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Jul 6, 2019 10:16 PM
#1

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Jun 2015
121
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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Just watched this at Anime Expo 2019! The art was very good. Wish the movie was a little longer so that we have more character development. But overall I am glad that it was a happy positive ending.
Jul 7, 2019 6:54 PM
#2

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Aug 2015
357
In spite of the controversy Yamakan keeps generating, I think he has progressively improved as a director. While I can tell that the film ran into some time/budget shortfalls towards the end, with the increasing use of still frames, most of the character animation was expressive and the comedic timing was on point. Thematically, I think the film does a good job of telling the story of "re-connection" after the disaster, through a relatively simple romance story.
Jul 15, 2019 5:17 PM
#3

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May 2010
2123
xadon said:
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
----------------------------------------
Just watched this at Anime Expo 2019! The art was very good. Wish the movie was a little longer so that we have more character development. But overall I am glad that it was a happy positive ending.


How long was the film?



If anyone does not love the Lord
Jesus Christ
Let him be accursed
O Lord, Amen!
Jul 15, 2019 6:04 PM
#4

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Jun 2015
121
Johan said:
xadon said:
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
----------------------------------------
Just watched this at Anime Expo 2019! The art was very good. Wish the movie was a little longer so that we have more character development. But overall I am glad that it was a happy positive ending.


How long was the film?


Little bit less than an hour.
May 30, 2020 6:27 AM
#5

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Dec 2014
1506
I watched it with pretty bad subs, but I got the jist of what was happening I thought the art was beautiful and actually thought it was pretty good watch tbh not sure why it has such a low score.
Jun 15, 2020 2:36 PM
#6

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May 2012
25828
Great art and animation, but the story was quite lacking if you ask me. It was nice but nothing too good either.

Still the art made it really watchable, and in general that was a nice ending.
Jul 9, 2020 2:03 AM
#7

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Jan 2015
15106
Great short movie, I wasn’t expecting it.
Jul 10, 2020 8:41 AM
#8
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Jul 2018
564084


I wrote a tiny little shit review for this movie but ultimately refrained from submitting it because it probably doesn't meet the guidelines. So I'll drop it here anyways.

Next time I decide to spend two hours writing a review, I should probably read the MAL Review guidelines first. 🤦‍♂️

***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Howdy, I’m Alexander. This is my first ever MAL review in my four years of posting. It’ll probably be a bit unconventional and ramblish compared to the more polished reviews on this platform, but I was nevertheless compelled to write about this film.



Hakubo (aka Twilight)

I’m going to skip the typical reviewer route of summarizing the film, because this is more of a ramble than anything else.

But I will gloss over two interesting viewpoints of others:

User @PhoenixCadenza had some amazing things to say about the film, which I’m in near-to-full agreement with:
- The only genre this film would fit in is 'school' and nothing else. [Although I’d also argue that it is coming-of-age and romance.]
- Watch it if you enjoy staring at screensavers.
- [And:] I had nothing better to do and watched it knowing it would be mediocre at best. I think because the movie tried to be dramatic but failed in every aspect, it ended up being entertaining to me anyway, but that’s because I’m braindead. [Which is their quote but my mirrored feelings.]

The director of the film Yutaka Yamamoto was actually dissatisfied with the film mid-and-post-production. He recognized that it was a fluke. (Luckily, he stuck with it and tried polishing it as much as he could before releasing it.) He then vowed to resign from the animation industry entirely, stating that he was incapable of making a good anime. (He’s notorious for saying stuff like this, but as of now he’s kept true to his words.) It’s interesting… even the creator/director of this film wasn’t pleased with it. That certainly says something about it.
Read more here or just do a Google search.

And now, I’d like to talk about the Right’s and Wrong’s of this movie.

Right
This was a charity project. It’s the third and final installment of the Yutaka Yamamoto's Tohoku Trilogy, which was to raise funds for the restoration and relief efforts following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Sure, that’s no excuse for producing a subpar film. Sure, that’s no excuse for a dispassionate staff. But keep in mind that this film’s ‘mind’ was in the right place. Its existence is literally an ethical one, with purposes beyond profit. And Yamamoto’s still trying to raise awareness for the tragedy eight years after it happened! (Note that this film was intended to be crowd-funded, and the campaign only raised $12,000 yen out of the hundreds of thousands it was aiming for. This is somewhat cringey, hehe. A hard fact to stomach. Also, note that Yamamoto is known to be somewhat of an asshole.) For more facts about this, refer to the prior link in my review.

Wrong
This film has a “52 minute run-time” (notice I put that in quotes). Despite the information above, the film really is short. I took notes: the movie ends at the 45:42 minute mark, with roughly seven minutes of credit sequence. I’m ALSO taking the film’s OPENING into consideration. This is one of my few complaints. It was long and uneventful. It was kind of torture to sit through. It wasn’t until the 4:30 mark that the ball started rolling. Subtract that from the 45-minute mark and you could say that the film is roughly 40 minutes in length, or two 24-minute episodes. (Note, the film probably had a limited budget, though. The director was (very) bankrupt and, again, the film was intended to be crowd-funded.)

