HIKAWA MARU!!!!! A fascinating story, based on a true story, of a boy who dreams to work aboard the fantastic cruise liner, the Hikawa Maru! I never thought I would learn as much as I did from an anime that was based on a true story of a Japanese cruise liner history and its connections with other countries including the US, along with its troubles through war and peaceful times!
I think my high level of interest is due to the story of the boy and his journey which coincided with the story and journey of the Hikawa Maru through time! It was more intriguing watching an anime in which shared the passion and drive of a common boy wanting to pursue his dreams with the audience and while still remaining informational and a learning experience!
The filmmakers/producers of Hikawa Maru should be more than proud. To be able to create a beautiful work of art while remaining factual and informationally correct on pieces of real life history is a feat most can’t accomplish.
My favorite parts of the movie in its entirety are narrowed down to two particular scenes in which characters talk about the boat as if it is alive. The first scene, when the main boy character is being given a tour through the boat thanks to the kindness of the captain, and the current boat engineer speaks of the boat as if it is a breathing and living beast who needs love and affection, that he can hear the boat cry/speak. The second scene, it is the boy, years later when he is working on the boat with much more experience under his belt, and the boat has been experience all sorts of trades in jobs, from cruise liner to world war medical boat. The boy sneaks away to an upper deck and speaks with the boat, asking why it is crying! Surely the boy knew the answer though and was just attempting to show sympathy towards his nearly life long companion thus far, giving the boat a sense of life.
