Review of Junkers Come Here (1994) by Jacob G — 25 Jan 2009

While I tend to watch Japanese anime (and other foreign films) in the original languages with subtitles, I picked the dub for the sole reason that I was absolutely amused at how the DVD case has Junkers saying "Call me YOON-kers!!" and figured that the English dub would probably highlight that better than the Japanese version. It isn't a great dub, but thankfully most of the main characters are decent. Next time I'll definitely watch the subs and see if that improves the feel.

Voice acting issues aside, Junkers Come Here is perhaps Japan at their most Disney-esque. Sure, Studio Ghibli (and Hayo Miyazaki) are frequently referred to the Disney of Japan, and their films ARE amazing. However, the comparison works best in terms of quality and popularity moreso than actual tone or looks. (That said Junkers is nowhere near the quality of SG/Miyazaki.).

As far as the story itself, it is both familiar and expected... but some nice ambiguities and some excellent supporting characters help propel it. (Possible spoiler alert ahead) I do have to wonder if the directors thought about how the theme of the story could be interpreted in one tragic, unintentional way: using up all of the wishes on your magical dog will transform him into a normal dog. And who wants that??