In the follow-up of ‘Your Name’, we’re living in a boomtime for feature length-anime films. Excitedly now we have more and more stories being told in this format, and we have more creatives behind the helm of these projects. That is to say however with that comes a real mix of quality, and though ‘Penguin Highway’ has somethings going for it, it is alas a lesser title overall that leaves us wanting.
‘Penguin Highway’, adapted from the sci-fi novel written by Tomihiko Morimi, follows a young child named Aoyama who is one of the smartest kids in the classroom, and who takes copious notes on the world around him to solve the mysteries he beholds. One day penguins mysteriously appear in his hometown and he sets out to investigate the mystery of these penguins, along with other strange mysteries. Aoyama does so both with young friends of his, that are peers in his class, and a young woman he simply calls ‘Lady’, who works at the dental office and fascinates Aoyama.
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
I had heard nothing about the film ‘Penguin Highway’ when I clicked play, and simply knew it was a recent film that featured the mystery of penguins in a Japanese town. This meant I had admittedly no knowledge as to the crux of the film, which is essentially it tells of a young boy’s coming of age story. This is a common subject for a film, especially in anime, and therefore I’d hope that the promise of using this penguin mystery as a metaphor for his quest to learn about life might help set this film apart. Alas the film doubles down on the metaphor by adding increasingly unnecessary layers of mystery, while also centering an incredibly strange relationship that is less than ideal.
To start with the latter, the boy Aoyama starts conversing with the Lady at the dentist office, and immediately his primary interest is solely her boobs. Though I could understand the fascination perhaps at that age as a young boy being brought up once in the film, this becomes an incredibly routine component of the pairs relationship, as he narrates this and eventually she confronts him for staring, however teasingly. This dynamic then, not one of a mother and son, nor a sister and brother, just becomes icky in time as she seems to egg him on more and more. Perhaps this will resonate with someone who remembers their young boyhood; however, it certainly did not with me. The main pair’s odd chemistry in many ways is why I was always excited when Aoyama would join his friends his age; however, their inclusion was later in the film than I’d want and also more brief than it perhaps should have been.
Now to the mystery as an audience member, it’s fair to believe I feel at the start that the penguins appearing is simply enough of a mystery to solve; however, the film decides to layer on two other mysteries that give the film more runtime than is needed. Perhaps in the original book this comes across as more exciting; however, every time the film adds to the mystery it seemed to make it more complex for complexity’s sake. Though I will not spoil the resolution as well, though it wasn’t all obvious – as it was too convoluted in parts leading up to it – one element was supremely obvious from the jump which deflated any grand reveal.
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
If there’s components of the film I do love its the kids themselves bonding, along with the fun sequences with them and the townsfolk engaging with the penguins. Truly these are some strange penguins, and seeing them all about in beautifully sequenced landscapes and cityscape shots is quite delightful. Likewise in its best moments the kids journey to solve the mystery of the penguins showcased what could ultimately have been a much more effective coming of age tale. However alas we were given too little of these positive aspects, and too much bloat from everything else, to deliver a strong film overall.
Perhaps ‘Penguin Highway’ would have never been my cup of tea, depending on how faithful the film is to the source material. So though I cannot recommend this film, if any of this peeks your interest then perhaps consider giving the film a chance. However, its failings alas for me overcame its features, and this is a one and done viewing for me personally.
