Lu Over the Wall

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Lu Over the Wall
LuOvertheWall.jpg
Japanese theatrical release poster [1]
Japanese name
Kanji 夜明け告げるルーのうた
Transcriptions
Revised Hepburn Yoaketsugeru Rū no Uta
Directed by Masaaki Yuasa
Written by
Produced by
  • Junnosuke Itou
  • Yuka Okayasu
Starring
Edited byAyako Tan [3]
Music by Takatsugu Muramatsu
Production
company
Distributed by Toho
Release date
  • May 19, 2017 (2017-05-19)
Running time
112 minutes [4]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box office$161,253 [5]

Lu Over the Wall (Japanese: 夜明け告げるルーのうた, Hepburn: Yoaketsugeru Rū no Uta, literally "The song of Lu, the dawn announcer") is a 2017 Japanese animated fantasy film produced by Science Saru and released by Toho about the eponymous ningyo. It was directed by Masaaki Yuasa, and written by Yuasa and Reiko Yoshida. [2] [6] The music was composed by Takatsugu Muramatsu. It is the second Science Saru film, though it was the first to be produced. [7] [8]

Contents

The film was released in Japan on May 19, 2017, [9] It was also released by Anime Limited on December 6, 2017, [10] and by GKIDS on May 11, 2018. [11] [12] Half Symbolic Films released the film on January 31, 2019. [13]

Plot

Kai Ashimoto (足元カイ, Ashimoto Kai) is a lonely and pessimistic 9th grader living in Hinashi Town (日無町, Hinashi-chō) with his grandfather, an umbrella maker, and father. His rock band, "SEIRÈN", was formed by his friends, Kunio (国夫) and Yūho (遊歩).

One day, Kai explores Merfolk Island (人魚島, Ningyojima) and meets Lu (ルー, Rū), the ningyo girl. The music beat allows her fish fin to transform into a pair of human legs. The two strike up a friendship, and Kai takes Lu around the town for a tour. Kai learns that Lu cannot touch sunlight or she will burst into flames. He also learned that Lu has a papa and her mother was killed by a ship. Kai introduces Lu to Yuho and Kuino. When Kai accidentally reveals the secret of the merfolk to the townspeople, Lu's love and power of music makes them dance around town. Despite Kai's selfishness, videos of Lu go viral and she becomes a celebrity. Inspired by her popularity, Yūho's grandfather reopens an old merfolk-themed amusement park on an island near the town. Kai becomes disinterested in the band and begins to ignore Lu. SEIRÈN plays the park's opening, but after Lu arrives and steals the show, Yūho becomes upset and runs away.

Meanwhile, anti-merfolk feelings have been rising in the town, and when Yūho cannot be found by her father, he puts the blame on Lu and captures her. As he threatens her with sunlight, Lu's father comes to save her, which triggers a curse that begins to flood the town. Kai and Yūho help Lu and her father escape, who in turn rally other merfolk to help the town escape the rising waters. In the process of helping, the merfolk destroy the natural cliff which shades the bay from the sun, exposing themselves as the dawn breaks. As the threat of the curse disperses, the townspeople gather themselves and use many umbrellas to save all sea creatures from the sun.

Kai apologizes to Lu and everyone dances happily until all sea creatures return to the ocean. Before parting, Kai and Lu declare their love for each other. Kai starts a new life in town. However, it is understood that Kai and Lu will see each other again in the future.

Voice cast

CharactersJapaneseEnglish [14]
KaiShōta Shimoda Michael Sinterniklaas
Lu Kanon Tani Christine Marie Cabanos
Yuho Minako Kotobuki Stephanie Sheh
Kunio Soma Saito Brandon Engman
Isaki Shizuka Ito Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld
Lu's Father Shinichi Shinohara Michael Alston Bailey
Teruo Kenichi Suzumura Ethan Murray
ChairmanChoo Michael Sorich
President Takayuki Sugō Joe Ochman
Granny Octopus Yutaka Aoyama Barbara Goodson
Chief Priest of ShrineMutsumi Sasaki Derek Stephen Prince
Homeroom TeacherShingo Horii HD Quinn
Fuguda Tokuyoshi Kawashima Kyle Hebert
Nodoguro Ryuji Mizuno Mike Pollock
KamedaTakaaki SekiRaymond K. Essel
KujiraiRiki Kagami Wayne Grayson
ShiiraAtsuyoshi MiyazakiJason Simon
Young GrandpaReidai HirabayashiDavid Thompson
Esojima Daigo Doug Erholtz
Grandfather Akira Emoto Steve Kramer

Production

Yuasa announced on his Twitter that he was working on the film in January 2017. [6] It was animated in a hybrid form in which key frames were drawn on paper, but instead of the traditional clean-up and inbetweening still used in most Japanese traditional animation at the time, these rough key frames were then traced and inbetweened in Adobe Flash. [15]