Right
The general stuff.

The scenery was undeniably gorgeous. Sure, a lot of it was basic painting or even CGI and/or tracing… but the colors were vivid, some scenery was intricate and detailed, and I think the film triumphed in providing a certain degree of immersion. After all, the entire movie’s premise centered around the (supposedly) beautiful atmosphere of rural Tohoku (where the film takes place). You can’t really snub this film for its backgrounds (except for the CGI city shots, roughly painted grass, and lame water effects). And the summer-y sound effects were great, too. Immersive. You could feel the humidity and the vibrations of the chirping crickets.

Speaking of noise: music. It was fine. The second song in the credits was a real banger. But the actual violin segments were nice too. Nothing extraordinary — but nice. It did an adequate job conveying the appeal of string assortments. It didn’t try to shove the art of playing the violin down anyone’s throat, nor did it try to make it the centerpiece of the film. They were just there to add a sense of calm and serenity to the film’s smooth and steady vibe — to complement the candid, amiable school life, and the tranquil walks home surrounded by vibrant nature. The painting/violin scene in the field by the sunset was especially gorgeous. A highpoint in the film for sure. Was the scene unvaried and slow? Maybe. But I think it was necessary to display how compatible the lead characters were. Plus (and this is coming from someone who could care less about string instruments) I actually enjoyed the violin music. I kind of got that “feeling” in my body that you get when you listen to music. If you can cAtCh mY dRiFt.

Let’s talk about the plot a smidge. Like I said, the violins were there to complement the plot. I think it was cool how the plot didn’t revolve around music or violins, and yet they were prevalent to the plot progression and female lead’s character. There were three major scenes (maybe four) in which the string club played full songs (five if you can’t the girl playing for the guy in the field)… and I can see how some would comprehend those scenes as drawn out. To be honest, some of them were. And I started tapping my foot and paying attention to my bladder instead. I think some were necessary… and some could’ve been shorter. But through-and-through I liked their presence.
It was also something for the violinists out there too. There’s an anime for everyone. There’s bound to be a couple animes that place a special emphasis on stringed instruments. This anime, at the very least, can entertain the demographic, and give them something to relate to.

The actual plot itself, though. It was fine. Many people complain about this aspect of the film, but some of my favorite films are the ones with loose plots. This film had a very loose plot. It had many little (internal) plots, but it didn’t really have any external conflict or stress-inducing principles. To put it simply: the movie’s a vibe. The more I think about it, the more I believe it was created as a testament to relaxation. Maybe even has a pacifier for those who experienced the tsunami first-hand? So one of my takeaways (and advice for newcomers) would be to chillax, wind down, and experience a rural stroll followed by some awkward teenage romance.

I reinstate, though. Some of my favorite kinds of films are the mundane ones that lack a structured plot. Has anyone ever heard of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou? The plotless film about taking walks under sunsets? Sound familiar? Well if you’ve seen it, I’d recommend this movie, and vice versa. It’s just YKK lacks the foot-tapping and irritable moments.

The romance, though. It wasn’t overbearing nor was it something the film had to piggyback on. Like the violins, it was just another thing that was ‘there’. I kinda liked it — it was sort of relatable. The feeling of really wanting spend time with someone was probably one of the main ideas of the film, though. And I liked that. (I’ll talk about this later, but the romance at the ending was awfully executed. So I won’t say the romance was a surefire victory. Because it most certainly wasn’t.)

But another prevalent complaint I’ve seen has been about the characters. I’ve seen users call them unlikeable, unrealistic, and dull (personality-wise). Alow me to argue that the characters did have personality — probably as much as IRL Japanese school kids care to show, with the exception of goofy tendencies humans will show in social situations — most characters don’t really bother to joke with each other.
- Hm… well… now that I think about it, the MC “Sachi Koyama” was a little dull wasn’t she. BUT, isn’t that like a fetish with some of you people? The “cold/enigmatic/monotonous/straight-faced” troped high school girls that appear in almost every slice-of-life anime? I think this was like a toned down version of that trope, for Sachi.
- As for the guy? Well, I have a couple gripes about him, but we’ll discuss that later. For now, I’ll say that he, Yusuke Kishinami, was also a bit enigmatic for my tastes, but at least he (and the chick) had valued avocations as well as emotional moments. I’m sure the audience could sympathize with him at times, as he was shown to be more bashful than Sachi.
- But come on. The short violinist with the bob-cut? How was she not extremely adorable to you people!?
“Can you swear to Wagner?”
Sure her irritable nature eventually grew old, but I enjoyed listening to her for the most part.
- And as for Sachi’s family, I’m sure everyone can relate to having a somewhat obnoxious mom and sister and a skittish father.
Etc. etc.
None of the characters were over-the-top but they were all distinct in one way or another. They all served their purpose in showing the type of dynamic Sachi has with others. And they were pretty realistic in my opinion. Just like in real-life, most of the characters’ actions were conscious, calculated, and deliberate.

