Customer Reviews

Kakurenbo - Hide & Seek

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Kakurenbo, like Makoto Shinkai's Voices of a Distant Star, was created by only a few people yet stands a cut above a lot of anime of the same type. It presents unique ideas that would never have been tried by any of the more mass marketed anime. While the emphasis of Kakurenbo is the horror story, it still has plenty to offer outside of that, like stunning visuals, plenty of atmosphere, and a haunting soundtrack that plays well as the story unravels.

Kakurenbo is about eight children who dare each other into playing a game of hide and seek (Kakurenbo) in a city that's become a kind of urban myth among the children. Following specific rules, including following road signs, wearing fox masks, and going in with seven children, will trigger the city into life, or so the myth goes. The children follow these rules down to one, and that is they actually go in with eight. But the city comes to life anyways, and their game turns into a struggle, and all the while one boy attempts to find his lost sister who played the game before him.

The creatures that come to life in this short anime are drawn from Japanese mythology, and are made to fit into a more modern world, giving them a unique appearance that's successfully terrifying. When placed in the dark setting, these monstrosities do their job. And with relish. By the end, once all the monsters, or demons, are revealed, and twists play themselves out, you should be left with a disturbed feeling of horror in you stomach, especially when you realize what lights the city....

This is one of those films that just don't compare that easily with others. It's too different. Yet it's still great and worth the money. The DVD contains more special features than most anime DVDs have, and this makes up for the shortness of the film. Plus, had the film been longer, the effect would have been lost, I think. I'd recommend this to hardcore anime fans who don't mind a little difference from anime to anime.

I saw Kakurenbo as this year's Otakon. I was blown away. It's been compared to Voice of a Distant Star because of its length and both were made by small, indepedents, but Kakurenbo left an impression on my a lot longer than Voices. That's why I'm writing about it today. I just learned that it's coming to DVD and I can't wait. It has some of the most beautiful computer graphics I've seen and the story is scary and gripping. I was told at Otakon Kakurenbo won awards at the Fantasia Film Festival, Korean Cartoon and Animation Festival, and Tokyo Anime Fair (where it tied Ghost in the Shell 2). Kakurenbo was something I had never heard of until its screening but its something I still think about now. I can't wait for the DVD!

For a 25 miniute short film, I thought it was really good. I loved the graphics, and the story was quite origanal and very provoking. If you hear people complain because it was too short, that the characters had no personalities, that the animation was bad... That is their view, my opinion for such a short film, I thought it was really good. But don't listen to us here, watch it yourself and form your on opinion

Kakurenbo ranks with up there with the top anime films. I honestly didn't expect this movie to be as good as it was. Kakurenbo takes one of the oldest games and adds a twist that would give any kid the creeps. So many children go out to "Otokyo" in the ruins of an old city to play the game. It is rumored that there're demons who take the participants of each game.

The film mainly follows Hikora who is playing the game hoping to find his missing sister. In the movie, the myth doesn't scare the kids but rather encourages them to prove it wrong. They're in fact very courageous and are willing to play knowing that kids have actually been missing for a long time. 7 kids have showed up and but only some are anxious to start the game. All 7 no doubt want to leave with a victory rather than to never leave at all.

I loved every minute of kakurenbo even though it was so short (around 25 minutes). When you think about it, so much could have been added to make it longer and more complex. If anything, by making it so short it added a lot of mystery and this made the movie that much more intense. The animation was amazing; the demons were designed so well that they could really scare people. The animation looked so real and the way the demons chased the children it was unforgettable.

I think that this is a movie that could have a lot added to it meaning that a few sequels is possible if done right. They wouldn't even have to come up with new demons because they were too scary looking to just let go. Overall, Kakurenbo was a great surprise for me.I truly thought it was a kids anime and boy was I wrong.It may not scare everyone but it totally worth watching.

There is a street where no-one lives, where ghostly lights flicker in the shadows. It is whispered that children who play hide-and-seek there after dark are kidnapped by demons...and disappear forever. This mini movie has blood and good animation I love it. Be sure to watch this on [adult swim] Saturday 29.

When I first got into anime, this is one of the first things I stumbled across while browsing the shelves. It's still one of my favorites. The story, though short, has some originality to it and features an interesting cast of characters. But, it's best feature is the graphics. Between the distintive and colorful designs for each character to the neon lights that decorated the city. The art is simply amazing.

My only complaint is the length. The movie isn't even a half-hour long, which doesn't leave enough time to really develop the story and characters. I'm really into character and plot, so it left me wanting to know more about these kids and some of the events that lead up to those in the movie. The extras- including a commentary and a couple collections of character and background production art- might be lacking. Depends on what you want. I thought they were interesting for a while, but not as good as some other anime DVDs have done.

Overall, it has it's kinks, but if you can find it, I'd highly recommend it.

I remember seeing this a little over 2 years ago. At the time i had no idea what it was and although i'm not easily scared of anything, including the new movies out in todays workld, wow the mist? retarded. Ring? beh, Grudge? stick with Ju-on, This movie actually sent a chill down my spine. Not a horrible fear but an irritation. And than in itself made me satisfied to call this a great short film.

Finally remembering the name i sought it out. Watching this agian on youtube before buying it i was once agian satisifeid with that chill.
I love the monsters, and ther factors in the story, but the most negative things about this short is the voice actors. Not the best in the world i'll tell you that. But if you can get over the voice acting and even watch it in japanese with subs, its a whole new experience to satisfy even the most stubborn of people.

The music and sound effects? WOO!
Shaded Animation? best of its kind
Effort to the few people who put this together? good job! you did what you could.

unfortunatly American dubbing ruins the experience so boo to them.
I give it a 4.5 out of 5. (even though i picked 4. bleh).

I don't think this a milestone in anime by any means, and I don't even think it's that great of a story. But one thing it does do right is portray the perfect atmosphere.

The lighting, the art, and the colors just scream "Halloween" when you watch this. It's very fluid, but as another reviewer mentioned, the CGI seemed unnecessary and it made it look more like a video game sequence than an anime. A little disappointing, but nothing to fret about.

I'd say don't expect a great original story from this because, let's face it, how much can they really do in 25 minutes? Rent this on Halloween with your friends and turn off the lights for a creepy half hour of fun, but don't expect to be scared senseless. Watch it more for the art and atmosphere than a good scare.

Did you ever read or hear those stories where, whatever it took to defeat a particular monster, the main character just didn't have it? Did you ever wonder whether the monster would eventually be defeated or just fade away as science and reason spread?

Yeah, neither did I, but it feels like that's the antagonist in Kakurenbo: demons who, like any good predator, evolved with their prey. Watching this short but effective tale of literal mechanical monstrosities come to life never fails to leave me creeped out and wondering "what if".

You can get all the info you need reading the other reviews but here's one very important thing you should know about Kakurenbo and that is not to expect to much of a 25 minute mini film. The first production from it's production group was created to cause buzz for the company. And it succeeded. The CGI used perfectly inporporates the anime that people expect but takes away the 2D feeling of traditional anime shows/films. It is true that the characters wear masks but you still get a solid feel for their personalities, when it's important. Some characters are there just for the action sequences, which are extreamly well thought out, but others have very distinct personalities and motives.
This is a beautiful peice that should be enjoyed, not overly analyzed, on every Halloween. When watching this I wasn't expecting a masterpeice but I couldn't help but be mesmerized by it for the full veiwing time. The ending was just slightly surprising but was exacly the way it should have ended and I will happily watch this again and again.