I know what you're thinking.

What a ridiculous title...for a film

and for this review

but I promise that I won't be eating your organs in any minutes or less

however I hope it will only take me 5 to convince you to see this film.

It may be pretty predictable in places,

it panders to a lot of cliches...

...

and it tugs on the dramatic side at times

but its overarching message is one I've been pondering since leaving the cinema

...

what does it mean to be alive?

And if I throw that question over to you what would you say?

I'd say this film does a damn good job of making you question that answer.

My name is Isla and this is my review of Studio Voln's I Want to Eat Your Pancreas

...

If you've read the manga or the light novel or seen the live action

then you'll understand the meaning behind this films name

but I hadn't seen any prior material before going into the anime

so I assumed it was either about a pancreatic disease

or the beautiful artwork was a clever marketing attempt

to hide a film of the cannibalistic variety,

well it was the first

but our secondary protagonist Sakura makes no attempts to hide how much she enjoys eating animal organs

however she goes through great lengths to hide her illness from everyone.

#Slow piano#

Until one day our nameless main character finds her diary

that she's called 'Living with Dying'

Sakura decides to tell him everything

and he promises to keep her disease a secret

but their shared knowledge brings them closer together

and the film follows their growing relationship in Sakura's final months of living.

#Emotive piano continues#

Death is the ever growing, over arching shadow that permeates this movie.

It cuts through each sweet, funny scene that our protagonists share

as the knowledge of Sakura's imminent end is around every corner

making the entire movie feel bittersweet.

But the sadness is always balanced against humour

and the way the extroverted Sakura bounces off our introverted MC makes for some shared lovely scenes

and those moments are a mix in terms of animation.

There are points I was struck by how genuinely life like it felt

such as the way Sakura thumbs through a book

or that moment in the rain

...

but just when the animation is reaching its peak

it switches to still shot montages that while well drawn

take us out of the animation

going from feeling like a theatrical cinematic experience to a TV Movie.

However if you closed your eyes for a few moments

the quality of voice acting is what shines through -

especially Lynn's

she speaks chemistry without visuals

and is able to portray Sakura's cheerful personality and underlying sadness all at once

notably during the fireworks scene.

...

This moment is I Want to Eat Your Pancreas's triumph piece

and is set in a place that is so very dear to my heart,

it gave me goosebumps,

made me wish we were heading for a happier ending

and really highlights the talents of not only our leads

but the animation staff,

the composer Hiroko Sebu

and the unlikely writer director of this film Ushijima Shin`ichirou.

#Soft emotive piano#

For a man who has only ever directed episodic action anime

Ushijima is a surprisingly emotive writer,

translating the novels saddest moments into beautiful animated snapshots.

But he's still a work in progress,

the films final half runs on a little long

and could have had a more devastating impact if 20 minutes had been cut off the end.

...

Yet throughout its almost 2 hour run there are a few smattering moments of brilliance

that made me think...given time

Ushijima could develop a style that sweeps the audience off their feet.

And while this doesn't have the emotional euphoria of a Shinkai film

or the imagination found in Hosadas

or the heart in Yamadas

it does shine brightly enough to move an audience to tears

and powerful enough to deliver its message -

finding meaning in being alive.

#Soft Guitar#

While I Want to Eat Your Pancreas isn't quite the powerhouse that it could have been

it's still more than worth a watch

and is full of small surprises

the most notable in our Nameless Protagonist -

he is without a name for a reason so keep that in mind as you watch this film to the very end

don't skip the credits and don't skip this anime

because I'd like to leave you with three final point

first my recommendation that it is certainly the underdog anime film of 2018,

second I'd like to assure you that the ridiculous name goes on to make sense

and I'd lastly with a quote from Sakura that I can't stop thinking about.

Everyday is worth the same no matter how you choose to spend it.

So spend yours exactly how you want to.

#Sad J-pop song#