Meow. Or as the Japanese say, Nyan~

She and Her Cat: An Anime (Short) Movie Review

----------------------------------

Length: 5 minutes

Genre: Slice of life 

Source Material: Anime original by Makoto Shinkai

No Trailer, but here's the beautiful ED theme:

There's really no excuse for you not to check out this 5 minute short that is beautifully written and produced by the great Makoto Shinkai (his other works include Voices of a Distant Star, 5cm per Second). She and Her Cat tells the sweet story of how Chobi (the cat) is found by a woman (Her) on a rainy day and how they spend their first year together in Her small apartment, all of which is narrated from Chobi's point of view.

**No Spoilers...cause the whole thing is only 5 minutes long!**

To Make You Feel My Love

Hotarubi no Mori e: An Anime Movie Review

------------------------------------

Length: 45 minutes

Genre: Romance, supernatural

Source Material: One-shot shoujo manga by Yuki Midorikawa

Trailer:

One of my favorite things about watching an anime movie is that compared to an anime series, a movie is shorter, more concise, and is usually a one-shot affair that gives me something to enjoy when I don't want to invest too much time and effort into memorizing complicated character relationships or get lost in a drawn-out plot line  But don't be fooled by the 1 to 2 hour time limits on anime movies, because even given those restrictions, an anime movie can be as deeply moving and beautiful as a full length series. Hotarubi no Mori e (translation: Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light) is an example of quality over quantity, and if you're looking for 45 minutes of respite from mechas, love triangles, moe blobs, and tsunderes, read on and give this movie a try.

**May Contain Spoilers**

Just Live Well. Just Live.

The Premise: Louisa "Lou" Clark is an unambitious girl living in a small town who finds herself jobless after being laid off from the local coffee shop where she has worked for years. Desperate for a job and despite her limited skill set, Lou manages to snag a job as an aide and companion for a quadriplegic named Will Traynor. Will is moody, sarcastic, and tries his best to make Lou uncomfortable when she starts the job, but Lou is determined to help support her parents despite her situation. One day, Lou overhears a conversation that shocks her--Will has made a deal with his parents that gives them 6 months time to prepare and come to terms with his wish to die. Confused and terrified, Lou doesn't know what to make of this development as she slowly realizes that she's fallen in love with Will. With time short and her emotions blazing, Lou races against the clock to try to change Will's mind before his 6 months are up.  

**May Contain Spoilers**

Ashes to Ashes, Stardust to Stardust

The premise: The story of Matt and Elle, told both in the present and through a series of flashbacks, is one of sweetheart love, teenage drama, and adult uncertainties. It starts off in the present, with Elle’s fall off of a ladder, leaving her in a coma with irreversible brain damage. To complicate matters, Matt (a neurosurgeon and her husband), finds out that she is pregnant. He is faced with a choice—to take Elle off life support, or to keep her on it, in an attempt to save their unborn child.   

 The story then alternates between the days after Elle’s fall and the past, where we get to know Elle and her relationship with Matt—all the young love of best friends, to the first sexual encounters, and the first breaking point of the couple. Without spoiling too much, we get to see Elle and Matt grow up together, grow apart, and then find each other again. In between, there are plenty of complications—of new loves, jealously, uncertainty, and frustration. Even when Elle and Matt find each other again, get married, and start a life together, all is not as they hope. Elle discovers she has an autoimmune disease which makes it extremely difficult to carry a pregnancy to full term. After two devastating losses, she and Matt disagree about how to proceed. Elle desperately wants to keep trying—Matt, fearing for Elle’s safety, holds back. That’s why Elle’s pregnancy now comes as a surprise to Matt. 

**May Contain Spoilers**