Audience reviews
18 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
nozomiEX
An opener oozing out the gills with charm gives way to a flimsy second half largely detached from all the good points being set up in the first.
The first half of the story is sort of meandering but it's busy setting up so, so many things that I could forgive it for feeling like it's missing a connective throughline. We're introduced to Kai, our protagonist, a mopey, reserved teenager with a passion for music, who shortly gets roped into his friends' band. Yuho, daughter of the big fishing company in town, and Kunio, son of the local shrine priest, happen to find that Kai produces music, and would be perfect for their band. Begrudginly he goes along with them to practice on Merfolk Island, where their music attracts the eponymous Lu, a mermaid who loves to sing and dance. Kai is immediate…
Read at the sourceDrakestalker
Lu Over the Wall was studio Science SARU’s first original, theatrical production. What’s it about?
The movie has several themes, but the basic idea of the plot is that our protagonist trio Kai, Yuuho, and Kunio have an interest in music and singing. While Kai needs some persuading, they decide to team up and form a band early on in the film. Meanwhile, a mermaid named Lu is attracted by their singing and shyly engages with them. You’re initially led to believe that music is an important theme in the movie, but it’s really just a plot device to inject the mermaids into the movie. Once Lu gets introduced as a proper character, the whole singing sphiel gets put on the backburner. Then it comes back again? Then becomes irrelevant again? Then we sing to save the world at the end? Sort of? I re…
Read at the sourcePurinzu05
An adventurous coming of age story of 3 friends on their way to find out what do they really want to do with their future lives, is it Tokyo where they'll ultimately go or will they find something more magical on their not so sleepy fishing town island?
Visuals are fun and endearing might I say.
I'm a sucker for movies about music, while I won't claim to be able to explain the intricacies of its music, All I can say is from the ears to the brain and the heart, it sounds good and it makes me feel good.
A very enjoyable film to watch if you have 2 hours to kill.
Read at the sourcelethargilistic
"What if Ponyo, but she's a vampire, and it's a musical?" I dug it. I ended up watching the dub because it was the path of least resistance, and I probably wouldn't have if I had realized just how integral the musical performances would be later on. I wish English dubs would/could put more production work into the songs. Ah well.
The visuals were very cool and emotive all throughout. It felt nice on my eyes. Like a breath of fresh air. But on my face. The cuts of dancing were a bit repetitive, but the content of those cuts was so purely joyous.
Read at the sourceMxyiee
NOTE: This is an in-depth review which contains a bunch of spoilers!
When one has the intention to do good, one shall put some effort to be loved by everyone. But humans are complicated. That good intention could bring them shame, anger, envy, hopelessness, or even take it as an advantage to fulfill their desires. The truth is always their bringing peace to everyone, but misconception is faster to spread than what really lies within. In what means could we stop the hatred around us? I think it's impossible. If only there's a magic that could bind us from doing selfish things. If only there's a creature that could help us realize how horrific our race are. The root of all conflict caused by humanity is possession. This starts when one has the ability to have something "good" while the oth…
Read at the sourcePipi_chan
The story is simple and sweet but also keeps you engaged, I felt that the characters are quite sweet especially Lu! Well, the concept is not very new, and the art style also doesn't look very pleasing to me, but what will keep you engaged to the story is it's music and dance! Seriously, this movies has got some great music, that will surely attract you and the next best things are the mermaids. The characters are quite good but Lu is a character that I liked very much, she is sweet and helpful and also I think her voice actor has done justice to her role, the moment she makes her appearance, she steals the show.
I also like the way story is shown in a realistic manner, like what people of a simple little town think like, superstitious beliefs, their day to day life and all other things li…
Read at the sourcefoozhochii
On a whim I decided to give this film a try, and I am so glad I did. All I knew going into it was that Masaaki Yuasa had some role in the production of the film. Being aware of his exceptional work on other films and most notably his work of Devil Man Crybaby for me, I was excited to see just how much of a spectacle this movie would be.
