun having an emotional outburst, exploring the problem with a time-travelled member of his family, and then his present family solving the conflict and feelings. This made for some really heartwarming scenes paired with relatable depictions of childhood temper tantrums. The time Kun spends with his time traveling family are wonderful and dreamlike, really taking advantage of this being an animated movie. I love how each lesson Kun learned brought him closer to his parents and into accepting his role as Mirai’s older brother.
I was also not an enthusiastic sibling when my young brother was born. I have vague memories of being a jealous and petulant sister who took a while to warm up to the idea of sharing mom and dad. (Note - I'm the oldest of multiple siblings and I love them all dearly now lol). I also like how the film doesn't have a clean resolution. The parents admit they are not perfect, but love their children and will keep trying their best. Kun is warmer towards Mirai, but they're both kids and life won't always be perfect for either of them. Life is about moments of struggle, growth, and love.
I think this is one of those films that's better appreciated if you're a little older. A lot of criticism I've seen of it is about how it feels unfocused, or that Kun doesn't make up with his parents, or that Mirai isn't in the movie all that much - but I'd argue that's part of the point. Life for a three-ish year old kid isn't a linear a to b storyline; it's chaotic and often involves relearning the same lessons. It's about trying to understand the world (ex. Kun thinking his parents don't love him when in actuality they're trying to take care of a newborn, managing the home, work, etc ). Despite some fantastical moments, this is a very grounded film and story. Would recommend.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

This movie had a very fun premise! Makoto, a high school girl who is very headstrong and not the brightest, gets the ability to time travel. The movie is about how she uses her newfound powers to cheat her way through life and the unintended consequences of doing so. I loved Makoto and had a blast watching her wacky antics evolve into more serious situations.
My favorite part of the movie was her strong friendship between two boys Chiaki and Kosuke. The three have amazing chemistry, and I loved their scenes together. I watched the English dub of this film and the voice actors sound so natural together. It's great!
I was a bit torn however when the movie pivoted into a more romantic direction. On one hand, I was bummed that such a great platonic friendship couldn't stand on its own. On the other hand, I do genuinely like the chemistry between Chiaki and Makoto to the point where their bittersweet ending got to me. Either way, it's a great teenage film about the fleeting nature of youth, and I would definitely watch it again.

Belle

One of my favorite things about going through Hosoda’s work is seeing how his visual interpretation of the internet evolved over the decades. Belle is the latest variation of that showing a new virtual reality connected to smart phones and VR. It’s not quite as established or standout as Oz, but its visuals are marvelous. Setting aside, I like the story Belle is trying to tell, but had a few gripes with its execution. Suzu using her pop star persona to express herself online to cope with the grief and anxiety she feels in real life is a great draw. I was connected to Suzu throughout the first third of the movie, and I wanted to see a deeper exploration of her character.
I also like the twist with the beast not being a romantic interest or someone Suzu knows in real life. It's an unexpected play on a popular narrative that pays off. I could even believe one of the biggest contrivances at the end of the movie (I've seen Don't Fuck with Cats and 4Chan’s Capture the Flag lmao) Despite my praises, I felt like this movie missed the mark in some ways. I didn't really connect with why Suzu was suddenly so interested in the beast, and their scenes together left something to be desired. It felt as if the movie was just trying to capture the Beauty and the Beast aesthetic without giving these characters a meaningful connection.
I also felt like some of the subplots, while fun, muddied the pacing of the movie. It would have been nice if some of that time were spent on developing Suzu or the U virtual platform.
Finally, the ending was frustratingly ambiguous. It's unclear what happens to two vulnerable characters, and that really bothered me. Overall, this is a visually beautiful movie with great music and ideas, it just slightly misses the mark in a few areas.

