Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
yenbarn
If you are hesitant to watch this movie because of the amount of mixed reviews, trust me and just go for it.
If you are midway through the movie but you don't wanna continue it no more, PLEASE TRUST THE PROCESS.
First of all, this was such a well executed and brilliant produced original work despite not having any other sources to get reference from...
In this movie, there are two seperate worlds, the real one and the fantasy digital one. Normally, producers try to execute the two-world dimensions in a more storytelling way, in a way where you can feel both stories are connected despite being completely different views / perspective of world. In this scenario, it wasn't the case for BELLE. Both of the worlds have not a single connection at all, it's as if you are watching two seperate mo…
Read at the sourceEleonoraViolet
(Originally written on 2025/03/04, one day after I watched this movie)
I think it's a highly subjective experience and a given person's reaction will mostly depend on two things - (1) what they were expecting before going into it; and (2) how much they care about / are affected by the emotional bits, including but not limited to all the music + songs and how they were presented. For me, who had little to no expectations & ended up being very positively surprised by how this movie was handled, this was a really nice watch.
ARTSTYLE / DESIGNS
- Really good; both of those had two distinct styles, one for scenes in the real world, one for scenes in the virtual space ("U"), and both worked really well. The former style was simple, yet pleasant to look at and matched the realism of everything…
Read at the sourcelinaeh
Everything was so.. disjointed.
It felt like AI at times. You never know what's truly going on or why they're suddenly doing random stuff. The characters would open up without a good reason at random times as well, and the dialogues seemed very unrealistic at times.
The first 15-ish minutes were very good. I loved the style, and i did shed a tear quite early on when they showed the mom backstory. And the childhood where music were a big part of it. Wolf Children is one of my favourite films, so i thought this was going to bee similar.
But as soon as they got in the game, it just got worse, immedietaly. The CGI in the game is so bad that it sometimes looks like AI, and since the script was so weird it feels like CHATGPT made the whole film. But since this was made 2021, i'm not so sure.…
Read at the sourceStarsoulMac
Imagine a virtual world where you can become an overnight sensation across the globe. A voice that can reach the hearts of millions of souls forever. Welcome to the world of Belle.
The story begins with the main character named Suzu, a third-year high school student from the Koichi Prefecture. Suzu is your run-of-the-mill, typical, shy, introverted girl who runs away from who she truly is from within due to her deep, traumatic past. Due to her best friend Hiroka's persistence, Suzu signs up for an app called "U", a virtual world where you can do whatever you want and become who you truly want to be. The avatars in the virtual world are known as 'a.s.', which means 'altered self'. The U app scans a user's biometric data, analysing the user's body, voice, inner emotions and strengths and we…
Read at the sourceEuphoArsTaa
Belle is a visual and audible masterpiece.
It's the first anime I ever watched in a cinema, and I HIGHLY recommend you see Belle in theatres to feel the atmosphere of the music. A Million Miles Away is a song worth crying to.
The blend of 3D and 2D was beautiful, a virtual world that looked like something out of a subliminal dream, and the real world environment was beautifully painted too. Everyone at Studio Chizu did a fantastic job on the artistic side of the movie.
I would also like to say. Yes, the plot could have been written better, but I still look fondly back at Belle for how it made me feel. Belle changed my life, and it felt like the best reward I could have after a challenging year (2022).
It's unlikely you will feel the same way I do about the film, but I believe it's wort…
Read at the sourceBlueSkyBlue
I think that this movie was very sweet. If you've seen Cinderella and anything else from the romance genre, you know what you're getting yourself into, which isn't a bad thing. I'm rating this as mixed feelings because the ending of the movie does handle a certain topic in this movie in a way that I will say is a bit distasteful but I don't think it's a "throw the whole movie away" response. I adored the blending of 2d and 3d animation in this movie. It was a treat for my eyes and the character designs were gorgeous. I'll probably watch again.
Read at the sourcemaya_kotori
This is honestly such a beautiful film, and I’m so glad my friend was the one who introduced it to me. From the very first moments, I completely fell in love with the music. The songs are still stuck in my head, and I adore them just as much now as I did the first time I heard them. The whole movie has this magical, emotional atmosphere that reminded me a little of Beauty and the Beast, but in a modern, deeply touching way. I cried during so many scenes because the story hit me so hard. It’s emotional in the best possible way. Its gentle, powerful, and incredibly human. And the animation is absolutely stunning. Every frame looks like a piece of art, full of color, detail, and emotion. For me, Belle is one of those films that stays with you long after you finish it. I truly think it’s wonde…
Read at the source1stDecame4Danime
Morally and emotionally bankrupt trash with no sincerity whatsoever. This is a staggering display of emotional immaturity/delusion from the writer. It feels like it was written by some rich tiktok-for-brain idiot ipad kid. Or rather just some insulated delusional rich idiot trying to larp as what they think the kids are like these days.
