Okko is a young girl who has her life flipped upside down after her family gets into a car accident, leaving her as the sole survivor. Taken in by her grandmother who owns an inn, she suddenly has the ability to see and communicate with a spirit named Uribo who resides in the inn. Uribo convinces Okko to inherit the inn when she grows up, which starts her journey as a junior innkeeper. From then on, a coming of age story ensues as Okko later encounters particular guests of the inn and two more spirits, those being a demon named Suzuki that brings in said guests and Miyo, the sister of Okko's rival named Matsuki. There isn't much of a story as it's just Okko living her life as she trains to becoming an innkeeper. There are tons of moments that are just delightful to watch, whether it's Okko interacting with the hotel guests or the ghosts or her being scared of any little creature. While the movie is mostly very lighthearted, the ending gets quite emotional. I won't spoil the ending here, but it is effective since the audience gets attached to the protagonist.
Speaking of the protagonist, Okko is essentially the gem of the entire film. She is just insanely adorable and loveable whatever she does. Her youthful energy and desire to help out others is precious. Her fear of insects and lizards is funny but very cute. When she's happy, the audience feels happy for her. When she's distraught or upset, they feel bad for her and hope she finds a way to get better. She almost takes away the spotlight as the rest of the characters are essentially supporting figures, both to the protagonist and the story. Uribo is the second most loveable character for his goofy design and actions, but with a good heart. Miyo and Suzuki aren't in the film as long, but are enjoyable with Miyo's love of pranks and Suzuki's appetite. Matsuki starts off as a typical bully character that acts very unlikeable, but later shows that she has a sympathetic side and actually wants to help Okko and the inn despite them being business rivals. Other characters such as the grandmother, Okko's parents, the chef of the inn, and others barely get involved in the film, but are still likeable. If there is one character I'm not a huge fan of, it's the character of Glory. Glory is one of the guests that arrive in the inn who works as a fortune teller. A fortune teller that somehow affords a Ferrari and shopping for hundreds of clothes. Other than the questionable amounts of money she has, she also bonds with Okko in a day or two and takes her out shopping, which I sort of find weird, since I doubt any grandmother would let their granddaughter go spend a day with a stranger, guest or not. Outside of those issues, her personality is charming and I really enjoyed the mall sequence, mostly for Okko's bundle of energy. Even with the minor complaints, the characters are really likeable to say the least.
The animation is beautiful, just like many modern hand-drawn films from Japan. Anime has different art designs and style when it comes to characters and the world. In this case, they went for much more brighter, warmer colours to match the overall tone of the film. The character designs are also perfect for the characters and their personalities, with the spirts taking the most unique designs. I love Uribo's big buck teeth, Miyo's pale aesthetic and Suzuki's facial features being bizarre. The score is also very good, though it's not very used much in the film. The pacing is also well-done, which is a big key in making a coming of age story. The pacing and flow of these genre films must be perfected, as slow pacing can bore an audience or fast pacing can't allow the audience to breath from time to time during their viewing experience. The filmmakers overall knew how to construct the film the best way possible for this narrative.
I wasn't expecting to cover this film at all since I had no knowledge of the film to begin with. I was simply walking past a local theatre and saw the poster to this film and decided that I should give it a watch. I'm not a huge anime guy as some think. I never watched any series, mostly because of the lack of time I have to commit to these series, but mostly my distain to poorly constructed romances, overly-complicated narratives and world-building, and the sexual nature to many anime series. I however do enjoy watching anime films such as those from Studio Ghibli. One of my favourite films is "Your Name", which I might review in the future. Okko's Inn is highly ranked in my list of the anime films I've watched, which isn't many, but it shows how much I managed to adore this little surprise. With great animation, loveable characters with the protagonist taking the spotlight all to herself, heartwarming moments of laughter, sadness, and harmony, tied off as a nice story about acceptance and the ability to move on. Outside of the character of Glory needing a bit of a rewrite, the film is sort of a perfect anime film. If you love anime or coming of age stories that has lots of cute moments, watch this as soon as you can in any theatre that is currently screening this gem!
Verdict: 9.5/10. Almost perfect in my opinion, but maybe it is if you give it a shot just like I did!
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