y o b i . t h e . f i v e . t a i l e d . f o x

I, to tell the truth, am a sucker for a good animated show. Be it a cartoon or movie, I'll watch it. Guaranteed it provides entertainment. I'm sure some people may find it odd I, at twenty, still like to watch cartoons. But I like to rationalize. First off, how many people are into anime? I believe I heard somewhere that in Japan anime is for kids, but in the US (and other places I'm sure) anime draws in older crowds. I could have heard/assumed wrong. Secondly I tend to doubt that shows like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex are meant for young audiences. I also heard somewhere that anime aimed towards older audiences tends to be on cable channels and aired late at night (again my memory of where I got this info is fuzzy---so the possibility of fabrication is a little high, but I am always amazed at what I have stored in my brain). And lastly, who makes cartoons? It definitely isn't five-year-olds. So I am sure the creators of animated shows must enjoy what they are doing, to some degree...I would hope.

I must admit I don't get up to watch Saturday morning cartoons, but they are getting a bit shoddy...or maybe I have gotten over them. Well anyway, enough about that. And I don't stay up late watching anime on Adult Swim anymore. Maybe I am just an example of the times, instead of the TV I can access the media I need from the internet. Anyway....I occasionally like to watch SpongeBob with my little sisters. I was actually watching SpongeBob by my lonesome the other day...my excuse? It was dubbed in Korean, and I am a sucker for anything in Korean. Checked it out in Japanese but did like it as much. Maybe because I find Korean humor more funny, and Sponge Bob's American humor is more similar to Korean humor. I find it interesting how a country's humor can be shown through just a voice (and its tone).

Wow, off topic. Yes I was going to write something about this Korean animated movie I watched, Yobi the Five Tailed Fox. The story is about a five tailed fox, who takes the shape of a ten-year-old human girl, and how she falls in love. It somehow includes weird mole/bear like aliens, a fox hunter and a shadow man.

Now I just loved the art in the movie. I am a sucker for good art...I can appreciate it. It very much reminded me of Hayao Miyazaki's movies. I absolutely love the art and story lines from his movies. And I felt so lucky when Turner Classic Movies aired some of his movies (this was awhile ago, 2006 maybe----I just looked it up, it was Jan. 2006 when they scheduled his films to air on TCM...and wow, I can't believe it was so long ago). Me and the family (my mum and dad included---which is rare) stayed up (late) and watched Miyazaki's films. I suppose it shows that (some) cartoons can be for people of any age. Well, the art in Yobi was really nice, but it couldn't compare to Miyazaki's films. I am sure Korea is on its way though. Plus, I must say I do prefer classical animation (think old Disney stuff). I just can't warm up to that CGI animated stuff (Toy Story, Finding Nemo) they are constantly doing now. So I like to see the classical looking animation (because I know they are doing all the jazz with computers now...or so I've heard/assumed) that Miyazaki's films have (and that Yobi had).

The story of Yobi was simple enough. You've got your magical girl, and you've got some bad guys. Magical girl falls in love and wants to be human. Got some conflict with the baddies and some issues with concealed identifies. Oh and of course you have to have some cheesy comedy, stuff the kiddies may (or may not---which is more likely) like. The aliens were supposed to be funny/entertaining, but they weren't. And I suppose them being funny was a way to make them endearing...well they didn't grow on me. Liked that bear though...and the way he slowly blinked his eyes. Yup I liked that depressed bear, with the misdirected rage (I'm kidding). Yobi's love interest, Geum-ee, wasn't especially well developed, but none of the delinquents really were. But maybe the ending would have been even more sad if we cared more about Geum-ee and actually knew him well.

The ending was quick, the baddie was finished off in mere minutes (which seems to be the trend). The stranded aliens, as far as I know, never went home (unless I missed something...it happens). And I guess they start their children young, because BAM! we got a sad ending. Well maybe I wouldn't categorize it as sad, more bittersweet. A lesson in sacrificing for love.

Cute movie, and I could completely imagine a little me falling asleep to it. Which is a good thing. I could imagine myself watching it all the time. It could have been like a perfect bedtime story for me. I'm sure my little sisters wouldn't care for this movie terribly, they like their movies to be in English. I can just imagine buying it for them, and then finding the DVD scratched like all heck on the floor a few days later. And I'll cry dramatically, "Didn't you like it?" And their distracted response would be, "...." Well everyone has different tastes. My point? I liked the movie.

My Rating: ★★★★☆