I've been thinking about Belle now after I've had a chance to think about it (and perhaps after having seen it too many times). The thing that kept me coming back again and again was that scene, the one where everyone cries. And what makes it work so well, is "A Million Miles Away."
Belle's songs serve a storytelling purpose. "U" introduces us to the world and all the excitement and possibilities of the virtual world. "Gales of Song" is the release of everything that Suzu's kept holed up so many years and finally being able to express herself. "Lend Me Your Voice" is the song that represents Belle reaching through to the Beast. And fittingly, "A Million Miles Away" is the final song.
It's the desperate plea of Suzu reaching out to Kei, hoping that her vulnerability speaks to him more than empty phrases he's heard countless times before. And oh, what a vulnerable song it is. Aside from how well they show this visually (they take the time to animate her lips trembling!), the emotions carry on through the whole song. ALL EIGHT MINUTES OF IT.
But what heightened this even more for me is it's relationship to another piece on the soundtrack, "Memories of a Sound." This is the instrumental version of "A Million Miles Away" and runs at less than two minutes. What makes it important is it's placement in the movie. The song plays during the flashback montage with Suzu and her Mom and all the memories associated with it, from how Suzu learns to love music and the loss that led her to where she is at the start of the movie.
Remember how "A Million Miles Away" is around eight minutes and "Memories of a Sound" is around two? I'm not confident in it, but "A Million Miles Away" feels like it has three parts to it, and the lyrics to that first part is below:
"Light glimmers in a flower
Like jewels in a dream
The sky breathes life, love to everything
At times I’ve thought “I’m not enough”
The chains that tie my heart
But there’s still a path that lies ahead for you and I
Memories fade away, clouds of yesterday
With no one to love Is this life worth living?
Come back to me, and stay by my side
I feel my heart shake. Come, ease this ache
I’m standing over here, reaching for you
A million miles away, come back and stay
No matter how far the memories may be
When I close my eyes, you’re all that I see
Come back to me A million miles away, come back and stay"
The song lays out Suzu's circumstances and how she is feeling before diving into her act of pleading to Kei. "A Million Miles Away" gets through these lyrics in about two minutes. In contrast, "Memories of a Sound" is stuck at the first two verses (term?), repeating them twice. It has the chance to go through the whole piece, but it doesn't. It fits so well with where Suzu is at the beginning and the journey she needs to take. And perhaps a small part of me wonders if she hasn't come up with the other parts of the lyrics yet. Perhaps she isn't capable of going any further with the song.
Lastly, this theme (is it a leitmotif yet?) comes in the middle of the movie where Suzu tries to sing. She attempts to sing "A Million Miles Away" but only gets to the first line before she physically cannot go further. This is a song that's present from the very beginning of the movie, and we only get it at the very end when Suzu's journey is near completion. "A Million Miles Away" represents Suzu's memories of her Mom and the loss and trauma after. It hurt so much that she physically can't sing. It's her most vulnerable song, and she opens herself up to Kei and the world. Kei and the world then respond to her in kind.
Is it any wonder then that "A Million Miles Away" is my favorite song?
Mamoru Hosoda's latest masterpiece, those who know his style and talent will not be disappointed! You will find in Belle everything that makes his anime unique pieces that remain forever engraved in the hearts of viewers. Using an old European tale as a basis - Beauty and the Beast - he makes a magnificent reproduction of it, free of the usual clichés and stereotypes.
Suzu is a young high school girl with a passion for singing, but whose past wounds prevent her from living out her passion. She would like to sing, but can no longer. U, the fashionable metaverse, will save her from this situation by giving her the possibility to sing in a virtual universe with a different appearance. Freed from what was holding her back in the real world, she finds herself embroiled in a virtual celebrity totally disconnected from her true identity. Through Mamoru Hosoda's usual way of approaching things in his anime, new themes for him are tackled such as the question of the regulation of virtual space and the internet in general, the impact of social networks on the lives of individuals, and the opportunities it can also bring. Beyond that, it is the suffering experienced by the children, the sense of justice, and the difficulty to accept the wounds of the past that are again explored through this very beautiful story of friendship and love in all its forms.
The beautiful message of Beauty and the Beast is also perfectly conveyed in this emotional anime, namely beauty beyond appearance. The true inner beauty and value of a person revealed by artificial intelligence that creates an avatar based on the true strength of the person using it is without a doubt the main message of this anime. Once again, Mamoru Hosoda has served up a new piece of art that you'll regret having missed, once again accurately portraying the complexity of life with the most beautiful simplicity. So a good piece of advice from the weeb: don't have this futile regret in your too-long list of regrets the day you die...
Note: Belle is a treasure in terms of the references it contains and that the title subtly insinuates. A most appreciated finesse of spirit that this anime will bring you in addition to its full of vibrant emotions. Between Jellinek and Peggy Sue, I'll let you discover these discreet clues left here and there throughout the anime about people who questioned the concept of rule throughout their lives...
“You don’t care about justice at all, you only want to control people !” - Suzu
just watched Belle, it had been on my watch list for months and honestly it is one of the most beautiful animated films I've ever seen.A beautiful movie with great music and fantastic storyline and some of the best visuals...
kianamaiart
vaporwave
turnnoffyourmind
areudirty
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