"Door into Summer" Review: A moving film depicting the brilliance and sadness of youth

"Door into Summer" - A masterpiece anime film depicting the conflict between youth and love

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

comics

■ Release date

March 20, 1981 - January 1, 0000

■Distribution company

Super Hollywood

■ Eirin Number

110346

■Frequencies

59 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Keiko Takemiya "Door to Summer"

■ Director

Masaki Mamoru

■ Production

Madhouse, Toei Animation

■Works

©Toei

■ Story

Summer vacation has begun at a certain school, and most of the students have gone home. Meanwhile, Marion, who stayed behind in the dormitory with her friends, grew up in a complicated family environment and can only see love as something impure, so she rejects Redania, who has feelings for her. But it was her encounter with the sexually promiscuous Countess Sarah that awakened Marion to love. Marion accepts her love and becomes intoxicated by Sarah's charms. Seeing Marion lose her former dignity, her friends begin to fall apart, eventually resulting in suicide and even falling out of friendship.

■Explanation

This is an anime film based on a short comic by shojo manga artist Takemiya Keiko. In the 1980s, Toei screened the film in public halls and community centers instead of theaters in order to revitalize the off-theater format. "Door into Summer" is a work that depicts the conflicts of youth and the complexities of love, and it had a strong impact on young people, especially in the 1980s. Takemiya Keiko's original work deals with deep themes that go beyond the scope of shojo manga, and its anime adaptation was long-awaited by many fans. Director Masaki Mamoru has faithfully reproduced the atmosphere of the original work while successfully adding further depth through visual expression. In addition, the film is a joint production between Madhouse and Toei Animation, resulting in beautiful visuals and detailed drawings.

■Cast

・Marion Fiesz/Yutaka Mizushima/Sarah Vida/Reiko Muto/Claude/Yuji Mitsuya/Lind Alleyne/Toshio Furukawa/Jack Sydow/Toru Furuya/Redania Francois/Keiko Pan

■ Main staff

・Original story by Keiko Takemiya・Screenplay by Masaki Tsuji・Direction by Mamoru Masaki・Producer by Hiroki Akitsu・Storyboard by Yoshiaki Kawajiri・Chief animation director by Kazuo Tomizawa・Editor by Masaaki Hanai・Art by Yamako Ishikawa・Music by Kentaro Haneda・Produced by Madhouse, Toei Animation・Distribution by Super Hollywood

■ Main Characters

・Marion The charismatic figure at Fiess Academy. Beautiful and intelligent, she attracts the attention of the ladies. However, due to her mother's influence, Marion sees love as impure and is very critical of adults. Marion is unable to believe in love due to her mother's affair and the chaos in her family, and tends to avoid deep relationships with others. As a result, she even rejects Redania's pure love. However, her heart slowly changes after meeting Sarah.

Redania: Mayor Francois' daughter and the school's Madonna. She treats everyone equally and kindly, but she is actually in love with Marion. Redania lives an exemplary life to meet her family's expectations, but she secretly has feelings for Marion. Her pure love is what causes Marion to open up to Sarah, but it also causes the distance between them to grow.

Claude is Marion's friend. He is a timid and kind-hearted boy. He is tormented by his secret love for Marion, who is of the same sex, and pushes himself to the limit. Although Claude keeps his feelings for Marion in his heart, he is confused by her changes, and ultimately ends up committing suicide. His presence is also the catalyst for Marion to understand the complexities of love.

Lind Alleyne: A friend of Marion. He plots to take down Marion because she is in love with Sarah. Lind is not happy with Marion's change and takes various measures to take her place. His actions create a big rift among his friends.

Jack Sydow is a friend of Marion. He is a joker but honest and loves Redania wholeheartedly. Jack keeps his feelings for Redania secret, but he understands her love for Marion and tries to support her. However, he eventually becomes distant from Redania and suffers.

Sarah Vida: The Countess happens to be present when Marion is dueling with a senior student. She opens up the heart of Marion, who doesn't believe in love. Sarah attracts Marion with her free-spirited personality and attractive appearance, and shows her new possibilities for love. However, their relationship causes a big stir among Marion and her friends.

■ Related works

・Simultaneous screening: "The Devil and the Princess"

■Detailed review

"Door into Summer" is a work that depicts the conflicts of youth and the complexities of love, and it had a strong influence on young people, especially in the 1980s. Keiko Takemiya's original work deals with deep themes that go beyond the scope of a girls' manga, and its anime adaptation was long awaited by many fans. Director Mamoru Masaki has faithfully reproduced the atmosphere of the original work while successfully adding further depth through his visual expression. In addition, the film was co-produced by Madhouse and Toei Animation, resulting in beautiful visuals and meticulous drawings.

The story centers around Marion, a young girl trying to escape from a complicated family environment where love is perceived as unclean. Her inner conflict evokes deep empathy from the viewer. In particular, the process in which Marion changes after meeting Sarah symbolizes the power and danger of love. Sarah's presence gives Marion a new perspective, but also causes the breakdown of her relationships with her peers. This is an important element in depicting the pain of adolescence and the difficulties of growing up.

Furthermore, the dramas of each character, such as Claude's suicide, Lind's betrayal, and Jack's anguish, leave a strong impression on the viewer. Claude's suicide in particular is a scene that symbolizes the tragedy of youth and deeply moves the viewer. Lind's betrayal depicts the fragility of friendship and human desires, while Jack's anguish highlights the difficulties of pure love. By combining these elements, "Door into Summer" succeeds in realistically portraying the complexities of youth.

In terms of visuals, the technical capabilities of Madhouse and Toei Animation are fully displayed. In particular, the characters' expressions and movements are extremely realistic, drawing out the emotions of the viewer. The background art is also beautiful, helping to enhance the atmosphere of the story. The music, also composed by Kentaro Haneda, also conveys the emotions of the story in depth.

■Reasons for recommendation

"Door into Summer" is a masterpiece anime film that depicts the conflicts of youth and the complexities of love, and it is a work that had a strong influence on young people, especially in the 1980s. Masaki Mamoru's directorial skills, which faithfully reproduced Takemiya Keiko's original work while adding further depth through his visual expression, and Madhouse and Toei Animation's beautiful visuals and detailed drawings leave a strong impression on viewers. The drama of the characters, including Marion, who is at the center of the story, realistically depicts the pain of youth and the difficulties of growing up, evoking deep sympathy in the viewer. The drama of each character, such as Claude's suicide, Lind's betrayal, and Jack's anguish, leaves a strong impression on the viewer and succeeds in realistically depicting the complexities of youth. In terms of visuals, Madhouse and Toei Animation's technical capabilities are fully demonstrated, and the characters' expressions and movements, background art, and music deeply express the emotions of the story. For the above reasons, we strongly recommend "Door into Summer" as a masterpiece of youth anime films.