The Case of Hana & Alice

"Don't step on the fish in the pool."

2015 1h 38m JA

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 177

AnimationComedyMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After transferring to Ishinomori Middle School, Tetsuko "Alice" Arisugawa overhears her classmates discussing a strange rumor. The previous occupant of her seat, a nondescript "Judas," is missing and presumed murdered. Amidst dealing with her mother's undesired meddling in her affairs and warding off her classmates' bullying, the troubled Alice starts to investigate the mystery surrounding Judas' disappearance. The trail of clues leads her to the house of her next-door neighbor, the quirky and reclusive Hana Arai.

“Don't step on the fish in the pool.”

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Cast

Yu Aoi
Tetsuko "Alice" Arisugawa (voice)
Anne Suzuki
Hana Arai (voice)
Ryo Katsuji
Koutarou Yuda (voice)
Haru Kuroki
Satomi Ogino (voice)
Tae Kimura
Yuki Tsutsumi (voice)
Sei Hiraizumi
Kenji Kuroyanagi (voice)
Shoko Aida
Kayo Arisugawa (voice)
Ranran Suzuki
Mutsumi Mutsu (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shunji Iwai
Writers: Shunji Iwai, Shunji Iwai
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 11 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Hana and Alice Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shunji Iwai, shot by Chigi Kanbe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Shunji Iwai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Shunji Iwai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Yu Aoi and Anne Suzuki and Ryo Katsuji carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Don't step on the fish in the pool.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4125300 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shunji Iwai directs. Chigi Kanbe behind the camera. Shunji Iwai scores. Shunji Iwai cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 11 years ago.
2Part of the "Hana and Alice Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Shunji Iwai, shot by Chigi Kanbe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Shunji Iwai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Shunji Iwai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Yu Aoi and Anne Suzuki and Ryo Katsuji carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Don't step on the fish in the pool.".
8IMDB entry: tt4125300 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "friendship", "bullying", "rotoscoping", "first love".

The technical file

Cinematography: Chigi Kanbe
Original score: Shunji Iwai
Editing: Shunji Iwai
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Case of Hana & Alice (2015)

Part of

Hana and Alice Collection

A collection of movies that follow the lives of two friends named Hana and Alice.

Also by

Shunji Iwai

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2017-05-26
★ 7/10
The legend of Yuda. It is a prequel to the 2004 film 'Hana and Alice' from the same writer, director. So I had to watch that before coming to this one and I found both the films were pretty good. Usually to watch a sequel, you have to be familiar with the original. But for a prequel, it's not necessary as the story wise it would be the original, despite not the first to release in the series or franchise. Either way watching both the films is good for the better understanding, and chronological order is the best way to go for. The formats are different, as well as the time gap between the two films. After all it was not a bad decision. This anime was like any other neat and cute anime you had seen. Yeah, I liked the smooth animation. The sketches were not very detailed, yet very detail in the motion presentation. If you are an anime fan, it will be a treat. I'm not saying it is the best anime ever, but surely a little gem and not be missed by the fans of the 2004 film. I don't know whether the final scene of this film and the opening of the other film are same (because of the different mood), but to me it looked like that way. This film is to reveal how Hana and Alice first met and become close friends. But it all begins with the Alice's new school's legend, the death of Yuda. Destined to meet Hana who was a classmate of Yuda, is now her neighbour. So their adventure begins to find new details about Yuda's life, but ends up with misadventures. ❝I won't forget that pain as long as I live.❞ The perfect characters, I mean two young teen girls. Also a perfect storyline, which is about finding the truth behind a mystery. But it's not thrillerised as everything about the film suggest, including the title. Very much dramatised with lots of fun filled often tense moments. The first act was good, but it was the remaining film that keeps getting better till the final scene. I liked the second half of the film, especially the quest taken by Hana and Alice was simple yet entertaining. There are some off the track adventures, like for a brief moment an old man enters the narration, but that added an extra flavour to take us in a new direction. Soon it reinstates to its original path and that's where the ultimate friendship blooms between two title characters. It's always about a boy between them. Their friendship was tested in the other film over a boy, but here joining hands to solve the mystery surrounding a boy's death. Like the first film, the ballet had its part, though not a main draw, except being a part of one of the main characters. The original cast from the 2004 film rendered their voices for the respective two lead roles. So except watching it in the anime version, the appeal is almost the same. As per some sources, a manga series is following after this. But I hope the story continues with the third film, either in live-action or in anime. This is an under- noticed anime, but well appreciated. I really surprised of its quality and theme. For me, it's definitely slightly ahead of the first film and this my review briefs why. So surely worth a watch and I recommend it. 7/10

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