Lu Over the Wall is easily one of the most bizarre and trippy movies I have watched in a long time. This anime film from the makers of Devilman Crybaby follows an over-the-top storyline surrounding the young mermaid Lu and her bond with a boy named Kai. While that initial premise may sound a lot like a certain Disney animated classic, the similarities completely end there.
Lu Over the Wall tries to accomplish so much in just under two hours that it lacks any sort of focus whatsoever. What at first looks like a simple tale of the friendship between a human and a mermaid quickly diverges into so many subplots that it’s nearly impossible to keep up. For example, the very beginning of the movie plays up Kai contributing his DJ skills to a band that two of his classmates have put together. While it’s basically the only storyline to get adequate enough time dedicated to it, I still felt like it could have been a completely different movie on its own.