It's obvious from the get-go this movie was heavily inspired by Studio Ghibli and you can be allowed for making the mistake thinking it came from them; it has the same features - the strange fantasy elements, the deep philosophy about existence as seen from the mind of a teenager and a focus on strong character development. It's all there.
What I praise the movie for apart from the production quality is its daring; the main character isn't very likeable, and it's for good reason; her flaws as a character she needs to overcome. Not too many studios and directors would dare go into that. It is the archetype of the character who wants to run away from their problems and have things be magically easily fixed for them according to their own fantasies. I would say this makes it a very powerful movie for those teens/young adults who feel just like that.
Other than that, I am giving this one a 8/10 and not higher because I feel the ''fantasy'' elements got a bit too unneededly weird as the movie dragged on, removing value from its more mature themes.
What I praise the movie for apart from the production quality is its daring; the main character isn't very likeable, and it's for good reason; her flaws as a character she needs to overcome. Not too many studios and directors would dare go into that. It is the archetype of the character who wants to run away from their problems and have things be magically easily fixed for them according to their own fantasies. I would say this makes it a very powerful movie for those teens/young adults who feel just like that.
Other than that, I am giving this one a 8/10 and not higher because I feel the ''fantasy'' elements got a bit too unneededly weird as the movie dragged on, removing value from its more mature themes.