We continue our series of reviews chronicling all of the (non-Studio Ghibli) animated films distributed by GKIDS Films — some of the most original and breathtakingly beautiful animated films from around the world — and how they hold up for a young American audience.

The entire retrospective is found here, and this time we’ve got…

The Night is Short, Walk on Girl (2017): Masaaki Yuasa, director

What’s it about?

The movie focuses on a university student known only as “the girl with black hair” during one epic night on the town in Kyoto, Japan. We meet her at dinner, and her narration reveals that she is excited for the evening to come, which will induct her into the “adult world.”

What follows is a LOT of drinking and an acid trip of surreal encounters with increasingly bizarre characters… all while staying just a few steps ahead of Senpai, a fellow student who has been creating increasingly fantastic and contrived reasons to run into her in an effort to win her heart.

Time seems to move very slowly in this film since there’s so much that purportedly happens during this single night in Kyoto. That’s part of the gag, though, and several characters actually comment on how neverending and interminable the night is.

We follow the girl with black hair through several bars and parties, to a ghostly boat owned by a supernatural being, to an open-air used book market (and an encounter with a diminutive god), and through an entire musical before she visits each character’s home to nurse them back to health. (She’s the only person to avoid getting sick or the cold.)

By the end, all the strings are connected and she recognizes the inextricable connection among everyone and everything – and the ripple effects simple actions can have. (Sounds like many of my own post-drinking epiphanies.)

What are the cultures at play? And how about the languages?

The movie is based on a Japanese novel of the same name, which will actually see its first English-language edition this summer from Yen Press. And this is a VERY Japanese movie, if that makes sense. If your only familiarity with Japanese animation is through Studio Ghibli films or if you’ve never watched some of the more “out there” Japanese animation, then you’re in for a bit of a shock here.

This is the kind of film that feels like one giant in joke. Even though the Blu-ray release from GKIDS has only the original Japanese audio (i.e., there’s no English dub), it still feels like much is “lost in translation.” There’s just so much imagery and symbolism that I’m SURE has deeper meaning. But it either flashes by so fast or simply isn’t explained.

And speaking of fast, there are scenes where the dialogue is intentionally sped up (because of the character’s mental state or because several characters are talking over one another in a crowd). Though it might not all be 100 percent necessary to understand, it’s genuinely hard to keep up with the subtitles at times.

Will my kids like it?

Despite it being distributed by GKIDS, this movie is NOT appropriate for most kids under 12 or 13. Almost the entire movie focuses on the main characters bar hopping around Kyoto and drinking a LOT (including a drinking competition). There’s a male character who spends the first third of the movie without any pants. There’s another character whose entire schtick is that he refuses to change his underwear. Our main character repeatedly gets her chest groped by a stranger. And there’s an entire subplot about a group of men who collect and trade erotic art.

Will I like it?

If you don’t mind surreal stories that don’t always make total sense, then yes, you probably will. The movie was incredibly well received and actually won a few awards, but it’s decidedly NOT mainstream storytelling.

I’m not sure I’d recommend this to someone first dipping his or her toes into Japanese animation or the wider world of animation in general. But if you’re prepared for a slightly more challenging film to watch, then there’s a lot to like here – both thematically and stylistically.

Is there anything objectionable for young kids?

See above. Almost the whole movie.

How can I see it?

GKIDS and Shout Factory recently released a Blu-ray edition of the film, which also features an interview with director Masaaki Yuasa, the theatrical trailer, and some TV spots. It’s relatively light on special features. It’s also available from all the usual outlets and for streaming from Amazon, Google Play, and YouTube.

Final word?

The Night is Short, Walk on Girl is definitely a ride. It makes sense that the film gets increasingly bizarre and disconnected as it goes on – our main character is also drinking in excess and getting increasingly drunk (even if she never appears anything but stone-cold sober), and the film is told from her point of view. Give it a shot and see if it connects with you. I’m just not sure how a company called GKIDS can justify this one.