Finally, the animation. Truthfully, there wasn’t much of it — in that, the movie didn’t rely heavily on it. The primary animation was Sachi taking walks and conveying gestures to Yusuke (the guy). The bob-cut girl also had a lot of key animation. And all of it was… good. Adequate. Exceptional. The film might’ve had a lower budget but, with the budget it did have, it successfully added fluidity to the character’s movements. My favorite animation was the one where the unseen Yusuke sneezes and startles Sachi, and her sideburns do that fwoosh things. Her whole demeanor as she reacts to Yusuke climbing up the wall and stiffs up — excellently animated. When bob-cut girl had an outburst, you could be sure it was fluidly animated. All the characters had okay movements, really. But it’s not like there were motorcycle somersaults, bear attacks, or explosions… so I reinstate, the movie didn’t heavily rely on its animation, nor did the plot make much of it necessary. But rest assured, there aren’t many still shots in this movie. And even if there were, you’d be distracted by the little facial expressions characters make throughout the film. With their little V-shaped mouths, hehe. Other than that, a large focus was placed on the sunsets or the interior of the bus or Yusuke’s paintings. No sprinting scenes. No fight scenes. Nothing ‘exciting’, per se.

(I was certainly impressed with that ponytail tying scene at 36:36, though. ;) I wonder how long it would take to animate something as simple as that. Most of the effort would probably go into the many different drawings (for key frames) — tackling the hand proportions and angles and such.)

Aaaaaaaaaand, that just about wraps up this movie’s strong points. It may seem like a lot but it’s really just nit-picking and fishing for things to praise. Remember, the audience generally seems to agree on an average rating of 5-6 stars. And there were certainly some things that aggravated me, as well.

Wrong

I spent more time than I should’ve talking about the animation; but a lot of what I said above applies down here. The overall animation wasn’t stunning. And there really wasn’t anything ‘exciting’ about it, per se.

Buuuuut, I was pissed at the animation on several occasions. Mainly… those damn instrument-playing shots during the concert scene. 38:06… nOoOoOo. That’s baaad. Watch the black-haired cello player during this scene, ugh. I wonder if the production team were undergoing a time crunch. Whatever the case, they got really sloppy here and it showed. I’m fine with unremarkable design/animation, but this part snapped me out of the immersion — I was distracted by the roughness of it. And it was aggravating!
There were also a few unnecessarily long still shots — like the one of the two leads staring at each other whilst standing across from each other — or the still shot of the mom and sister watching the girl at the concert. You can tell these are cheap tricks to meet a time threshold. The animation was below movie-quality for a majority of the ‘violin concert’. Sure, animating someone playing a complex instrument like the violin can be a challenge — but that’s why you guys are trained in animation. You’re supposed to be able to bring anything to life. That’s kind of in your job description lol.

My last visual-related complaint… guhh, the fan service. I don’t understand why it was necessary. I really don’t. The way they panned over Sachi getting dressed on different occasions — a body shot here and a body shot there. “Oh! I know!” someone said, “Sachi’s really stressed so let’s show her sitting in the tub. Because that’s what girls do when they’re emotion! They bathe!” “She’s got a smaller, less-noticeable bust, but we’ll make it all more voluptuous for this scene.” What really, *really* vexed me, though — what really left me StEaMiNg — was that INESSENTIAL shot of Sachi removing her pajamas and stripping down to her skin, before curling up in her bed. This is followed by the clear and discernible silhouette of a nipple. “We’ve gotta have a female nipple in this movie bois.” Yamamoto you rapscallion. Honestly, this was such a pure movie — and it still is a pure movie — but why do they have to throw something like that in there? It’s like they have a checklist and had their fan service box unchecked, so they conjured up the ‘stressed out bed scene’ to satisfy the list. … I mean, I get it. Maybe Sachi was stressed out and hot (tch, temperature-wise)… maybe there was something metaphorical or psychological going on… maybe she felt confined — restrained — emotionally trapped. And yet, there would be so many other ways to portray this. The movie would’ve been the same, if not better, without that one (or those couple) scene(s). EGAD.

M’kay, one side complaint I’ll throw out there: Yusuke being a fvcking spazz on the bus. Like jeepers creepers my guy, no one’s taking your morphine, sit tf down. Why would he compromise his relationship with a willing and attractive girl who shares his interests because she viewed a half-finished sketch of your first crush from years ago?? Even if he is emotional about it — and traumatized because he screwed up his first chance at love — flipping out in such a manner — and then ghosting her — was completely unwarranted. I usually don’t sympathize with emotional anime girls, but naw, I felt Sachi-kun. I felt that. High school love is hard, and when someone does something that rubs you the wrong way, it really effects your psyche. This is one of the few times I heavily empathized with an animated female’s (or person’s, in general) insecurities. I’m glad Yusuke redeemed himself by going to the violin concert and ultimately confessing, but IRL something like that shouldn’t happen. And, well, it probably does tbh. Which sucks. … I get that they needed to add some emotional baggage to Yusuke’s character, but I could’ve easily one-upped them…

In fact… I frickin will. Remember when I said there was nothing this anime could’ve done to improve upon itself? Well I’m taking it back. Retired director Yamamoto, listen up… instead, the girl in Yusuke’s sketch should’ve be d.e.a.d. Dead. How’d she die? You guessed it. Making Yusuke’s first love one of the many victims to die at the hands of the Tohoku would’ve been such good material to work with. After all, this film was created for Tohoku-related purposes. And Yusuke’s spazziness would’ve been legitimized!! He could’ve had some kind of trauma! Maybe they were trying to keep the show light-hearted, but I believe this to be one of the only ways to match Yusuke’s character motivations. Why he wasn’t ready to talk about his first love with Sachi. Why he’s so sentimental when it comes to capturing things in his notebook. Etc. But I droned on about that more than I intended to.

