Belle (竜とそばかすの姫, Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime, literally “The Dragon and the Freckled Princess”) is a feature film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda (細田 守 ; Toyama, 19 September 1967).
Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime premiered on 15 July 2021 at the seventy-fourth Cannes Film Festival, where Hosoda‘s latest effort was highly praised by both international critics and the audience present at the event, so much so that it received a standing ovation lasting about fourteen minutes at the end of its screening.
The day after the aforementioned event (16 July 2021), Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime was released in Japanese theatres and was a great success, becoming the third highest-grossing Japanese film of 2021, with 6.53 billion yen in the box-office charts.
In early 2022, the feature film is released in Western cinemas.
As with all of Hosoda‘s recent works, Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime was realized and produced by Studio Chizu, of which the director is the founder and owner. However, in the production of Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime, there are collaborations with artists and animation studios outside not only Studio Chizu, but the Japanese animation industry.
Synopsis
“U” is a popular social media platform where people can create a virtual persona and start a new life. Among its five billion users, one newcomer is quickly gaining attention: Belle, a beautiful singer whose alluring melodies slowly capture the hearts of the masses. But in this space where everyone hides behind an avatar, curiosity arises over who the mysterious girl truly is.
Suzu Naito—a shy girl from the countryside—can no longer sing following past trauma, all her efforts resulting in breakdowns and illness. However, when Suzu joins U, she is once again able to project her voice. Under the alias “Belle,” her vocals soon go viral, receiving both love and hatred. Meanwhile, rumors spread of a chaotic beast within U, known only as “The Dragon.” After a chance meeting during her concert, Belle finds he is not as evil as the stories suggest. Now, both online and in the real world, Suzu has to face the struggles of identity, fame, and opening one’s heart.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Critical Review
Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime is a very special animated film that occupies a fundamental place in Hosoda‘s career. In some respects, it is an extremely innovative project; in fact, there are many working and, above all, artistic choices that are completely new to his repertoire. At the same time, Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime is so closely linked to the director’s previous films (to one in particular) that it provokes in the spectator a strong sense of déjà-vu.
It seems nonsensical what I have just written. As is in the spirit of Hana Ga Saita Yo, and as we have accustomed our readers, I will make as accurate an analysis as possible of this latest work by Hosoda, in the hope that you will understand that nonsense, the paradox present in the words of my introduction.
The “Belle” and the Beast
I begin this paragraph by stating the obvious: Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime is essentially the modern reinterpretation of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, filtered through Hosoda‘s very personal vision. There is no need to list the countless references to the latter, which are so obvious that it is impossible not to notice them the first time you see the film; just think of the name chosen for the virtual identity of the protagonist, Belle. More obvious than that…
In this paragraph I want instead to dwell on the way in which Hosoda has approached the various incarnations of this centuries-old fairy tale: from the one by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, considered by many to be the original version (or at any rate the first edited one), to the more famous one by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, up to the animated version made by Disney in 1991, directed by Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale, with screenplay by Linda Woolverton.
Let us start with the most immediate, most striking aspect: the visual aspect. As I have already mentioned in the introduction to this article, Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime was not made entirely by Studio Chizu, for the first time in fact Hosoda collaborated with figures from outside, not only from his own studio, but from the Japanese animation industry.
Veteran Disney character designer Jin Kim has designed the title character, a virtual singer who inhabits the vast online space known as “U.” Kim, who is from South Korea, has worked on films including Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Frozen, and Netflix’s Over the Moon.
In addition, Hosoda’s Studio Chizu announced that it is working with Cartoon Saloon, the Irish studio behind the Oscar-nominated Wolfwalkers, on the film. Wolfwalkers directors Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart “will bring their talents to the table along with Mamoru Hosoda to create a never-before-seen world” in the film, according to Chizu. A spokesperson for Chizu confirmed to Cartoon Brew that Cartoon Saloon will work on “background art for fantasy scenes in the internet world.”
excerpt from cartoonbrew.com
This is one of the absolute novelties I was referring to a few lines ago. Entrusting the design of the protagonist to an external figure, however experienced and illustrious as Jin Kim‘s, is certainly not for everyone. This fact highlights Hosoda‘s decisive desire to evoke, to refer to, to pay homage to the animated version of Beauty and the Beast made by Disney exactly thirty years earlier.
