Mar 9, 2023
The best way to describe this movie in as few words as possible is: aesthetic, the anime.
Promare has some of the best animation I've seen, but a completely stylized one, which understandably might not work for everyone. The style they chose, however, is stable through the whole movie. Drops in quality aren’t noticeable and the 3d used is so well merged with the style, there are times you can barely tell it’s there. It doesn't feel like a way to cheapen the animation, but like a deliberate choice. The stylization is bold but works really well with the scenario, seeing as the whole direction has
...
undeniable quality and faithfulness to its style. The anime is stylish from start to finish, from its transitions, interesting and appealing color schemes, to smart compositions... It's like a tasty birthday cake for your eyes.
The fighting scenes are incredibly choreographed, with fluid animation and interesting camera angles. They also make good use of the plot elements (both "magic" and machines) and the dialogue in the middle of the fighting doesn't take attention away from the action itself. There's constant action from start to finish and it never gets boring, since they keep adding new elements to combat while bringing back already established mechanics. It can get confusing at times though.
The plot itself, however, feels somewhat rushed. There are many interesting elements in the world building, but the way the story is presented makes it seem like they didn't have enough time to establish them all. This makes sense since this is such a complex scenario that brings up many questions and could easily fill a season, but is forced to be shown in a single movie. Because of that, the anime is left with elements that are not explained or even addressed.
The characters were somewhat lackluster and the development felt rushed. The main characters seemed to mostly jump from one mentality to the other, without the viewers being able to see their thoughts in between. Plus, the secondary characters were just there. Besides the cool designs, they didn't offer much to be memorable.
Many things just seemed to happen because. What I mean is, the problems were frequently solved in a too convenient way, and that sometimes took away part of the immersion.
Regardless, the mentioned factors don't make this any less amazing of a movie and I 100% recommend it if you're into the genre. If it had more time to expose and develop the story, this movie could've been a masterpiece, but, despite its flaws, it still manages to tell a compelling story and the action scenes and gorgeous animation will catch your attention from the first minutes and only let you go after the credits are over.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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