Bubble Plot Synopsis
Tokyo is enveloped in a bubble after an usual phenomenon rendered the city unfit for habitation. Hibiki, a main protagonist, has been diagnosed with hypersensitive auditory function since he was a child. This ability makes him no less than a gift in the now-abandoned Tokyo.
The city is now full of children and teenagers who ran away from their homes. They are unofficially dubbed as the “Orphans” of the Tokyo City.
These hyper-intense parkour games are where the children bet their daily supplies. The team that wins gets the whole lot. Hibiki is very attuned to the minutest of noises and this helps him to gain an advantage in these games.
What happens with Tokyo Tower?
One day, Hibiki saves a girl from drowning. She is named Uta and they form a good companionship. However, Uta develops a crush on Hibiki.
In the parkour games, Uta can use her voice to calm and move the bubbles. She also uses it to save Hibiki’s life.
As the film progresses, the gravitational anomalies take a hazardous turn. The habitants of the abandoned Tokyo city start to evacuate as the red cosmic field near Tokyo Tower shows signs of eruption. Uta goes into the vortex to save Hibiki from a dreadful fate. Hibiki, unaware of Uta’s true self, follows after her.
How does Hibiki survive?
Hibiki goes into the vortex, seeing flashbacks of his childhood when the Tokyo city first encountered bubbles and massive destructions. The tower where Hibiki stood crashed, killing several people. Hibiki survived which was no less than a miracle.
It is revealed to him (and the audience) that it was Uta who saved Hibiki that day. She is the soul of those small blue water bubbles. Uta had been saving Hibiki all along, and it was only when she found out that Hibiki needed help that she decided to come and save him.
Uta looks to her sister with a look of love and affection. She speaks in a soft, gentle voice, addressing her as ‘sister’.
Does Uta die?
Despite the lack of an explanation for why bubbles are falling and the appearance of a new bubble-like being, Uta manages to save Hibiki by enveloping him in a hug. As they both fall, Uta starts losing bits of her mortal form. ..
The mermaid turns into bubbles after saving the prince’s life. Hibiki mourns her loss.
After the earthquake and tsunami, Tokyo was left in a state of disrepair. However, the city’s residents have continued to practice parkour, using the abandoned buildings as their playground. As Hibiki is crossing a building, he notices a small bubble with Uta’s laughter floating alongside him. ..
The phenomena that wrapped Tokyo City to doom is not explained either. In the movie, we are only given flashes of the ‘unexplained’ phenomena so it is left ambiguously open to our own interpretation.
How does Bubble end?
In the movie, Uta sacrifices her physical form to save Hibiki and the rest of the citizens from a dreadful fate. This event leads to her becoming an immortal being known as the “Spirit of Vengeance.”
The town of Tokyo is destroyed in a bombing, and the children of the town are taken to a parkour-based life. The bubble is uplifted and they begin to take on new challenges.
Netflix’s latest anime movie Bubble leaves audiences wanting more questions than answers. The short epilogue of the city returning to normalcy does not help quench the thirst for a closure.
A sequel to the film is not likely given the definitive end to the plot, although a short follow-up to explain the climactic phenomena of the water bubbles and the gravitational anomalies would be remiss.
Bubble is a movie that is sure to leave audiences with a lasting impression. The story follows two friends as they navigate their way through life and love, and the film’s unique visual style is sure to keep viewers engaged from beginning to end. ..
The Ending Explained: In the end, everything was revealed and the characters were finally able to come to terms with what had happened. It was a satisfying ending, but we didn’t predict it. Let us know what you thought in the comments below!