On the other hand, as far as the narrative aspect is concerned, Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime is very detached from the Disney version, and consequently from that of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont from which the latter is taken. It is precisely for this reason that I cited Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve‘s original version at the beginning of the paragraph, not to fill the article with superfluous information, but because I believe that Hosoda‘s film has much in common with the latter.
The main difference between Villeneuve‘s and Beaumont‘s version (and consequently Disney‘s) lies in the deepening of the characters. Villeneuve‘s original version is much more extensive, the writer dwells in fact on the past and the origins of the two protagonists, with the aim of creating a metaphor of the society of her time, a harsh criticism of the many problems that women in that historical period were forced to face. On the other hand, in Beaumont‘s version all this is omitted or modified to make the story more ‘simple’ and consequently suitable for a very young audience.
Perhaps you have already guessed the reasoning I am about to describe. The story of Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime can easily be divided into two parts. One is obviously the retelling of the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast, i.e. everything that happens in the virtual world of U, after all Belle only exists there. The other part, however, is set in reality, where Suzu and Kei’s lives are told, their difficult relationship with their respective fathers, their adolescent problems, their tragic past… in a handful of words: the origin of the protagonists of this story. Exactly like Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve‘s Beauty and the Beast, Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime is not just a children’s fairy tale, but a story that makes the viewer reflect on many aspects of everyday life, and not all of them are positive, on the contrary.
To dare, or not to dare, that is the question
The very first doubt that grew in Hosoda during the creative process of Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime concerned the genre of the work. Being strongly inspired by the Disney film of Beauty and the Beast (as I already pointed out in the previous paragraph), the director’s initial intention was to recreate a feature film of the same genre, i.e. a musical. One wonders what and where the problem lies in all this. It is the director who explains the reasons for his dilemma, and how he eventually managed to overcome it, in an interview with NEO magazine:
Hosoda initially intended for Belle to be a musical, but considered the idea difficult due to Japan not having a culture of making musicals. However, he still wanted music to be central to the film, so he searched for a protagonist that could sing. He stated that he preferred the same person doing both speaking and singing voices to make it convincing, and searched for a singer who could express their feelings though song and move people, even if they don’t understand Japanese. He then found Kaho Nakamura, whom he considered relatively unknown, but a perfect choice for the role. Hosoda stated that Nakamura was also involved in writing lyrics, so she could feel the lyrics she was singing.
Osmond, Andrew (January 18, 2022). “Mamoru Hosoda Talks Belle”. NEO. No. 216. pp. 42, 44.
This is one of the innovative aspects I mentioned in the introduction to this analysis. Hosoda wanted to propose a musical, or at any rate a film that possessed many of the typical characteristics of this genre, to an audience that is not used to and has no culture for musicals (obviously for a Japanese director the reference audience remains the Japanese one). A leap into the void which, however, repaid the director, given the box office receipts of Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime, as I have already mentioned in the introduction to the article.
The interview also reveals another bet won by Hosoda, namely the choice of interpreter for Suzu/Belle. We all know that the dubbing world in Japan is particularly thriving and competitive (in every sense of the term), so choosing the pop/indie singer-songwriter Kaho Nakamura, totally unrelated to the Japanese animation industry, was undoubtedly a brave choice on Hosoda‘s part. I would like to emphasise the fact that the latter gave Kaho Nakamura the role of the film’s protagonist, and not a secondary character with a small number of lines.
In this case, too, Hosoda‘s intuition turned out to be decisively successful. In fact, Kaho Nakamura gave a very convincing performance. But it was in the singing parts that Nakamura shone; I doubt very much that anyone could remain impassive during the final scene where she intones that ‘la-la-la’ so simple but so full of feeling.
That’s the skill of a director, to make bold choices following one’s artistic vision.
Virtual worlds : from Oz to U
A few lines ago, I stated how in Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime it is possible to perceive a strong sense of déjà-vu. In addition to the reinterpretation of Beauty and the Beast on which I have already spent many words, there is another element that I find natural to call a “cliché,” something already seen in his movies. Those familiar with the work of Mamoru Hosoda will have already guessed the topic I am going to discuss in this paragraph.
In Summer Wars, the second feature film written and directed by Hosoda, the unfolding of the plot is divided between the real and virtual worlds, just as it is in Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime. However, what may seem to be a lack of inventiveness and originality on Hosoda‘s part is instead one of the central points of the entire work.
The easiest way to explain this concept is to start with the names chosen by the author for the two virtual worlds. In Summer Wars it is called “Oz,” while in Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime it is referred to as “U.”
