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Satellite Girl and Milk Cow
Common Sense says
- NR
- 2014
- 80 minutes
Parents say
Kids say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Satellite Girl and Milk Cow is a Korean anime film in which an out-of-commission satellite falls in love with a down-on-his-luck musician who's turned into a cow. There's some cartoon violence: Characters fight with lasers, fire, and kicks and fall from high places and crack the pavement when they land. Some of the movie's imagery might be too scary for younger kids, including scenes in which the bad guy is shown hunting for and taking out his victims' livers. There are also scenes of the cow sitting on the toilet accompanied by sounds of flatulence and defecation. And the story itself might be a little too intricate for younger viewers. The symbolic meaning behind the characters' transformations -- satellite becomes girl, boy becomes cow, tree becomes a talking roll of toilet paper -- might go over their heads. Nonetheless, fans of anime will find plenty to enjoy and appreciate.
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What's the story?
KITSAT-1 is an out-of-commission satellite orbiting Earth. One night, she picks up a transmission of a young man singing a ballad at a cafe's open-mic event. Smitten, she decides to return to Earth to find him. Along the way, she magically transforms into Satellite Girl, a girl with rocket shoes and limbs that can fire weapons. At the same time, the heartbroken young man who sang the song that enthralled her turns into a Holstein milk cow. When they meet, they are joined by Merlin, a "blood heir of fairies" that is now a talking roll of toilet paper. In their new bodies, these three must fight Mr. Oh: a man who steals livers for The Incinerator, revealed to be the source of the world's current imbalances. If these three can defeat The Incinerator, not only will the balance of the world be restored, but the SATELLITE GIRL AND MILK COW will also find the love that has proven to be so elusive.
Is it any good?
This is an unusually creative movie, even by the high standards of the best anime. A lonely out-of-commission satellite comes back to Earth and turns into a girl. A down-on-his-luck sensitive balladeer turns into a cow. And then a "blood heir of fairies" named Merlin has turned into a talking roll of toilet paper. It's all quite unconventional and eccentric, but at its core is a theme that's common to a lot of anime: the ups and downs of young love.
There are times when the story feels a little too complicated. The antagonists include an Incinerator, a harvester of organs, and a pig witch. When paired with absurd scenes like the Milk Cow sitting on the toilet passing gas and defecating while the talking roll of toilet paper hovers nearby lamenting what he inevitably has to do to help in the bathroom, it's a little bizarre. Satellite Girl and Milk Cow occasionally gets lost in its own eccentricities. Nonetheless, the central thread of the story is clear enough that fans of the genre will enjoy this unique tale of transformation and metamorphosis.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about anime. How does Satellite Girl and Milk Cow compare to other anime movies you've seen?
What do you think the unusual transformations of the characters symbolize?
How does the violence compare to that of other animated features you've watched?
Movie details
- In theaters: February 20, 2014
- On DVD or streaming: June 6, 2018
- Cast: Daniel J. Edwards, Ryan Bartley, Kirk Thornton
- Director: Hyung-yung Chang
- Studio: GKIDS
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Misfits and Underdogs
- Run time: 80 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.