ridiculous rating

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Blistering performances.

I love how the director's style matches up nicely with the background of the story, with water tunnels flying all over the air and even people and animals going all wobbly. The story is kind of bonkers, with dancing mermaids and huge fish disguised as a tall man. Furthermore, emotional overloads can be too much for some people but visual treats and casual abandonment of conventions are so invigorating. A must for the fans of the director and his hit film 'Mind Game'.

A mixture of delightfully refreshing and painfully stale, Lu Over the Wall is a film that shows flashes of greatness but never really comes together as a definitively above-average film. Just like its lead character, Kai, Lu Over the Wall spends a lot of its time going through the motions. While much of this movie is uniquely displayed from a visual standpoint, most of what's being conveyed is an obvious plot-line told through point-blank dialogue & characterizations. Simplicity is sometimes to be expected from cartoons but Lu Over the Wall plays its narrative hand so plainly that it may have its viewers bored before the halfway point.The playful direction and cinematic choices of this movie may help hold the attention of its viewers but, due to Lu Over The Wall's meandering pace, I would not be surprised if some will be eager for the ending. There is beautiful, frightening and humorous imagery in this movie and enough overall quality that I would say the film was an enjoyable experience. But there is also enough fat along the way that I won't be eager to experience it again. In the end, Lu Over the Wall's combination of ancient folklore, modern music and striking images gives it a special feel that is, unfortunately, overshadowed by its limited script.Writing: 5/10 Direction: 7/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Acting: 7/10 Editing: 6/10 Sound: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack: 7/10 Production Design: 7/10 Casting: 7/10 Effects: 8/10Overall Score: 6.9/10

It's an anime film about Kai, a gloomy middle-schooler who loves music, but whose father and grandfather are against it. They live in a town where the only industries are fishing and umbrella making, because the mermaids cursed the village long ago. Through a long and rambling story, Kai gets involved with a couple of other pre-teens in forming a band, a mermaid known as Lu and... well, it's a weird, complicated fantasy story.There are several issues with this feature, and it's hard to say whether it's an issue with the film makers or the people who did the American release. Some of the anime fantasies I've seen over the last few years have had very elaborate magical theses, and when the denouement comes along, there was is no foreshadowing in the movie... or was there? Was the escape clause the good guys used to avoid their evil fate just invented at the last minute, or was it mentioned in the original Japanese version about 15 minutes in and the translator botched the job? Or am I going to be lectured that if I had read the 4300-volume manga that the movie is based on, like I should have, I would have seen it was mentioned twice?I think the translators did a fair job of foreshadowing. I must admit that I was distracted by the use of at least three completely different style of animation used in the movie, depending on whether it was the workaday world, when the mermaid was present, or when some major magic was operating. It's a fair and reasonable way of doing things, like different lighting for different eras in a film, but it was a lot to absorb.In the end, though, one goes to a story film for a story, and a story is about people changing, and that's what happens here: the selfish pre-teens stop being so selfish, the older people open up about their own issues and the need for the youngsters to live their own lives and so forth. It's just that this is a weird movie. And in the end, I think that is a good thing.

This is a very cute film... over the top cute to be honest. The story line is decent if a little stretched. Children will love it, adults will likely find it endearing. It is not particularly exceptional in any aspect-- animation, story or production, but certainly worth a watch. For some it will seem too "silly", but others will find it to be a lot of fun. It's a good morality play about accepting those who are different, looking at life in a positive manner, and hope. The weak ending might be a bit disappointing but can be forgiven. All in all a decent film for younger ones.