The name “Oz” is obviously inspired by the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by F. Baum. Hosoda‘s intent in Summer Wars is to propose a parallel between the world of the Web and the novel’s Emerald City. In the Web, we have the ability to create our own virtual avatar, with the appearance and personality we want; in short, we can be who we are not really. Sort of like the glasses with green lenses that the Wizard of Oz forces citizens (and visitors) to wear so that everyone believes his city is made of emerald and not glass. The Wizard of Oz creates a distorted image of reality, imposing his worldview on his citizens in order to protect his identity and, most importantly, his authority. The Emerald City as a metaphor for the Web, an illusory, deceptive world where it is possible to meet people who are probably not who they say they are.
Despite this, Hosoda does not wish to convey a negative message to the viewer through Summer Wars, far from it, he wants to highlight the importance of values such as respect for others, self-sacrifice and altruism…values that must, however, first be sought in reality, be the fundamental basis of every community and every family, only in this way is it possible to create a virtual world where users are not afraid to hide who they really are, a place where it is possible to feel human warmth and not the cold distorted reflection of a glass city.
In Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime, the virtual world is instead called “U,” pronounced in the English manner (thus “ju:”), a pronunciation shared by the pronoun “you,” so much so that in Internet slang “you” is often abbreviated by writing the single vowel “u”.
A virtual world then referred to as “you,” a place where everyone can be himself, where everyone can freely express their thoughts and personality without being afraid of what others think. The prime example of what I have just written is the protagonist of Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime, Suzu is initially an extremely introverted girl and because of this she is unable to sing in the presence of other people despite it being her greatest passion, but thanks to the virtual world of “U” she is able to overcome this psychological limitation of hers.”U” is thus a world that helps people overcome their social fears and anxieties, a place where they can feel accepted by others. Or at least that is the philosophy behind it.
Unfortunately, even “U,” like the virtual world of “Oz” recounted in Summer Wars, is not a happy oasis. It is the author himself who explains why in an interview with Vulture magazine:
When I worked on Digimon Adventure in 2000, the internet was mainly used by young people, and it was kind of a new frontier full of possibilities, so we chose to represent it as a big, white, open space. By the time I made Summer Wars, it had a warmer and more vibrant color palette as more people started participating and using the internet. With Belle, I’ve seen how everyone has begun using social media and the internet in general to connect with each other, not just young people. The internet has become much closer to reality, so I wanted it to feel like a full world. We designed U to feel more cramped with a lot of tall buildings. There is no left or right or up and down, so it’s got this mysterious megacity feel to it to show how much people have contributed to this space and how much it’s come to reflect the real world, including the bad. Trolling is a big problem in Japanese society, so the challenge was to make a film that remained positive and hopeful about the future of the internet despite all its issues.
excerpt from Vulture
The virtual world of ‘U’ is ultimately just an evolution of the ‘Oz’ world described in Summer Wars, with the same potential and unfortunately also the same problems. Nevertheless, Hosoda remains hopeful about the future of the Internet.
The voice of hope
I concluded the previous paragraph by talking about Hosoda‘s hope for the future of the Internet, despite the countless problems that plague it. For the filmmaker, the Web is definitely not a paradise, but according to him, the greatest criticality lies in the behaviour of some people, I should correct myself, of a large part of the users.
Also in the interview with Vulture magazine mentioned above, the director elaborates on the reason for his concern:
One of the interesting things about the internet is that everyone believes they’re right. There’s no room for self-doubt. Maybe that’s not the internet but just humanity, and the internet is revealing it and blowing it up bigger. Because there are no police on the internet, some people believe themselves to be cops, like Justin, who also found a way to make this a business. He’s a very American character, which is what happened with Gaston in the Disney Beauty and the Beast. That movie is set in France, of course, but Gaston is very clearly an American character, a self-criticism of the U.S. So I wanted to do that with Justin in Belle, and what’s more American today than a superhero?
excerpt from Vulture
Hosoda‘s statement needs no further explanation, it is self-explanatory. The Web is populated by people who do not doubt themselves, who think they are always right, who proclaim themselves paladins of truth and justice. But what is it that gives them all this confidence and haughtiness? Anonymity. The possibility of having a virtual avatar with which they can be, or rather, make others believe they are who they are not or who they want to be.