My final complaint — and one of the leading reasons why I deducted points from my evaluation of this film — is because of that *terrible, TeRriBbLe* end scene. The “confession scene,” if that’s what you want to call it.
The TEARS at the end — I despised that. It was .so. forced. I mean… realistically, that is not the reaction one would exhibit when confessed to, drawn, or a combination of the two. Even after the stress Sachi went through (that I said I sympathized with). It was only like 1-3 days that Yusuke ghosted her, and during that time she was clearly only semi-affected. Was she really that moved by the pencil sketch of her? Was she really that relieved by Yusuke’s confession? Oh, please… I think Yusuke’s (for the most part) a likable and appearing character too, but I struggled to understand why Sachi was so intrigued by him (other than the fact that they had a mutual interest over sunsets — and that he had a cute sneeze).

And THEN, oh boy, at 44:03 in my crappily subbed YouTube version, my guy says something like, “Ever since we met, I’ve always loved you.”
Holy cat humpin mountain goat is that cheesy. I pray that these exact words weren’t being conveyed in the Japanese language, and that it really just translates to something like, “I’ve always liked you,” or “I’ve always wanted to be with you.” But these little high schoolers (amidst the tone of this movie) can’t be throwing around words like ‘love’. At least, not at this stage in the relationship. They’ve barely known each other for a month. The presentation of the phrase was so incredibly awkward, though. It failed to carry any dramatic or emotional weight.
(Now the actual kiss itself? Eh, it wasn’t so bad. It didn’t really mind it. Although I’m satisfied with Sachi’s reaction … reciprocating it and then shoving him in an almost-playful manner. The kiss I’d keep but the “I love you” needs to go. Here’s another thing the movie could do to improve upon itself lmao.)

Lastly, lastly, lastly — and returning to the crying segment — I despised how Sachi went from sObBiNg (like her dog just died or something) and went from that state to… her tears disappearing… Sachi stares for a second… and then… she smiles. And calmly starts speaking to a fidgety Yusuke. Like she hadn’t just broken down seconds ago. That was probably the highest level of aggravation I reached throughout the movie. I can’t even find the words to express how wrong this move (for a film) was. But what I can say is that the ending was awful and carried little to no weight.

I was content throughout the duration of the movie. It was a leisurely watched. But I was irate by the credits, which led to me removing dozens of points from my overall score.

Conclusion

Despite being thoroughly pissed, I cannot ignore all of the work that went into this film, nor can I deny its charm. I think so many reviewers aren’t giving this film the credit it’s (worked for, in certain places, and) deserves. And yet I absolutely understand if someone was compelled to score this film a 4-6. (3 and below is just way to harsh, though.)
Am I being too generous? Should I be a stricter parent? Yeah, yeah — you’re right — the answer’s definitely yes. But I know that a lot of my optimism is in the right despite being in the minority; and, I wish others would embrace it when gauging and reviewing other entries on MAL.

I’m not going to bother spell/grammar-checking this review, nor will I proofread it. It’s probably chock-full of errors. But It took me more time to write this than to watch the damn film itself. Two hours might’ve passed since I began and I’m craving some oyster crackers.
And to think, I’m only here because I needed research material for my MAL Rewrite synopsis. As an editor, watching the series belonging to the synopsis you’re proofreading isn’t even a requirement. But this film was able to compel me to sit through it anyways. That’s gotta mean something.

6-7 out of 10 stars. MyAnimeList classifies entries with this rating as "Fine," and I don't object to sentiment. The forty minutes probably won’t be worth it for new viewers though, but it’s an experience nonetheless, and who doesn't love experiencing things?

"Well, that depends what the experience is..." one might retort.
And to that, I say uwu
removed-userOct 9, 2020 1:55 PM
Jul 11, 2020 5:51 PM
#9

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Nov 2017
1701
A simple but nice story. I guess we can actually call this 'realistic'. Though of course for a tv show it isn't that exciting.

A bit disappointed in the lack of character background. Throughout the movie it becomes clear both main characters have experienced the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and have/had suffered from it such as trauma's and impact on their daily lifes. But apparently there was only room for a bit of romance and romance drama in the 50 minutes of the movie.
Aug 5, 2020 1:38 AM

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Jul 2016
8615
Well... talk about misleading synopsis and genres tags. Was totally expecting some deep drama directly related to survivors from that terrible earthquake but in the end, I got a rather simple yet surprisingly endearing love story instead. And despite my initial surprise, I gotta say I really enjoyed seeing these two awkward teenagers interact with each other.
Seriously, this movie gave me such strong Tsuki ga Kirei vibes in terms of awkwardness and insecurities regarding falling in love with someone you have just met recently. The romance was mundane yet realistic and I gotta say I absolutely loved seeing how both Yusuke and Sacchin started building their relationship via "secret" meetings and LINE conversations.

