Belle - Japanese Anime (2001)

Time for animé. You have to like it and not everything is my taste but there are definitely some that are worth watching.

Yesterday I saw Bell screened outside.
Nice to be able to be outside while watching a film with nice weather.
We watched it in Japanese with subtitles. Personally, I prefer to hear a film in the original language as this influences the atmosphere (in some cases, a film is better when you hear it in another language).

Those who know the story of Belle en het beast (The beauty and the beast) will certainly recognise this story.

A shy, timid schoolgirl is invited to join the platform 'U' because here she can start a new life, be a different person.
In itself this is a somewhat strange story because she is not being bullied. The fellow pupils are nice and the ladies of the choir also believe in her.

Although she looks like a child of 8 (anime own and sometimes it feels like these 'innocent girls' movies are meant to please paedophiles) she is old and takes care of herself. Mother has drowned after saving a child years ago and father is clearly too busy with other things than his only child. So she is not bullied, everyone is nice and yet she reacts as if her life is bad and everyone is giving her a hard time. The problem is apparently that she doesn't dare to sing and she can in the digital world. By singing, she instantly becomes famous (you always hear the same song).

The digital world is not a peaceful place.
There are bullies, narcissists, jealousy reigns supreme and then there is the beast. In this case, the beast is a dragon, although to me it looks more like a wolf.

Of course, Bell seeks out the dragon.
Naturally, she visits his palace and, like Walt Disney's Beauty, she has the nasty urge to impose herself, not to be sent away and to be insulted when she is sent away.

In the meanwhile (back) in the real world, people do not sit still. Everyone wants to know who is behind which avatar (also strange if you are meant to be someone else).

Suddenly, a group of 'friends' form and together they search for the identity of the dragon. The dragon with which Bell feels a bond and for which she has written a love song (not a pompous text but the singer has a beautiful, pure voice that sounds like a bell).

Although the story makes some strange jumps and lacks depth, it is worth watching.

You can watch this Japanese anime online or on Netflix.