Bubble (Japanese: バブル, Hepburn: Baburu) is a 2022 Japanese animated post-apocalyptic film produced by Wit Studio. It was directed by Tetsurō Araki and written by Gen Urobuchi with character designs by Takeshi Obata and music composed by Hiroyuki Sawano. The film had early screenings at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 10, 2022.[2] It was followed by its worldwide release on Netflix on April 28, 2022, before it was released theatrically in Japan in May.[3][4][5] A manga adaptation of the film by Erubo Hijihara was serialized in Shōnen Jump+ from April 22 to May 23, 2022.[6][7]

Plot

In the near future, the world is overcome by bubbles that break the laws of reality. An explosion at Tokyo Tower concentrates all the bubbles in Tokyo, but makes the city uninhabitable. Various young folk defy the restrictions, and live there anyway, using parkour tournaments as a means to barter and trade supplies. In one parkour team, the Blue Blazes, 18-year-old Hibiki is an exceptional parkour talent, but he avoids others due to a hearing ultrasensitivity. Tokyo Tower continues to be an impossible location to get to because of gravity anomalies.

One day, Hibiki attempts to climb the tower because he hears a woman's song, and believes he sees a boy there. He almost makes it, but ends up falling into the ocean, where his final exhale combines with some of the bubbles to make a young girl. She is clearly new to being a human, but learns quickly from others. Hibiki names her "Uta" ("Song") because she knows the song he hears in his head. Uta and Hibiki train parkour together, beating a team called the Morticians/Undertakers, however, in one final catch, when Uta touches Hibiki, her arm fades away into bubbles. Bubble activity starts up again, so the Tokyo residents need to flee. Uta goes to Tokyo Tower to stop it. Hibiki goes to save her.

In the final scene they save each other, but Uta fades into bubbles as in the original fairy tale from Hans Christian Andersen: "The Little Mermaid." In her final breath, she tells Hibiki that he made it worth it for her to be human. With the bubbles gone, the citizens of Tokyo return and start to rebuild. The parkour teams continue their lives too. Whether real or imagined, in the end credits, Hibiki is still continuing to do parkour as a bubble (implied to be Uta) follows him.

Voice cast

Character Japanese voice English voice[8]
Hibiki Jun Shison[3][9] Zach Aguilar
Jeannie Tirado (young)
Uta Riria. [ja][10] Emi Lo
Makoto Alice Hirose[2][9] Erica Lindbeck
Shin Mamoru Miyano[2][9] Keith Silverstein
Kai Yuki Kaji[2][9] Robbie Daymond
Usagi Sayaka Senbongi[2][9] Laura Stahl
Denki Ninja Tasuku Hatanaka[2][9] Kyle McCarley
Undertaker Leader Marina Inoue[2][9] Cristina Vee
Kantō Mad Lobster Shin-ichiro Miki[9] Chris Jai Alex

Music

The film's score is composed by Hiroyuki Sawano. The opening theme song is "Bubble feat. Uta" performed by Eve, while the ending theme song is "Jaa ne, Mata ne" (じゃあね、またね。; "See You, Catch You Later") performed by Riria, who voices Uta in the film.[10]

Track listing

All music is composed by Hiroyuki Sawano.

Bubble (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) track listing
No.TitleMusicLength
1."BUBBLE" 1:58
2."BATTLEKOUR" 5:21
3."BB" 00:53
4."JU-RYOKU" 2:35
5."BB2" 2:29
6."MERMAID" 4:18
7."HIBIKI" 1:56
8."UTAtoHIBIKI" 1:32
9."UNDERTAKER" 2:15
10."BBxUT" 3:20
11."PARKOUR" 3:56
12."UTA" 1:57
13."2ndBUBBLE" 5:29
14."TOWER" 5:57
15."NE-SAMA" 2:20
16."BUBBLE-cho." 6:49
17."BUBBLE-THEME" 3:54
18."Bubble"Eve3:48
19."Bubble (TeddyLoid Remix)"Eve3:23
20."Shikisai (色彩)" 5:13
21."Bye Bye, See You (じゃあね、またね。)"Riria.4:05
Total length:73:28

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 52% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10.[11]

Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 56 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[12]

On Decider, Brittany Vincent gave the film a "Stream It" recommendation, praising the "thoughtful sci-fi adventure" for its "gorgeous animation" and its ability to combine the "bittersweet yearning" of a coming-of-age story with a hopeful, post-apocalyptic setting.[13] Writing for IGN, she also described it as a "captivating and gorgeous piece of sci-fi" that rises above "simple post-apocalyptic sludge" through its unique, gravity-defying landscape and heartfelt romance.[14]

