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!! FIRST REVIEW !!

"Ryuu to Sobakasu no Hime" follows the main character, Suzu, who goes under the alias "Bell" in an app called "U". The movie follows her as she finds out who the Beast is and shows her development and struggle of her true identity and confidence. A lot of people said this was another take on a well-known tale "Beauty and the Beast", which was another reason for people to be excited about. However, the whole movie left most people feeling confused and unsatisfied, with many plot holes, unsolved questions, and so on.

Story - 5/10
Reading the synopsis on MAL, I was really ... interested to watch this movie since it tackles a problem our generation still faces. Set in an app called "U", users can create avatars based on their persona and looks in real life and have the ability and freedom to start a new life as a new person with the ability to show your talents. One of the users, Bell, is really popular with billions of followers and is well known for her songs. In reality, she's a high school girl named Suzu who's shy and awkward with others after her mother's tragic death.

There was a repeated saying in the app that goes something along the lines of "You can't change your reality, but you can start a new one in U" (correct me if I'm wrong). This is a saying I feel describes how people in the present day view social media / the Internet - a virtual reality where you can create a whole new 'you', a whole new personality that other users would love and accept. The Internet has been used by the current generation as a 'getaway' for our problems, to fill this empty void of dissatisfaction in our souls because of how we're influenced in the real world and/or to get away from our own problems in real life. People may relate with the concept of "U" with other well-known social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, because of how people use these apps to freely show themselves to online users, and as mentioned, to get away from reality.

Despite bringing up an important topic as this, the way the creators decided to create the world of U kind of makes no sense. For example, the moment that someone logs into the app, their entire body is synced and placed into the body of your avatar. Now since that happens, how is the user in real life still able to run and do anything freely in the real world while their soul is still connected & redirected to the virtual world? Also, how does a random user have the ability to moderate the other users.. if they're weren't even given the role of one in the first place?? I really wished the film was able to answer these questions than rather putting it there with no explanation.

My other issue with the story is the plot. The pace wasn't the best, and there was just more stuff adding on to the plot, some being irrelevant. What's worse is that most of them aren't resolved, leaving plot holes and questions viewers might have. For instance, in the middle of trying to track down Ryuu's identity, she gets caught up between a confession moment between 2 side characters. These just add up nothing towards the story, and it just creates more and more plot holes in the movie. Especially with the ending feeling rushed and much unresolved, I still have so many questions like: What's going to happen with Ryuu/Kei and his brother? What happens to Kei's dad? Do Suzu and Shinobu end up together? Eventhough we have some things resolved like Suzu overcoming her trauma and being able to sing in real life, I wished everything was answered in the film.

Lastly something I wish to comment about the plot is how everything was resolved at the end. The way Suzu wants to resolve the issue felt so vague like sure her goal is to save Ryuu and help him from his abusive father, but she says nothing about what to do, and the choir ladies who tried to aid her didn't do much either which made no sense. And the part Suzu defends Ryuu & his brother against their abusive dad was.. weird. How did the dad get so frightened just by her intimidating stare like that made no sense? And what happened after to the boys remained a mystery to a lot of viewers. Did they get help from child services? Did the dad come to apologise? What happened after that event, and the ending, didn't feel satisfying at all.

Art - 8.5/10
I won't say much about the art & animation because I think it's just really pretty and pleasing to look at. Trying to create a contrast between people in the real world and in a virtual world using the art was definitely well-done, making this one of the pros "Belle" brings out.

Sound - 9/10
The 2nd aspect I really enjoyed was the music. I'll be honest I enjoyed the music more than the actual movie. If you have any time, I would recommend listening to the soundtrack because it feels so nice and soothing to listen to!

Characters - 7/10
It's quite arguable whether Suzu had any development at all throughout the film, and I would like to say she did.. only around the end of the film. For most of the film, she just stayed the same person - shy and awkward with others - until towards the last 45 mins of the movie or so she starts to gain confidence and overcome her past. The part I love about Suzu's development was her overcoming her trauma. After helping Ryuu and being able to view his pain living under an abusive household and taking care of his younger brother, she was able to answer her past, the occurring question of why her mom sacrificed her life to save a child she doesn't know. She understands what it's like to see someone in pain and the feeling of helping others in need. My only problem was how she got so interested in the beast like it was so out of place and forced, but hey maybe that's something for another day.

Besides that I feel that Ryuu wasn't done enough justice. The creators may have wanted to shift their focus on developing Suzu, as the films centers her, but we shouldn't forget that Ryuu is also an important element in the story, as he's a key towards Suzu's character development at the end. He was the biggest mystery in the film, so there should've been clues dropped or some sort of hint towards Ryuu's past in the real world. Also I wouldn't comment too much on side characters, since the film doesn't focus too much on them, but I would say they were decent.

Enjoyment - 6/10
I found the movie alright but I don't think it's something I would watch again. Although there are a lot of problems with this movie, I can't really hate it because of what the creator was trying to show. As mentioned, many things occur in the midst of what the plot was supposed to be, leaving many plot holes and unsolved questions viewers may have, and the most disappointing part is the resolution, but A for effort for the creator trying to bring up on relevant topics.

Overall - 6/10
Like I said, this movie does show and present such a topic that's relevant to everyone. However this isn't something I would watch again as the setting seems a little too exaggerated and unreal, which may make it hard for people to relate at some point. Art and soundtrack were the strongest points in my opinion, but the plot and characters felt half-baked. I wish to see more films by the same creator!