Director Masaaki Yuasa had a busy year in 2017. Despite not directing a feature film since 2004's "Mind Game," he and his newly established studio "Science Saru" released two separate features within weeks over each other: "Lu Over The Wall" and "The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl." Of the two, "Walk On Girl" is clearly meant to cater to the dedicated fanbase Yuasa has achieved in the past decades, and in that sense it does not disappoint. However, "Lu Over The Wall" is a family film, and perhaps the most family-friendly thing this advant-garde animator ever attached his name to. Aside from the intended audience, it is impossible to not compare this to Studio Ghibli's 2008 film "Ponyo." Both are different modern interrpretations of the classic Hans Christian Anderson tale "The Little Mermaid." Both are set in a small sea-side town struggling with modern day advances. Both decided to make the "mermaid" look and act like a five-year old guppy with a human face and a big frog-like smile. I don't know why this creepy type of face was used TWICE... yes, it is fish-like and therefore appropriate, but it can't be seen as cute, can it? "Ponyo" might not be the best film to copy in Studio Ghibli's catelog either, because for its character designs and odd character decisions to drive the story, it is generally considered a marketable but disappointing misfit of their films. In that sense, there are some slight differences in "Lu Over The Wall": namely, it is better.The story is a bit more modern, and time will tell if it limits the film's ability to hold up in decades to come. The main character is about to enter high school, and is a bit of a loner in the small fishing town (read: "we only fish here") with his divorced dad and his grandfather. The boy has a natural talent for music, not by playing instruments, but by composing electronic beats and releasing them online. Through this, a couple friends discover him and beg him to join their rock band. When rumors of mermaids start getting more traction then usual, he agrees to join out of curiosity to explore the nearby islands, and soon discovers Lu, a young and playful mermaid who just happens to like music. Which could be a problem, since the town knows that mermaids eat people (spolier: they don't).While perfectly fine on paper, the film is really sold on Yuasa's trademark style of unique character designs and frantic animation. In a story that heavily features music (darn good music too!), there is a lot of dancing involved, and wow can Science Saru animate dance! When the whole town gets into it in one of the best scenes, the animation recalls old school Tex Avery, Disney and Warner Bros, back when they too had elaborate dance sequences. It's fast and fluid, and is where Yuasa's style feels right at home. Other scenes are still taken with care: the character designs are unique and generally pleasant to look at, the old town is detailed, and the water and other fluids are carefully animated. 
Which is not to say it is entirely perfect. The film was animated using popular software Flash, known for providing computer shortcuts to smooth 2D animation. While normally garish to watch, "Lu Over The Wall" is an example of how it should be done. Character animation looks as if it was drawn normally, and most Flash effects are limited to the water, giving a smooth motion to waves in a way that perfectly fits the tool. Despite this, there are a handful of scenes where characters or scenes smoothly blend into each other... these moments are few, but still distracting. Which is a shame, since overall the film is a better technical achievement than "Walk On Girl," and a proud example of Yuasa's artisitic vision.And outside the madness of magic or punches of comedy is a more grounded story. The townspeople are scared of dwindling fish supply and are seeking other ways to survive in a town with no other job prospects. Characters constantly have bigger dreams than they were designed to have, knowing they would have no choice but to leave the quaint town to chase after them. And bigger politians and businessmen have desires to revitalize the town, even at the expense of these innocent mermaids. These themes are more topical then ever, and unfortunately the film doesn't give much in the way of answers, but through the magical realism retains a lighthearted-ness that feels refreshing. How many other films can you name where the big business man turns out to be the good guy to the plucky child heroes?"Lu Over The Wall" hasn't been released yet in the west at the time of this writing, but has already won awards from its peers in the animation industry, and rightfully so. While Yuasa as a director is better suited for adult comedy, he proves himself here as capable for making anything he wants for any audience. UPDATE: "Lu Over The Wall" has been released in North America, complete with an English dub. Unfortunately, the dub was rushed (interviews say it was done in a couple months to show at a children's film festival), and the translated script shows for it: the jokes and lines are translating literally, often forcing the actors to say lines quickly to match lip-syncs, and feels a bit more foreced than it ought to. A shame, since otherwise the acting is ok... but the Japanese dub is most certainly better, and easier to recommend, even for children. Also a shame, since the English version went as far as to animate a English version of the detailed title intro too...