Golden Time is a 2013 film from Robot Communications. Yes, the studio behind Tsumiki no Ie. Is this as excellent as that film? Let’s check.
Story:
We open with an old cabinet television being taken to the junk yard. After being dropped off, the television tries to escape the junk yard, possibly wanting to return to the family that used to own it. The cabinet meets a bunch of other sentient objects in the junk yard led by a broken clockwork rabbit but refuses to engage much with them.
The biggest narrative issue with the film is that the rift between the cabinet and the other junk yard denizens isn’t resolved all that well. The cabinet has a moment with clockwork rabbit and that’s kind of it. It’s also a bit odd that a select few objects in the junk yard have sentience but the rest don’t seem to.
On the positive side, there are some really funny moments in this. It’s also effective at building its world and showcasing personalities of these sentient items without ever having them exchange dialogue. I also really like the ending. It has a bittersweet tint that really works.
Characters:
The major characters in this are the objects. The clockwork rabbit and cabinet are both well developed and have a good deal of depth in spite of not having any dialogue. The rabbit is pretty endearing as well. The other objects like the fan, chair and bucket are less compelling but you do get a decent sense of what they’re like.
Art:
The artwork in this looks very nice. They make the objects move around in a way that seems very realistic. The style is pretty charming as well. The film also uses visual gags effectively.
Sound:
The music is pretty solid. There’s very little voice acting. It has a little bit when the cabinet television turns on and it does sound like voices over an old, beat up telly.
Ho-yay:
There’s no romance in this. It’s about sapient objects.
Areas of Improvement:
The side objects could use stronger personalities.
We need some kind of explanation, even a heavy implied one, for why most of the junk yard objects are just normal objects.
The film could benefit from a little more time with the tell cabinet engaging with the other sapient objects after it comes out of its shell.
Final Thoughts:
Golden Time is almost as good as Tsumiki no Ie. It has charm, humour and effectively tells a story heavily rooted in animism purely through animation. My rating on this one is going to be an 8/10. Check it out if the basic concept sounds somewhat appealing.
Geu Yeoreum is a Korean film from Red Dog Culture House. All I know is that it’s a Shoujo ai drama. So, let’s hop right into it.
Story:
Lee Yi-gyeong is minding her own business when she gets hit by a football. All from a wayward kick from a member of the girls’ football team, Yook Suyi. Suyi apologises for breaking her glasses and starts showing up to her class to check on her with strawberry milk. This eventually leads to the pair developing feelings for each other and engaging in a secret romance as South Korea is still a bit shite when it comes to treatment of the LGBTQ population.
There are two issues with the film. The big one is the narrator. Yi-gyeong explains what we’re seeing/ about to see far too often when it would be far more effective to just let the scenes speak for themselves. The second issue is that some elements aren’t extrapolated on properly. It just feels like they need further development. A lot of the relationship development, for example, is accomplished through snippets.
On the positive side, the film does an excellent job of showcasing first love. The initial awkwardness, the pitfalls and how two people can grow apart but still have fond memories of their time together. It also discusses some of the issues that queer kids face when they’re in an area that’s not all that accepting.
Characters:
Yi-gyeong and Suyi have a lot of verisimilitude. Both as individual characters with flaws and obstacles and as a couple. Their relationship dynamic and the evolution thereof is really well handled as well. The side characters are more limited but the important ones still manage to seem somewhat realistic though they could definitely benefit from more screen time.
Art:
The film looks good. The characters are designed to look like normal people which works well for a realism focused drama like this. The backgrounds are really well-detailed and there are some beautiful scenes of Yi-gyeong & Suyi cuddling up to each other.
Sound:
The acting is excellent. The music is really well done as well.
Ho-yay:
Obviously, this has a lot of les-yay. In addition to the relationship betwixt the main girls, there are a lot of lesbian side characters. There’s a chunk of the film where Yi-gyeong is working in a gay bar and we get to briefly meet her co-workers and some of the patrons.
Areas of Improvement:
The film could use a longer run time to further extrapolate on some of its elements.
The narration should have been toned down.
The side characters could use more characterisation.