This shallow movie is an unwitting display of hypocrisy, a monument to vanity (despite explicitly superficially wearing the abused corpse of Beauty and the Beast as it hollowly parrots a mockery against being vain), of greed (as they churn out this soulless facsimile of emotionally bankrupt propaganda slop), of pure vitriol seeking to normalize itself.
The MC is a self-insert of escapism. The writer attempts to convince through appeals to the viewer's vai…
Read at the sourceGondre19Wedj
I've wanted to see this movie ever since I heard the song "U" in 2021. 4 years later, and it absolutely lived up to the hype I built up for it. Belle is visually and audibly stunning. An interesting modern take on "Beauty and the Beast," it reimagines the story in creative ways that kept me on the edge of my seat, trying to unravel the new mysteries. I don't think they were too deeply hidden, but I also don't think it necessarily spelled it out for the viewer either. I loved all the characters and found them easy to latch onto. My only real gripe I have with the movie is that the first two acts feel a little rushed at points. I wish it took a little more time to linger. I loved the points where the characters got each other into slightly awkward situations, and the camera just let the char…
Read at the sourceCaeruleus_CCXVI
8/10 ~ Hosoda's 2nd best movie... so far
This year I decided to go through and watch Hosoda's entire discography and this was pretty much the last one. (Skipping Coo because I know its bad). Honestly with the exception of in my opinion his best work, Wolf Children, all of his work has progressively gotten better almost chronologically by release date. However he still seems to have this one problem with trying to cram too much into a movie, man just make a series already so you can put everything you want in them. Because of the format that are 1.5 -2 hr movies there has to be alot of restraint on what they can include, how far in-depth they can go into background, development and theme past 1-2 main focal points like a main charecters actions and experiences. Belle, the movie, struggles…
Read at the sourceBearguy211
I discovered the anime from TikTok (no surprise), I found the song in it so beautiful. So despite not watching anime for so long, I thought "Maybe this will be good" so I tried giving it a watch. In the first half of the movie everything was nice the climax and all, made me tear up a bit, but the introduction of the main male lead felt kinda forced, what happened did the writer force him? But I thought whatever its anime... anything can happen.
As I progress through the movie the storyline of the male lead feels like nonsense. The female lead...well, I can't say much, woman. She did her best.
Ps:-
avoid cyberbullying. If you feel like a victim, stop, and go offline, your persona isn't limited to your digital realm. thrust me... I spend way too much time on my digital life.... but regret?…
Read at the sourceKyou_Ryuu
THE GOOD:
Stunning direction and visuals, good animation, and great music, especially the songs if you like the genre.
THE MEH:
The CGI is overall good, and in most cases it blends nicely within the visual flow. But in some scenes it sticks out like a sore thumb, looks lazily done and seems not adequate for a movie production. Belle's concert is one example.
THE BAD:
The writing is all over the place: dangling story threads without closure, story elements and themes introduced abruptly without proper anticipation, plot holes, characters lacking development, or motivation, or both. If you're looking for a movie with a tight plot, this isn't it.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Disappointing. The production is triple-A level, especially the animation and the music. The story concept isn't bad either, but…
Read at the sourceSCA_CriticalEye
Critical:
A mix of 2D and 3D animation, a wonderful showcase of songs, and a modern approach to an old story—Belle is perhaps a more relevant film than Beauty and The Beast, especially in relation to internet culture and contemporary society. However, Belle juggles too many storylines and ideas that by the end, it can't stick the landing and find what exactly it wants to be. Some aspects are thinly resolved and mostly unexplored, resulting in an experience that will be pleasing to watch, but doesn't offer anything provocative beyond the source material's familiar themes.
Personal:
If anything, you can probably enjoy at least the music and soundtrack to come out of this film.
Read at the sourceJasuu_06
The movie was great, from style to suspension. But, it was quite hard to follow at times, and it was jumping all over the place - so it is not really for everyone.
