The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl

'The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl,' based on the novel by Tomihiko Morimi and directed by Masaaki Yuasa, is a film that I have been yearning to watch for quite some time. After waiting for the right time to watch it, it finally came to be that the day I watched it was today. It seemed like the right time for two reasons: One, I had just finished watching 'The Tatami Galaxy' (which I had viewed in preparation for this movie and enjoyed very much) this afternoon, and two, I was feeling a little bit down from all the news and viewpoints of our current social situation being thrown around and was in dire need of something that would liven me up again. 'The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl' did just that!

In the city of Kyoto, a young raven-haired university student sets off on a night of fun, adventure, and plenty of colorful alcoholic beverages to spare. During this time, she encounters an idiosyncratic group of Kyoto residents and dances her way through one incredible situation after another, charming everyone along the way with her optimistic personality and her high tolerance for liquor. Elsewhere, another university student pathetically strives to meet up with her and win her heart, constantly getting bogged down by a series of inconvenient obstacles.

Running at just an hour-and-a-half, 'The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl' feels like an adrenaline rush of unlikely circumstances and fantastical occurrences. Multiple events occur within the span of the night in which this movie is set. To name a few without spoiling the movie, there's a drinking contest with a supernatural being, a search for a long-lost children's book, and a guerilla theatre production featuring fabulous musical numbers, all pulled from the pages of Morimi's novel and brought to life with some of the most whimsical and hallucinatory works of animation ever seen in a film.

By the end of the film, I felt as though the night I had experienced with the raven-haired hero had lasted an eternity, and I enjoyed every single minute of it. It's a gorgeous, candy-colored dreamlike experience with an all-out sense of wacky sweetness, and I doubt I'll be seeing anything like this for a while.

For anyone with even a slight interest in animation, this is an essential watch. For those willing to go the extra mile, I highly recommend viewing 'The Tatami Galaxy' in advance.