Final Thoughts:
This film is honestly really good. It’s a realistic look at young love that addresses the issues that come up when that love isn’t accepted. My rating on this one is going to be a solid 8/10. I do recommend it, just don’t go into it expecting a light and happy romp.
Chikyuu wo Mitsumete is a 2011 film from Nippon animation. The same studio behind Kazoku Robinson Hyouryuuki: Fushigi na Shima no Flone. So, what is this science fiction/ edutainment film about? Let’s have a look.
Story:
We open with a look at Earth from space with some rather grandiose prose about how amazing it is. This is quickly followed by some scientific explanations about how the Earth was formed and how life on the planet evolved set to classical music. After a combined total of about seven minutes for those segments, we transition to the main plot. Aliens are watching us from a disguised space station and using a miniature camera that can change its size to track what they call a Z-atom. This leads to their camera being discovered by a pair of children, after its used to briefly discuss how cells work.
There are a couple elements that hold the film back. First off, it likes to repeat itself. There are multiple scenes that show the footage captured by the camera including large chunks of things we already saw. The worst being a five minute chunk towards the end that just recaps the film thus far. And this isn’t a long film where it really benefits from reminding the audience of prior events. It’s a half hour. The aliens are also incompetent to a silly degree. Their secret, special camera gets seen multiple times.
On a positive note, the educational aspects of this film are actually handled really well. It provides good information that’s presented in a fairly simple, easily understood way while still providing plenty of entertainment. Unlike 90% of edutainment works that are lacking in one or both. Seeing young Naoko’s journey in life is also kind of cute in spite of us only getting snippets from different points.
Characters:
The two big characters are Satoru and Naoko whom we get to see at different points in their lives. Naoko is more closely focused on while Satoru only gets briefly mentioned when it gets to the end. It’s surprisingly solid given how short the film is.
Art:
The artwork really shines when it comes to outer space, showing the circle of life and cellular structure and illustrating the evolution of life on Earth. Basically, every time they’re showing something educational they absolutely nail it. When it comes to character designs, especially the aliens, it’s a bit more mediocre.
Sound:
Toyoguchi Megumi & Nanao Haruhi both give strong performances. Gustav Holst’s Jupiter is used to great effect as well. And, unlike some anime that make use of classical compositions, they don’t fuck it up with awful sound mixing.
Ho-yay:
There’s no romance of any kind in this. Unless you think there might be a reason the two male-presenting aliens are on a small ship by themselves for years.
Areas of Improvement:
I think they would have benefited from showing something more substantial in place of the flashbacks. Possibly some more snippets from the lives of our leads.
There’s really no reason for Satoru & Naoko to see the alien’s camera since the film really doesn’t do anything with it.
The aliens could have used some personality. I understand that their main purpose is to explain things to the audience through the lens of discussing it but they could at least make some jokes or something.
Final Thoughts:
I kind of like this film, actually. This is edutainment done properly. Its narrative has charm to it and the artwork can be beautiful, especially when showing the Earth from space. Normally, I’d give something like this around a 6, but factoring in that this was made to show children at Planetariums to get them excited about space, and the fact that I think it most likely worked very well, I’m going to be generous and go up to a 7/10.
I’ve looked at a lot of films from the Dragonball/DBZ franchise. They’ve mostly been pretty decent. And this year we’re looking at another one. The third film with the Dragonball Z branding, Chikyuu Marugoto Choukessen from 1990.
Story:
We open with Gohan going camping with Bulma, Kuririn and Oolong. Everything seems to be going well until night falls and a Saiyajin pod crashes causing a forest fire. Fortunately, Kuririn and Gohan are able to use their Ki to combat the blaze and protect the animals. Unfortunately, the forest is destroyed. They gather the dragonballs to restore everything. Our heroes don’t see anything as amiss until North Kaio contacts Goku telling him that a Shinseiju is draining the Earth’s energy and will soon turn it into a deserted wasteland. Thus they begin their quest to stop the Shinseiju tree and save the world.
