My Neighbors the Yamadas: TAKAHATA Isao’s main aesthetic choice matches perfectly the material. Looking into a somewhat dysfunctional, very loving, and perfectly normal family, the film is a series of vignettes with its five members: the father (a middle-management salaryman), the mother (a housewife), her mother (an elderly lady who lives with the family), their son (an adolescent boy), and their daughter (a young high-schooler). Each entertaining and insightful little story reveals the inner dynamics of the family (and how most of them are generally lazy, if they can manage), as well as their interactions with the outside world. As the storytelling is reminiscent of a Sunday paper comic strip, that’s the look the director goes for, with strong pencilling but soft watercolouring; it’s an unusual look, but very interesting. The voice cast is excellent, particularly the three adults: ASAOKA Yukiji as the mother, ARAKI Masako as the grandmother, and MASUOKA Tooru as the father. The music, composed by YANO Akiko, is wonderful; the film also features a Japanese version of “Que Sera, Sera”, a great fit for the moment it drops.