Jinsei Review: A marvelous spectacle, a subpar story
I unfortunately missed Jinsei in theaters. I reserved a ticket with my Regal Unlimited pass, got ready to go, but something came up, and it exited theaters too quickly for me to try again. But as soon as it arrived at my library, I secured the DVD and watched it. Did it live up to the hype? Was it really the best anime film of the year thus far, as many critics are saying? That's what I, Brighton Nelson of The Reel Ranker, will be discussing in today's review. Thank you so much for joining me, and have a fantastic day!
Let's start with the positives. First, this film's production inspires me. Newcomer Ryuya Suzuki created the entire film himself! One of the most uniquely animated films I've ever seen, it breaks all anime conventions. With an incredibly muted, sharp, strategic, and planar style, every frame feels meticulously crafted to be as interesting and unfiltered as possible. Hand-drawn animation has always been one of the most grueling yet rewarding art forms, and the way it all comes to life is wondrous. The film has an interesting tempo, too, evolving in a sort of choppy way that hits like the beat of a drum and propels the plot forward wonderfully. This makes the restricted aspect ratio an asset, not a downside.
His score captures the intense artistry as well, perfectly meshing with the animation style and the story's existentialism. This story is one of a massive scope, chronicling 100 years of a man's life from 1994 to 2095. The film evolves drastically throughout, with undeniable ambition and fantastic flair. The final act becomes a bizarre post-apocalyptic sci-fi exploration, a turn I never expected, but it felt in line with the setup narrative and thematic threads. And instead of employing the hero's journey, it is more of a descent and an exposé on survival, dissociation, and trauma. The masks he wears and the personas he takes on while hiding behind his stoicism were very interesting, all of which is elevated by an emotional anchor through the vocal performance of Japanese rap icon ACE COOL.
Now for the negatives. There are some things I'll defend: I don't mind the rigidity, the stop-motion-like fluidity, or the postage-stamp aspect ratio. I don't mind the nihilistic, brutal eruptions of bleakness, nor the tonal whiplash—after all, we all see this even if we aren't 100.
No: my problem with this film is the script and storytelling. While the uncompromised artistic vision elevated everything else, this guy's status as a groundbreaking auteur didn't extend to the story at all. The film's pacing makes no sense, and the lack of a cohesive narrative makes it feel like an incomplete student film. Outside of my unfair bias toward horror comedies or high-concept death-game cinema, I can't give a glowing review to a movie that feels narratively nonsensical. For a film I admired so much and could've lauded as a masterpiece, it's almost ruined by an incoherent, ad-libbed script that gives me no room to learn anything about the characters or the worldbuilding shown through the stellar visuals. Regrettably, while I still recommend the film for its technical artistry, it's entirely style over substance.
The Reel Ranker Verdict
Reel or Unreel? - Reel
The Reel Ranker Score: 55%
Letter Score: B
Star Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Jinsei is an awe-inspiring technical marvel of solo animation, crafted entirely by newcomer auteur Ryuya Suzuki. With a wonderful planar hand-drawn aesthetic, a fantastic score, and a compelling vocal performance by ACE COOL, the film chronicles a century-spanning descent into trauma and post-apocalyptic survival with buckets of ambition. However, the genius unfortunately doesn't extend to the screenplay. With incoherent pacing, too much vagueness, and an ad-libbed narrative, Jinsei stands as a tragic case of style and thematic wonder over actual storytelling. This is a must-see for its technical prowess, but I know Suzuki will be even more incredible in the future once he has a stronger screenplay behind him.
Interested in checking out some recent reviews for some other sci-fi, anime, Japanese cinema, or drama films? See them below!
Brighton Nelson
Brighton Nelson
Brighton Nelson
Brighton Nelson
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