There are a couple issues with this film. First off, in DBZ they establish that the Saiyajins, Freeza and that entire group don’t know how to hide their power levels but in this film Tullece, who is a Saiyajin, and his group aren’t detected by Goku or anyone else until they show up to destroy the tree. I understand that the continuity with the films is always a bit off but this seems a bit egregious. The second issue is that the ending is a bit of an ass-pull with how Goku is finally able to beat Tullece and the tree stops being a threat. It feels like the writers put themselves in a corner and couldn’t figure out how to get out of it.
On a positive note, I do enjoy the whole bond that Gohan forms with Haiya dragon and how it plays into the story. The idea of a parasitic tree draining the life energy from the planet itself is also a good one.
Characters:
The new characters in this are the antagonists who, unfortunately, aren’t that interesting. They’re basically a bunch of thugs who want to gain power. Tullece does also pull a Raditz and try to get Goku and Gohan to join him which is the most interesting he gets.
Art:
The artwork is basically what you expect from DBZ. The big issue is with Tullece’s design. They basically just make him evil Goku and excuse it as “they’re both lower class Saiyajins so they look alike.” But other than that it looks good. The action sequences flow pretty well and the sequences that showcase the impact the Shinseiju is having on the Earth are well executed.
Sound:
The acting is well done. It’s basically the same as all these films have been. The regular cast: Furukawa Toshio, Nozawa Masako, Tsuru Hiromi, Tanaka Mayumi and the rest all do well. The antagonists of the week don’t really have anything to work with. The music is solid.
Ho-yay:
There’s none to be found.
Areas of Improvement:
The antagonists should have been better developed.
They needed a more clever way to beat the antagonists. Maybe some of the secondary characters could have dug into the Earth and destroyed the Shinseiju’s core while Goku kept Tullece occupied and that could have released enough energy for a Genki Dama that could beat Tullece. It might not be a brilliant solution but it would have been a lot less of an ass pull.
The major characters should have sensed the power levels of Tullece and his men.
Final Thoughts:
This isn’t a good film. It’s decent enough if you’re a fan of DBZ and you want a short adventure with the characters. I’m going to give it a 6/10.
The Addam’s Family has been something of a cultural force. It started in the late 1930s with some comic strips. In 1964, it was adapted into a television series that ran for sixty four episodes. It’s been animated more than once and turned into a variety of films and specials. It’s had video games ad even a musical. With the most recent adaptation being Netflix’s Wednesday. Today I’m going to talk about the first film. From 1991, this is The Addam’s Family.
Story:
We open with Gomez Addams visiting his brother’s old room in a melancholy. Turns out, Fester went missing years ago and they’ve been searching for him since with the help of their attorney, Tully Alford. Unfortunately for the family, it turns out that Tully is less than honest and he owes money to an unsavoury woman who sends her son to extract the debt. Tully notices that her son bears a striking resemblance to the missing Fester and a scheme to steal the fortune from the Addam’s vault is formed.
The only slight issue with this film is that the twist is really obvious. We’re talking it’s hinted at very early into the scheme and the evidence just piles up from there.
With that being said, the humour in this film is phenomenal. It has this strange but highly effective mixture of macabre but wholesome elements. A lot of the comedy comes from the family’s unusual reactions and the fact that their standards and norms are so far separated from the average person’s. Which leads to a lot of amazing dialogue. The whole arc of Fester bonding with the rest of the family is brilliantly handled. There are also some very strong visual gags.
Characters:
The characters are fantastic. Gomez and Morticia have the kind of loving relationship that most couples can only dream of maintaining. They’re also really good, supportive parents but in some of the most bizarre ways. The dynamics amongst all the family members are great. The weakest characters in the film are the villains. They’re just kind of the standard Hollywood con artists.
Cinematography, Visuals & Effects:
The film makers did a great job of putting together the dark, gothic Addam’s estate. The set pieces, props and costumes are all immaculate. The blocking is set up really well. The shots are set up very strongly. This film just captures the whole gothic aesthetic perfectly. In terms of special effects, the most impressive aspect is how they pull of Thing.
Acting & Music:
They got some amazing talent behind this. We have Christopher Lloyd, Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christina Ricci and Jimmy Workman to name just the major characters and their performances are pretty much perfect. The music is perfectly suited to the aesthetic. Marc Shaiman did a great job.
