The new anime film, “The Night is Short, Walk on Girl” will make you want to have a beer while watching. “Girl goes out for a night of drinking” may not sound like the most interesting premise, and while the film certainly does not have the most intelligent plot, “Walk on Girl’s” appeal is in its sense of pure debauchery.
“Walk on Girl” was directed by industry veteran Masaaki Yuasa, best known for directing “Lu Over the Wall,” “Mind Game,” and the Netflix series “Devilman: Crybaby” which was released earlier this year, under Yuasa’s own company Science Saru productions. Science Saru became noteworthy for utilizing unique aesthetic choices, most notably their use of hard outlines and flat and expansive use of color, seen in both this film and “Devilman: Crybaby.”
The drunken escapades happen within the first 12 minutes of “Walk on Girl” and continues to ramp up until the latter half of the third act when the situation starts to slow down. Like an accelerating train with no brakes, “Walk on Girl” does not stop and only gets more absurd as it goes on.
The film starts with the main character Otome, Japanese for “maiden,” celebrating at her friend’s wedding. After the reception, she decides on a whim that she wants to have an alcohol-fueled adventure. While at the wedding Senpai, Japanese for “senior,” Otome’s classmate, reveals that over the years he has devised an indirect plan to meet her at seemingly random times and places, culminating in her remembering him enough so that he may ask her out.
If the plan sounds ridiculous, thankfully the other characters are just as aware of this as the audience is. Otome decides she wants to have a proper drunken misadventure since she has never had one before, in what will surely become the fictional bender to end all benders.
The Night is Young, Walk on Girl is playing at The Lyric Cinema.
Where the majority of drunken adventure movies are about throwing the biggest party possible, winning a contest, or just typical “guy’s night” activities, “Walk on Girl” changes things by not only focusing on a female perspective but giving the main character a desire for pure adventure. Ironically, this decision gives the film a sense of wholesomeness in a story about getting as intoxicated as possible.
There really is no word that sums up this film better than “absurd.” Characters are all somehow connected to each other and coincidentally meet throughout the night. The characters have outrageous backstories, and what is happening in front of you is so over-the-top that you really do have to see it to grasp what I’m talking about.
There are run-ins with a literal deity, searches for a secret alcohol, and a group of hooligans that steal pants and underwear then leaves the victim naked in the street. Yes, the plot is not cohesive, relies on coincidence, happenstance, and luck in order for the story to progress, but unlike the vast majority of other movies, you don’t have to care about it here.
Everything that happens is so absurdly entertaining that I forget about all of the storytelling faults and go happily along with it. Walk on Girl only cares about one thing, “is it fun or funny?” Following that thought process, it does not even matter if the plot makes sense.
Should you see it: Yes.
Few films this year have had me consistently laughing throughout, let alone having a genuinely fun time just watching it happen. See this film if you get the chance and grab a drink before seeing it too if you can.
Collegian reporter Ty Davis can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @tydavisACW.
