Junkers Come Here Review

story 5/10

Few people would try to dispute Ghibli’s awesome craftsmanship in anime; the studio has released several animes that easily make it into my top 10 list, and I have yet to see a feature length film by them that wasn’t entertaining. With all of the success that they have enjoyed (Spirited Away is one of Japan’s highest grossing films ever), I’ve always personally wondered why other studios haven’t attempted to imitate Ghiblis undeniably appealing style. The answer could very well lie in Junkers Come Here, a movie that attempts to cover some of the same ground that Ghibli is known for, but oddly falls short.

The anime presents a fairly average, elementary school girl, who for the most part engages in various everyday events. However, this normality is soon offset by subtle magic that originates from the girl’s dog, named Junkers (pronounced "Yoonkahs"). If this doesn’t sound like something Ghibli would make, I don’t know what does. However, the movie quickly shows just how talented studio Ghibli is; while Ghibli’s realistic, slice-of-life fare pretty much always feels unforced and incredibly entertaining, Junkers Come Here is at times stale and tiresome.

The story is definitely lacking. Several times while I watched this movie I was either yawning or (accurately) predicting what would happen next. Oftentimes the movie drifts into some downright hackneyed segments; at one point, a character in large, exaggerated sunglasses follows a person around town in a sneaky fashion (who hasn’t seen this somewhere else?), and the entire story revolves around the timeless plot device of wish-granting, which the anime handles in a rather clichéd fashion.

animation 7/10

The animation is quite nice. Backgrounds are definitely the best part, and carry a watercolor look that hosts a good deal of visual appeal. Character designs are realistic, and blend well into the animes down-to-earth look. As far as movement and detail goes, the film doesnt quite approach the level found in Ghiblis works, but is definitely good.

sound 4.5/10

For sound, I thought that the generally weak voice acting and flat out bad music somewhat detracted from the anime, but not terribly so.

characters 6/10

Character-wise, Junkers himself pretty much steals the show. I laughed out loud when Junkers turned on a portable TV and started to watch it, and I smiled when the schnauzer pulled out a drawer of a desk so that he could stand atop it to see what the protagonist was doing. In general, he’s quite a loveable individual.

Unfortunately, aside from Junkers, I didnt really like any of the other characters in the show. None of them ever felt lifelike, and I just didn’t relate to any of their thought processes. In particular, I disliked the house’s maid, a frumpy individual who lusts after young men. Characters are usually the strong point in animes like this one, but for whatever reason they're uninspired here.

overall 5.5/10

In the end, Junkers Come Here isnt a completely lost effort; it has moments of excellence, and I enjoyed many individual parts of the show. However, as a whole, I just didnt come away very satisfied. Id recommend this to people who really enjoy the kind of easy-going realism found in shows like NieA Under 7, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, or the beginning episodes of Read or Die TV, but most will probably want to skip this one.