About 2/3rds of the way through Children of the Sea (KAIJÛ NO KODOMO), a significant character quits talking. One might wish the other characters would take a hint. Co-directors Kenichi Konishi and Ayumu Watanabe have created a visual feast for the eyes with their adaptation of Daisuke Igarashi's manga. However, the film doesn't have enjoyable enough characters to make viewers stick around for the bonkers finale.
The story focuses on Ruka (Mana Ashida), a 14-year-old who doesn't know what to do on a summer break. She spends much of her time the aquarium where her father works and eventually meets two boys raised by dugongs; dugongs are a vulnerable species and a close relative of the manatee.
These two boys, Umi (Hiiro Ishibashi) and Sora (Seishū Uragami), are somehow connected to recent strange events like meteor showers and marine life congregating of the Japanese coast. Their marine upbringing also shortens their lifespans. The three team up with the boys' human caretakers to decipher the meaning of "the Festival."
The film is at its best when it completely disregards the narrative and goes for broke visually. Viewers would do best to heed that advice and ignore the plot. Even though there's not much plot here, it still gets hard to follow very quickly amidst the incredible visuals.
Children of the Sea uses psychedelic visuals early and often to establish its characters' connections to the unfolding events. They begin as quick flashes placed at critical moments in the plot but conclude in a 20-minute finale that rivals 2001: A Space Odyssey in terms of sheer visual audacity.
Unfortunately, the visual spectacle might come too late for some viewers; Children of the Sea is two hours long and the film's flimsy script creates pacing issues. There's fat to be trimmed here, especially surrounding the three main characters. They're little more than sketches for audience surrogates and can't carry the film on their own. Their voice acting is stellar, though.
The supporting characters are even thinner. Ruka's mom (Yū Aoi) is stated to be an alcoholic estranged from both her husband and daughter, but viewers never read either from her character. She seems to care a lot about Ruka and her father. Scenes showing alcoholism or general estrangement might have been too much for a film aimed at kids, but they would have been welcome regardless.
Children of the Sea is currently on Netflix in the United States. Just watch the final 30 minutes. No context is necessary for the visual feast to come and the previous 90 aren't required or recommended anyway.
Final score: 6/10