Cert 12A
90 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate sex references
The western world may claim Disney or even Pixar as the masters of animation but nobody delivers it with quite the same style as the Japanese.
Usually the plaudits belong to Studio Ghibli but just as poignant, on this occasion, has been Production I.G.
It has brought to the screen the story of celebrated 19th century artist Tetsuzo, better known as Hokusai, through the eyes of his daughter.
Keiichi Hara's movie portrays Hokusai (voiced by Yutaka Matsushige) as someone who struggles with relationships and lives in a chaotic home surrounded by discarded balls of paper.
His friends are a fellow artist who is perpetually drunk and another painter who has desires on his much more level-headed daughter (Anne Watanabe).
The latter is also a highly talented artist but spends much of her time looking after her self-consumed divorced father who refuses to see his blind and sickly second daughter.
The fact is that nothing much happens in Miss Hokusai and yet I still found it beguiling.
It concentrates on its title subject's frustrating yet dedicated relationship to her father, her disdain for his friends and her great love for her sister.
But the animation is so beautiful and the characters so well-rounded it is impossible not to fall for it .
Reasons to watch: classic Japanese anime
Reasons to avoid: the fantasy elements might be too off-the-wall for some tastes
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 7/10
Star tweet
My contact for expertise on Japanese art history approves of Miss Hokusai.
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