Not often do we get to see animated films from Korea. It's not that they aren't made there, it's just that not many of them ever get released in North America. Which is a shame, because I know of a few that I would really like to see. But for now, you can find a copy of a 2002 South Korean film that was released by ADV, called "My Beautiful Girl Mari." The story follows the childhood memories of two boys living in their small town. One of the boys is getting ready to move to another town to go to school, and so they must adjust to that. Also, the other boy feels uncomfortable with his single mother starting a relationship with another man. And being children, they also learn the true meaning of love, loss and friendship during this period. What makes this little life story special is that one of these boys, Nam-woo, discovers a special marble that opens a gateway at an old lighthouse to a surreal fantasy-like place, where he meets a strange, but beautiful girl he calls Mari, along with other strange creatures and plant-life. It sounds like this film has a lot of heart, and in its own way, it does. The story is full of these childhood moments everyone can relate to that helps make it feel a little stronger. However, you don't have much emotion towards anything until the last third of the film. In the beginning, we see that all the characters are either jerks or spoiled brats. It's realistic, certainly, but it makes it difficult to like anyone, even when we learn some of the problems these characters face that cause such emotion. Also, the fantasy world isn't used in any way to enhance the story at all, making it seem like it was only used as a selling point for the film. Even though it gets better by the end, the story is still fairly predictable. Also, I'll note that this was given a 14A Canadian rating, meaning kids under 14 shouldn't see this. I haven't the slightest idea why, as there is absolutely no violence, sex, or swearing in here. This is yet another example where the Canadian Ratings Board has obviously given a rating without actually seeing the subject in question. In both animation (anime in particular) and in live-action films, we seem to get a movie every few years that feels like it was based off a random young-adult novel about a coming-of-age story, wherein nothing noteworthy happens. Sometimes they use fantasy on purpose, but typically that could be removed with no effect on the story's progress. In most cases, it simply reminds one of real life, resulting in a depressing experience when I was looking for an escape, and ending without any significant justiifcation for its existance. I hate these types of stories most of all, and that's exactly what to expect from "My Beautiful Girl Mari." If you are a fan of this type of story, you will likely have a much better opinion then I do of this film.
The visuals use an interesting painterly style unique from other styles of animation, but to implement this style, the characters all look like cheap cutout figures. While this is an interesting style, I can't say I like it too much, and this is made worse by the animation. There are times when the movements are incredibly smooth and realistic, but most of the time the animation feels limited, restricted, and cheap. It's all inconsistent, and can be distracting. That's a shame too, because the visuals are probably the film's only major selling point. Sound and music is ok but unmemorable, and the English dub feels especially awkward at times. I don't know if I am being too harsh on this "My Beautiful Girl Mari." Some people may find greater value in this movie, but it just didn't impress me in any way, and wasn't entertaining enough to warrant the themes and emotions it tries to give. In fact, the story almost feels pretentious for what it does, which I'm sure was the last thing it meant to do. The Anime Network has posted this on Youtube for free, so check it out before deciding to get this, otherwise the DVD can also be found for cheap. It does South Korea proud, but they still had a long way to go.