Movie Review: ‘Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko’

Review by James Lindorf

“Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko” is a 2021 Japanese anime film from acclaimed director Ayumu Watanabe (Children of the Sea) based on the novel of the same name by Kanako Nishi. Nikuko is well-known for her bold spirit. Much to the embarrassment of Kikuko, that spirit causes Nikuko to laugh loud, randomly break into dance, and love hard and fast. In contrast, Kikuko wants nothing more to fit in while navigating the drama-filled world of middle school. “Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko” was first announced in January 2021 and hit Japanese theaters in June. A year later, thanks to GKIDS, “Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko” will screen in theaters around North America beginning June 3rd with a special event on June 2nd.

Much like Watanabe’s other works, “Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko” is beautifully animated. But more than that, it is a heartwarming story about family and a girl finding her place in the world. Like the central character Kikuko, Watanabe is walking a tightrope between childhood and adulthood. At one moment, characters are making faces or shrieking in excitement over a penguin. The next, they are taking on extra responsibilities and working to exhaustion to keep a leaky roof over their head.

While “Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko” is a beautiful examination of adolescence, family, and everyday life in a charming coastal town, it fails its titular character spectacularly. Nikuko is a caring, hardworking, and horrible fat stereotype. She has no self-control over her relationship with food; she is loud, clumsy, and has some boorish behavior with bodily functions. What is worse is that other characters look down on her for her weight and think she would be a better or happier person if she just lost a few dress sizes.

“Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko” may trigger some viewers with body image issues, but it is a wonderful film in all other aspects. It is one glaring mistake away from earning a perfect score from me. Unfortunately, the issue cannot be ignored, and it is an anchor around the neck of the rest of the film bringing the animated dramedy down to a 4 out of 5.

Genre: Anime, Drama, Comedy
Original Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Director: Ayumu Watanabe
Release Date: June 3rd, 2022
Runtime: 1h 37m
Distributor: GKIDS