Komada Jouryuujo e Youkoso

Recommended for those who appreciate fun and heart-warming stories. This has to be one of the most Japanese pieces of media I have ever watched. It is as Japanese as it gets. A heart-warming and fun story about a Japanese family-run whiskey manufacture. During the screening at Anilogue International Animation Festival, the audience laughed at so many of the little details that the creators added. We were laughing hard even after 20 minutes with my friend on how Japanese some of the jokes were. The direction and editing were solid, it felt like you were watching a really well done documentary style drama movie with some animated flair. The animation for a drama was nice, there were even sakuga shots of whiskey. Good art direction and key animation from the folks behind the Ghost in the Shell movies and series, The Eccentric Family and Vinland Saga. The movie had a great flow - it had great shots, shot composition, but rarely something that goes beyond what could be deemed necessary. It does the job really well though, with a few shot composition ideas that make you appreciate it even more. Even though one may say it's not that special in today's anime market: It doesn't have the action that some other anime have, and I would have to agree. However, 'Komada: A Whisky Family' distinguishes itself with a heartwarming story, well-written dialogue, and jokes and themes aimed at mainly working adults. It is 8/10, because it is beyond your average "good" anime, but nothing that would be deemed exceptional or outstanding. It does what it wants to do really well. And it wants to be a warm and fuzzy Japanese story about a family running a small whiskey company. We have enjoyed it way more, than the new Miyazaki movie, The Boy and the Heron, just before it.

Nice movie if you're into whisky (I am). It's mainly about whisky blending, they don't touch on the whisky distillation process really at all. Weird balance between too nerdy for some and not nerdy enough for me. The plot revolves around Komada Rui trying to revive a blend originally created by her late father using the last of their whisky stocks and including some from other distilleries. Takahashi Kotarou is a reporter who doesn't really care about whisky but slowly comes around to it after spending time with Rui. The plot is fine, but I didn't connect with the characters much, feel like it would have been better as a series instead of a movie. The character development of Kotarou is just to quick for me to really engage with him, while Rui needed some more on her backstory. The plot kind of has the same tropes as Japanese dramas about work (no problem can't be fixed with a UNHEALTHY AMOUNT of overtime work). Also it's quite nerdy about whisky but at the same time I would have liked it to be nerdier. I felt it ran the line of being nerdy enough it may put off people not into whisky (some people were asleep in the screening I watched) but not really nerdy enough to appeal to hardcore whisky fans. Give me a 12 episode series with an episode on pot still design and selection, one on cask types, one on barley types, one on peat levels, one on yeast, etc. with maybe Kotarou learning about these things with the audience and why this matters. That would be my perfect whisky anime! As it is it's enjoyable and definitely needs to be enjoyed with a dram. Slainte!!

The film's strengths lie in its meticulous animation and attention to detail. The visuals depict the distillery's scenes and objects in great detail. Additionally, the film references many real-world landscapes, giving viewers a sense of being there. The story is also heartwarming and healing. Although the Komata family has experienced a series of difficulties, they have all worked hard to overcome them, and finally successfully revived the "Dokuroku" whiskey. However, there are also some flaws. First, the characters are somewhat thin. Although their personalities are distinctive, they lack sufficient depth, making it difficult to understand their inner world truly. Without enough emotional twists, it is difficult to resonate or sympathize with them. In addition, the explanations and introductions of alcohol, whiskey, and distilleries are also somewhat insufficient. The film mentions the process of making whiskey, but does not delve into the history, culture, and tasting methods of whiskey. This may be a bit of a disappointment for viewers interested in whiskey. Overall, it is a well-made animated film. Although it needs to be strengthened in terms of character design, the heartwarming and healing story, and the realistic and detailed visuals are still worth watching.