This review might contain spoilers. You may proceed if you can handle the truth...

Children of the Sea, produced by the well-regarded Studio 4°C known for movies like Tekkon Kinkreet, is an adaptation of the acclaimed manga of the same title. (This review will not focus on the source material.) It was my first film directed by Ayumu Watanabe, whose biography suggests that he has a lot of directorial experience. After several offers, Studio 4°C managed to hire the successful composer Joe Hisaishi to create the film score. He has not done a score for an animation studio except Ghibli since 1989.

In contrast to other animation studios, Studio 4°C is well-known for its distinctive art styles in its projects. Children of the Sea does not disappoint in this regard. Additionally, they succeed at blending CGI and hand-drawn animation almost perfectly. Despite its two-hour runtime, every scene looks lively, gorgeous and consistent. Especially the underwater and even more abstract settings are the visual highlights of the adaptation. To support the complex visuals and avoid distraction, the composer chose a minimalistic musical approach which suits the film excellently.

Unfortunately, the movie's characters are not as polished as the animation and the score. Besides the ability to hear at a high frequency and the passionate love for the sea, the female protagonist is a stereotypical teenager with no friends and a difficult situation at home. For most of the runtime, the viewer will neither learn more about her nor witness meaningful character development. Consequently, the main lead feels uninspiring and fails to develop a significant emotional connection with the viewer. All side characters only get a minimal introduction and suffer from the same lack of development. Even if a character evolves, it always is rushed and unfathomable.

Equally unsatisfying is the plot of the movie. Although summarizing a five-volume manga is challenging, adaptations of extensive source materials like Akira have proven that a cohesive and focused story is achievable. Contrary to Children of the Sea, whose first and second half are disjoint and whose plot wanders pointlessly around sundry themes. Because the viewer gets confronted with various philosophical concepts towards the end of the film, it is tough to understand the intention of the piece of art. By omitting the redundant subplots, the movie could have spent more screentime on the main characters.

To summarize, Children of the Sea offers a unique art style and lovely animation with a stunning visual climax. I recommend the film to individuals who prefer gorgeous animation over well-written characters or stories. Everyone else should check it out if they want to watch something relaxing and enjoyable.