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Too often are we limited in our perspective to our current circumstances. It's truly a challenge to be able to step out of our shoes and view the world from a different perspective because, quite frankly, our perspective is the one we are most familiar with and the one we own. Our relationship with others are oftentimes influenced by this limited perspective as well. As a child, oftentimes you may be blind to the world at large, to the troubles and responsibilities of adulthood. Growing up, you may be blinded by your personal problems and challenges to see the efforts of and problems faced by ... those around you.

Similarly, in anime and manga we are often bound by a limited perspective. We oftentimes follow the protagonist through selective interesting snippets of their life story, we see perhaps the most exciting moments and see them overcome a challenge they come across in the period of the character's lives. Flashbacks are usually brief and in passing, future depictions limited to an episodic epilogue. Similar to our perspective in life, anime or manga presents to us life in a small moment.

In Maquia, Director Okada, I think, accomplishes something that is very unique in this medium. Through this movie she gives us a full and wholistic perspective of life in passing. Okada is able to weave together a beautiful story where you follow the characters and their growth as they age, change, grow from their mistakes, and face truly relatable and human challenges throughout the span of the movie and their lives. You are able to watch and experience as their present slowly turns into their past and ongoing events in their lives slowly turn into their instrinsic motivations.

For me, those entering young adulthood or parenthood may get a little more out of this movie, having more experiences to reflect on and more time to see the gradual change that they have undergone. Being able to see conflicts they had when they were younger and perhaps reconciliations that they were able to make as they grew older and gained life experience allows them to really empathize with the characters featured in this movie as they too go through stages of their life, blindly struggling with the concept of parenthood, age, life and death, and love.

Furthermore, not only does this movie feature lovely art, Director Okada does a striking job of integrating subtle imagery and symbolism in the construction of the scenes and the background. It was as if Okada brought storytelling to life, mixing in metaphors into the flow of the story to the point where it doesn't detract at all from the viewing experience but gives a small enjoyment to those who notice them. It makes you have a greater appreciation for how beautiful anime can be as a medium for artistic expression.

Finally, in the first film Okada directed entirely on her own, she selects an array of truly relatable topics as the underlying themes. The idea of family, the bond between mother and child, what it means to be a parent, what it means to be human, and the oftentimes sensitive topic of life and death are all struggles that we face as we age and are also questions that we may have changing answers for as we reach different stages of life. Going back to the first point, it is precisely that we ourselves may be able to reflect on our changing views towards these topics that makes this movie which features growth and change more relatable. In particular, for me these themes hit very close to home to the point where even as I'm sitting here hours later typing this review, I still think back to scenes and moments from the movie in contemplation and thought.

To me, Marquia is a classic and an experience that I hope I will revisit time and again to relive. It that struck a deep chord and made me so emotional throughout the film, that I found myself full-on crying at three or four separate moments, bottom lip quivering uncontrollably, trying my hardest avoid disturbing other moviegoers with sniffling and tears. It was the hardest and most I've cried in the many years now.

To me, Marquia was nothing short of a masterpiece and I have nothing but praise for this beautiful work that Director Okada has weaved together. It is my hope that, if the director's participation in other titles such as Anohana, Nagi no Asukara, Sakurasou, and Wixoss, or the beautiful cover art and promotional video art, or the reputation that P.A Works has as a quality studio had not already done so, this review and these thoughts will convince you to give this movie a try. And I sincerely hope that you are able to get as much out of this film as I did.

Thank you Mari Okada for directing such a wonderful movie and giving me a chance to add this beautiful experience to my own personal Hibiol.

A nice short tale of a forbidden love between two girls at an all-girls academy. In the past, the academy had two female students who fell in love and, because their love wasn't accepted, decided to commit lovers' suicide. As a result, there is a curse upon the academy where female students that touch one another in any manner on Mondays will fall in love unless they utter a sort of prayer. The two protagonists, Sumika and her senior Takase, meet as roommates and after a few events, grow to develop feelings for one another and must overcome various obstacles to fulfill their love.

If you're ... looking for a quick read, I would recommend taking a look at this. It's a nice little sweet romance and overall was a very enjoyable pick up.

A manga following the life of a game-addict and his life in the 80s/90s during the infancy of arcade and console games. A poor student, the protagonist spends nearly all his time thinking about and playing video games. One day, he is defeated at the arcade by a female classmate, sparking both a rivalry and friendship that is central to this manga.

The actual story takes a bit to take off, and feels very slow and unexciting until it does. However, once it does progress, you find yourself in the midst of a heartwarming relationship that you can't help but root for. The two main protagonists ... come from separate worlds but are united by the common bond of arcade fighter games.

It may take some time to get used to the art styl. I personally was not a huge fan of the art and characters at times, particularly in the case of the protagonist and the background characters. The main protagonists see good character development as you get to know them better through various stories.

In the end, it does turn out to be a pretty heartwarming manga. If you pick up this manga, be a bit patient with it and you'll definitely enjoy it. Those of you who grew up alongside arcade fighting games will also have a good time with the references that this manga throws out. Those of you who aren't familiar with side-scrolling fighting games will still find a budding romance or two to cheer on.

Kakukaku Shikajika is an autobiography style manga about the story of the mangaka's journey as an aspiring mangaka, through her tumultuous university and graduate years, to the person she is today and the large influence of a strange but loveable art teacher on her life. The manga is narrated from the present point of view reflecting back on previous times.

This manga does start out somewhat slow since she has to introduce herself, but it does begin to pick up with actual stories about her past. The cast of notable characters is thin since it is more autobiographical, the only consistently reoccurring ones being the protagonist ... herself, her sensei, and the side character of her friend and the main character is the only one who really sees any character development but that is to be expected since the manga is about her.

The art style is somewhat minimalist, it's not incredibly detailed but the important parts of the scenes are there. It's somewhat shoujo but not quite and it does take some getting used to.

Overall, I felt like it was a worthwhile read, but it's definitely something you have to be in the mood for. Again, it's a bit melancholic but it has its bits of humor and, if you can empathize with the main character, you'll find a nice coming-of-age story. It doesn't have spectacular art, nor does it have a huge range of characters, yet somehow, it still all comes together nicely.

A lovely and humorous manga following the lives of three best friends and their daily adventures both in and out of school.

There isn't an overarching story per say but rather multiple short stories about the trio's adventure. The art is great, fully colored and in a very enjoyable style. The characters are extremely lovable and cute, even more so as a trio. All in all, I'm really glad I picked this one up. It's a great short read for someone who isn't looking for a deep plot or doesn't have much time, and it's sure to make you smile with the humor, cuteness, and ... lovable characters.

A short but sweet coming-of-age story of a girl aspiring to be an artist like her father and the support she receives from her family and friends. The characters are likeable, particularly the protagonist (who I found to be pretty cute), and the story is nice as well. The only downside is the length. Being only 4/5 chapters long, the plot is fairly short, the characters, aside from the main character, don’t see much development or depth, and there a lot of loose ends that will never see closure.

If you’re looking for a quick, feel-good read, I highly recommend this manga. Although I wasn’t ... completely satisfied with the ending, it’s something that happens quite a lot with shorter running mangas such as this one. If you put that aside, I think it’s a very nice read and one that I enjoyed very much. Definitely wish it was longer.