The Boy and the Beast

This one was good, but not one of my favorites. I think that has to do more with my personal tastes rather than the quality of the film itself. The Boy and The Beast plays out more like a shonen (admittedly not one of my favorite genres). I liked Kumatetsu and Kyuta’s dynamic, but I never felt like it organically evolved beyond “bickering frat brothers” until the very end. I wish they had more moments that didn't devolve into angry yelling (funny as that could be).
My biggest issue with the movie was honestly its second half. I really didn't like the romantic subplot with Kaede. She felt like a character only there to prop up Kyuta rather than a person in her own right. She's meant to be the bridge to the human world, but I thought it would've been so much more interesting if Kyuta 's human father filled that role instead. Kyuta’s father is right there, ready to love him and welcome him into his life, and it's barely developed. It could have made for interesting drama between a father who cannot express his feelings at all (Kumatetsu) and a father who wears his heart on his sleeve.
Not only that, but I didn't like that it was Kaede’s gift that grounds Kyuta in the second half when he's about to succumb to darkness. Imagine for a second if, at the time skip, the movie opens on the beasts throwing Kyuta a birthday. Maybe Kumatetsu gives Kyuta a gift, a bracelet made of his fur, and takes a moment to embarrassingly admit that Kyuta may not be a beast, but he's one of them anyway. Now, imagine that as Kyuta is about to lose himself to the darkness he sees THAT bracelet and is reminded of the beast family that raised him. I think that could've been so much more powerful than a girl who has vague off screen anger giving Kyuta a bracelet to calm him down.
Again, this is not a bad film by any stretch. It has great animation, humor, and character design. I just felt like it had all the ingredients to be an even stronger, more emotional film about fatherhood and identity.

Digimon Revenge of Diablomon

I’m not for certain, but this OVA comes off as if the studio mandated “do Our War Game again, but with the 02 kids.” As the title implies, Diablomon is back, but this time he’s come to the human world to enact his revenge. Now, it’s up to the new and old Chosen children to save the day.
If there is one thing that Revenge of Diablomon makes clear, it’s that cutting the cast in the first OVA was a good idea. Revenge of Diablomon just has too many characters for its own good, with each of them barely getting to do anything worthwhile. In Our War Game the fight was between Omegamon and Diablomon because Agumon and Gabumon were the only Digimon left available. In Revenge, it’s Omegamon and Imperialdramon because… they’re the main characters? I can’t figure out why Hawkmon and Armadimon do absolutely nothing when Iori and Miyako are present during the battle.
Complaints aside, this OVA does at least have some great action scenes and really cute moments. Daisuke and Ken have great chemistry, and this reminded me why I love their friendship so much. Otherwise, this is sort of just a mid showing.

Digimon Hurricane Touchdown

This Digimon OVA is a bit odd compared to the rest of the Digimon canon, and the preceding OVAs directed by Hosoda. Hurricane Touchdown is a subdued story about a new Chosen Child, Wallace (Willis in the dub), having to face off against his former Digimon partner Chocomon. He's accompanied by his secondary partner Terriermon, and the rest of the 02 cast who are on their own quest to find the original Chosen Children whom Chocomon has kidnapped.
First and foremost, I love that this OVA primarily takes place in the American Midwest. Being born and raised in that part of the country, it's really fun to see an anime film, let alone Digimon, take place in the sprawling American fields next to flat highways and billboards. I love the idea that Wallace, living in bum fuck nowhere America, not only gets Digimon, but that one of his Digimon evolves into a monster with guns for hands and jeans. Very “Murica”!
I also like a lot of the interactions in the first part of the film: Daisuke and Wallace’s bickering, the constant hitchhiking, Terrerimon being a little cheeky - it's good stuff.
Unfortunately, the rest of the OVA is bogged down by pacing issues and some odd artistic choices. Parts of the film are very slow with little to no music or dialogue. There are cuts and frames that just feel strange for lack of a better word. Even the action in the second half suffers a bit from a downbeat score and frequent pausing.
Speaking of the action, I still can't help but wonder why Angemon and Angewomon evolve to then immediately get bodied. Even Magnamon and Rapidmon, who quickly follow after them, barely get a moment to shine.
Perhaps the craziest thing about this film was I had issues with the Japanese script. I'm not sure if it was an artistic choice, but the Digimon don't announce their names or ultimate attacks in battle. Wallace refers to Terriermon as “Gummimon” throughout the entire film which was a confusing choice. If the audience doesn't engage with any supplemental materials they wouldn't know the names “Terriermon”, “Galgomon”, “Rapidmon” or “Magnamon”. It's odd because the anime this is based on has no qualms with Digimon making themselves known. The 2024 redub fixes this, and actually cleans up quite a bit of vague dialogue, making it the best way to watch in my opinion.
This is actually a rare instance where I can understand why Saban and Fox made the sort of absurd choices they did when adapting this for a theatrical release. There is absolutely no way American children in the early 2000’s would have appreciated what the original cut of this film was doing (myself included honestly).
Sorry to be so negative on this one - I love Hosoda’s work on Digimon, this one just isn't for me!

One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island

TBD!!! I haven’t found a good subbed rip of this movie. I also know next to nothing about One Piece except for what I watched of the 4Kids dub as a kid (yes… that dub…). If I get a chance to watch this, I will update!