Audience reviews
8 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
MsBorsh
Giovanni Island is a wonderful, tragic story about the difficult fate of Japanese refugees from the island of Shakotan who are in Soviet occupation after World War 2. I will not record a historical lecture, since it is so interesting, then you can turn to various sources and archives yourself.
The film really touched me, I almost shed tears, it's just impossible to remain calm at the sight of what ordinary residents are going through, who are essentially refugees of the war, they did not deserve such a fate in any way! I don't want to tie someone by nationality, to stereotypes and special special treatment, peace, friendship, chewing gum - that's my slogan!
Although it is historical in genre, but in order to evaluate it from this point of view, you need to familiarize yourself, but the m…
Read at the sourceSt0rmblade
That was a great and a somewhat unique experience, especially in the audio part. While it's certainly noteworthy that real Russian and Korean speakers were used, Russian speech felt a bit artificial and forced to me. It was unnaturally soft, I'd say. While it's definitely OK for voice actors to make their voices suit the movie, it didn't really sit with me well here. Hideo's voice, on the other hand, felt very natural - maybe due to his carefree personality and way of talking. The cultural aspects of Russians were kinda stereotypical - you know, matryoshkas, Katyusha, dances...though on the other hand it's hard to expect something else from soldiers and their families. Still, it's a minor complaint.
*SPOILER WARNING*
On another note, I'm doomed to be "spoiled" of every story where one of…
Read at the sourceAh-hey-go
Giovanni's Island: Trains, Boats and the Death of Innocent Children During World War 2
World War 2 is one of the most commonly talked about events. Whether it’s in class or in film, it’s an undeniably important and memorable event, and anime is no different when it comes to representing this historic event. What happened after the war is another story. How all the affected countries changed into what they are today, and how this war affected the relationships between these nations – this is an often-overlooked aspect of our culture that Giovanni’s Island delights in telling.
The film starts off in a small, island village, far away from the violence of the war. This all changed when the Soviets attacked. Upon the arrival of these spoopy soviets the Japanese just get fucked over constantly…
Read at the sourceephemerry
Giovanni’s Island is a film that I had to really grapple with. From the beginning, I was instantly entranced in its setting but, as the film went on, those feelings of awe fell away with the tiresome execution. This film has a lot of problems with characterization, but an unmistakably sublime visual direction. It’s missing the profundity of the novel, Night on the Galactic Railroad, that it consistently creates parallels to!
This review of Joban'ni no Shima (2014) contains spoilers! You have been warned!
—Story/Characters
The story begins with two brothers, Junpei and Kanta, who live on the island of Shikotan, weeks before the end of World War II, on August 15, 1945, *Soviet soldiers land on Shikotan and occupy the island. Junpei and Kanta, who live with their grandfather, a fisherman,…
Read at the sourceTimmytimtam
What. A. Big. Mood.
in 1945 some stuff with some armies went on, you might've heard about it before. this movie does not mention the rape of nanking but it does tell the story of some people on some island somewhere. then it tells the story of the same people in places not on some island somewhere.
the art is really really really good and enhances the most emotional scene in the movie which was very touching if you weren't listening to someone complain about the subs for the entire fucking scene, luceo. aside from the highly stylised moments on the galactic railroad the art is generally good, two of the characters are consistently vibrant and fun to watch.
during the first half of the movie there's a great bit that really hits home how cool hearing stuff is, they're like singing a song…
Read at the sourcemushimaster94
Giovanni’s Island is an emotionally gripping film that depicts life in Japan near the end of world war 2 known as the Soviet-Japanese War. The film unfolds around our main character Junpei/Giovanni, who is a young boy living in one of the Islands in Japan, whose father is the commander of the firefighting force in the village (he’s basically the head honcho of the village). The soviets are invading their hometown and our adventure begins from here. Before I progress, I have to say I really loved this movie, but this film is very one-sided, it makes you feel empathetic toward the Japanese, and it brushes of and ignores what the Japanese did before this period. I get that the film was made in Japan, so naturally there is pride when making a film about one’s own country, but I felt some recog…
Read at the sourcetameiiki
Giovanni no shima is a beautiful film about dreams, hope and love. Taking place at an island called Shikotan in Northern Japan during the end of the 2nd World War, Giovanni no shima displays a unique milieu even for the most studious anime-watcher.
Siblings Junpei and Kanta are very young when the Red Army comes and takes control of their dear home island. But even on the hard times, when food is scarce and scary armed men watch every move they take, the two have something they can always rely on: their imagination. ‘The Galactic Railroad’ is their way to escape difficult situations, taking them far away where ever they dream to, even if it's only for a moment.
Soon they come to think that everything’s not that helpless after all. The culture the Russians brought with them is interesting…
Read at the sourcetsubagakure
1945, Japan was defeated in WWII. We find ourselves in the beautiful greenery island of Shikotan, and the Russian army has taken the land as their own. Junpei and Kanta are two little brothers who find themselves in the spoils of war and have to face this cruel reality. When two countries collide, we happen to discover different cultures, distinct features, language barriers and ruffling history. “Giovanni no Shima” takes us onto the railroads of a train, and stopping at every station, it shows us how to break those obstacles and teaches us about longing and loss, but also bravery and determination to achieve one’s goal, in a destroyed and homeless Japan.
Miyazawa Kenji’s words and reveries play a major role in the story, thus Junpei and Kanta are named Giovanni and Campanella, two main c…
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