Title: Night is Short, Walk On Girl
Rating: PG-13
Director: Masaaki Yuasa
Starring: Gen Hoshino, Kana Hanazawa, Hiroshi Kamiya, Ryuji Akiyam
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins

What It Is: In this animated fantasy coming-of-age, the talented and unbreakable Girl (Hanazawa) decides to take on the night as she approaches adulthood when coming across many unique and zany characters, all with their own individual dreams and dilemmas.

What We Think: Yuasa, known for works such as Lu Over the Wall and Devilman Crybaby, is my new favorite director of animation due to this terribly fun, terribly hilarious work of art. The animation is constantly exciting and bounding about as the characters party and/or toil through the night. So much happens within such a short time period, it almost feels as if it transpires in real time, drawing you in and sweeping you up into the action; you can’t help but have a good time yourself. It’s energetic and expressive in the way you expect a great animation to be through surreal situations and designs, as well being successfully absurdist in its comedy. It’s endlessly creative, flowing from one chapter to another. At the same time, it also manages to be surprisingly sincere and insightful as there is more happening than you probably realize at the moment you’re watching it (making it perfect for a second watch). It’s a smartly fast-paced and atmospheric reflection on the quirks of society and adulthood and is at its core thoughtful and good-natured.

Our Grade: A, What we have here is a simply pleasant, endlessly creative, and hilarious film (constantly earning laughs in the theater). It’s kooky, it’s magical, it feels handcrafted and well-loved. The visual equivalent to candy, the dreamy and playful This wonderful piece is a charming trip that inspires both adventure and productivity, unquestionably pumped full of life.