Final Thoughts:
91’s The Addams Family is a classic. A powerful mix of macabre humour with wholesome family vibes. If you’re looking for a horror themed comedy, there aren’t many that are better than this. My rating is going to be a 9/10.
I’ve talked about Yami Shibai many times. It’s a franchise built around short form horror from ILCA. Thus far, it’s been pretty solid. Let’s look at the fourth series in the franchise and see if it continues that trend.
Story:
We follow the same pattern as the first three series. The narrator welcomes us to the theatre of darkness and we get a bunch of short, stand alone horror stories. That being said, this is not on the level of prior series. The stories in this one are almost a joke. There are maybe two episodes out of the thirteen in the series that are kind of creepy. The others just come across as dumb and kind of silly. This is rated for young teenagers but it feels like it was written with small children as the demographic because most of these scares are not going to work on teenagers.
The two episodes in this worth watching are Calling Crane and Snow Hut. Those two actually have some creepy things happening.
Characters:
Like the rest of the franchise, the characters are designed to be very straightforward. That being said, this one has some problems. For one thing, this series has the absolute worst of the narrator. The third series had him at his best thus far, in this one he’s at the worst we’ve seen. Not only does he explain everything you’re seeing instead of just letting you experience it, but the actor they have voicing him sounds almost bored.
Art:
While I can appreciate the little paper theatre aesthetic they have going for it, the problem with this instalment of the franchise is simply that they don’t have scary imagery. Even the two solid episodes aren’t amazing in that regard.
Sound:
This is yet another aspect that’s worse in this series than it’s ever been in the franchise before. I’ve already mentioned that the new narrator just sounds bored but that’s not the only issue. Performances continue to be relatively flat and with absolutely nothing to work with, it’s even more noticeable. The ending theme is also completely inappropriate for the franchise. The song is really upbeat and, if you look up the lyrics, optimistic. Let me remind you, this franchise tends to end their episodes with the main characters being completely buggered.
Ho-yay:
There’s none.
Areas of Improvement:
This really needs to make use of body horror the way the third series did.
The narrator does not need to tell us everything we’re seeing. I’m sure it’s useful for people with visual impairments who speak Japanese but for the rest of us it just ruins any impact.
They really should be directing the narrator to speak in a less bored tone. At least try to sound somewhat menacing/ unsettling.
Final Thoughts:
The last time I looked at this franchise it was the best I’ve seen from it. This time, its the worst. The episodes offer very little in terms of horror. The narrator is horrendously bad. The ending song might be fine in a different franchise but it’s awful for this one. My final rating for Yami Shibai the 4th is going to be a 3/10.
Jiok is a Studio Dadashow work from mid 2006. It was directed by Yeon, Sang-ho and I have no idea what to expect from it so I’m just going to dive in.
Story:
The basic story is that this is a semi-fantasy world where angels exist and they show up to tell you future events like when you’re going to die and where you’re going after you do. The film contains two halves, one where a man is told he’s going to die shortly and he’s going to hell and another where a woman is given five days and told she’s going to heaven. The film covers what they go through while preparing for the end.
There are a couple major problems with the film. The first is that the world is really under-developed. It seems to be largely based on the regular world but then angels show up and no one really reacts and they all just seem to know the rules but we, the audience, get very little insight into them. We know that trying to escape your fate puts you in a worse position but things like the criteria someone is judged by or even what kills them are all vague. It’s not like the angels say you’re going to die in a specific amount of time and you have a stroke at that point or get hit by a bus or something. Shadowy figures just show up and take you away. Do they decide your lifespan by rolling a d20 or something? It’s especially a problem in the first half. The dude just seems to live a normal life where he goes to work, heads home for the day, relaxes and goes to bed. Why is he bound for hell? Because he’s a man who isn’t me and my sister’s chihuahua terrier mix decides where people go.
I do kind of like the concept of a horror work where people are told their time is coming and where they can expect to go. I feel like if the world was properly developed and things were better extrapolated on it could be a pretty interesting work. I also appreciate the little theme of futilely struggling against the inevitable only to make your situation far worse than it would be otherwise.