Yuasa acknowledged that Lu shares some similar plot elements and the visual subject of water with Hayao Miyazaki's film Ponyo , and that it occurred to him late into the production of Lu. He considers this due to the influence on him of Miyazaki and Isao Takahata's Panda! Go, Panda!: Rainy-day Circus , which Miyazaki reused elements of himself in Ponyo, and is happy for his works to include such homages to works he admires. [16] [17]

Kazuyoshi Saito's 1997 song "Utautai no Ballad" (歌うたいのバラッド) was chosen to be the theme song of the film. [18]

Reception

Critical reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 78% approval rating based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Lu Over the Wall can be more fun to watch than to follow, but director Masaaki Yuasa's distinctive visual style offers colorful compensation for an occasionally scattered story." [19] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [20]

Charles Solomon from Los Angeles Times wrote, "Yuasa's bold imagery and sometimes convoluted storytelling defy the conventions of traditional animated filmmaking, but he is clearly an artist with an individual vision whose work offers something genuinely new and eye-catching." [21]

On the other hand, Simon Abrams from RogerEbert.com said "Still, I can't lie: I was bored throughout the 112 minutes I spent watching Lu over the Wall. I initially thought that I was allergic to the mediocre English voice actors' performances. But I soon realized that that my biggest problem was that I couldn't reconcile the basic disconnect between the thrilling story-telling and the paint-by-numbers story. I wanted the film's creators to do something with their formulaic narrative, but they never did." [22]

Box office

Lu over the Wall grossed $161,253 at the box office. [5]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryRecipientResult
2017 Annecy International Animated Film Festival Cristal du long metrageLu Over the WallWon [23]
Shanghai International Film Festival Best AnimationNominated [24]
Fantasia International Film Festival Best Animated Feature - Silver PrizeWon [25]
2018 Mainichi Film Awards Ofuji Noburo Award Won [26]
Japan Media Arts Festival Grand PrizeWon [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masaaki Yuasa</span> Japanese anime director and writer (born 1965)

Masaaki Yuasa is a Japanese director, screenwriter, and animator affiliated with Science SARU, a Japanese animation studio which he co-founded with producer Eunyoung Choi in 2013. Yuasa previously served as president of Science SARU, but stepped down from this role in 2020. Recognized for his idiosyncratic art style and directorial voice, Yuasa began his career as an animator on the landmark television series Chibi Maruko-chan (1990–1992) and Crayon Shin-chan (1992–present), before moving into directing with the feature film Mind Game (2004) and developing a cult appeal following.

Reiko Yoshida is a Japanese screenwriter. She has written and supervised numerous screenplays for anime series, live-action dramas and films. Her major works include Kaleido Star, Aria, Maria-sama ga Miteru, D.Gray-man, K-On!, Bakuman, and Girls und Panzer. In more recent works, she has supervised the screenplays for Majestic Prince, Non Non Biyori, A Town Where You Live, Tamako Market, Yowamushi Pedal, and Castle Town Dandelion. In films, she wrote the screenplay for The Cat Returns, the original films that would make up Digimon: The Movie, Kyoto Animation’s hit anime film A Silent Voice, and the film adaptations of Osamu Tezuka's Buddha, the second film of which was given a stamp of approval by the Dalai Lama. She wrote the story for the manga series Tokyo Mew Mew along with illustrator Mia Ikumi. Among her works, she was recognized for Best Screenplay/Original Work for Girls und Panzer at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival in 2014, and she won another Best Screenplay/Original Work award in 2017. In 2018, she wrote the screenplay for Violet Evergarden which aired on TV in Japan and is licensed by Netflix. Her latest project is the animated series The Heike Story, produced with animation studio Science Saru.

<i>Japan Sinks</i> 1973 novel written by Sakyo Komatsu

Japan Sinks is a disaster novel by Japanese writer Sakyo Komatsu, published in 1973.

<i>Uta no Prince-sama</i> Japanese multimedia franchise

Uta no Prince-sama is a Japanese multimedia franchise by Broccoli. The original game of the same name was first released on the PlayStation Portable on June 24, 2010, and since its release, the game has spawned multiple sequels and rhythm game spin-offs. The series has also been adapted into several manga series.

The Ōfuji Noburō Award is an animation award given at the Mainichi Film Awards. It is named after Japanese animator Noburō Ōfuji.

