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I've not much to say, but this is genuinely a manga I deeply relate to. I think my time in school matches this style of story. Everyone has their own struggles and perspective which can be revealed in mundane but interesting conversation. There is a sudden turn at the end of the manga with multiple reveals, which shows the characters hidden sides and gives it a bold thematic conclusion. I'll try to have this sort of attitude in my daily life.

This is a guy centric story, so it's not for everyone but it's relatable. Most of the story takes place on some stairs at the ... side of the road, and all the characters appear more than once, so the story has some brewing elements even past the lighter jokes in the chapters. I value this for the characters and the way their worries and insecurities interact with each other in a casual way. The odd elements of life are brought up and considered in a bemused and bittersweet feeling.

A great portrayal of depression and serene moments of discovery. The girl starts with no parents or friends, but discovers her interest and constantly finds new places to go. The plot takes it one event and moment at a time, so its very sympathetic and patient with sadness. The direction of the scenes is quite clear, the backgrounds can be subdued but detailed and realistic, and the orchestral music is inspired. There are many moments and artwork of genuine realism which can be rare in anime. A very elegant presentation, except for the animation.

The animation is usually quite bad, despite the detail being high in ... everything. Most images look great, but the character acting is the most clumsy part of the presentation. The animation is inconsistent and wonky in volume, the frame count is quite low, and the acting has little nuance. I appreciate the design, and the stiffness makes sense in moody scenes, but this is constantly an obvious mistake because the level of detail keeps changing. The storytelling works despite this, because the rest of the anime is finely crafted. The detailed character designs are not the right choice, but it could've been.

There is a huge mistake near the finale. If your friend falls into a icy river in winter and has trouble moving, please try to bring dry clothes or towels. Don't make your friend sit with her legs hanging out in the front basket, where all the wind will hit the motorbike, while still soaked in icy water. That's extremely dangerous and may increase hypothermia. Also, don't then act like your motorbike solved the problem when you could've seriously injured your friend further.

A very positive anime which is simple and realistic in it's progress. I found it was uniquely graceful in showing healing from loneliness, and building a friend circle. For how lighthearted the mood is, the plot is grounded and the audio-visual presentation is remarkably consistent and clear. As I whole I think it's impressive, but each moment is quite standard. It has a soothing quality.

The characters are children, and the story is about dealing with malicious intentions from bullies, and discovering ways to be friends. The main character is a subdued and thoughtful girl who has been affected by her mother's passing. She is paired ... with a outgoing and idealistic boy who is honest and reasonable. The classmates are a good representation for societal forces which are out of your control, but you could work with that.

The sub sounds cute, and dub is naturally written and voice acted, which is good.

I watched in a theater, with Japanese audio and English subtitles.

Positive:
A very expressive and consistent movie meditating on life, and the desire and conflict that controls the process of living. An allegory for moving on from loss and war, and the flawed creators of the old world. The point is about inheriting the curses and blessings from the previous generation. The concept and execution is very ambitious, with visual metaphor that is tactile and confident. Each moment in the movie is expressed by high detail in multiple moving parts, and the spaces conveyed are vast and non-linear which is very thought provoking. The emotion is ... clear and relatable, and will stay with me deeply.

Neutral:
It's very patient, and many metaphorical things go unexplained, which is overwhelming. The lack of clear explanations and looseness in it's dreamlike reality is a disorganized design choice. The abstract storytelling means little is clarified. If you can follow the movie and can fill in gaps of explanation, this will seem very nuanced and sophisticated. If you can't put effort into paying attention or don't care about visuals, this will be garbage nonsense.

Negative:
The movie is too coy for people who think literally and practically. It's frustrating and confusing that most of the movie refuses to tell you directly what the point is, and how to fix the problem. You must find a version of the movie in a language you understand, this is not for casual viewing or a breezy and fun time. If you don't pay attention to small details and dialogue this movie will waste your time, and some people won't find anything of value.