Characters:
The big issue here is that the characters are as dull as flat cardboard. The film doesn’t tell us why they’re going to die or why they’re given the afterlife they’re given. And nothing they say or do gives us any real insight because the characterisation is incredibly flat.
Art:
The art is another issue with the film. It has that rotoscoped look that’s just ugly as sin and has no redeeming qualities. It’s like that rubbish aku no hanaanime I reviewed years ago with the same jerky movements and choppy bullshit animation. And because they use rotoscoping, they don’t even make the supernatural elements look interesting.
Sound:
The acting suffers from a familiar problem for works with very under-developed characters. The actors just have nothing to work with and, consequently, their performances come across as flat. The music also comes across as low effort but basically passable.
Ho-yay:
There isn’t any.
Areas of Improvement:
You need more to establish the world. Just to be clear, I’m not suggesting the film needs to stop and give us a wall of exposition, but it does need to make better use of dialogue and environmental story-telling to give us some insight into how the world works and why the boring dude is condemned to hell.
This needs stronger characterisation. Ultimately, we have an anthology type story that’s trying to explore this supernatural world and tell the stories of the people within it. But it can’t do that effectively when the characters are this dull.
Get some proper animation because this rotoscoped look is actual rubbish.
Final Thoughts:
Jiok is a classic example of a promising premise getting let down by really poor execution and the final result is a bit shite. With lousy artwork, cardboard characterisation and an under-developed world. My rating is going to be a 3/10.
Itou Junji is a well known figure in Japanese horror known for a lot of body horror. I’ve talked about him once before with the Gyo anime. This time around we’re delving into the Itou Junji collection from Studio Deen. Specifically, the Tomie special adapting one of Itou’s best known titles.
Story:
We open with Tomie’s funeral. Apparently, she was murdered and horrifically mutilated. Her teacher is discussing the incident with his class when Tomie herself strolls in like nothing happened. This quickly leads into a flashback of the actual incident and the gruesome details of what precisely happened.
The big problem with the anime version is the pacing. In all fairness to Deen, they are trying to turn twenty chapters of a manga into twenty minutes of an anime which is going to necessitate making a lot of cuts. However, horror as a genre functions best when it has time to breathe and build up. Especially when you’re doing a complete story as opposed to the kind of short form content you would see in something like Yami Shibai. And you lose a lot of the impact when there’s a very brief respite between scares and not much in terms of build up.
On the positive side, the premise of the story is really solid. And the anime version, while not particularly frightening, does manage to be unsettling and disturbing in a way that’s actually kind of horrific. They also do a good job of incorporating all of the most important plot points even if they don’t properly extrapolate on all of them.
Characters:
This is an area where the anime definitely drops the proverbial ball. One of the factors that usually lets horror shine is concern for the characters. But due to the pacing issues, we don’t really know shit about any of the characters. They’re very under-developed and generic. Especially in the first episode where they juggle three major characters (not including Tomie herself), a slew of minor characters and all the background details. It doesn’t help that none of the characters in the first part come across as likeable.
Art:
The artwork here deserves a lot of praise. It’s not as outlandish with its body horror as Gyo was. If anything, it’s surprisingly subdued for an Itou Junji work. However, that makes the body horror elements a lot more impactful when they do get used. There’s some very twisted and disturbing moments in this. Deen is very deliberate and skilled with how they frame the most disturbing scenes as well in order to maximize their impact.
Sound:
The acting is fine. It could be better if the characters had more complexity for the actors to work with but, as previously discussed, there’s just not much there. The music is very atmospheric.
Ho-yay:
There isn’t any.
Areas of Improvement:
This really would have benefited from being longer. Like, film length long instead of cramming everything into twenty minutes.
They needed more character complexity.
The major plot points needed more development.
Final Thoughts:
While the visual horror, premise and atmosphere all work pretty competently, the special is let down by its short, condensed run time. The characters don’t get the development they need. The build up isn’t what it should be. The important plot points are under-developed. Is it an absolutely awful anime? No. Is it a worthy version of the Itou Junji classic? No. Overall, I would give it the same rating I gave Gyo, a 6/10. It’s decent enough for a short horror experience but it’s also a bit frustrating because you know there’s a more fully fleshed out and better executed story hidden inside there.