Lu Over the Wall is (argubally) a typical "fish out of water" (pun sort of intended!) film about an alien-like being coming into contact with a contemporary form of human society, and how said humans deal with it. This story setup isn't for everyone, some may even roll their eyes at the concept. In my humble opinion, the amount of heart and soul poured into this animated piece thwarts many critiques that could be drawn to its story. Every still, every shot…
Read at the sourceRondepart
This movie is like one of those movies you watch when you we're a child, very straightforward and enjoyable, here's why...
Story...
The plot of the story is not nerve-wracking or something to fuss about, and is pretty much predictable. However, the consistency of how events escalated along with the story being pure made up for it. The story doesn't contain any complex elements, it really is straightforward which is a strong point of the movie as it executed both plot and subplot really brilliantly.
Art...
The art style is free of detail, it's clean to look at. This may not be the best looking art style but it somehow compensates on how pure the movie is.
Sound...
The soundtracks are great, the opening will give you an idea on what the whole movie is about while the ending (my favorite s…
Read at the sourceVictoriaLoves
I did Not expect this movie to reduce me down to a puddly mess, but it 100% did. In the absolute best way, of course.
The story, while sometimes on the goofy side, is very effecting. It draws you in to it's world and makes you feel like you're home.
The highlight of the film is Lu, obviously. She's open, she's friendly, she's vivacious, she's full of an infectious spirit. Of course, our fellow band members are all lovely characters in their own right, and I liked all of them equally. Kai is particularly relatable.
The only thing about the movie that was somewhat jarring/mildly ineffective for me was the different animation styles all mixed in together. I wouldn't consider this a flaw. It just took me some time to get used to, and there were some parts of the animation I liked better tha…
Read at the sourceLemmy7003
Ever since The Tatami Galaxy single-handedly re-kickstarted my interest in anime proper, I’ve been a massive fan of Masaaki Yuasa. Devilman Crybaby was my 2nd favourite series of 2018, and Ping Pong The Animation stands as one of the medium’s greatest triumphs. So, it was great with elation I finally sat down to watch Lu Over The Wall, a film that is a bit more family oriented then his usual fair, and clearly not as deep or meaningful, but lacks none of the heart and visual splendour that has become usual Yuasa fair.
When I watch a Yuasa property, I feel they can be divided into two categories – more clear cut and straightforward series, like The Tatami Galaxy or Kaiba, where the point of the series is much clearer, and then there are the weirder, more experimental or cerebral affairs, su…
Read at the sourceseannyb
In 2017, cult anime creator Masaaki Yuasa directed two feature films out of his new Science Saru studio. "Lu" is the weaker of the two. Watching it is like watching three anime movies at the same time. Whatever conceptual or emotional core it could’ve had is deafened in a cacophony of tangential ideas and subplots.
A teen weighed down by his parents' divorce joins a band whose practice sessions summon a mermaid in a declining fishing town. Meanwhile, the town opens a mermaid-themed amusement park. Meanwhile, there’s a cataclysmic curse that threatens to swallow the town. Meanwhile…
"Lu" can’t care less about its own subject matter, which is disappointing considering the storytelling strength of Yuasa’s other recent works. Rather than develop any facet of it to satisfaction, the hokey fil…
Read at the sourceKarhu
Lu Over the Wall is one of Yuasa "Yuusa" Masaaki's three anime titles that were produced under his new animation studio he himself founded after Ping Pong the animation in 2014 in purpose of "inventing anime again", but for some reason not even his loyal fans watched Lu.
If we say Devilman Crybaby (2018) was what he wanted to achieve with Auers Blu AKA Kemenozume already in 2006, we are not far from truth. On the other hand, if we look into Yoru wa Mijikashi Aruke yo Otome (2017) AKA The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl AKA The Maiden Galaxy, it is just a tribute to Tatami Galaxy like the last name suggests. What is Lu Over the Wall then? Well, for one thing, it is the closest of "inventing anime again."
By inventing anime again, Yuusa decided take a look into Europe. More specifically to…
Read at the sourceEvanLoh
"A great movie about friendship and mermaids indeed!"
