Flavors of Youth

If I had reviewed Flavors of Youth 4 years ago, I would have described it as the following. Mawkish. Sappy. Too simplistic of a storyline. Paints a naïve picture of life. Even for animes in general, they tend to fit such descriptors, ones that I used to be dismissive of in the past. Today, however, I am writing about this film embracing these characteristics and I want to briefly talk about this interesting shift in my judgment. Back then, I would say I used to be more self-enclosed with my emotions. Maybe it would have made me sound less sophisticated. Maybe I haven’t had a well-developed emotional intelligence. Even likelier, I didn’t have the experiences that life has afforded me since then to now that taught me to value the joys of life, which can often be simplistic yet full of sentiments.

Flavors of Youth is split into three distinct storylines: The Rice Noodle, A Little Fashion Show, and Love in Shanghai. Each story revolves around a humanistic value that resonated with me the most: childhood, siblinghood, and romantic friendship, respectively. In essence, the characters in each story initially take these values for granted due to having busy careers but gradually realize their importance as they grow older. As the characters progress throughout their story, however, they show feelings of regret, inadequacy, and apathy. The film does a great job with presenting conflicts that are human, relatable, and not too grandiose. It was like seeing myself in the mirror, as I am near the end of fully realizing how I could have better acknowledged my childhood, siblinghood, and romanticism while facing the burdens of work and studying. With the conflicts I am going through now, it is easy to feel dejected. What ultimately helped regain hope about my own outlook though, is the happy ending that each character got. Xiao Ming, although feeling nostalgic of his times with his grandmother, was content with the future ahead of him. Yi Lin and Lulu were able to feed off of each other’s support as siblings and find fulfillment with their work in the fashion industry. Li Mo rekindles his friendly relationship with Xiao Yu, years after parting ways due to their studies. Although these endings are not unexpected, watching them materialize nevertheless gave me a sense of satisfaction, the feeling that my own conflicts are temporary and will be eventually met with happy outcomes as well.

I am currently at an important crossword in my life, where I feel like I just need to make one last heave before liberating my personality from self-enclosure. When reviewing films, I used to think that quality art had to involve complicated technicalities and philosophical components unseen from everyday life. I think this undeveloped view is reflected in my earliest reviews; there were so many films that I feel I could have done better at emotionally connected with, but instead focused more on its specific technicalities like the soundtrack or art designs. Flavors of Youth, through its serene animations and plain narratives, has reminded me that the simplest storytelling evokes some of the most deeply satisfying emotions. It is a simple 1-hour film and that is what makes it so great. When I came to this conclusion, I was content with the progress I made as an audience and reviewer.

I feel that I am valuing the interpersonal messages that these films are trying their best to deliver rather than what it has succeeded or failed to do as an art. Instead, I have grown to respect these filmmakers, who convey a humble message about “the youth is wasted on the young” through simple yet relatable stories. Fortunately, I had learned that youth is not as short-lived as we think it is. The people in Flavors of Youth and their stories gave me something to think about: the choices I will make to cherish the remaining years of my youth. And something tells me that my forthcoming fulfillments will be shaped by my experiences with others, be it my grandparents from childhood, my brother, or my significant other. I have to thank the film for giving me this perspective of being content with the simple joys of life and having hope for the future that lies ahead.