<i>In This Corner of the World</i> (film) 2016 Japanese film

In This Corner of the World is a 2016 Japanese animated wartime drama film produced by MAPPA, co-written and directed by Sunao Katabuchi, featuring character designs by Hidenori Matsubara and music by Kotringo. The film is based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Fumiyo Kōno. It premiered in Japan on November 12, 2016. Animatsu Entertainment licensed the global distribution rights of the film in June 2016. Shout! Factory acquired the distribution rights for North America, with a U.S. theatrical release on August 11, 2017, co-released by Funimation Films. An extended version of the film, titled In This Corner of the World, premiered on December 20, 2019 and surpassed the extended 70mm cut of Final Yamato by five minutes to become one of the two longest theatrical animated films to date, tied with Chang'an.

Food Chain (<i>Adventure Time</i>) 7th episode of the 6th season of Adventure Time

"Food Chain" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series Adventure Time. The episode was written, storyboarded, and directed by Japanese anime director Masaaki Yuasa in cooperation with creative director Eunyoung Choi, and guest stars Regular Show storyboard artist Minty Lewis as Erin the caterpillar.

Events in 2017 in anime. This year is known as the Anime Centennial Year, and was celebrated as its 100th anniversary to commemorate the ending of the Heisei era.

<i>Night Is Short, Walk On Girl</i> 2017 animated film directed by Masaaki Yuasa

Night Is Short, Walk On Girl is a 2017 Japanese animated romantic comedy film directed by Masaaki Yuasa. The film is based on the 2006 novel The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl written by Tomihiko Morimi and illustrated by Yusuke Nakamura, who also served as the film's original character designer. The film was released in North America as The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl, with a leading article added, but in other English-speaking regions without one. It has been awarded the Grand Prize for Best Animated Feature at the Ottawa International Animation Festival and the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.

<i>Devilman Crybaby</i> 2018 anime series by Masaaki Yuasa

Devilman Crybaby is a 2018 Japanese original net animation (ONA) series based on Go Nagai's manga series Devilman. The web anime is directed by Masaaki Yuasa, produced by Aniplex and Dynamic Planning, animated by Science SARU, and released by Netflix. Yuasa was offered the opportunity to create a Devilman project by Aniplex, and envisioned Devilman Crybaby. Announced in 2017 to mark Nagai's 50th anniversary as a creator, Crybaby was made available for worldwide streaming on January 5, 2018, as a Netflix original series.

Kensuke Ushio is a Japanese composer, rock and EBM musician. He also releases work under the moniker Agraph.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Science Saru</span> Japanese animation studio

Science Saru, Inc., stylized as Science SARU, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Kichijōji, Tokyo. Established on February 4, 2013, by producer Eunyoung Choi and director Masaaki Yuasa, the studio has produced four feature films and five animated series, as well as co-productions, a compilation film, and episodes of series for other studios. Science Saru's first animation was the "Food Chain" episode of the American animated series Adventure Time (2014); its most recent projects are the animated feature film Inu-Oh (2021), two short films for the animated anthology project Star Wars: Visions (2021), and the animated series The Heike Story (2021), Yurei Deco (2022), and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023).

<i>Ride Your Wave</i> 2019 Japanese animated film

Ride Your Wave is a 2019 Japanese animated romantic fantasy film produced by Science Saru and directed by Masaaki Yuasa. The film premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 10, 2019 and was released in Japan on June 21, 2019.

Abel Góngora is a Spanish animator and director known for his work with the Japanese animation studio Science SARU. Having joined the studio as one of its first employees, Góngora serves as the head of Science SARU's digital animation department and has specialized in the use of Adobe Animate. In addition to his work as an animator, Góngora has also served as an episode director for promotional episodes of the American series OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, and as the director of T0-B1, a short film segment of the Disney+ anthology project Star Wars: Visions.

Eunyoung Choi (Korean: 최은영) is a South Korean studio executive, producer, director and animator. She is the President and CEO of Science Saru, a Japanese animation studio which she co-founded with Masaaki Yuasa in 2013, and has served as producer of the company's works. In 2020, following the announcement that Yuasa would step down from an executive role at Science Saru, Choi assumed responsibility for the management of the studio. In 2021, she directed a short animated film entitled Akakiri for the short film anthology Star Wars: Visions.

<i>Super Shiro</i> 2019 television anime series

Super Shiro is a Japanese anime television series produced by Science SARU. A spin-off of the popular Crayon Shin-chan franchise, the series focuses on the adventures of Shiro, a seemingly-normal family dog who, when the Earth is threatened, secretly transforms into a canine superhero to protect the planet from nefarious villains. The series, consisting of 48 five-minute episodes, aired in Japan on the TV Asahi-affiliated streaming platforms AbemaTV and Telasa from October 2019 to September 2020, and was subsequently aired on Cartoon Network in Australia, India, and throughout Southeast Asia.

