Chirin no Suzu

Title:Chirin no Suzu
Bell of Chirin
Ringing Bell
チリンの鈴
Overall:Rent
Keywords: , , , ,
Notables: KAMIYA Akira
NAKANISHI Taeko
TAKAGI Hitoshi
A little lamb's life is turned upside down by the wolf that killed his mother. He seeks to avenge his mother, but in order to defeat the wolf, he must become one.
(Summary Courtesy of Anime News Network)


47 minute movie released in Japan on March 11, 1978.
Animated by Sanrio.
Once released on VHS in America in 1990 by RCA/ Columbia Home Video.
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Rent 7 6 6 7 7 Ggultra2764 [series:2659#1552]
This dark children's movie from the 70s was quite simple and effective at portraying its moral in focusing on a lamb learning a hard lesson from fleeing his farm and learning to be as merciless and cruel as a wolf, the very animal that killed his mother. The movie doesn't hold back any punches in showing the cruel surroundings faced by the lamb as he adapts to surviving in the wild and knowing the repercussions for the choices he made in wanting his revenge on the wolf when he becomes older at the cost of fleeing from his barnyard home. The story is as simple a tale as one can get as the movie is more focused on developing its plot and exploring its moral than any depth on characters or world exploration, meaning this won't be an anime for fans of more complex work or older anime titles. The animation for the film is a bit on the simple side in its scenery and character designs having simple details, though the subdued color tones do well at painting just how dark and bleak Ringing Bell will be. The musical tracks used for the film are melancholic with dramatic pieces and somber lyrics that effectively enhance the drama faced by the lamb throughout this film, though the tracks are usually a bit off-key in animated sequences. If you are a fan of older anime titles and looking for something not as well known from the 70s, like say Rupan Sansei or Uchū Kaizoku Captain Harlock, Ringing Bell is a decent 47-minute time killer that could also be worth showing to older children for the moral it has to teach. Just don't show it to very younger kids as there are several death scenes of animals seen throughout the movie.

Last updated Saturday, December 22 2012. Created Saturday, December 22 2012.

Community Anime Reviews

anime mikomi org