A Letter To Momo || The Anime That Stayed In Her Mind

Yesterday I asked @lilooi, my sister what anime movie became memorable for her and there's a word she said that baffled me and it's: Momo. Momo? I thought it was Momo from Dandadan, but she said no. My sister isn't much of an otaku, but she knows some of them (because who wouldn't if she had a sister who would non-stop blabber about it haha). I tried to search for it and finally, after minutes of finding it, I discovered it was A Letter to Momo. Even though I have watched more anime than her, still there are anime that I haven't known and one of them is this movie.

Also what baffled me more after knowing it, was this seemed like an underrated one so I'm wondering why she find it memorable. I was expecting some mainstream anime, like a Ghibli or a Makoto Shinkai movie, but instead, she recommended this. I totally didn't expect her to recommend this one, but anyway I set my doubts aside and downloaded it. So now join me as I share with you my take on this movie that became memorable to my sister—A Letter to Momo.

---

About the Anime

A Letter To Momo (Momo e no Tegami) is an original movie that aired last April 21, 2012. This movie was animated by Production I.G. and was produced by numerous producers. Amazingly, this movie is an award-winning supernatural-drama anime that both won the 2012 Future Film Platinum Grand Prize in Italy and the 2012 Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Animated Feature Film. This 2-hour-long movie is G-rated, meaning all ages can watch it.

So the story starts with Momo and her mother moving to Shiojima, a small island where her mother once lived. Apparently, they're moving to that island to start anew after the unexpected death of her father. However, even though she felt that her mother was slowly moving on, she, on the other hand, felt stuck in that tragedy. Moreover, the unfinished letter she found on her father's desk fueled the regret she felt with how she acted before his death, thus making her heart heavy with a sudden departure she didn't expect.

When they arrived at the small island, Momo realized that it was definitely far from the city she once lived. Also, her uncomfortable feelings amplified after arriving at their new house. She felt that there was something wrong with it, and it wasn't long when she started seeing strange transparent-like figures. Further, her problems don't only end with those strange figures because as a newcomer on that island, she also struggled to fit in with locals and with her peers. But her bland days of struggling to fit in were bound to end as one day, she finally clearly saw the three figures that had been following her—and they were the youkai from the picture book in the attic!

Trouble after trouble came, but as soon as she got to know more of those troublesome youkai, Momo slowly learned how to live again—to live in the moment, free from the shackles of grief and guilt.

---

I'm really fond of supernatural-themed anime so upon knowing about its theme, this immediately piqued my interest. However, as I got to know more about the story, I realized that the supernatural is not the main thing about it. It somehow disappointed me because I thought I could get to know more about what kind of youkai they are, but it turns out those aren't their real form. Ok, I don't want to spoil more so I'll move on from that and focus more on how the plot progressed throughout the movie. Honestly, its plot isn't new at all, it's just the usual grieving-to-recovery story of a girl, however, this one has a twist and it's in the form of three quirky youkai.

Without them, I think this movie won't be as enjoyable as it is. Their interactions were really entertaining and there are even times it made me laugh nonstop. Those youkai were just so effortlessly funny and even though their character designs may look quite unsettling at first, the moment you see them interact makes you realize how far from intimidating they are. I especially like Kawa the most because even though he's the most annoying among the three, still his funny antics, narcissistic and sassy gestures, and even his crazy farts made him, for me, the most interesting youkai among them.

Also, I like how important their contribution in the MC's character development. Without them, the plot won't progressed much and the MC won't achieve the thing she'd been yearning for at the end. Those youkai may be annoying at first, but trust me—you're gonna love them once you get to know them. As for other characters some of them were underutilized, but that's fine I think because if they're utilized well, the interaction of the youkai and MC won't be focused. Perhaps the only evident flaw I saw in this movie is how some parts felt dragging, while some felt too rushed. Maybe it's because they have a time limit or something, but anyway, most of the parts of the movie were enjoyable so those flaws were overshadowed and can be completely ignored.

As for the best part of this movie, it was its visuals. At first look, I thought it kinda looks Ghibli-ish, but as I progressed through the movie, the art style looked quite different. Perhaps the color palette they use are similar but the art style—especially the character close-ups—looks different. Its visuals felt familiar yet at the same time new to me. And its animation! It's crazy to imagine how they're able to come up with such stunning-looking animation. The amount of dedication in making those tiny details was astounding. From the way the vehicle and the people inside it moved when they were on the hump and how those three tiny droplets moved so fluidly—they are all animated in a way that I would really wonder how much effort they exerted in just portraying those scenes.

Further, the way they animated the facial expressions of the characters was so on-point and affecting, that it made me cry at some point. The emotions just felt so raw so I can't help but also feel the intensity of it. Plus it was matched with background music and of 'course with them, it's impossible to feel nothing. The voice acting of the VAs was also impeccable and I like to commend the cough part because it sounded so real. The ending song was also as heartwarming as the anime and I like that even though it's already the end credits part, they still showed a peek of the sceneries and daily life of the residents in the island.

Overall, this anime was really worth watching. I started it with no expectations whatsoever, but I finished it with a lot of takeaways. Watching it was an enriching and fun experience, and I hope that I can watch more heartwarming and sentimental anime like this in the near future. So if you're in for a supernatural-drama anime that has a tad of laughs and sentiments, then you stumbled on the right anime and it's definitely a must that you should try A Letter To Momo.

Before I end this review, I'll share with you its trailer, so—

Have you encountered this anime movie before? Or is this your first time seeing it? If you have something to share about it, then feel free to write them down in the comments. That's all for now, minna-san—I hope you enjoyed reading my review!