Nostalgia meets determination in this gorgeous anime from Makoto Shinkai’s former art director.
Stubborn twenty-something Keitaro clings to his late father’s rural fireworks factory, trying to keep it open as it faces eviction. His brother Chichi, who lives in Tokyo, introduces a childhood friend to convince Keitaro to accept the inevitable. While the three share stories from their past, Keitaro comes up with a plan.
For his debut feature, veteran art director Yoshitoshi Shinoyama – who used to work with Makoto Shinklai and other greats – has completely ignored the clean and slick digital anime trend. Instead, he’s hand-painted all his backgrounds and opted for lo-fi animation. As a result, A New Dawn is both raw and poetic, with some frames looking like pure works of art. The story revolves around family ties and wanting to keep an old-school business afloat amidst fast-rising gentrification. Flashbacks show the childhood bond between the main characters; a nostalgic mood counterbalanced by Keitaro’s current-day determination.