Continuing to make references to F. Baum‘s novel, people on the Internet use their virtual identity like the Wizard of Oz, i.e. a charlatan who rules the Emerald City by deceiving its inhabitants. In addition to the episode of the green glasses already mentioned in the previous paragraph, perhaps most emblematic is the one in which the Wizard of Oz receives Dorothy and her travelling companions in his palace and appears to them in different forms (a head, a woman, a monster and a flaming ball) so as to maintain anonymity and above all making them believe that he is a powerful wizard from the world of OZ, and not a simple ventriloquist from Nebraska.
The character of Justin in Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime is also a charlatan, he believes himself to be the (virtual) embodiment of justice, so much so as to set himself up as the representative of the whole of humanity, indeed as Hosoda himself says, he believes himself to be a superhero, when in all likelihood in the real world he possesses even less authority than a ventriloquist from Nebraska.
Justin represents the exact opposite of what he wants people to believe, he spreads hatred instead of justice. The virtual world of ‘U’, as I have already explained, is so called precisely to encourage people to be themselves, whereas Justin preaches uniformity of thought and expression. What’s more, as Hosoda points out in the interview above, he also earns money from it through sponsors, a detail on which one could open a huge parenthesis on the uncontrolled money-spin that concerns certain types of entertainment and information forms typical of the Web.
Of course, Justin’s witch hunt finds its main scapegoat in Kei’s virtual avatar, the Dragon. Justin, instead of trying to understand the latter’s rebellious and aggressive behaviour due to the mistreatment he suffers in reality (the scars that accumulate on his cape), persecutes him as if he were the worst criminal in the history of mankind.
And this is exactly the most worrying problem of the Internet according to Hosoda, people like Justin who feel like superheroes in the virtual world, who think they are always right, who try to impose their worldview on others without having any right to do so, people who trample on the thoughts of others, who show no common sense.
Despite what has just been described, Hosoda has faith and hope in the future of the Internet:
I think it is hard, but I want young people to not feel defeated by cyberbullying and trolling and to keep on expressing themselves and finding the strength to change themselves and society, which is why I came up with the character of Belle. In the film, Suzu is a quiet girl without self-confidence. But her online alter ego, Belle, is the total opposite, and she has an effect on Suzu in real life: She gives her the strength to protect people in the real world. So I want to show the internet as not a place to be attacked but a place to discover yourself and find hope.
excerpt from Vulture
The gesture Suzu makes at the end of the feature film encapsulates all of Hosoda‘s thinking about how the Internet should be used by people. Thanks to the world of ‘U’, the protagonist manages to overcome her fear of singing in front of an audience, but it is only an illusion given by the anonymity of her virtual avatar. It is only in the finale that Suzu really gets over her mother’s death when, in order to save Kei and her brother from her father’s harassment, she decides to take off her Belle mask. A difficult step to take, but Suzu is not alone, there are millions of users supporting her, her voice has touched the soulstrings of everyone.
This is how the Internet should be according to Hosoda. The director hopes that common sense and altruism will prevail over destructive behaviour such as cyberbullying and trolling (to quote his own words), he knows very well that the problem is not the Web but the users who populate it; but as anime and manga have taught us over time, it is the people who make the difference when they set a common goal. Together we can overcome any obstacle.
Afterword
Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime is surely a singular project. A film that looks to the future but at the same time is strongly linked to Hosoda‘s past. In fact, on the one hand it is very different from his last feature films (I remember that with Ōkami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki the director began the so-called “family cycle” that ended with Mirai no Mirai released back in 2018), while on the other hand it takes up the central theme of Summer Wars, his second feature film.
Moreover, Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime is probably Hosoda‘s most ‘commercial’ movie, or rather, it’s aimed at the widest possible audience. At the same time, paradoxically, it is the director’s most innovative feature film, for the reasons already pointed out in this article: the collaborations with international artists, the risk of making a musical and assigning the role of the protagonist to a newcomer in the field of animation/dubbing.
That said, Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime is an undoubtedly successful project, and I’m not just referring to the box office takings. It is a film intended for everyone, young and old, Japanese and Western, which deals with a very sensitive global issue such as the relationship between society and the world of Internet, and which tries to convey a message that is as direct as it is important: to have common sense. All this is told delicately, like the fable from which the film is based, and above all as Hosoda has accustomed us. Bringing a little light into these dark times, to say the least (I chose the image above specifically for this sentence).
Hana Ga Saita Yo 