I Want To Eat Your Pancreas - Review

During a trip to the hospital, a seemingly nameless male teen discovers the diary of his classmate Sakura, who promptly tells him that she's secretly dying of pancreatic cancer. Spurn by her lively spirit and sudden desire to go through her bucket list, the two begin to hang out and develop a bond that can't be simply given an ordinary label such as "friend" or "boyfriend/girlfriend". I WANT TO EAT YOUR PANCREAS immediately grabs you with its killer title and proceeds to bequeath a generous romantic tearjerker that checks all of the boxes in an anime slice-of-life melodrama. You're never really going to be very surprised with what it has to offer in terms of plot; you'll be twirling your thumbs in anticipation and/or exasperation for the tomboy best friend, the noise-canceling train, and the big breakdown in the rain scene to come out and play with your heartstrings. Even the so-called big twist it offers up is pretty damn predictable if you were paying close attention and noticed it among the other Chekov's guns that are all laying around. It may be an unsurprising affair and also reuses the trope of the manic pixie dream girl in this day and age but the movie still delightfully delivers the requisite feels to get you emotionally involved. It truly excels whenever the intimacy becomes almost too much for the main duo to bear or when the film lays out its main themes of humanity and the metaphysical. The animation complements the simple story but those seeking some visual wows will often be disappointed by the straightforward and unrestrained quality, even during a concluding episode of surreality. The only times the animation becomes really questionable however are the few instances where the CGI rigging and movement of the characters look highly cumbersome. Additionally, whoever thought of giving the opening credits the exact same treatment and design as an ordinary television anime opening should have been fired. The voice cast is all around good with Mahiro Takasugi being the film's standout. He's able to put some character and warmth behind the deliberate monotone of the male lead. I WANT TO EAT YOUR PANCREAS may be too familiar but that doesn't stop its gut punches from being effective blows to your heart and soul. But beware: the filmmakers must be acolytes of Peter Jackson because this film has multiple endings, including having a stinger that fades to black and then immediately comes back with another stinger.


FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5