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Junkers Come Here
A girl and her not-so-magical dog 
Studio: Bandai Visual Format: Movie Released: 3/18/1995 Written by: Face 
Here's a family film made for each and every parent out there. Based on a story by singer-songwriter Naoto Kine (who is also a featured voice talent in the movie), Junkers Come Here is worlds more appropriate and endearing than its magical premise suggests. Drawn like a children's book, but told in a way that conveys human realism on a scale that can only be compared to Isao Takahata, this animated film is not merely about the pictures.
Hiromi is an 11-year-old girl living a life that is reluctantly distant and passively unfullfilling. Her parents are middle-aged working people that have found themselves consumed in their work to such a degree that not only is their own relationship strained but with their daughter as well. She spends her time at home, dreaming about a fantasy relationship with her 23-year-old live-in tutor, or eating apple pie from her cheerful maid. The only thing that seems to be a constant in her life is Junkers, her mysterious dog (pronounced Yoonkers, by the way). What makes him special is his unique ability to talk, and as we learn, his ability to grant miracles, but only three. If this were an American film, more likely than not, Hiromi would seek these miracles out as a tool to serve only her selfishness. Thankfully, this isn't an American production. I don't want to give anything crucial away, so I'll leave it at this: Hiromi sees the use of miracles as something that may grant immediate satisfaction, but not long term happiness. While she may live in a home that provides her with all her daily needs, she is missing the comfort of parental companionship, that feeling each child yearns at the bottom of their heart--she is lonely. Her father travels all around the world shooting television commercials, and tells Hiromi how one day, when she's older, he would like to take her along. She pretends to understand, but truly wishes her father would stay in Japan, "Why can't you just shoot it at the zoo?" she says in response to her father going to Africa. Her mother, on the other hand, works in the city, but more often than not works late nights that turn into all night. 
And of course, there is Junkers, the little terrier that never seems to leave her side, providing her with wisdom that is less wise than it is simply sincere. It's not that Junkers isn't smart, it's that... he's a dog, and what do dogs know about marital problems? The only thing on Junkers' mind is catching his daily dose of T.V. drama. In one of the funniest and touching scenes of the film, Junkers lays down in defeat, pouting because he missed his jidai-geki show that day (period dramas).
Junkers is similar to the work of Isao Takahata, most notably his incredible film Only Yesterday; it possesses that same sort of understated compassion, a level of consideration for its characters that allows for restraint to express what otherwise would have gone unnoticed. Extended shots loom over characters sleeping, eating, simply being themselves. Director Junichi Sato of Sailor Moon fame, unexpectedly uses subdued waterpaintings as backdrops, giving the film a pleasant children's book quality. The character designs are simple and realistic, and yet Sato manages to reveal the true spirit of a little girl within them. What made me fall in love with this movie was watching the delightful interaction between Junkers and Hiromi. We see through their conversations that the feelings she is confronting are not unique. People all around the world feel lonely, and that is exactly why it is so compelling. There is no attempt made to make you feel bad for Hiromi, or pity her. But, instead, simply to understand her emotions. So in that sense, Junkers is not a film about a girl's conflicts with her parents, but, rather, the emotions that so profoundly characterize our lives. * * * * (Very Good) Posted: Thursday, October 12, 2006
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