My Neighbors the Yamadas (Blu-ray) (Multi Audio & Subtitled) (Region Free) (Japan Version) Blu-ray Region All

While My Neighbor the Yamadas is a charming film that does the Ghibli tradition proud, it's also easy to understand why it was a box office failure. More a series of short episodes than a coherent story, the film would've worked perfectly as a weekly television series. As a 105-minute theatrical presentation, the film's lack of a narrative will cause the viewing experience to drag by its halfway point. However, My Neighbor the Yamadas should and deserves to find an audience on the home video format, which allows viewers to watch the film in short intervals without worrying about breaking the storytelling rhythm.

The reason for the film's episodic storytelling is because its source material - Ishii Hisaichi's Nono-chan - was originally a comic strip serialized in a newspaper, which means the stories - more like jokes with punchlines - have to be done within four panels. As a result, My Neighbor the Yamadas is essentially a series of comic strips organized by different topics. Despite such a loose structure, these strips also work as pieces of a puzzle, slowly revealing a complete portrait of the family, including its dynamics, each member's personality, and how they co-exist with each other under one roof.

This means that writer-director Takahata Isao successfully follows one of the most important rules of filmmaking - reveal the characters through action. Rather than being told the personality of each character by voiceovers or expository dialogue, we learn about the Yamadas by their actions. For example, an episode about the father hoping someone would pick him up at the train station with an umbrella starts off as a comedy, but ends on a poignant note that also reveals the true family dynamic. Amazingly, it also manages to do so in just two minutes.

Another possible reason for the box office failure of My Neighbor the Yamadas is that despite its light tone and lack of any objectionable content, its lesson is almost too real for a typical animation audience. Like any other film about familial bonding, this film encourages the family unit to stick together as one through difficulties. However, Takahata goes the extra mile, implying that each member of the Yamadas has their flaws and that they will never change each other. Instead, the film essentially tells its viewers that life, including marital and familial relations, is a long series of compromises, and that is ultimately the best way to get through life. It's hardly the most uplifting message for a family film, but it adds a surprising layer of realism that makes this family even more endearing for audiences who aren't animation buffs.

In fact, audiences who need to be convinced to catch My Neighbor the Yamadas can simply forget that it's an animated film. It deals with real life in such a low-key, real manner that any viewer will feel like he or she is part of the Yamadas after spending 105 minutes with them. The film won't teach you any grand life lesson or entertain you with histrionics, but it will make you love the Yamadas so much that you will wish they were your neighbors. Even though My Neighbor the Yamadas wasn't a box office hit, it still lives up to the reputation of one of the best animation studios in the world.