Pros
1. Weird but unique art and animation
2. Excellent soundtracks
3. Likable characters, especially the mermaids
Cons
1. Story is nothing original, pretty predictable 2. Some may find it hard to like the art choice
3. The story is weird, like very weird, some may find it hard to like it
I started this because I have heard a lot of praise for the director of this movie, Masaaki Yuasa. I didn't know what I was getting into with this movie,the only thing I know is that it's about music and friendship. At first I find it quite hard to like the art and animation choice. It's quite different from other anime I watched before and it's isn't very consistent. To describe the animation, it's like Trigger but on more drugs. But slowly I g…
Read at the sourceHibikase
U N D E R R A T E D, is what I would describe Yu Over the Wall.
In an industry saturated with a consumer culture bent up on their attachment to overused cliches, character archetypes, and meta-humor, it becomes more and more difficult to find something that truly stands out from the crowd and expand the appeal of the anime medium. Yu Over the Wall (YOtW) is one of the debut works of the new studio, Science SARU, formed by the renowned director, Masaaki Yuasa (directed works such as Ping Pong the Animation and the Tatami Galaxy), and producer Choi Eunyoung. I personally found YOtW to be a brilliant piece of creative work lead by a group of very passionate, and talented people. The film touches upon themes of youth, community, and the generational gap in Japan in a very subtle, yet meaningf…
Read at the sourcekokuborou
Let's take a different approach about this movie....from a child's perspective this movie is very attractive and he feels vey connected to the story ,art and characters and will have a great blast watching it. One thing for sure this movie was made to be viewed together with all family members on a Sunday afternoon . It's has a simple and catching formula with a little fantasy and magic added to spice up things.The visuals are appealing and the ost is catchy.
What's remarkable about this movie is how it handles the bond between humans and mermaids and how it influenced the lives of the human characters and their choices. It doesn't try to go deep or portray a dark side of it, it stays the same innocent , simple and magical story from a book that your mother would have read for you when yo…
Read at the sourceHagorama
Lu over the wall is an enjoyable watch with great visuals, a good score, a really "generic" story, and a very likable cast.
Story:
The story is nothing new, I am pretty sure you would be able to make out what will happen later on in the first 20 mins or so(Not saying it's a bad thing)
It's really lighthearted and I had grin throughout the movie.
Art:
It's quit vibrant and lively, and matches the upbeat tone of the movie.
Sound: Again really well done, gave a warm feeling whenever there was a musical piece.
Characters:
A Really likable bunch, specially Lu and the other mermaids.
The character design is also done really well. Lu and the other mermaids look really great.
Enjoyment:
I found it to be really good, the movie achieves what it wanted to be.
It makes up for a good light…
Read at the sourceSamuraiSteve
This is long, but informative. If you care to, read on my compulsive samurai kin:
Let me preface by stating how important it is to this review that Yuasa is my favorite director, so I am naturally biased. I don't know the future, but this is likely the hardest review I will ever do.
Lu Over the Wall is essentially a lighthearted youth film charged by Yuasa's gift of creativity. However, given Yuasa's streak as a director, the movie could have been better. Knowing him, much better. There were some Yuasa-esque moments, but those moments didn't show why Yuasa is such a great director. With Kaiba, Tatami Galaxi, Ping Pong the Animation, Mind Game, etc. under his belt, as a fan you come to expect his odd-ball style, interwoven with underlying existentialism that Yuasa is noted for. Further,…
Read at the sourcemoonbell
I watched this film at Annecy Animation Festival, right after I'd seen two other anime films (In This Corner of the World and A Silent Voice) neither of which I will be reviewing or spoiling here but both of which were, while wonderful films, not particularly cheerful. Therefore, as the last anime film I was seeing in the programme I kind of expected that kind of tone to be present in Lu also.
I had also seen the trailer for it and it very much made the film seem to me like a bootleg Ponyo... yet I somehow really wanted to give it a chance.
And I am so, SO glad that I did. All my expectations were subverted and the trailer does the film no justice. The only way I can really describe Lu Over The Wall is by saying it simply feels like the feeling of sheer joy, in film form. I'll admit, whe…
Read at the source