Tobe! Kujira no Peek

‘Tobe! Kujira no Peek’ is the story of two brothers that find a small, injured albino whale, hide it in a secluded inlet, and nurse it to health. The whale gets discovered by a circus leader who takes it into captivity and the boys seek to free it. This is a family movie with a cute, cartoony whale. It has other expected elements like a cruel group of bullies and the greedy circus owner indifferent to the animal’s pain. The movie of note for a number of reasons. First, it was directed by Kouji Morimoto, who apparently had some serious animator connections in the early90’s, this movie has tons of quality keys. Second, the character art is by Satoru Utsunomiya, who has a distinct and original style. Subjects move with fluidity but have simplified, geometrical facial features, hair, and body shapes. This is perhaps exemplified through the eyes, big yet low in detail, just beady and shiny. Fans of his work on Gosenzo-sama may want to investigate. The movie is set in a coastal town in Spain and is realized with beautiful art direction of the architecture and coastal formations. The movie is available in HD with English subs and while not super exceptional, the high quality art and names behind it leave its obscurity to be questioned.