I’ve looked at a lot of super hero works over the years. Both in bonus reviews and in anime form. Some of it has been stellar, some of it absolute rubbish and some of it pretty mediocre. This time around I wanted to look at one of the oldest super heroes out there. We’re talking about a character who predates Superman himself by a good two years. Of course I’m talking about the lord of the jungle, the hero who stalks, the beast calling brother, the ghost who walks: The Phantom. (Supes first appearance was in mid 1938, Phantom’s was early 1936.) The specific work I’m going to look at for this iconic hero is the mid 90s cartoon, Phantom 2040.
Story:
The year is 2040 and Earth is a dystopian nightmare with mega corporations shortsightedly draining resources and making the world increasing inhospitable for humans. I feel like there might be more reality to this show than most would want to admit. In any case, Kit Walker is a University student when he encounters a wise man named Guran who claims to have known his father and tells Kit that it’s time for him to carry his family’s legacy and become the next Phantom. Kit reluctantly agrees when it becomes clear that the mega corporation, Maximum Inc, had something to do with his father’s disappearance and they’re planning something that could have dire consequences for the world.
Let’s start with the big issue here. The main problem with this series is that it has a lot of elements that don’t really come together all that well. There are story elements that get ret-conned, there are big hooks that never get fully explored. It feels like the writers had the plug pulled on the show too quickly and had to wrap things up as neatly as they could or got replaced mid-production.
With that being said, there are a lot of strong elements to this narrative. The environmental message is handled with actual subtlety and nuance, unlike a lot of cartoons from that era that tackled similar subject matter. The series also tackles some other complex subjects like what differentiates artificial intelligence from sapience or how much a person’s basic humanity can be suppressed or enhanced in an extremely difficult situation depending on the person. The series also isn’t afraid to show some darker material with character deaths and some morally complicated questions like “Are there circumstances where taking a life becomes necessary and the morally correct thing to do?”
Characters:
There are a lot of pretty compelling characters in this. Kit engages with his family history and his role within the Phantom’s legacy in an interesting way. Guran plays the mentor but also holds a lot of guilt and blames himself for what happened to Kit’s father. Sparks wants to be a normal kid but also has a lot of adult responsibilities that have been thrust on him. Sagan undergoes a very engaging transition in how she views both Kit and the Phantom while also learning to question what exactly is the best way to carry out justice. Then we’ve got Heisenberg, a robot, excuse me, biot, who gains sentience and is able to pass that sapience on to other biots and begins pushing for rights and liberties for this new sentient species. I think David Cage outright ripped this whole plot line off for Marcus in Detroit. Which kind of makes me want to go back and give it an even lower rating.
The antagonists are also pretty complex. The Madison family may be doing some incredibly shady shit, but they’re also trying to save themselves and those closest to them from the Earth’s inevitably deterioration. Then we have Graft, a good man who basically lost everything trying to protect the Amazon Rainforest and became a tool for Rebecca Madison. We also have Vaingloria, a former street urchin who fell in with Maximum due to their promises of food, shelter and fame.
Art:
There are parts of the art I really like. The future tech looks cool, the action flows well, and the Phantom costume is great. And I mean that, the purple with the domino mask and skull belt/rings is a classic look but with some added accents to distinguish this version of the character from his predecessors.
There are also parts of the artwork I’m not too fond of. The human characters look kind of odd, especially in moments of intense emotion. The animals also look a bit bizarre, especially Max Madison Jr’s cat, Baudelaire. There are also times where the art kind of fucks with the plot. To give an example, there’s an episode where Maximum unleashes a shape-shifting biot, which eventually gains sentience and starts calling himself Heisenberg, and use him to try and ruin the Phantom’s reputation. Obviously, this involves him turning into the Phantom but with minty green skin. How can no one tell the difference between this guy and the real Phantom?
Sound:
The acting is solid. They got some great talents like Mark Hamill and Rob Paulsen but they also got some people who go more cartoony with their lines. Which is a bit out of place when so much of the series is dealing with semi-serious issues and actually employing subtlety. The music is okay. It’s not exactly amazing but it works fine.
