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Miss Hokusai

Play trailer 2:16 Poster for Miss Hokusai PG-13 2016 1h 33m Biography History Drama Anime Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 59 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
The daughter of a famous artist is constantly overshadowed by him.
Miss Hokusai

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Miss Hokusai illuminates the life and creative legacy of its brilliant subject with a beautifully animated biopic whose absorbing visuals are matched by its narrative grace.

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Critics Reviews

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Matthew Lickona San Diego Reader 11/11/2016
2/5
The art here is rawer and more idiosyncratic than some other anime, and there is a pleasing matter-of-factness about fleshy matters - drinking, sex, sickness - even as the more abstract question of art's practice and power is under consideration. Go to Full Review
Valerie Complex Black Girl Nerds 11/03/2016
6/10
Visually gorgeous but doesn't adequately capture a compelling figure. Go to Full Review
Bruce DeMara Toronto Star 10/28/2016
3.5/4
The animation is superb, with fine attention to period detail, and director Keiichi Hara's use of modern music - some of it rock-infused - is apt accompaniment to a story of a young woman who lives life boldly by refusing to bend to cultural norms. Go to Full Review
Diana Tuova Spotlight on Film 08/01/2024
3.5/5
Miss Hokusai fascinates in the way it presents daily life in Japan in the 1810s and the emergence of Hokusai’s artistic masterpieces. Go to Full Review
Panos Kotzathanasis easternKicks.com 07/26/2020
Miss Hokusai is a highly entertaining film that excels both artistically and in terms of story. Go to Full Review
Dan Schindel Hyperallergic 02/04/2020
Director Keiichi Hara shapes Miss Hokusai less as a portrait of any one person than as a portrait of a particular time and place, how we in the present relate to that time, and how art bridges the gap. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Logan D May 4 During the late Edo period (c.1600-1868), O-Ei, the daughter of a famous painter, tries to make her own mark in art history. This film was made more interesting by the fact it is based on actual persons. The famous painter became known as Hokusai. You've likely seen his "wave" painting (one of my screenshots is an homage in the film). The film lacks an overall plot and is more episodic in it's portrayal of the relationship between O-Ei and her father, her mother, and her blind sister. It features a bit of mysticism as well but isn't a fantasy. It's an effective and emotional portrait of two persons unfamiliar to most of the west. See more isla s 09/02/2022 This is a nice anime film - its got one or two mildly risque images, hence the 12 rating. The plot I found a little confusing but I enjoyed it for the nice landscapes and charming music, which is mostly light, airy and playful, traditional instrumental type music, with a sense of reminiscence I felt. I enjoyed the depictions of paintings - of course there's an irony, with such an animated film in itself depicting paintings within it. Most of the film features young children and indeed childhood innocence is a big part of the film. I thought some scenes were quite endearing, one example being seeing a young child playing with snow. I was a bit disappointed that it seemed the viewer wasn't shown too much time with the famous painter himself, Katsushika Hokusai. Of course the film is called Miss Hokusai and so it focusses on his daughter but I would have been interested to have seen a bit more of things from his perspective, although the story of the daughter, O-Ei, is interesting too. These people are, of course, real people, there was a famous painter called Hokusai etc. and so that appealed to me, as I love a good true story. I liked that at the end, there's more information given by way of text, which I assume to be accurate. I would recommend this to fans of anime who like a good 'based on a true story' film, although if your hoping for a thorough in depth film about Katsushika Hokusai's life then this may well disappoint you. See more 08/24/2021 Probably one of the most earnest animated features with equal value of wonderment towards the humane beauty behind the captivating, hefty, passionately driven factual characters. (A-) See more 09/10/2019 Beautiful and contemplative anime with adult themes and definitely not for children or people with the attention span of a gnat. See more 03/27/2019 A charming depiction of Japanese folklore. See more 01/20/2018 interesting animated movie from Studio Ghibli looking at the life of a young lady in Japan in the early 1800's See more Read all reviews
Miss Hokusai

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Movie Info

Synopsis The daughter of a famous artist is constantly overshadowed by him.
Director
Keiichi Hara
Screenwriter
Miho Maruo
Distributor
GKIDS
Production Co
Oriental Light and Magic
Rating
PG-13 (Sexual Situations and Images|Mature Thematic Material)
Genre
Biography, History, Drama, Anime
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 14, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 13, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$176.0K
Runtime
1h 33m