Flavors of Youth

An animated film in three parts, set in China. The first part is about a noodle shop. A man working in the city remembers a soup he ate as a child; the narrative goes to his grandmother's house, to the streets he walked in the snow and to the changing of the city. The second part is about a model. She believes she is getting old, the work is thinning and the distance from her younger sister is growing. It is built on how long a career lasts and what remains after it. The third is the story of two young people. They grew up in the same building; one is interested in music, the other makes sound recordings. Over years they leave each other messages and never meet at the right time. What the three share is remembering and the fast change of cities. The narrative builds no large events; it proceeds through food, houses, streets and sound. The design is close to the Japanese tradition: detailed backgrounds, play with light and long shots in the scenes of food. It was prepared as a co-production between China and Japan and released on a streaming service. Yi Xiaoxing, Yoshitaka Takeuchi and Haoling Li directed. A pleasant choice for anyone who likes animation and nostalgic narrative. For a viewer expecting a single story, the film is in three separate pieces and the tie between them is weak.