Oscar Caliber Animation Is One of My Favorite Genres, Even Though My Pick Rarely Wins

Read Time:2 Minute, 22 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Drifting Home (Ame wo Tsugeru Hyôryû Danchi)
–

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 1h 59m
Director(s): Hiroyasu Ishida
Writer(s): Hiroyasu Ishida, Hayashi Mori
Cast: Daiki Yamashita, Kana Hanazawa, Mutsumi Tamura, Ayumu Murase, Inori Minase, Nana Mizuki, Asami Seto, Bin Shimada, Yumiko Kobayashi
Where To Watch: Streaming exclusively on Netflix on September 16

Another week, another possible Oscar nominee for animation. I’ve had a busy “early Oscar season” this year already. Having already watched GOODBYE, DON GLEES!, INU-OH, LIGHTYEAR, MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON, THE DEER KING, THE SEA BEAST, and TURNING RED, I should have a pretty solid start to the animation category once the shortlist comes out in December.

I’ve always had a contentious relationship with the Academy and the animation category; while I always attempt to watch every Oscar-nominated film yearly before the Oscars, it always feels like the animation category is the least competitive. Of the twenty-one years, animation has had its category, only six Oscars have gone to anyone other than Disney (Pixar), so 71.43% of the entire category has gone outside the House of Mouse. That had nothing to do with the film outside of a personal issue.

This film was done by Studio Colorido, another animation studio specializing in anime. That’s two studios in two days that I was pretty much new to in terms of their catalog. I haven’t seen anything else from this studio, although they have a much shorter history. The exciting thing about anime is that there is usually a pretty consistent quality in terms of the animation itself. Not to say all anime is created equal, but for someone who pretty much only watches the potential Oscar nominees in the genre, I don’t feel that I’m an expert on the genre.

I do, however, know what I like and don’t like about films. This wasn’t on the level of some of my all-time favorites, mainly because I felt the story was a little thin. I didn’t feel the same connection to the characters that I have in others. I will say that the fantastical element was here; the film felt larger than life and had a lot of heart.

The good thing is that Netflix makes anime accessible to all, offering an English dubbed version on the day of release (along with the original language track and subtitles, if you prefer.)

For more reviews and my YouTube channel, please visit linktr.ee/Overlyhonestmoviereviews

Follow me on Instagram, Letterboxd, Twitter, and YouTube. Find my social media accounts on most platforms simply by searching Overly Honest Movie Reviews.

I’m always happy to hear from my readers; please say hi or send me any questions about all things movies.