Konnichiwa minna-san! How are you? Well, for the past few days, I've been really busy I've been always busy, but of 'course I find time to squeeze half or an hour of watching anime into my daily schedule. That had been a routine for me, tho there are times I can't follow it. Anyway, for today I'm gonna share another sci-fi anime I finished yesterday. And after watching it, it got me wondering if this version of myself is really the present one. I mean, what if I have another version of myself—preferably the younger me—can I have the courage to tell her to stay away from the decisions that I would regret later?
Nothing's certain, and even if I do meet my younger self, I'm sure she wouldn't believe that I'll end up the way I am today. I know how I'm untrusting before and even though I'll convince her very much I know that my younger self is so proud and stubborn, so yeah I think it's better that I shouldn't meet her. But how about your younger self? Would you meet him or her if you had a chance? So as you think of your possible answer, then be with me as I share with you a brief peek of what is it to meet your younger self in Hello World.
About the Anime
Hello World is a sci-fi anime that aired last September 20, 2019. Like I said it's sci-fi, but this time it has romance and drama. This hour and 37-minute movie was animated by Graphinica and it's an original one, but it does have manga and novel adaptations. So this one started by introducing the place and era where our MC lives, and it's in Kyoto in the year 2027. In that time, their city had undergone extreme advancements in technology.
Naomi Katagaki, our MC, is a weird and indecisive boy who really likes books, and like him, his classmate Ruri Ichigyou shares the same interest. Only that, their personalities are definitely different because unlike him, Ruri is a decisive girl. She always does whatever she wants and is always blunt about the things she needs to say, and that somehow scared Katagaki. However, an unexpected meeting made him change his mind about her.
While out on a walk an odd sky phenomena happened, and suddenly from that a crow emerged. It flew towards him, and lo and behold it's not an ordinary crow, but a three-legged one. However, that's not the main meeting that will change his mind, for it turns out that the crow is just a means to meet him—the hooded man who claims to be him in the next ten years. The man revealed to him what will happen in the next three months, how he will get close to Ruri, how he will date her, and how shel die on the festival night. His future self is determined to save her and tamper that past, but can they easily do that? And what if his future self has other intentions other than helping him—intentions that he, himself, didn't expect he could do?
No one can create bigger problems for yourself other than you—well, it makes sense, right? I don't want to spoil why I came up with this realization, but it's given that I realized this because of that movie. I already read a synopsis of this movie so I know what to expect, but still, its twist surprised me. Well, it's not really out of the box plot twist, however, I was preoccupied with anticipating other stuff, so I kinda overlooked the details that hinted at how it'll end up. The plot was pretty straightforward which was understandable since it's just a movie, yet there still times that I find quite dragging.
The concept was quite unique, but there's that detail reminded me of the previous anime I've watched before, and it's the three-legged bird. It really reminds me of Yatagarasu, and also the other dimension concept—it's similar, but at the same time different in a sense Yatagarasu is more like another world, but in Hello World, it's like another era in the same world. Apart from that, I also like how they portrayed the characters, for even though it's the conventional opposite-attracts couple, still I find them endearing because of how cute they look together. Further, the movie did well in giving satisfying character improvements and ultimately, an end that would certainly sate any viewer.
As for its visuals and soundtrack, they somehow complemented each other. Its art style was cute and the background was stunning, and also the colors they used were vivid and eye-catching. I was really enthralled at how bright and beautiful the visuals, especially the background, were depicted. Moving on from those, the animation was smooth, tho I found it quite unsettling at first because the movements looked sluggish and unnatural, but eventually, I got used to it. And although it complemented with the visuals, there are times I find the music overwhelming. I don't know, but I find them a little distracting and personally, I think those scenes would affect me more if they tuned down the background music—especially the song.
To sum it up, for me, this anime is a solid 8/10. It was enjoyable and even entertaining at some point, but it just doesn't resonate that much with me. Maybe it's because of its end for I'm lowkey expecting that it would be a tragic one, yet nonetheless, it was a nice movie. So if you're up for a sci-fi anime with a considerable amount of drama and romance plus a heartwarming end then, you've come to the right review, for this one is totally your sign to try watching Hello World.
Before I end this review, I'll share with you its trailer, so—
Do you have an answer now? So would you meet your younger self if you had a chance? Anyway, you can keep it to yourself—but if you want to share your answer or some thoughts about this anime, then feel free to comment them below. And that will be all for now, minna-san! I hope you enjoyed reading my review.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne~
The pictures that didn't have source were screenshots from the movie while the last picture was edited in Canva.