<i>Inu-Oh</i> 2021 Japanese animated film by Masaaki Yuasa

Inu-Oh is a 2021 Japanese animated musical film directed by Masaaki Yuasa and produced by Science SARU. Based upon the novel Tales of the Heike: Inu-Oh by Hideo Furukawa, the film is set in 14th century Japan and centers on the friendship between Inu-Oh, a dancer born with unique physical characteristics, and Tomona, a blind musician. Ostracized by society due to their physical differences, Inu-Oh and Tomona nonetheless utilize their artistic abilities to propel themselves to stardom.

Star Twinkle Pretty Cure the Movie: These Feeling within The Song of Stars is a 2019 Japanese animated action fantasy film based on the Pretty Cure franchise created by Izumi Todo, and its sixteenth series, Star Twinkle PreCure. The film is directed by Yuta Tanaka, written by Jin Tanaka, and produced by Toei Animation. The film was released in Japan on October 19, 2019.

Shinya Ohira is a Japanese animator, director and character designer. He is known for his animation style with constantly shifting linework, described as being both realistic and surreal. He is part of the animator circle Studio Break, along with animators like Atsushi Yano and Shinji Hashimoto. He has worked on several Studio Ghibli films, with Hayao Miyazaki even storyboarding certain scenes with Ohira in mind for the animation.

References

  1. ↑ Ressler, Karen (14 February 2017). "Masaaki Yuasa's Yoake Tsugeru Lu no Uta Anime Film Reveals Poster Visual". Anime News Network . Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 "映画『夜明け告げるルーのうた』公式サイト" [Film Lu over the Wall official site] (in Japanese). Lu Film partners. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  3. ↑ "夜明け告げるルーのうた" [Lu over the Wall]. Anime@wiki (in Japanese). @WIKI. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  4. ↑ Lu Film partners. "『四畳半神話大系』や『ピンポン』を手掛けた湯浅政明監督初のオリジナル作品『夜明け告げるルーのうた』が公開決定！". animate Times (in Japanese). animateLAB. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Lu Over the Wall (2017) box office". Box Office Mojo. August 20, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Ressler, Karen (18 January 2017). "Director Masaaki Yuasa reveals Yoake Tsugeru Lu no Uta anime film". Anime News Network . Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  7. ↑ Hamman, Dan (5 October 2017). "Masaaki Yuasa Interview Part 1 (Night is Short, Walk On Girl)". Animation for Adults. Retrieved March 23, 2018. I was making Lu and Walk On happened during that production.
  8. ↑ Chapman, Matt (December 9, 2017). "Masaaki Yuasa interview: Lu Over the Wall & The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl". MyMBuzz. MCM Central . Retrieved March 23, 2018. While I was working on Lu Over the Wall, the other one came up suddenly, so I decided to work on both at the same time.
  9. ↑ Ressler, Karen (February 14, 2017). "Masaaki Yuasa's Yoake Tsugeru Lu no Uta anime film reveals poster visual". Anime News Network . Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Lu Over the Wall". Lu Over the Wall UK Official Website. Anime Limited. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  11. ↑ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (January 2, 2018). "GKIDS Licenses Lu over the wall, 'Night is Short, Walk on Girl' Anime Films (Updated)". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  12. ↑ GKIDS (March 21, 2018). "From visionary anime director Masaaki Yuasa comes the first feature film from Science SARU, LU OVER THE WALL. Lu swims into theaters May 11! #LuOverTheWall". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Masaaki Yuasa films coming to Australia". Half Symbolic Films. April 20, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Lu Over the Wall". Sundance Film Festival 2019. The Sundance Institute . Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  15. ↑ . "夜明け告げるルーのうた" [Lu over the Wall]. Science SARU. Retrieved April 7, 2018..
  16. ↑ "Devilman Crybaby Director Masaaki Yuasa Unveils New Anime Film 'Kimi to, Nami ni Noretara'".
  17. ↑ "Acclaimed Animator Announces His New Project [Lu over the Wall: Q&A]".
  18. ↑ "斉藤和義「歌うたいのバラッド」、湯浅政明監督の最新アニメ映画主題歌に決定". Natalie (in Japanese). 2017-01-19. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  19. ↑ "Lu Over the Wall (Yoake tsugeru Rū no uta) (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Lu Over the Wall Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  21. ↑ Solomon, Charles (10 May 2018). "Japanese animation Lu Over the Wall gives mermaid tale new life". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  22. ↑ Abrams, Simon. "Lu Over the Wall Movie Review (2018)". Roger Ebert. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  23. ↑ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (June 18, 2017). "'Lu Over the Wall, In This Corner of the World anime films win awards at Annecy". Anime News Network . Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Shanghai International Film Festival 2017". IMDb . Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Fantasia Film Festival 2017". IMDb . Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  26. ↑ Inoa, Christopher (May 18, 2018). "Devilman Crybaby's Masaaki Yuasa might be the most important voice in anime right now". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Animation Division | 2018 [21st]". Japan Media Arts Festival . Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.