The Case of Hana & Alice [DVD]

This is an enchanting, understated,revealing and in the end very funny story of two schoolgirls who could have been brought up in any city in any relatively developed area of the world. The plot neatly presents, and then neatly sidesteps, the cliches of the schoolgirl genre but derives its charm from the notion that nobody follows, at the age of sixteen or so, the sensible paths available to them in a mystifying and slightly crazy world full of riddles and the possibility of discoveries.. I adored it and felt I came to know Hana and Alice like schoolkids from my neighbourhood...

This was excellent. A simple but nicely told story. The characters were well realized and both believable and appealing. I also found the visual style to be very refreshing. A very good watch all round.

Great story line and good quality animation. It's in Japanese so select the sub titles from the audio settings.

Rotoscoping. This is an animation sin and should not be repeated. For a film with such beautiful art, likable characters and an interesting enough story to be almost ruined due to a niche style of animation. I almost want to start a gofundme to hire a team of animators to rework the film.A good story and beutifully drawn, hindered by its flawed animation style

This film drew out these teenage girls misery as only the Japanese can. Not the best anime films by a long way

First off, I'm only reviewing the film itself and not the packaging or the edition being released.'The Case of Hana & Alice' tells the story of Alice, a 14-year-old middle school student who has just recently been transferred to a new school. There, she notices someone always watching her from the window, and once she attends the school, she soon finds out her classmates are obsessed with the idea of the spirit of Judas and his four wives, who (according to her classmates) have something to do with the sudden disappearance of a boy named Yuda a year ago.One day, Alice stumbles into the house which belongs to Hana, the girl who has always been watching her ever since she arrived. She soon finds out that Hana has not been at school for over a year and that Hana also wishes to uncover the mystery behind Yuda's disappearance. Together, they set out to find Yuda and begin their adventure...I'm probably writing the synopsis a little too nicely; the story doesn't really keep you interested that much. In fact, upon reaching the end of the film, I felt like, huh? That's it? Just like that?There are some scenes that I feel are absolutely childish. Yes, those probably reflect our times during our middle school - and I get it that the film wants to be nostalgic to the bittersweet memories that we all have cherished at some point - but it picks an altogether different kind of memory to present to us! Instead of leading us back to our early youth and all the sweetness scents of the schooldays (like some Ghibli films or anime series have successfully done), 'The Case of Hana & Alice' presents aspects that are entirely dismissible. Bullying, blind faith, silly ghost stories... come on! We all probably have been through these things, but they certainly aren't our first memories to come up when we reminisce our times in middle school! (Sigh...)Now, not all of the story is bad, though. My favourite moment is in the middle of the film, where Alice befriends an elderly whom she misunderstands to be Yuda's father. The moment they spend time together is actually simply beautiful and nostalgic (as the rest of the film should've been). Also the friendship between Hana & Alice is well developed.The animation is quite nicely done, with some beautiful scenes in the background. They are sort of unique though - you'll recognise them immediately after watching the film just once. The music is also very good, as well as the sound mixing/editing and the original Japanese audio. (I've got no comment on the English dub as my DVD doesn't have that. Sorry.)That's it. That's all I have to say for this anime. Overall, I'm inclined to say while the film is not disastrous and does indeed contain some really nice moments and good artwork, it is dragging and (slightly) annoying at times and these make it entirely dismissible. (Also, for a crime movie you'd expect there'd be a twist. This one... congrats... doesn't have any: the story goes in the most predictable way.) However, I don't really regret watching it though, but I don't think I'd miss the whole world had I skipped it.3.5 stars out of 5.

... well I was not disappointed :-)To be fair, this animated movie made a smashing entry into my personal top 5, and yet it's been a good bunch of years now that I'm watching Animated. A real good surprise!Okay, let's be clear, if you're looking for an over-excited kind of movie or a convoluted storyline with mind-boggling turnovers every thirty seconds, then go your way. We are here on a real "slice of life" as the Japanese sometimes know how to do with lightness, grace and a rare intelligence. What impressed me the most, beyond the use of multiple animation techniques (rotoscoping, 3D CGI characters), is the perfect balance of the project as a whole. It's well done, smart, artistic, it hits the mark and it's full of humor. Some scenes might seem unnecessary or too lengthy but in fact not ... the film takes the time to say what it has to say and each scene contributes its share to our understanding of the characters or the action.And in terms of an investigation, without wanting to spoil it, the film reveals from its first third most of the strings of its mystery: the important thing is not there, the investigation is only a pretext. To what? Meeting Alice and Hana of course :-) Because this is the heart of the film, the meeting of two characters who throw themselves headlong into a delirious investigation for a rather futile reason. In fact, this film could just as easily have been a road movie whose interest would not be the destination where the two protagonists go, but the path they travel together.In this, it is super successful, there is a real pleasure in seeing them evolve, a real "feel good" dimension :-) Do not miss this opportunity to do yourself good by taking these adventures not like you wait for them, but as they come and as they are. A real beautiful movie :-)Ha, and don't miss Makoto Shinkai's comment on the Blue Ray version either, his technical analysis is very interesting and explains many things that some of the comments here wanted to highlight as weaknesses while they are technical and artistic choices. .. Makoto explains it better than me ^ _ ^