Movie Review—Belle

In the anime movie Belle, a teenage girl name Suzu is very repressed. That’s actually a step up for her from elementary school, when she was constantly crying due to an early tragedy. But then she joins U, a virtual reality world with billions of members. Free to assume a new identity, she becomes the glamorous Bell (the meaning of Suzu, later modified to Belle). In her first moments there, she finds she is able to sing again for the first time since the tragedy. Her voice has a great lyric beauty to it, and her songs gain her over two hundred million followers.

As Belle, her fame increases, until she becomes the ultimate pop star. But then the Beast interrupts one of her concerts. Seething with anger, he is able to overcome any of the self-appointed police in U. His back is covered with bruises. Will Belle agree that he is an enemy to be hunted down, or will she reach out to him?

Belle is neither a cautionary tale of immersion into the internet, nor a tale of how virtual reality can solve our problems. The virtual world of U can be used as an escape, for users to revel in fantasy versions of themselves. But the escape is not ultimate, with all the decency and cruelty in the real world being mirrored in the virtual.

Having said that, Belle astonishes with its beauty. From the details on an individual rose to an overwhelming scene with floating whales that can only exist in virtual reality, this movie reaches new heights with its stunning visuals. This visual beauty is surpassed by the singing. I recommend the Japanese language version with subtitles, since the singing in the final concert almost brought this reviewer to tears.

Although rated PG, I do not recommend taking children to this movie, because of the brutality of real life that is portrayed unflinchingly. But teenagers should enjoy a few awkward teen moments that had people in the theater I was in laugh out loud.