I don't think I ever saw a South Korean animation of any length before. This new one is presently the most popular on IMDb. I did not know it was Korean when I tuned in; I just thought it looked interesting.
In 2051, Nan-young (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) has been training for a mission to Mars, but since her mother died there 25 years ago and she keeps getting lost in flashbacks, she is not the space agency's top choice. In the meantime, she literally bumps into Jay (Justin H. Min), an amateur singer-guitarist whose music she digs. Gradually, they fall in love, despite her determination not to form an earthly attachment. He's none too keen on her following her dream either, tho she does inspire him to return to his rock band.
You may have noticed that the story begins with a 2026 Mars landing. That's pretty optimistic for today, even if the mission ended in disaster. But it's easier for me to believe than Nan-young happening to have been the only person who saved Jay's unfinished song that he swiftly removed from the Net -- before she ever knew of him. At least the characters acknowledge the improbability.
The main signs of science fiction herein are hovering robots and holographic communications. Apart from those, the future looks similar to the present. There are even familiar online brands. It feels pretty comfortable.
Still more credible and relatable is the romance. It gets off to a rocky start and a rockier middle, but at no point did I think it wouldn't likely happen in RL. I almost fell for Nan-young myself.
You can guess the gist of the climax. I'm not sure how plausible it is. It kept me guessing whether we would get a happy ending or, as all too common in Korean cinema, not.
The animation quality is a little odd, even to someone accustomed to anime. Most of the time, it's choppy, with or without mouth movement. Yet it manages impressively smooth moments. The color scheme is pleasant enough; I'm less certain about the face shapes.
LiS may not be groundbreaking, but I'm glad I watched. I hope the makers go on to more international success.
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