A really interesting film, it's like a Japanese Simpsons. A fairly dysfunctional family go about their daily lives, where the film depicts this as vignettes. One of these vignettes' features their accidental abandonment of their youngest member, Nonoko, in the local shopping mall, where another involves the eldest family members confronting some antisocial youths. The film refuses to play up the drama for any situation, instead taking a lighthearted and comical approach, some times switching styles which change the mood quite dramatically.
The animation is very simple, all the excess is trimmed off so we can focus and what's important. Where there is simplicity, there is always added expression, so the characters emotions are communicated very well. The animation itself is very well done, and the style makes it enjoyable to watch.
The film is part 'slice of life', part surrealist, something which is made apparent within the first 5-10 minutes. I liked all of it, though I did fall asleep for about 15 minutes because I was really tired. Don't let that reflect poorly on the film because it's good fun to watch. I think the best bit was when the art style of the film changed very dramatically as the father, Takashi, reluctantly leaves his house in order to talk to some assholes on bikes. The characters are suddenly rendered very realistically, appearing to be rotoscoped, and it made me feel concern for Takashi's safety.
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