GKIDS & Shout! Factory
Release Date: July 12, 2022
Pompo the Cinephile is coming to home video this Tuesday, and it’s a wonderful film to add to any collection. I’ve reviewed this film when it debuted at Fantasia Film Festival, and what I’ll look at is the bonus material. There isn’t a lot of added footage save for the commentary, storyboards and a nice looking postcard.
Here, Takayuki Hirao talks about the Hollywood directors whom he really wanted to pay homage to. Also, He explains why he started this movie with a huge musical number.
This animated movie looks at what goes on behind the cameras. The added commentary discusses differences between the Japanese way of making films to Hollywood and gives some afterthoughts to why the team like certain scenes more than others. Here, second unit director, Kenji Imura and editor, Tsuyoshi Imai not only break down how a few scenes were layered but also discuss what drives a few characters, especially Gene. He’s the focus in this piece, and Pompo is along for the ride.
One detail I liked is in how this girl is made to stand tall. Although she’s very short, she makes up for it by standing atop some piece of furniture so she can look at anyone eye to eye.
Since the production team can’t stray far from the source material, it seems they didn’t have too much difficulty in adapting the manga. It’s rare for me to jump to the discussion right away. That’s because the movie itself is very memorable. After screening it last year, I couldn’t wait for the home video release.
I can finally make screenshots to use as my desktop background on my video editing computer setup. Gene’s dedication to get the movie right is inspirational and is motivating me to get back into it full time. When the team talks about Gene, and how difficult it was for them to get that visual storytelling element right, I could relate. I too spent countless hours in the editing room to edit shorts for music video and short film competition!
As a result, I too understand how tough it is to succeed in this industry. Because we can root for this character, we should also, in real life, encourage others to succeed. That’s what Pompo the Cinephile does for the people she employs. Although critics can be harsh after any world premiere of her work, at least she is in the right to smile and say, “Job well done!”
Pompo the Cinephile GKIDS Trailer (English)