As for the cast, both main characters were charming in their own ways. Really enjoyed listening to Sacchin's inner thoughts/monologues and Yusuke being a bit more straightforward with her sure was refreshing to see.
Sacchin's friends were decent supporting characters as well and despite my initial disliking towards Hii-chan's excess of energy, I ended up finding her antics and misfortune in love rather cute.

Regarding production values, they were above decent with the main focus being on the fantastic background art. In terms of animation, I think they used some rotoscopy techniques for the violin concert, which was nice all in all but other than that, I wasn't so impressed in that regard. Though truth be told, I really liked how the studio put some extra effort in the portrayal of emotions and expressiveness through body language. Especially during the confession scene with Yusuke's body shaking due to nervousness and Sacchin's one tensing up in surprise for the sudden kiss.

7/10 - Only "complains" about this movie would be the random "undressing and sleeping in the nude" scene since I think it was included only to attract more viewers and Yusuke's VA sounding a bit jarring during those high pitch lines. Not sure if they were intentional or mistakes from the VA tho.
SouthRzVaAug 5, 2020 1:47 AM
Aug 5, 2020 7:44 AM

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Jun 2013
578
I think people are being mean because of the synopsis reporting an earthquake. I watched it without reading the synopsis and for me it was a good high school romance movie, for 50 minutes.
Aug 5, 2020 1:19 PM

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Feb 2016
2687
Did the people who review this anime watched the same thing as me? Because I'm actually surprised such a beautiful movie with such a great message is rated 6.42 in this site. Then again, MAL is the epitome of shit taste.

This movie is not about romance, nor an earthquake, but is a movie that is about how life circumstances can lead to unexpected things, how things you took for granted are gone when things go wrong. This evoked me a very nostalgic feeling about how life suddenly changes and how things can change when you less expect it.

The synopsis is really misleading tho. So I can get why people would get disappointing at expecting something completely different.
"We could make the world better, but it's easier to just shut our eyes."
~Blackwall
Aug 6, 2020 7:42 AM

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Sep 2015
988

I read no synopsis, I saw no trailer. For me it was just a fine quick teenager romance movie with a pretty scenario. People are being salty for no reason.









Aug 6, 2020 4:00 PM

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Apr 2016
2236
It’s a fine movie. I was expecting to see much more drama due to the earthquake premise but it was something completely different and that wasn't that a bad thing, honestly.
Aug 8, 2020 4:27 PM
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Jul 2018
564084
Simple and sublime on my part, many seem to forget that this is reality. What's more, as soon as I finish it, I have memories of something and that is spectacular for me. At least for my part, I don't forget that in the world, things become as simple as this film and sometimes it's our own insecurities or fears that prevent us from going one step further. Although many people may be disappointed that it had nothing to do with the earthquake itself, but technically the plot is what happens after the earthquake and how it affected the characters in some way. I can also say that the way it was told was inspired by one of Haruki Murakami's books "After the Earthquake".
Aug 9, 2020 8:01 PM

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Nov 2011
62
It's a really relaxing movie, such a beautiful colors and music, the club was tipical "Music Club" and only violin, but It was interesting....
soHibike Euphonium, and the story of both of them might be more develop.
anyway, I liked it to enjoy a little :)
Love & Peace!
Aug 14, 2020 4:06 PM
News Team
YEEHAW

Online
Nov 2014
9745
Yeaaah, that was a massive waste of time.
Aug 17, 2020 10:00 AM

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Feb 2016
11944
That was a better romance than anything Makoto Shinkai ever directed.
I don't like that it reuses character designs from Wake Up Girls.
https://myanimelist.net/character/88785/Minami_Katayama/pictures
https://myanimelist.net/character/88783/Nanami_Hisami/pictures
その目だれの目?
Sep 2, 2020 8:23 AM
#FreeWatermelon

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Feb 2020
9287
Its funny how this show had a highly expectations before with its premises. But somehow its just left out to trashed their highly stake. Oh, well, hilarious.

For me, once again at my sole satisfaction, this movie proved pretty matched up on my liking, and so decent. Ah, maybe my tastes was so weird? Idk and idgafc about it. Lol.
Hide and seek is the best offline games on this fatamorgana-called-world-thing. Please comment nicely. I am newbie here.