Maybe as a lazy watch this is fine.
The songs are beautiful, and I would suppose the movie has a proper meaning and message, and the art style is fitting for the story. Beautiful choice of colors!
The main character(s) of the story had a well put-together background and development and you could see a bond forming overtime in "U".
I would not say they reacted in a fully realistic way, but what happened in the movie could describe a little bit of how one would feel if now this was our reality. (Although, take it with a grain of salt.)
It is a light movie, so I would recommend it for anyone just wanting to have it on as a quic…
Read at the sourceARK1259
Sometimes I wish I was a kid, enjoy endless shiny surprises and never think to ask, how these things are even put together. Just enjoyment is sometimes beneficial to us, however people like me can't really get the kid side of themselves to work again, then enjoying stories like this, is going to be very hard.
When the movie played I took my phone, lay on the couch and started checking my socials till the anime begins. It did not take more than 5 minutes for Belle to captivate me in such way that I put my phone aside, grabbed my glasses and sat up right with four eyes to watch this show.
I am very glad to inform you guys that the opening to Belle is by far one of the best openings I have ever seen in an animated movie. With no mercy it will drop you into this vast world with zero explanat…
Read at the sourcecrimsoughtan
Watched this way back then but just wanted to share a review regarding this anime/movie. Personal rating on this one is slightly higher than how it's supposed to be and the main reason is the music. Plot-wise is pretty debatable but the music is just masterpiece.
Going back to the plot, I actually like the modern twist one and I initially anticipated for it to be like the classic "Beauty and the Beast" movie but besides the characters and the chase after the misunderstood beast. it's still a lot different from what was anticipated. The conflict lies with some parts of the movie where I find myself anticipating certain actions to be done but the plot just didn't itch into that anticipation.
Tho overall, the movie is still enjoyable. The movie taps into great themes and the plot can be re…
Read at the sourceDinoNuggetboyo
This show has beautiful visuals and a wonderful mix of 2D and 3D animation. Also, it has an amazing soundtrack and some stellar songs. With that said, the plot and overall writing could have used some work. The plot jumps between different scenes and times, it's hard to make a consecutive timeline for the movie or follow the relationships between characters. On top of that, the plot itself seems to grab a bunch of ideas and cliches from popular films (excluding Beauty and the Beast) and stories. If you're looking for a movie with beautiful visuals, and a wonderful soundtrack, but a rather surface-level and cliche story, this is the one for you.
Read at the sourcewaserf
I'll be extremely brief. The animations, acting, and especially the songs are very good if not exceptional. However, the plot makes no sense and has colossal holes. To be more specific, there are more fundamental plot points that don't make sense than those that do.
P.S. All of this is seasoned with an amount of edginess that makes it seem even more like it was written by a 14-year-old.
P.P.S worth watching just for the songs this is filler because they don't make me write a review that's too short like a 2 billion word wall of text was a pleasure to read
Read at the sourceZanryu1337
Story: 9
Animation: 7
Sound: 10
Characters: 10
Enjoyment: 10
Total: 9
Scars can heal. It is an important message this movie nails very well. Even with the minor caveat of getting positive support. But this lesson is as important as well. If your friends struggle through hard times, help them. In total, I don't want to write much about the movie as it clearly best to go blind in there, as for most movies. But since it is less well known, it is far easier to go in there spoiler free.
And holy hell, the music. The Japanese songs are insanely intense. Albeit being a big generic, especially the first ones. But my opinion about them switched pretty fast as I got further into the story.
Which has some minor issues. Especially logic loopholes about the main rules and the "police chief".
But the…
Read at the sourceCyanCheetah
Belle was a beautiful movie.
Mamoru Hosoda has a specific art style that has grown on me. It is amazing.
Technology has come a long way and this is by far THE BEST Mamoru Hosada movie in terms of animation.
Sure I might like the visual depth and 3Dness of Shinkai more, but in terms of "traditional" 2D style, Mamoru does it best
The story on the other hand is not one of his best works. It was good no doubt, and raised awareness on big issues.
But it really played a bait card ifykwim.
It's about this shy lonely depressed girl whose mother died. And then she does a fake persona on the world wide web.
Except this was similar to what was done in Summer Wars. This movie gave me a LOT of Summer War vibes.
It was beautiful though. Still Wolf Children is #1 Mamoru Hosoda.
What is the best o…
Read at the source
