Ride your wave, Masaaki Yuasa's latest film released this summer, takes us into an atypical romance with a message much more complex than it seems.
The story
Hinako is a carefree young woman who lives only for surfing. After leaving the family home, she starts, willy-nilly, a new life in a seaside town. But barely settled, Hinako sees her apartment go up in smoke in an arson! However, this event turns into luck thanks to Minato, one of the firefighters who saved her. Indeed, the young man has noticed the flamboyant surfer, and feels an inexplicable connection with her. This is the beginning of a tender and passionate love story… but which will soon be turned upside down by a terrible event.
Ride your wave: the Masaaki Yuasa wave
Active since the early 2000s, the director of Ride your wave (Kimi to nami ni noretara) has come a long way. From Mindgame and Kaiba, to Ping Pong the Animation and Night is short, walk on girl, his fame has grown. And the arrival on the Netflix platform of the thunderous and tortured Devilman Crybaby as well as Japan Sinks and Keep your hands off Eizouken confirmed the talent of the Japanese filmmaker. In line with the poetic Lou and the island of mermaids, Ride your wave echoes its colorful universe, whose loose features and slender characters are very recognizable. Accompanied this time by Science Saru Studios, screenwriter Reiko Yoshida and composer Michiru Oshima, Masaaki Yuasa takes us into a bittersweet fresco with the scent of warm sand. The selection of the Annecy Festival 2019 as well as that of the Shanghai Festival (Best Animated Film Award) and the Sitges Film Festival (Best Film Award) were not mistaken: Ride your wave is a nugget not to be missed. But what are the reasons for such success?
The waltz of emotions
It's hard to talk about Ride your wave without revealing major plot elements. Masaaki Yuasa skillfully mixes tragedy and romance, sweetness and drama. Ride your wave is a film that takes its time to settle. We discover for a large part how the relationship between Hinako and Minato is built, while meeting the other characters who are the cornerstones of the film and will lead Hinako to overcome the terrible ordeal she has to face. Thus, Minato's little sister, YĂŽko, and her kĂŽhai from the fire brigade, Wasabi, are not only there to look pretty: they become indispensable to the story and its evolution. Indeed, each of the characters represents a way of mourning Minato, after he has been swept away by the sea. Thus, YĂŽko uses anger and then overcomes her sadness by fulfilling her brother's dream. Wasabi, on the other hand, relies on the figure of his sempai to become a valiant firefighter. However, it is for Hinako that evolution will be the slowest and most difficult. As a reflection of the power of his love for Minato, his grief initially appears impossible. Especially when a supernatural event arises conducive to giving him hope. Whether we hear the latter as a metaphor, or if it is taken as a metaphysical reality, Masaaki Yuasa uses it to describe Hinako's slow and painful journey. While subtle, he places his loved ones as awkward witnesses of his pain, while bringing a touch of fantasy that prevents the film from sinking into melancholy.
Ride your wave: atmosphere, atmosphere…
If Ride your wave has marked the spirits so much, it is also thanks to its acidulous photography. The colors are shimmering, and the animators of the Science Saru studios seem to have a great time. Of course, the focus is on the elements. The ocean of course, and the water in general, alternately bright and attractive, then dark and fiery after Minato's death. Masaaki Yuasa plays on this opposition, until water and fire fight each other in a masterful sequence that takes a dreamlike turn and dazzles us for several minutes. The emphasis is therefore on the senses, which myriads of sounds titillate. Starting with the soundtrack, which revolves around the song Brand new story, by the group GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE. This title functions as a rallying cry for Hinako, which she clings to to continue living. The director makes his characters sing, and through their voice sometimes frail and hesitant, sometimes vibrant and brilliant, he makes them all the more human. In conclusion, Ride your wave asserts itself as a strong and impactful work in many ways. A brilliant success, which offers us a perfect transition to keep a little more of the heat of summer in our hearts. To see the trailer in VOSTFR, it's here !