Max Covill for The A.V. Club gave it an unfavorable review, praising its "stunning" and thrilling parkour animation that "pops off the screen," but ultimately feeling the production fell into predictable tropes and a narrative that stopped organically moving to explain itself through multiple monologues.[15] Ali Griffiths of Digital Spy reported that it was a "high-octane, romantic drama" with truly outstanding parkour action and a crisp modern look, praising its vibrant animation and commitment to motion, though he noted that underwritten characters and a "truly confusing and muddled finale" ultimately prevented the adventure from vaulting to first place.[16]

Lynzee Loveridge of Anime News Network praised the film's "visually beautiful" landscape and breathless action sequences that expertly utilize a smooth 3D camera, though she noted that a lack of genuine conflict and thinly-realized characters ultimately made it fail to create a truly compelling romance.[17] Kambole Campbell of Polygon gave the film a positive review, praising its "handsomely animated" parkour set-pieces, vivid visual poetry, and meditative exploration of character psychology, despite noting that the world-building was hindered by "heavy-handed exposition" and several half-formed narrative ideas.[18]

Matt Kodner, from Den of Geek, gave it a positive review, stating, "Despite a first act that will certainly be a hard sell for folks unfamiliar with the project's creative minds, Bubble is an endlessly rewarding movie that combines jaw-dropping splendor with a surprisingly complex story and real emotional sincerity under its breathtaking parkour action."[19] Shannon Connellan of Mashable praised it as a "dazzling new take on the apocalypse genre" that boasts "magnificent animation" and a truly spectacular score, though she noted that its plot is predictable and leaves its central characters with a "pretty small amount" of valuable room for development.[20]

Bubble grossed $509,309 at the box office.[1]

Accolades

Year Award CategoryNominee(s) ResultRef.
2022 72nd Berlin International Film Festival Generation 14plus — Crystal Bear for the Best Film Tetsurō Araki Nominated [2]
Asian Academy Creative Awards Best Animated Programme or Series (2D or 3D) Bubble Won [21]
2023 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards Best Film Nominated [22]

References

  1. 1 2 "Bubble (2022) box office". Box Office Mojo. August 20, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Loo, Egan (January 14, 2022). "Wit Studio's Bubble Anime Film Casts Alice Hirose, Sayaka Senbongi, Marina Inoue". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "虚淵玄×小畑健×荒木哲郎のオリジナルアニメ「バブル」22年5月公開 声優に志尊淳、宮野真守、梶裕貴ら". Eiga.com (in Japanese). December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  4. ↑ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (December 7, 2021). "Netflix, Wit Studio Reveal Bubble Anime Film by Attack on Titan's Tetsuro Araki". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  5. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 3, 2022). "Netflix 2022 Film Slate Touts 86 Titles Including Star-Studded Fare Knives Out 2, The Gray Man, The School For Good And Evil & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  6. ↑ Mateo, Alex (April 11, 2022). "3 New Manga Launch on Shonen Jump+". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  7. ↑ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (May 16, 2022). "Bubble Anime Film's Manga Ends on May 23". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Bubble (2022 Movie)". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 @NetflixAnime (February 14, 2022). "Bubble is coming to Netflix! Directed by Tetsuro Araki, animated by WIT Studio, and music composition by Hiroyuki Sawano! This gravity-bending, breathtaking adventure hits Netflix on April 28th, check out the first look at the characters 👇" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. 1 2 Pineda, Rafael (February 28, 2022). "Wit Studio's Bubble Anime Film Reveals Singer Riria as Heroine, Theme Songs in Trailer". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Bubble". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 30, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  12. ↑ "Bubble". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  13. ↑ Vincent, Brittany (April 28, 2022). "'Bubble' Netflix Review: Stream It or Skip It?". Decider. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  14. ↑ Vincent, Brittany (April 29, 2022). "Bubble Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  15. ↑ Covill, Max (April 28, 2022). "Bubble Review: Anime Pops, but Is Transparently Thin". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on January 17, 2026. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  16. ↑ Griffiths, Ali (April 28, 2022). "Bubble review - is the Netflix anime movie worth your time?". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  17. ↑ Loveridge, Lynzee (April 28, 2022). "Bubble - Review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  18. ↑ Campbell, Kambole (April 28, 2022). "An Attack on Titan director made Netflix's parkour fantasy Bubble into a true oddity". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  19. ↑ Kodner, Matt (April 28, 2022). "Bubble Review: The Little Mermaid Meets Her Prince of Parkour". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  20. ↑ Connellan, Shannon (April 29, 2022). "Netflix's 'Bubble' review: 'The Little Mermaid' parkours through a postapocalyptic Tokyo". Mashable. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  21. ↑ Ravindran, Manori; Ramachandran, Naman (December 8, 2022). "Asian Academy Creative Awards Unveil 2022 Winners: Netflix Scores Five Wins on Night Two". Variety. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  22. ↑ Eisenbeis, Richard (March 4, 2023). "All the Winners of the 7th Annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_(2022_film)