Gauche the Cellist

[sothis]

Gauche the Cellist
(a.k.a. Cello Hiki no Gauche)

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Story/Summary:
(From the Anime Rec. DB)
Goshu is a small-town musician with a passion for playing the cello, and is a dedicated member of the local orchestra. With an important performance in a matter of weeks, the group practices daily to hone their skills. But lately, Goshu's musical ability has been lacking, and to get it back, he must accept help from the unlikeliest of kin -- the furry and feathered friends who dwell on his land...

Goshu the Cellist was directed by Isao Takahata, one of the heads of Studio Ghibli, but this movie was produced before Studio Ghibli was created.

This film is full of talking creatures and other fun things, as well as beautiful scenery, and a huge emphasis on music.

Animation:
Goshu the Cellist was made in 1982, so the animation style is obviously considerably different from series produced nowadays. Even so, the animation still has lots of detail, and is clean. I especially enjoyed the scene with the cat and the "unfavorable" song. There are many transitions between the real world, and the imaginary world that Goshu transitions into while he is playing his music. (As in, he is swept away into a forest, or a hillside, etc) These scenes are very well done.

Music:
Given the nature of this film, it is intuitive that the music would be all orchestral in nature. I really enjoyed how the music would sometimes be playing in the background, and you would realise that people are it is actually being played by the orchestra in the film! These scenes made me laugh out loud and caught me by surprise. Music is also an integral part of the plot with the animals, which I will not reveal.

Overall: 8/10
I came into this movie thinking it wouldn't be interesting. All I knew about the plot is that it involved a cellist, which didn't sound interesting. At first, it seemed my fears would be true. But then it grew on me, and by the end, I really felt like I enjoyed it. The inclusion of the talking animals really made it better for me, as well as, I don't know, just a really good feeling you get by the end. At only 60 or so minutes, it really can't hurt to give this a shot.. especially if you like Ghibli style films.