Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko
Nikuko is a brash, jolly, scattered, and passionate woman in an otherwise sleepy seaside town in northern Japan. She’s also the single mother of 11-year-old Kikuko, who is her opposite in many ways. Kikuko is a string-bean of a young girl, pensive, quietly curious, and methodical in how she approaches life in this small harbor town. Nikuko embarrasses Kikuko as any mom of a preteen would, but Nikuko’s bold spirit makes her especially well-known in a town where Kikuko herself wants nothing more than to simply blend in. As Kikuko navigates the everyday social dramas of middle school, enhanced with touches of magical realism from her ever-present imagination, a shocking revelation from the past threatens to uproot the pair’s tender relationship.
Chris Sawin@ChrisSawin
_Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko_ is so simple on the surface, but is also complex and meaningful as an animated film. The ending of the film juggles tearing at your heartstrings and having everything come full circle. It feels like Kikurin is ashamed of embracing the fact that she’s becoming a woman while Nikuko is dangerously content with her gender and sexuality. They’re both lonely, but they find solace in each other’s company. _Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko_ is an animated journey that allows its audience to feel a full spectrum of emotions throughout the escapades of Nikuko and Kikurin. Its beautiful animation is only secondary to the warmth in your chest the film leaves you with once you see that last plate served at the grill house that so many townspeople frequent.
Full review: https://hubpages.com/entertainment/Fantasia-Fortune-Favors-Lady-Nikuko-Review