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Sep 13, 2020 5:48 AM
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17
Did no one notice Haruhi easter egg?
Sep 17, 2020 7:12 PM

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Nov 2013
495
I had low expectations for this film, based on reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The art was above average, with excellent animation and some photorealism that often made me do a double-take.
The story was simple, but here's what I liked: the protagonists didn't beat around the bush. They acknowledged their mutual feelings and we had a satisfying ending for such a short film. They did quite well developing characters in this short 60 minute span of time. Very enjoyable, leaving me feeling good about humankind.
Dec 14, 2020 9:03 PM

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Feb 2018
27110
I like the kiss at the end
Apr 22, 2021 1:32 PM

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Sep 2012
1156
This movie was low key pretty damn good. It's just a nice and simple romance story. No crazy drama. Just relaxing and sweet all the way.

AlexanderHD said:


My final complaint — and one of the leading reasons why I deducted points from my evaluation of this film — is because of that *terrible, TeRriBbLe* end scene. The “confession scene,” if that’s what you want to call it.
The TEARS at the end — I despised that. It was .so. forced. I mean… realistically, that is not the reaction one would exhibit when confessed to, drawn, or a combination of the two. Even after the stress Sachi went through (that I said I sympathized with). It was only like 1-3 days that Yusuke ghosted her, and during that time she was clearly only semi-affected. Was she really that moved by the pencil sketch of her? Was she really that relieved by Yusuke’s confession? Oh, please… I think Yusuke’s (for the most part) a likable and appearing character too, but I struggled to understand why Sachi was so intrigued by him (other than the fact that they had a mutual interest over sunsets — and that he had a cute sneeze).

And THEN, oh boy, at 44:03 in my crappily subbed YouTube version, my guy says something like, “Ever since we met, I’ve always loved you.”
Holy cat humpin mountain goat is that cheesy. I pray that these exact words weren’t being conveyed in the Japanese language, and that it really just translates to something like, “I’ve always liked you,” or “I’ve always wanted to be with you.” But these little high schoolers (amidst the tone of this movie) can’t be throwing around words like ‘love’. At least, not at this stage in the relationship. They’ve barely known each other for a month. The presentation of the phrase was so incredibly awkward, though. It failed to carry any dramatic or emotional weight.
(Now the actual kiss itself? Eh, it wasn’t so bad. It didn’t really mind it. Although I’m satisfied with Sachi’s reaction … reciprocating it and then shoving him in an almost-playful manner. The kiss I’d keep but the “I love you” needs to go. Here’s another thing the movie could do to improve upon itself lmao.)

Lastly, lastly, lastly — and returning to the crying segment — I despised how Sachi went from sObBiNg (like her dog just died or something) and went from that state to… her tears disappearing… Sachi stares for a second… and then… she smiles. And calmly starts speaking to a fidgety Yusuke. Like she hadn’t just broken down seconds ago. That was probably the highest level of aggravation I reached throughout the movie. I can’t even find the words to express how wrong this move (for a film) was. But what I can say is that the ending was awful and carried little to no weight.



Highschool life is full of cliches and cheesiness if you think about it. Also, girls can be pretty emotional and it could be hard to understand for us guys. She was probably holding it in for a while and to see the guy she liked put so much effort in a drawing must've been very romantic and meaningful for her. Like cmon, it truly is an amazing thing when it's your first love and that person happens to also share the same feelings as you.

On a side note, I think people are too harsh with this movie. From the criticism I've seen from people, it seems like they're judging the movie for what it isn't. It's quite clear what the movie is trying to achieve and that's being a simple relaxing story. It's not suppose to be anything complicated or crazy and I think that's fine. Sure, the movie can be longer but that could very much just be time spent on drama bullshit. I think it's fine the way it is.


I feel like it was more like an easter egg?
FlamingMangosApr 23, 2021 12:11 AM
Apr 23, 2021 6:47 AM

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FlamingMangos said:

I feel like it was more like an easter egg?

I figured it's because the same artist worked on both anime. Just as Clannad characters kind of look like Kanon characters. Except the Hakubo artist is lazier.
その目だれの目?
Apr 28, 2021 9:57 PM

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AlexanderHD said:


M’kay, one side complaint I’ll throw out there: Yusuke being a fvcking spazz on the bus. Like jeepers creepers my guy, no one’s taking your morphine, sit tf down. Why would he compromise his relationship with a willing and attractive girl who shares his interests because she viewed a half-finished sketch of your first crush from years ago?? Even if he is emotional about it — and traumatized because he screwed up his first chance at love — flipping out in such a manner — and then ghosting her — was completely unwarranted. I usually don’t sympathize with emotional anime girls, but naw, I felt Sachi-kun. I felt that. High school love is hard, and when someone does something that rubs you the wrong way, it really effects your psyche. This is one of the few times I heavily empathized with an animated female’s (or person’s, in general) insecurities. I’m glad Yusuke redeemed himself by going to the violin concert and ultimately confessing, but IRL something like that shouldn’t happen. And, well, it probably does tbh. Which sucks. … I get that they needed to add some emotional baggage to Yusuke’s character, but I could’ve easily one-upped them…


Sorry man, although there's a lot of things I agree with you on. There's a lot I disagree with you on and I can't keep myself from not saying anything. So about Yusuke, I don't see any issue with how he acted. You talked about why he would compromise his relationship with an attractive girl but why would Sachi do that herself by asking questions like she's interrogating him? They both acted the way they did because they have feelings for each other. Yusuke didn't want her to misunderstand because he loves her but at the same time, he's fighting with his lingering feelings for his first love. It's complicated for him. Sachi is just completely jealous and don't understand her actions since she never felt this way before. Now, I do think Sachi was more on the wrong because she should've been listening. It's tough for Yusuke because it's like a traumatizing experience and now his current love found out. It's a lot to deal with for such young kids. Also, I really don't get what you mean by him ghosting her. Being unsure of your feelings and unsure of what to say doesn't mean he's ghosting her. Not to mention that it's only been like 1-2 days of him not saying anything. You're really exaggerating things and trying hard to paint as a bad person for some reason...

