Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko warms the heart

Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko had only a couple of screenings in oversea cinemas this months, and I was fortunate enough to catch one. As a movie adaptation of Kanako Nishi’s novel of the same name from 2014, it’s a great means for her work to reach wider recognition.

The movie has garnered a noteworthy amount of praise, with a 91% critic score and 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing, plus a number of awards including Hochi Film Award’s Best Animated Picture. And yet it remains one of the lesser-known anime movies of recent years. Is it worth raving about — or has it been overlooked with good reason?

A coming of age comedy… for the most part

Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko follows the tale of its titular character from the perspective of her daughter, Kikuko. The movie is all about the ever-changing bond between Nikuko and Kikuko as Kikuko herself traverses the struggles of teenage life. Ultimately, she comes into her own sense of individuality as the movie’s central character, despite the title.

Between all the school drama, coming to terms with her body changing during adolescence and getting all too frequently embarrassed by her mother just being unapologetically herself, Kikuko gradually learns to see her mother in a different and more appreciative light — especially when their biggest secret as a family is revealed.

That’s the general gist of things without going into spoiler territory. Interestingly, the original novel was intended for a seinen (young adult men) audience, though the movie’s demographic feels a little trickier to label. There are plenty of visual gags and jokes that kids and adults alike will appreciate, making it appear more like a family movie. But no matter who the target audience is, its core themes of familial love, communication and seeing people for who they really are make this a movie that everyone can value.

Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is delightful for a number of reasons — one being how it does not bash you over the head with its positive messages, but instead lets every single scene and piece of dialogue linger in your mind for their significance and meaning. Alongside all its silly puns and visual gags — a highlight being a murderous penguin who wants to kill all of humanity — there is always a reason for each scene, no matter how bonkers or cryptic it may initially seem.

The opening sequence, for example, is one of the movie’s best scenes for how effective and entertaining it is while setting up the titular character and the hardships she has endured over her lifetime. It sets the scene perfectly on her character flaws, but she still remains incredibly charming in her own right. This makes her loveable as a character, but understandably difficult for a teenager like Kikuko to live with.

And there’s a lot of background to explore with Nikuko. As you’ll quickly come to understand, she tends to fall hard for guys who are no good for her, effectively driving her and Kikuko out to find another place to try and settle in and call home — only for the cycle to repeat.

Each moment across Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko’s hour and thirty minutes or so manages to be both entertaining and purposeful. Every scene builds up its focal characters and pushes them towards their destinations in their development and arcs, be it understanding the concept of self-love or recognising how to form deeper and more meaningful connections to others. It may well surprise some audience members which of these elements ends up relating to which character!

Its unusual, unformulaic structure maintains a good pacing, and this is just one of many ways in which Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is considerably superior to the other anime movies we’ve seen throughout this year. While each moment feels like individual events that don’t make much sense, the final scene brings everything full circle, and the unexpectedly climactic and emotional third act gives the audience a massive payoff.

Heart-warming on the inside and outside

While the movie feels particularly bittersweet when its big secret is revealed in the final quarter, there’s a consistently wholesome and light-hearted tone throughout. Kikuko frequently imagines Nikuko as food, and voices over animals with silly lines to entertain herself throughout her rather ordinary days. With so many things constantly changing in her life, her active imagination is her one constant companion.

Nikuko is a ray of sunshine despite her consistently failing romantic encounters. People tend to try and take advantage of her due to her openness and honesty; this frequently leads people to assume she is naïve when it’s actually simply her wanting to be good to everyone around her, no matter who they are. She’s an undeniable role model; she’s extremely hard working, loyal to everyone, and quite simply wants the best for everyone, always putting others before herself to a fault.

Her particular character quirks are her appetite, her excitement, her love of terrible puns, being obnoxiously loud and, of course, being a complete and utter fool for love.

In contrast, Kikuko is reserved, and always tries to stay in the dark, away from any kind of spotlight on her. She is Nikuko’s literal opposite, being quite the over-worrier and pessimist who continuously resents her own mother for all of these traits that she herself either lacks or does not see value in.

For those who have seen Everything Everwhere All At Once, you’ll find quite a few shared themes in Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko that are best presented in these two similarly framed characters. Both Waymond and Nikuko live their lives to the fullest. They are optimistic no matter the situation, remain persistently hopeful and compassionate, and showcase certain traits that are all too commonly deemed to be “undesirable” for their genders.

Waymond is a “beta male”, for example, while Nikuko is a plus-sized female. Rather than letting these traits be seen as negative, however, both Waymond and Nikuko own them and show them to be positive things — and rightfully so. Because the bottom line for both of these characters is that they are the heroes of their tales for being precisely who they are.

Movies like these two are important for what they have to say, and it’s a simple but effective message: your true self is just as valid as everyone and anyone else, no matter what society’s “standards” might say.

The embodiment of “home”

Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko surprised me with the sheer delightfulness of its human characters, poignant dialogue and all-round silliness, and all of this balances out the unexpectedly hard-hitting finale. It’s one that effectively tugs at the heartstrings, that handles its subject matter delicately and in a consistently supportive tone. It sends out positive messages concerning fatphobia, menstrual cycles and abandonment issues, to name just a few.

It all comes together with a comforting message about being hopeful for the future. Kikuko comes to truly appreciate everything around her, and Nikuko’s persistent optimism helps the pair of them overcome their own forms of isolation. They ultimately bond and grow closer with one another, learning to see value in each other as they finally find common ground — it’s a joyful, emotional thing to see, and it makes for a satisfying closing message about finding home in those who uplift and encourage us to be the very best versions of ourselves that we can be.

On a final note, Kikuko is voiced by Cocomi, her first ever voice acting role after establishing herself as a model and flautist, and she did a fantastic job. Additionally, Studio 4°C, who are responsible for the movie’s animation, are best known for their work on video games such as Catherine, Rogue Galaxy, Jeanne D’Arc and Asura’s Wrath. They really knocked it out of the park in making everything so fluid and gorgeous here — so fingers crossed we get to see them more for anime productions.

Fortunate Favors Lady Nikuko will undoubtedly go under the radar for many, so please don’t be one of those unfortunate souls who miss out on it. Also, don’t forget to hug your mum if she is as much of a diamond as Nikuko is. No good mother deserves to feel underappreciated — and this movie serves well in being a loving and heartfelt reminder of that.

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