| Bubble | |||||
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 Promotional release poster | |||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | バブル | ||||
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| Directed by | Tetsurō Araki | ||||
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |||||
| Cinematography | Kazuhiro Yamada | ||||
| Edited by | Aya Hida | ||||
| Music by | Hiroyuki Sawano | ||||
Production company | |||||
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 100 minutes | ||||
| Country | Japan | ||||
| Language | Japanese | ||||
| Box office | $509,309[1] | ||||
Bubble (Japanese:バブル,Hepburn:Baburu) is a 2022Japanese animatedpost-apocalyptic film produced byWit Studio. It is directed byTetsurō Araki and written byGen Urobuchi with character designs byTakeshi Obata and music composed byHiroyuki Sawano. The film had early screenings at theBerlin International Film Festival on February 10, 2022.[2] It was followed by its worldwide release onNetflix on April 28, 2022, before it was released theatrically in Japan in May.[3][4][5] Amanga adaptation of the film by Erubo Hijihara was serialized inShōnen Jump+ from April 22 to May 23, 2022.[6][7]
In the near future, the world is overcome bybubbles that break the laws of reality. An explosion atTokyo Tower concentrates all the bubbles inTokyo, but makes the city uninhabitable. Various young folk defy the restrictions, and live there anyway, usingparkour tournaments as a means tobarter andtrade supplies. In one parkour team, the Blue Blazes, 18-year-old Hibiki is an exceptionalparkour talent, but he avoids others due to ahearing ultrasensitivity. Tokyo Tower continues to be an impossible location to get to because ofgravity anomalies.
One day, Hibiki attempts to climb the tower because he hears a woman's song, and believes he sees a boy there. He almost makes it, but ends up falling into theocean, where his final exhale combines with some of the bubbles to make a young girl. She is clearly new to being a human, but learns quickly from others. Hibiki names her "Uta" ("Song") because she knows the song he hears in his head. Uta and Hibiki train parkour together, beating a team called the Morticians/Undertakers, however, in one final catch, when Uta touches Hibiki, her arm fades away into bubbles. Bubble activity starts up again, so the Tokyo residents need to flee. Uta goes to Tokyo Tower to stop it. Hibiki goes to save her.
In the final scene they save each other, but Uta fades into bubbles as in the originalfairy tale fromHans Christian Andersen: "The Little Mermaid." In her final breath, she tells Hibiki that he made it worth it for her to be human. With the bubbles gone, the citizens of Tokyo return and start to rebuild. The parkour teams continue their lives too. Whether real or imagined, in the end credits Hibiki is still continuing to do parkour and there is a bubble following him which could imply it is Uta.
| Character | Japanese voice | English voice[8] |
|---|---|---|
| Hibiki | Jun Shison[3][9] | Zach Aguilar |
| Hibiki (young) | Jeannie Tirado | |
| Uta | Riria. [ja][10] | Emi Lo |
| Makoto | Alice Hirose[2][9] | Erica Lindbeck |
| Shin | Mamoru Miyano[2][9] | Keith Silverstein |
| Kai | Yuki Kaji[2][9] | Robbie Daymond |
| Usagi | Sayaka Senbongi[2][9] | Laura Stahl |
| Denki Ninja | Tasuku Hatanaka[2][9] | Kyle McCarley |
| Undertaker Leader | Marina Inoue[2][9] | Cristina Vee |
| Kantō Mad Lobster | Shin-ichiro Miki[9] | Chris Jai Alex |
The film's score is composed byHiroyuki Sawano. The opening theme song is "Bubble feat. Uta" performed byEve, while the ending theme song is "Jaa ne, Mata ne" (じゃあね、またね。; "See You, Catch You Later") performed by Riria, who voices Uta in the film.[10]
| Bubble (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | May 11, 2022 (2022-05-11) |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Length | 73:28 |
| Label | Toy's Factory |
| Producer | Hiroyuki Sawano |
All music is composed byHiroyuki Sawano.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "BUBBLE" | 1:58 | |
| 2. | "BATTLEKOUR" | 5:21 | |
| 3. | "BB" | 00:53 | |
| 4. | "JU-RYOKU" | 2:35 | |
| 5. | "BB2" | 2:29 | |
| 6. | "MERMAID" | 4:18 | |
| 7. | "HIBIKI" | 1:56 | |
| 8. | "UTAtoHIBIKI" | 1:32 | |
| 9. | "UNDERTAKER" | 2:15 | |
| 10. | "BBxUT" | 3:20 | |
| 11. | "PARKOUR" | 3:56 | |
| 12. | "UTA" | 1:57 | |
| 13. | "2ndBUBBLE" | 5:29 | |
| 14. | "TOWER" | 5:57 | |
| 15. | "NE-SAMA" | 2:20 | |
| 16. | "BUBBLE-cho." | 6:49 | |
| 17. | "BUBBLE-THEME" | 3:54 | |
| 18. | "Bubble" | Eve | 3:48 |
| 19. | "Bubble (TeddyLoid Remix)" | Eve | 3:23 |
| 20. | "Shikisai (色彩)" | 5:13 | |
| 21. | "Bye Bye, See You (じゃあね、またね。)" | Riria. | 4:05 |
| Total length: | 73:28 | ||
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 50% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10.[11]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 56 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[12]
Bubble grossed $509,309 at the box office.[1]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 72nd Berlin International Film Festival | Generation 14plus — Crystal Bear for the Best Film | Tetsurō Araki | Nominated | [2] |
| Asian Academy Creative Awards | Best Animated Programme or Series (2D or 3D) | Bubble | Won | [13] | |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Film | Nominated | [14] |