AlexanderHD said:

In fact… I frickin will. Remember when I said there was nothing this anime could’ve done to improve upon itself? Well I’m taking it back. Retired director Yamamoto, listen up… instead, the girl in Yusuke’s sketch should’ve be d.e.a.d. Dead. How’d she die? You guessed it. Making Yusuke’s first love one of the many victims to die at the hands of the Tohoku would’ve been such good material to work with. After all, this film was created for Tohoku-related purposes. And Yusuke’s spazziness would’ve been legitimized!! He could’ve had some kind of trauma! Maybe they were trying to keep the show light-hearted, but I believe this to be one of the only ways to match Yusuke’s character motivations. Why he wasn’t ready to talk about his first love with Sachi. Why he’s so sentimental when it comes to capturing things in his notebook. Etc. But I droned on about that more than I intended to.

The point is that the disaster impacted his life. It separated him from his first love and robbed him off his chance to confess. You do not need to make it so depressing and dramatic by making his first love die because of the disaster.

AlexanderHD said:
Why he wasn’t ready to talk about his first love with Sachi.

He did talk about it with her and gave a lot of information. He was very honest. The question he had trouble answering was rather or not he still had feelings for his first love. It's a very hard question for him and that requires time. Sachi should be understandable about that but I don't blame her either. She was dealing with such strong feelings for the first time.

AlexanderHD said:

My final complaint — and one of the leading reasons why I deducted points from my evaluation of this film — is because of that *terrible, TeRriBbLe* end scene. The “confession scene,” if that’s what you want to call it.
The TEARS at the end — I despised that. It was .so. forced. I mean… realistically, that is not the reaction one would exhibit when confessed to, drawn, or a combination of the two. Even after the stress Sachi went through (that I said I sympathized with).

The confession scene is fine. It's rather realistic. Go look up Japanese confessions on youtube and you can plenty of confessions exactly like that one. The crying is even common too.

AlexanderHD said:

It was only like 1-3 days that Yusuke ghosted her, and during that time she was clearly only semi-affected. Was she really that moved by the pencil sketch of her? Was she really that relieved by Yusuke’s confession? Oh, please… I think Yusuke’s (for the most part) a likable and appearing character too, but I struggled to understand why Sachi was so intrigued by him (other than the fact that they had a mutual interest over sunsets — and that he had a cute sneeze).

No, she was clearly a lot more affected than you think. Why else do you think she pushed herself much harder to forget and tried convincing herself that it's not a big deal? Jealousy is a strong emotion and she's just not use to all these new emotions she never felt before. Not to mention that she literally has the performance 2 days or so. How affected do you want her? She already spent a night completely devastated and she cried tears of happiness after Yusuke confessed to her. Was that not enough to show how much it affected her?

AlexanderHD said:

oh, please… I think Yusuke’s (for the most part) a likable and appearing character too, but I struggled to understand why Sachi was so intrigued by him (other than the fact that they had a mutual interest over sunsets — and that he had a cute sneeze).

One, he's pretty attractive, he has a nice personality of being very well spoken and polite while also being upfront and honest. They have the same interests, they understand each other well, their passion compliment each other well. Her violin matches his landscape paintings and helps him paint. He paints landscapes that she very much loves and it matches her music. They have a schedule where they meet everyday. They obviously enjoy being around each other. Why wouldn't she be intrigued by him? I struggle more with understanding why you struggled.

AlexanderHD said:

Lastly, lastly, lastly — and returning to the crying segment — I despised how Sachi went from sObBiNg (like her dog just died or something) and went from that state to… her tears disappearing… Sachi stares for a second… and then… she smiles. And calmly starts speaking to a fidgety Yusuke. Like she hadn’t just broken down seconds ago. That was probably the highest level of aggravation I reached throughout the movie. I can’t even find the words to express how wrong this move (for a film) was. But what I can say is that the ending was awful and carried little to no weight.

You know, that crying works like that right? Like, it's completely realistic. You can actually stop your tears and have a different face expression if you want to. I know, it's crazy. Just because it's different from what you're use to doesn't mean it's wrong.

AlexanderHD said:
But what I can say is that the ending was awful and carried little to no weight.

Only because you misunderstood a lot of things and didn't have a good understanding of the scenes. I don't get what you wanted from a teenager's love. You got two teens who develops feelings for each other, they have a bit of a rocky situation and eventually confessed their feelings to each other. What more did you want?

