Dillili and the Time Travel in Paris" is an exciting adventure story of a bright and courageous girl! A dog walks and hits an animated cartoon. No.48]

We want to meet more and more anime that excite our hearts, anime that will cheer us up tomorrow, and anime that we will always love!　Our anime writers will introduce you to anime that are hot at the moment, regardless of whether they are new releases or long-term favorites.

This time, it is "Dilli and the Time Traveler in Paris," which is currently in theaters.

The writer, a fan of Michel Oslo's works since "Kirik and the Witch," will introduce the charm of the work.

A treasure chest of fun filled with the unexpected! Michel Oslo's new film

Whenever a new film is released, one cannot help but wonder what surprises the French master director Michel Oslo has in store for us this time. His films "Kirik and the Witch" (1998), "The Prince and the Princess" (2000), "Azul and Asmar" (2006), and "A Tale of the Night" (2011) have all been released in Japan.

Oslo's new film is "Dirili and the Time Traveler in Paris.

The setting is Paris in the Belle Epoque era. A curious young girl from New Caledonia, Dilili, meets a young Parisian deliveryman, Orel, and goes to meet famous people with rich personalities. At the same time, there are many kidnappings of girls in Paris by a secret society called the Men's Domination League. Where are the missing girls going and what are they going through?　While gathering information, Dirili, together with Orel and opera singer Emma Calvet, get to the bottom of the case.

Oslo's films have consistently depicted what happens and what possibilities exist when different people join hands, without making distinctions based on gender, skin color, age, or religion. What's more, it is one that is hard to share with the pleasures of animation, and it is a lot of fun.

In "Kirik and the Witch," a newborn baby sets out to defeat a witch in Africa as a hero, using his agility as a weapon. In "Azul and Asmar," a young man with blond hair and blue eyes longs to visit medieval Islam, only to be disappointed when he is discriminated against for his "cursed blue eyes.

If you are looking for the "promise" of Japanese symbolic characters or the exhilaration of action, you may find yourself saying, "What?　Something is different. However, the unique fun factor that surpasses them will grab the viewer's heart. The vividly colored and fresh images of the world, like a picture book from another country, and the ethnic and beautifully rhythmic music will make you want to stay immersed in the film forever.

Charming! The adorableness of "Diriri," a curious young girl

The main character, Dilili, is a girl from New Caledonia with brown skin and curly black hair. She is very curious, having "stowed away on a ship because she wanted to see foreign countries. She meets and talks to many people and keeps a notebook with the names of those she meets.

What attracts me to Dilili is her curiosity, intelligence, and courage. She is deeply moved by the many kidnappings of young girls in Paris by a secret society called "The Male Domination Group," and asks each person she meets a question about them.

The film begins like an elementary school student's free research project. At first, one wonders what a girl on vacation in Paris, who is neither a detective nor a police officer, can do. Dilili just thinks, "It's terrible and pitiful that a girl like her is kidnapped.

However, as she speaks out and asks adults from various backgrounds what they think, things start to change little by little. And by following the rumors, acting on them, and getting behind them, Dilili gets closer to the heart of the matter.

As Dilili visits various people, the audience also "travels back in time" to Paris during the Belle Époque. Artists such as Lautrec, Picasso, and Rousseau, scientists such as Madame Curie and Pasteur, composers such as Debussy, Ravel, and Satie, writers, poets, and fashion designers (......).

People who made the most of their individual personalities and talents to enrich the era appear one after another. Even those with no particular knowledge of the subject will find themselves saying, "I know this person! I've seen him before! and "I've seen him before!" appear one after the other, making for an interesting viewing experience.

They meet Dillili, are moved to share what they know, and offer to help in any way they can, one by one, and in small increments, they become a force that exposes the darkness and crimes of the male-dominated society.

A prejudiced buxom man? The Role of the "Lebouf"

Along with Dillili, the mystery of the kidnapping of a series of girls is tackled by Orel, a young delivery man, and Emma Calvet, an opera singer. Orel knows every inch of Paris and has many acquaintances, making him the perfect guide. Emma Calvet is a real person with a beautiful voice, fame, and a wide range of contacts. Both are reassuring figures who stand by Dillili and help her.

On the other hand, the character of Lubov, Emma's chauffeur, is the one to watch in this film.

Lubov is an ugly "old man" who gets angry when Dillili tells him that his face looks like a pig. He is a middle-aged man with neither beautiful looks nor any particular talent, and he is not amused that he is Emma's servant, a woman. He is prejudiced against foreigners and women, and this prejudice is combined with his own grievances, leaving him with anger and hatred in his heart.

He is the epitome of the old, stubborn, and troubled man that can be found anywhere in the world.

He appears at first as a villain, as an outlier among those who understand Dillili, such as Emma and Orel. Instead, he is noticed and taken in by the male-dominated group, and becomes a part of something terrible.

But the highlight comes after that. What Lubov thinks and does when he learns the truth about the male-dominated group is the point of this story, and it is something that Oslo was consciously aware of as well.

It is not only Dirili, a bright girl from a foreign country, Orel, a young and flexible thinker, and Emma, a famous and beautiful woman, who help the kidnapped and badly beaten girls. Lubov, a practical worker from anywhere in the city, also plays a major role in solving the case and rescuing them.

Everyone who thinks he or she is powerless over society's problems is actually also a party to them, and if you can change the world by moving ...... there is hope.

An adult fable that will make you think about many things after you enjoy it.

In addition to the enjoyable variety of themes and motifs, this work is also packed with animation pleasures that will thrill animation fans.

Orel's tricycle (a bicycle with a backrest) is the sole means of transportation through the streets of Paris, and it is a slow and agile ride. During the quieter moments, the viewer is taken on a peaceful stroll through Paris. In the more leisurely moments, the viewer is treated to a peaceful stroll through Paris, while in the more dramatic moments, the city's slopes and stairs provide a surprising sense of speed and a pleasantly uplifting tension.

The scene in which Dilili takes a gentle stroll on Emma's cheetah while listening to the adults' stories was also very beautiful and impressive.

While enjoying the scenes of Paris in the Belle Epoque era, the story approaches the truth of the "serial girl abduction case. Therefore, there is always a sense of tension that keeps you on your toes as the story unfolds. Almost an hour and a half flies by.

Dilili is half New Caledonian and half French, and she feels uncomfortable being differentiated and marginalized both in her birthplace and in Paris. However, that is why she is able to see things with her own value judgment, with eyes unbiased and unclouded by either side.

The key words are "diversity" and "future-oriented. These are two words that we hear a lot these days, but many of us are not sure what they actually have to do with us.

What assumptions do you have about yourself?
Are they not meaningless prejudices?
What personalities and possibilities would you see if you did not distinguish people by gender, skin color, age, or religion?
What can be understood and what can be done when people who are different are faced with a single problem together?
What difficulties do they face and how can they overcome them?

This film is a "fable for adults" that is very well thought out so that children can feel these things without difficulty in an adventure story that they can also watch with excitement.

Even if you go to the theater with zero prior knowledge, you can enjoy a moment with an empty head. Various scenes come to mind even after the show is over. It is also fun to look up or check the names of the real people who appeared in the play. Then, when I suddenly think of them, I think back to them in my mind and wonder, "Was this what it was all about?

With animated films such as "In a Corner of the World" and "Toy Story 4" becoming hits with a wider audience of adults than ever before, this is a fascinating film that should be on your radar as an animated film to see.

(Text by YAMAYU)
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