The festival ended on Sunday with two anime features that are much more in line with my own experience and interests: coming of age stories. This is one of the stories that the anime industry handles really well, so I was excited by both of these offerings. Fighting the festival fatigue, we sat down for two more back-to-back screenings.

Screening: Summer Days With Coo
One of the most critically acclaimed anime films in the last year, Summer Days with Coo arrived as a last-minute addition to the schedule this year. Running an astonishing 138 minutes, it tells the story of Coo, a young Kappa who has been trapped in stone for several hundred years, after witnessing the gruesome murder of his father. He is awaken by Koichi, a young boy in need of a good friend. Koichi and his family are uncertain about the mythical creature at first, but they learn to love him, then determine to help him to find more of his own kind. But in a new and developed Japan, could it be that all of the spirits have disappeared for good?

Standing in a strange liminal space between E.T. and My Neighbor Totoro, the thing that struck me most about Summer Days with Coo was its willingness to push the story far beyond the expected. The plot I described above covers only the first half of the film, then gives way to a fascinating exploration of the media and what would happen if a Kappa would arrive in Japan today and capture the imagination of the people around it. It transforms this coming-of-age story into a story about modern culture and environmentalism, and much of this story is simply and genuinely touching. In fact, the film has so many great moments that I almost regret what I am about to say in the next few paragraphs.

But I have no choice. As touching and delightful as Summer Days with Coo is, it runs at least half an hour longer than it should. Many of the scenes drag on too long, and several of the subplots, including a predictable first love story and a plot-convenient relationship between Coo and the family dog, should have been excised. With a few omissions and some more liberal editing, this truly would have been one of the most wonderful stories I’ve seen in a long time. By the end, though, I was getting pretty fidgety, waiting for the story to finally grind to a halt.

The animation was also a bit of a disappointment. While small animation teams can’t hope to deliver the kind of animation that Gainax can deliver, we saw many films in the festival that were made on a smaller budget than this that had much better looking animation. The backdrops aren’t a problem here, but the characters are poorly rendered, revealing the kind of shortcuts that are usually only seen in low-budget television anime series.

Complaints aside, I really do respect Summer Days with Coo. It’s a genuine, heartfelt and touching story, with strong character development and some engaging messages. If only it had been a bit shorter, I would probably have written a much kinder review. More is not always better.

Screening: Piano Forest
The final screening of WFAC this year, Piano Forest struck a perfect closing note (pun entirely intended) for the festival. Another coming of age tale, it follows the story of two young boys and their rivalry at the piano.

Shuhei is an accomplished pianist for his age, practicing hard to become as skilled as his father, a famous concert pianist. He and his mother move from Tokyo to a small town temporarily to look after his grandmother, where he meets Kai, a poor and unruly local boy who demonstrates an unusual talent for the piano. They are both obsessed with a mysterious piano out in the woods, which only seems to work for Kai. As the story unfolds, their friendship transforms into a rivalry between dedication and talent.

All of which, I realize, doesn’t sound that engaging. What the summary doesn’t convey is the sense of magic and sincerity in this simple and beautiful tale. At the core of the film is the relationship between the two boys, who are given equal footing as heroes of the story. Shuhei works constantly at his practicing, even though the piano has become an enemy to him. He is driven to be the best, but has no passion for what he is doing. Kai is the opposite, loving his natural talent but feeling no desire to practice and improve his skill. It is reminiscent of the connection between Mozart and Salieri, as Shuehei becomes jealous of Kai’s superior skill and passion.

As a teacher, I’ve been in a number of conversations about which students we prefer to have: the ones who are brilliant but shrug off their studies, or those with little natural aptitude who are nonetheless willing to work hard throughout the year. Most of us prefer the latter. Perhaps this is due to the anguish we feel over the truly talented ones. If only they would apply themselves and deliver their greatest effort, we can only imagine what they could accomplish. Still, there is an odd fascination with the rare geniuses that cross the doorway into our classrooms–we wonder how they came to be blessed with such talent. Piano Forest is interested in this as well, and explores a number of related ideas as the two boys push towards a crucial national piano contest.

I will not say any more about the plot, except to say that it does not end how we expect, but plays out better than we could imagine. This is a truly delightful example of animation, one that should be seen by all children who are old enough to understand the subtle messages it contains. More than anything, it is a beautiful production. The animation is simple but luscious, the soundtrack contains some of the most stunning piano solos I have ever heard, and the story is both straightforward and meaningful. It’s this kind of story that keeps me coming back to anime and animation in general, and it served as a wonderful reminder of why I spent so much time this weekend crammed in uncomfortable chairs, gazing into the screen until my eyes were tired. Animation is inherently magical, a window into an impossible but wonderful world. The subtle fantasy of Piano Forest was a great example of that, but certainly not the only one of the weekend.

In fact, WFAC has a lineup of films that I would expect to see in an animation festival in New York, Toronto, or Paris, not in downtown Kitchener in November. Hopefully, more people will discover this particular brand of magic next year. It’s an experience I would recommend to anyone able to make the trip in. If you live anywhere near Kitchener/Waterloo, you have no excuse to be missing out. I, for one, am already looking forward to what worlds WFAC will show us next year.