They don’t have names

I think you meant a beautiful coming of age story about two boys being forced to conform to a hostile society and hide their true selves for fear of persecution; disguised as a nearly two hour long Vespa ad involving a romp in an Italian coastal town that hates sea monsters

I think you meant a expertly animated tale that discusses ideas like phantom limb syndrome and a character that was born without part of his arm but is no less capable in his daily life, and another character that is the child of divorce who appears quite well-adjusted and the parents are in a seemingly amicable co-parenting situation, but still hints at potentially deeper issues

I think you meant a story that on the surface ends with the two main characters being accepted and being happy and even inspires others to “come out” and be their true selves, and indeed a person who has been touted as someone who actively hunts/persecutes/discriminates against sea monsters is the second person after his daughter to accept and defend them… but they also ground it in reality by demonstrating there are still people who aren’t as willing to accept or are outright hostile, but ignoring those individuals in favour of finding the “good ones” who do accept you and seeking out your own happiness is the important thing…

I THINK YOU MEANT A STORY ABOUT TWO BOYS ENTERING THE UNKNOWN TOGETHER, FINDING COMPANIONSHIP IN EACH OTHER, AND LEARNING TO RELY ON EACH OTHER, DISCOVER THE WORLD TOGETHER, BUT REALISE THEY CAN STILL HAVE THEIR OWN LIVES AND INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF EACH OTHER, BUT LOVE EACH OTHER NONETHELESS

and just in case you couldn’t tell from my flowery language, this story can be considered a clear allegory for the queer experience, particularly queer youth experiencing the world for the first time on their own, and while not immediately noticing it, come to recognise the indoctrinated behaviours that permeate society (note: Luca and Alberto were dazzled by the town until they started noticing all the naturally embedded sea monster hunting/hating structures and behaviour)…

And there’s a point where, in a very shallow take, you might think they’re forcing a love/friendship triangle situation with Luca getting closer with Giulia and Alberto getting jealous as a result… but it’s really just Alberto’s deeper rooted abandonment issues, and Luca is the first friend he’s ever had or at least the first person who has stepped into his world and has been so much like him! And that fear that this very special person might be taken away or may reject or abandon you is a very real thing… and it’s important that at no point did they make Giulia seem like she was intentionally doing anything wrong because she just enjoyed her newfound friendship in a town where she also felt alone and an outsider…

and sometimes when you find yourself fitting in you can take some missteps (when Alberto was “outed” as a sea monster and Luca pretended he wasn’t one)…

and how a man that is well known for being a sea monster hunter (homophobe) has seen the heart and true character of the two boys that have lightened up his and his daughter’s lives and accepted them for who they are, and came to their defence when the other hunters came for them!

And the two old women, in solidarity with the two boys, decide to reveal themselves to be sea monsters in disguise for clearly a very long time…

AND THE MOM (or grandma? I can’t remember now I’m on an adrenaline rush to write this) SAYS SOMETHING LIKE “not everyone will accept him, but he’s got an eye for the good ones that will”

I’M LOSING MY FUCKING MIND