Areas of Improvement:
1. They really needed to have some idea of where they were going with major plot points from the start so that we could get some stronger resolutions.
2. More consistency would have been very much appreciated.
3. When you’re dealing with issues that are a bit more complex and nuanced, you really need performances that match. Even in a cartoon that’s mainly intended for children.
Final Thoughts:
Phantom 2040 is kind of an under-rated classic. It may not be at the same level as some of the better known 90s super hero cartoons likeX-men, Batman or Spider-man but it’s still a solid entry. I’m giving it a 7/10. I would go higher but it does, unfortunately, kind of fizzle out at the end and develop a consistency problem which does hurt it somewhat. I still do recommend it for super hero fans. Aesthetically, it kind of reminds me of Batman Beyond and that is most definitely not a bad thing.
It’s been quite a while since I looked at Lerche’s Given, a romance which had some faults but was still great. We’ve also seen Lerche’s work with Konohana Kitan, Gakkougurashi and the Danganronpa anime. So, they do have a solid record when they aren’t working on projects related to Danganronpa which makes me hopeful for this one.
Story:
We open with Satou attending a violin concert with Akihiko. This gives him the epiphany that you can convey strong emotions with music. Remember how in the series proper I talked about him having some ridiculous quirks that break suspension of disbelief? Well, add this to the list. In any case, we find out that Akihiko has been in a long running semi-relationship with the brilliant violinist Ugetsu as neither of them quite knows how to quit the other. We also find out that Given is in the running for a spot on the stage of Countdown-fes and Satou gets to work trying to write the perfect song for them to perform at the competition.
The major narrative problem with the film is that the shite between Akihiko and Ugetsu is way too melodramatic. It’s a lot of “I want him to be the one who finally ends it” and “We know we’re no good for each other but we just can’t stop.” It’s not an unrealistic dynamic it just gets tiresome and kind of annoying pretty quickly.
Melodrama aside, the whole story arc of Akihiko moving away from his past and moving on is pretty well handled. The film uses instruments in an interesting symbolic way to parallel the relationships Akihiko has with both Ugetsu & Haruki. It’s also interesting to see Satou’s song writing process and how he takes inspiration from the situation.
Characters:
The main characters we focus on for this film are Akihiko & Haruki. Satou & Uenoyama are still around and they’re still important but we don’t get that much of them and their relationship. The problem is that Akihiko and Haruki just aren’t as compelling. They were good as supporting characters but they aren’t quite as solid for focus characters. It’s also a bit disappointing that the better characters with a much better, more interesting relationship take the sidelines.
Don’t get me wrong. The relationship developments between Akihiko and Haruki are fine. It is interesting to see how both the men have to work and make personal changes in order to make a romantic relationship between them viable and avoid the pratfalls of Akihiko’s last relationship. It’s just not at the same level of quality we saw with Satou and Uenoyama’s relationship in the series proper.
Art:
Lerche did an excellent job. The film looks really good. The characters, backgrounds and animation are all excellent. The detail they put into things like performances and instruments is also impressive.
Sound:
Nakazawa Masatomo, Eguchi Takuya, Asanuma Shintarou, Yano Shougo & Uchida Yuuma are all good in this. The music is excellent. The film does a good job of showcasing its big song at varied stages of development and the song is amazing when it’s finished. There was a point where I thought they were going to shoot themselves in the foot since they were hyping it so much but then it lived up to all that hype.
Ho-Yay:
All the major guys in this film are into men and the main focus is on a developing romance between men while one of them moves on from a gay relationship that wasn’t healthy for either him or the other guy.
Areas of Improvement:
The film could have used less melodrama. They could have dealt with Akihiko’s relationship drama in a cleaner, more concise way.
Satou having a big epiphany that music can be highly emotional is just dumb. It’s one thing if seeing a violin concerto inspires him to create something emotional, it’s quite another when the concept just never occurred to him.
We really needed more scenes with the couple we already know and love.
Final Thoughts:
Given: The Film is pretty solid. It’s not at the same level as the series proper but it’s still a good film with a solid romance story. My final rating for the film is going to be a 7/10. If you’re a fan of Given, you’ll likely be happy with the film.
Anime Reviews 