Appearances can be deceiving. Any animé fan who has ever tried to convince some of their less enthusiastic friends or colleagues to watch an animated "masterpiece" knows the feeling - "I know it's animated, but will you not give it a chance?" How many times have you said that? Personally, I've lost count. Imagine trying to convince them to watch "My Neighbours The Yamadas" - How can a film which relies on child like drawings and has no real plot be so directly linked to the human condition? Well, that's simple: It's Studio Ghibli and It's Isao Takahata.

Studio Ghibli are always pushing the boundaries of hand drawn animation - You may not realize to look at it, but when "My Neighbours The Yamadas" was released, in Japan in July 1999, it featured some of the most recent advances in computer animation. It still does. Using computers to shade hand drawn cels may seem like a lazy way to produce animation, but that is just not true - by doing this, the film takes on a beautifully unique appearance, backgrounds, colours, fade and contrast can be precisely controlled and, most important of all, the director can more accurately achieve his goals.

Who is this director? Takahata Isao of course. A man who's name is synonymous with brilliantly written and directed, affecting animation. "Grave of the Fireflies" and "Only Yesterday" may be his most acclaimed works, but we can now add "My Neighbours The Yamadas" to that list without fear of reprisal. Like Takahata's other works, "My Neighbours The Yamadas" is based on already well known material (in this case, "Nono-chan" a long running Japanese daily comic strip). And like Takahata's other works, "My Neighbours The Yamadas" takes that well known material and reworks it into something fresh, original, challenging and unique.

So what of the film? What is it about? What do I mean when I say no real plot?

In describing the film I am reminded of a couple of appropriate ideals (or, if you like, clichés). The first being "Beauty lies in simplicity". The film is a series of observations of family life - Master Yamada going to work, Noboru studying for upcoming exams, Nonoko getting lost at the mall, Shige visiting a friend in hospital, Matsuko cooking dinner, and so on. What the film does is tell these tales in a comic book style, making us laugh, but more importantly it makes us think about the situation, and ultimately ourselves. When Takahata wants to, he takes one of those moments and adds an altruistic touch. He leaves contemplative silences, or adds touching melodies. He then fully envisions the ideal "Beauty lies in Simplicity" by occasionally adding a Haiku to the end of a scene. It's a masterful touch.

The second ideal I am reminded of is "The best things in life are free". There are lots of little moments in the film which make you aware of the world around you. The wedding speech at the start of the film, Shige-chan's observations of the plum tree blossoms, her lecture to the motorbike gang. The very last images of the film are juxtaposed with a Haiku which perfectly sums up what the film is all about: Life itself.

"My Neighbours The Yamadas" is yet another masterpiece by Takahata. It is almost a retrospective of his previous works. It manages to be a set of observations of modern day life whilst nostalgic at the same time, it manages to point out life's subtleties, it manages to make you think about the world around you, and it leaves you thinking about these things a long time after the credits have finished rolling.

All this through a few child like line drawings? Yes.

I've heard a lot of people voice that this film is too heavily routed in Japanese culture and family life to be appreciated by a western audience. Nonsense. If you have any experience of family life, or life in general then there is much to appreciate and relate to in this film.

The Region 2 DVD release of "My Neighbours The Yamadas" redefines the term "Flawless". The Image is perfect, sound is also perfect, subtitles are excellent with English and French translations. There are also plenty of interesting extras for those who like that kind of thing, including a special edition "Nono-chan" comic book. The Japanese have taken DVD to their hearts, and with releases of this content and quality you cannot blame them.

So how am I going to end this synopsis? Well I think you may have guessed: I know "My Neighbours The Yamadas" is a Japanese animation with child like drawings and no real plot, but will you not give it a chance?

- Essential collection page written by Lee Johnson