“Belle” came out of nowhere. It is a Japanese anime film that had its Western release on January 14 of this year. This movie was directed by Mamoru Hosoda and produced by Studio Chizu. Hosoda is  known for his movies always revolving around the metaverse. The metaverse is a virtual universe with endless possibilities. This movie in particular is like an anime musical about the metaverse. The specific metaverse is called U.

This movie is exactly the type of film fans of Hosoda’s work would expect. It has great animation, and the songs that the main character sings are amazing. The music made me jam out and cry at the same time. The movie made me understand what it feels like to be alone and without that special someone or something in someone’s life: everything is meaningless. It also gave me the feeling to push on. The side characters help Suzu through this tough time. This includes inside the world of U and outside it. Although this is the case, plot-wise, it feels off.

If I had to explain this movie in a few words, I would say it is a “Beauty and the Beast” clone. In the middle of the plot, the movie puts these strangely placed romance scenes with the U characters. I would not say it is confusing, it just appears random and out of nowhere. The movie takes a dip from this point and it does redeem itself, but it took me a while to get over this. 

After getting over that, it returns into the amazing work of art that it is. An emotional, impassioned, and exciting experience. I give this movie a 8 out of 10. It has its flaws, but the music and animation is so good it saves the plot.