SouthRzVa said:

7/10 - Only "complains" about this movie would be the random "undressing and sleeping in the nude" scene since I think it was included only to attract more viewers and Yusuke's VA sounding a bit jarring during those high pitch lines. Not sure if they were intentional or mistakes from the VA tho.


I think there's actually a deeper meaning to that "sleeping in the nude scene". She still had the orange from the guy that still had it's skin attached to it and it was on her desk. There was a close up shot on it before she then decides to go fully naked so that orange seems be a reason. Perhaps representing something.
FlamingMangosApr 28, 2021 10:08 PM
May 1, 2021 4:49 PM
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Jul 2018
564084
^^^

I wrote my lengthy review of this anime quite a while ago, and I have a horrible memory and have forgotten the gist of this anime. But to the person who replied to me twice, I appreciate an analysis that rivals if not outdoes mine. I can appreciate someone who is equally as enthusiastic about anime or cinema, and who wants to explain their views on the forum. So I was amused by the reply and glad you left it.

Clearly, we do disagree on a lot of stuff. And your explanations are good, and allow us to see your interpretations and perhaps reflect upon our own assessments. Like a lot of others, I wasn't a fan of the "sleeping nude" scene either. Your analysis about the orange was pretty good, though. I'd be willing to take back my negative perception of the scene if this were the case, although I still think the movie would be better off without it -- and you can't deny that at least 20% of the intent was for typical Japanese fan service. The scene would've still worked if she were in undergarments.

removed-userMay 1, 2021 5:00 PM
Mar 9, 2022 4:43 AM

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Apr 2015
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to sum it up, the atmosphere was really good until the guy showed up, so about 10 minutes of the movie.
do you also get the uncontrollable urge to cook whenever you meet a guy?
does your boyfriend also spends time drawing his first love while claiming he loves you now?
lmao. so ROMANTIC
hard no from me.
May 9, 2022 6:10 PM

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Mar 2010
13683
Was fine movie for me. Just a simple romance with simple characters. I would say good enough for 50 minutes.
Aug 1, 2022 6:28 AM

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Jul 2017
8313
oh jesus, leave it to MAL to criticize a series not because of the actual content but because it isn't what they thought it was lmao


anywho overall this was definitely a very cliche girl meets boy type series, but damn it did a pretty nice job of it if I'm being honest. I really am a fan of the pacing with regards to the romantic development, I thought it was paced very nicely for a film, which is not something a lot of romance films do well. Liked that it showed them behaving as friends first before moving on to romantic, but it still kept the tension throughout without dragging it out too long

The actual romance itself I was pleasantly surprised with. It's not completely in your face with its developments, but it's not subtle enough that you really need to dig deep to see it, particularly with the FL's feelings I think were executed quite nicely if I say so.

Actual confession scene was expected from a mile away but it was still very fuckin cute nonetheless, so they nailed that part


8/10
Aug 19, 2022 10:11 AM

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Sep 2012
1156
OberonFelsach said:
to sum it up, the atmosphere was really good until the guy showed up, so about 10 minutes of the movie.
do you also get the uncontrollable urge to cook whenever you meet a guy?
does your boyfriend also spends time drawing his first love while claiming he loves you now?
lmao. so ROMANTIC
hard no from me.

When there’s a huge spurge of happiness that you feel out of nowhere, yes you do get that huge motivation to do something you normally don’t. Also, boyfriend drawing his first love? They weren’t even in a relationship and the guy was still unsure of his feelings and had to sort them out as he still had lingering mixed feelings of his previous crush. At the end, he did solve the issue before fully committing to an official relationship. He even proved it in a meaningful way by drawing a very beautiful detailed illustration of her, which is quite romantic if you ask me. It ends happily ever after. I don’t get what your issue is. Like Jesus, you sound like a bitter person toward what is just a simple sweet story.

Short_Circut said:
oh jesus, leave it to MAL to criticize a series not because of the actual content but because it isn't what they thought it was lmao


anywho overall this was definitely a very cliche girl meets boy type series, but damn it did a pretty nice job of it if I'm being honest. I really am a fan of the pacing with regards to the romantic development, I thought it was paced very nicely for a film, which is not something a lot of romance films do well. Liked that it showed them behaving as friends first before moving on to romantic, but it still kept the tension throughout without dragging it out too long

The actual romance itself I was pleasantly surprised with. It's not completely in your face with its developments, but it's not subtle enough that you really need to dig deep to see it, particularly with the FL's feelings I think were executed quite nicely if I say so.

Actual confession scene was expected from a mile away but it was still very fuckin cute nonetheless, so they nailed that part


8/10


I agree. It was nice seeing them act all shy and reserved in the beginning, then seeing that immediately change after they found that connection with one another. You then just see them really comfortable with talking each other and they just get closer and closer. It’s just really nice realistic relationship and I definitely enjoy it a lot. Truly pleasant development and pacing.
FlamingMangosAug 19, 2022 10:27 AM
May 15, 5:45 AM

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Feb 2021
2928
The story needs to be more interesting... I hope that the graphic can be improved...
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