Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Miss Hokusai Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 7, 2017

Miss Hokusai isn't a traditional film with a traditional point-to-point narrative arc. It's instead a simple exploration of life and art in olden Japan. Based on a Manga, itself based on real individuals, it explores the lives of two artists, Hokusai and his daughter, Katsushika Ōi, herself a talented artist forced to work behind the scenes and under her father's name and fame. The somewhat loose plot follows Ōi as she travels about and seeks to escape from her father's shadow and find success and respect for her own work, but the movie seems tailored more towards both a casual tale of life in its time and the search for freedom from tradition and for expression and the tangible spirit within art itself. It's very well done, though it might alienate some viewers given its departure from more traditional structure and plotting.

The secret artist.

Miss Hokusai is slow to develop and slow to move along. But its pacing is excellent. Contradictory? Not in this case. The film finds a superlative balance between its somewhat casual development and its richness in storytelling and world-building. The film takes its time in exploring the characters, the art they create, the world in which they live and work and interact, and the intersection of the three. It's occasionally stylized, occasionally a bit dark, and it's deeply immersed in its times and culture. And it's a pleasure to explore. It's an open world, open mind movie in which connection and execution are more prominent than plotting. Its maneuverings are subtle but its commentary is critical. Even in the movie's otherwise slow pace character moments and seemingly plodding conversations, there's a richness of development and presentation that makes the movie shine. The film plays best when audiences surrender to its approach, sit back, and enjoy all it has on offer both on the surface and, more critical, below.

If one were forced to nail down a synopsis in short-order, beyond the basic character maneuverings and core story details, it would be about how the movie intersects its time and place, its inhabitants, the art they create, and the mythology that defines it all. The film richly, beautiful, and succinctly explores art as it's infused by everything around it, literally, at times, rather than metaphorically, represented in the film at several junctures. But in isolation the film's purpose appears to be, beyond introducing audiences to some of Japan's most cherished artists of the film's time, its exploration of how art is truly a living thing. It's not simply the canvas and the materials used to craft it. It has a soul, one that's been honed over time and not only as the artist uses his or her hands to create the work, but as it flows from inside, as it's created in the mind and the artist's soul long before paint ever touches canvas. It's like a transference of one's own being onto the canvas, even if what's ultimately presented on the canvas doesn't resemble its creator in physical form. There's more to art than the process itself, then, and it's that usually unseen, but felt and understood, depth that defines both creator and the created art.

Reward in watching the movie comes from understanding the movie, much like the art depicted in it finding that soul beyond the animation and basic character maneuverings. It's a movie that, no matter the who's, what's, where's, or why's, is easy to become lost in. The animation is gorgeous and the characters are externally simple but inwardly complexly developed and defined. Voice work is excellent; the English presentation feels natural, never lost or lacking emotion or otherwise detached form the moment. Character nuance is evident in animation and performances, the world is rich and detailed, the score is terrific...the film is a fantastic example of animation as art and purposeful, soulful storytelling that may not speak to every viewer but that can be a very rewarding movie watching experience.

Miss Hokusai Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Miss Hokusai's 1080p Blu-ray presentation looks marvelous. The image struggles with some very light, nearly imperceptible, and very infrequent banding. Lines are occasionally a little uneven, but seemingly at the source. Otherwise, the animation is crisp. Details are impressive along a diverse range of elements, such as clothes, woods, decorations, and of course artwork. The image is clean and well defined throughout the frame; it's never soft or smudgy or lacking in any apparent textural delights. Colors are bold and rich. Blue skies are a major standout, as are an assortment of reds. Various colors on clothes, decorations, and environments impress. The palette is bold and diverse and never wanting for more saturation or finely tuned contrast. Blacks are fine and beyond the trace banding the image shows no other eyesore of note. Fans of the film and the style should be delighted.

Miss Hokusai Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Miss Hokusai's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack excels in all areas. Music is rich and wide. It features balanced wrap into the backs, boasts excellent instrumental definition, and offers a supportive low end weight as needed. The track is filled with small atmospheric support pieces. Whether lightly jingling bells, chirping birds, or gently falling rain, the track consistently positions and presents its environmental effects with positive clarity and definition. More powerful gusts of wind and some of the more chaotic moments of frenzied sound enjoy excellent balance throughout the stage and, again, a well defined low end. Dialogue is well prioritized, clear, and naturally positioned in the center channel. This disc contains both english and Japanese language tracks of the same lossless configuration. Beyond, of course, the language, there doesn't appear to be any perceptible differences between the tracks; music and effects seem at the same volume and clarity when alternating between and comparing them.

Miss Hokusai Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Miss Hokusai contains one supplement of note, a making-of that's longer than the movie itself. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• The Making of Miss Hokusai (1080p, 1:56:06): A comprehensive (really...it's almost 30 minutes longer than the movie itself) behind-the-scenes piece that features raw footage from the production studios and work stations, introductions and in-depth interview clips with many of the key artists and filmmakers, an examination of the Manga that inspired the film, a look through some of the key components in the filmmaking process (storyboards, adapting the Manga, production meetings, and many of the steps along the way), and more, even some "life and times" highlights as the filmmakers go about their routine and work commitments. The piece plays sort of like a dramatic "reality television" program at times, but it's an absorbing look into the wonderful world of animated film creation. The supplement is well worth the price of admission alone. In Japanese with optional English subtitles.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:12).
• More from GKids (1080p): Trailers for four other films available on Blu-ray: April and the Extraordinary World, Only Yesterday, Phantom Boy, and When Marnie Was There.

Miss Hokusai Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Miss Hokusai is a great movie. It's a little -- a lot -- different, sure, but it's a very rewarding watching experience that challenges the viewer to think a bit outside the more traditional cinematic and narrative boxes and gradually come to appreciate the movie's fine-tuned character and world exploration and its deeper, more insightful themes and structure, not to mention its commentary on art. It's nicely animated and voiced in both languages. Universal's Blu-ray contains only one special feature of note, but it's a nearly two-hour making-of. Video and audio are excellent. Highly recommended.