When I first saw the anime film "I Want To Eat Your Pancreas" in theaters, it included a short sequence of interviews with the original Japanese and new English dub cast. One of the Japanese voice actors broke down in tears of joy and excitement for several moments in front of a press screening. The English voice actors joked constantly about the film's title, while trying to convince the audience about the beauty of the story. Indeed, the title "I Want To Eat Your Pancreas" is a bizarrely funny sentence to read, and can be misleading to what the movie is actually about. Is this a comedy about zombies? An experimental drama about cannibals? Thankfully (or disappointingly), no. It's a movie about a teenage couple as romance blossoms, around the fact that the girl has pancreatic cancer ("ooooohhhh, THAT's what the title means...").This type of story has it's own genre, not just in anime, but across live-action films, books and other media. You know how the story goes: a introvert male student gets through life without talking with anyone, until a outgoing free-spirited girl starts talking to him. Sakura has cancer, but chose not to tell her friends and classmates: she finds solice in confiding in her new friend. The boy, nameless until a reveal at the end of the movie, doesn't particularly care about Sakura's condition, and finds her to be an intrusion on his protected and isolated lifestyle. But eventually, they grow to like each other more and more, almost becoming more than just friendship. And when Sakura does eventually pass away, we find that not only was the boy helping her through that tough time, but she in return had helped him even more, to learn to get out of his shell and make new friends.It's basically "Young Adult Fiction 101." And frankly, it's manipulative fantasy. It's both romantic and disturbing that we find enjoyment in such a tragic stereotype, or even fantasize about being in such a situation ourselves, reaping the benefits of a romantic relationship without real long-term commitment. And of course, humans are far more complicated in reality than these stories present: for every sweet thing said, there are at least as many awkward or mean-spirited things said in life, and these stories tend to edit out those parts to sell better. "I Want To Eat Your Pancreas" is subject to these exact issues.But there's also a reason why there are so many movies and books that follow this archtype: it works. Even knowing what to expect going in, I still cried by the end, and still felt for the two leads. it's hard to not enjoy the drama and resolutions in these types of stories.
The real question is: does "I Want To Eat Your Pancreas" do the archtype justice, and does it do anything unique or better than the norm? Yes and no. One issue I had was that the two leads are extreme versions of their stereotypes: Sakura is EXTREMELY outgoing, and the boy is EXTREMELY introverted, both to the point of being unbelievable, even for an anime. The boy isn't really cynical or narsisistic, he simply doesn't have a personality at all! Another major issue I had was in Sakura's death, which occurs with an out-of-nowhere twist that felt contrary to the payoff we expected or needed. And a more minor issue is with the sexual tension between the two: Sakura innocently teases as teenage girls tend to do, but it leads to at least one really uncomfortable moment; while it is believable in the scene, I can't decide if it is better or worse to keep it. If there is a significant strength in the movie, it's the two characters, both a detriment and blessing, and in that focus in a budding friendship and romance. The two are both great fun, and that's the best reason to why I enjoyed the movie, rather than simply tolerate it. And there are some beautiful moments that should satisfy the romantic viewer. That's why I would genreally recommend the movie, even if it doesn't appear all that special on paper.And how's the production. Relatively new Studio VOLN animated the movie, and it looks fine, but more generic than not. There are a couple scenes that look like they came straight out of a Makoto Shinkai movie, beautiful with sunset lighting and shimmering water, but these scenes stand out harshly enough compared to 99% of the movie that I can't help but think of how Shinkai's go-to studio would have improved this romance. The music has a few nice insert vocal songs (again, a trademark of Shinkai) that strengthen the soundtrack. The acting? The English dub is good, leaning heavily in the bubbly and low personalities of the characters. I suspect purists will prefer the Japanese dub: based on the trailer, it seems more grounded and natural. Anime happens to be really effective in portraying emotions. So are romantic dramas. The two are a great match. "I Want To Eat Your Pancreas" doesn't do much to improve on the "in-love-with-dying-person" genre, but just having a cute anime girl with dew-drop eyes and a warm smile makes it worth watching over (or in addition to) whatever Hollywood released that year. Whatever my cynicism, it's a beautiful movie, and a great choice for your and your date.