Anime Odyssey: Man's Obsessive Pursuit of Love Leads to Whimsical Adventures

In the upcoming anime film "The Obsessed," director Takahashi Wataru explores the notion of a lost sense of selflessness and sincerity in being loving to others. The story follows Giuseppe, a man who throws himself into every "obsession" with myopic, all-consuming abandon.

Giuseppe's interests range from grasshoppers to triple-jumping to private detective work, and he abandons each new hobby or profession the moment inspiration strikes. Despite his fleeting attention span, Giuseppe dedicates himself to making life better for a balloon seller named Pechka, though he never actually spends time with her. Wataru and his team of artists depict this as an odyssey, with Giuseppe going to increasingly outrageous extremes to please his crush.

The film's deliberately wonky, angular character designs contrast sharply with its painterly backgrounds, which blend generic European geography with specific British architecture. This stylized, childlike aesthetic reflects Giuseppe's innocence and naiveté, even as his excitability and tactlessness can be frustrating to watch. As Giuseppe's obsession with Pechka deepens, the film moves into more emotionally fraught territory, with the character's efforts to heal an old wound becoming both selfless and self-centered.