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If you intend to read this manga only for the advertised slapstick comedy/romance in the summary, feel free to start from Ch.5. However, if you enjoyed the writing of Kanojo, Okarishimasu and/or want to objectively evaluate the manga for yourself, please ignore this review and go ahead from Ch. 1. Reasons as to why you should skip will be vaguely described below:









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The manga spends the first 4 chapters constructing backstories for the characters. However, it does so in an unrealistic and drama-inducing way that does not serve as [good] punchlines nor serious fleshing out of the characters. I understand that being "unrealistic" is part and parcel of the trope to provide good comedy, but in this case, it simply feels jarring and pointless. This may cause certain readers who start from the beginning to feel like the manga is ill-summarized even after reading 3 chapters. Furthermore, for all the exposition the mangaka tries to introduce, no significant information is actually conveyed. Readers can just as easily understand how the mangaka is trying to frame the main characters from Ch. 5 and the "plot points" scattered in the first 4 chapters seem either irrelevant or will require reintroduction much further into the story anyway.

Therefore, I would recommend new readers to skip the first 4 chapters because you can save yourself a potentially poor reading experience while not really losing out on any important information. Just get to the part when the manga actually delivers on what the summary promises and judge for yourself whether this character dynamic is for you.

Themes: Familial bonds and problems, Friendship and love, Approaches towards problems, Value of human life.

Story and structure: 8/10
The movie follows a classic three act structure. The exposition felt quick and interesting, packed to the brim with many delicious details which gave you a hint of who the characters really are and what the world is like. I enjoyed the confrontation the most and, for me, the emotional high point was at this part where the traces laid out earlier came together. I didn't enjoy the actual climax and resolution that much since it is quite similar with other movies of similar genre. However, just because ... it is similar doesn't mean that it's a bad ending, it's just very safe and solid.

Art and animation: 7/10
Pretty key frames and nice character designs. Animation was a bit lacking in certain parts but not too noticeable. Some of the background design felt a bit unnecessary, however.

Sound and music: 9/10
General audio design was rock solid. Some of the sound effects or clips might sound a bit generic, but they were definitely used aptly.Theme song was fantastic, with the only selfish complaint being that I would enjoy it more if they gave the theme song a greater role to play. It felt as if there were some missed opportunities to create a greater impact.

Character: 7/10
Most of the characters were logical, had depth (which was explored) and grew significantly throughout the movie. I mainly have a few gripes with the main antagonist; some of the traits and actions didn't make that much sense (as if they were sacrificed for the sake of the plot moving onwards).

Enjoyment: 7/10
Got what I wanted out of the movie so I was pretty satisfied. Nothing groundbreaking or masterpiece-like, but it was very, very solid and it had an interesting device to explore and offer to fans of movies of the same genre.

Overall: Mid to high 7

TLDR Version: Definitely solid at the very least, some stylistic choices may sway certain viewers, however. 8/10 for me.

Let me set this up with the mindset I had going into this movie: It was one of the few movies that were to be screened in my country so I had my eye on news surrounding it. Nulbarich performed OST for the movie so I was stoked about that, visuals seemed pretty good, theme was something I like. As the movie began screening in other countries, I saw more and more very bad reviews and since the main arguments were imaginable my expectations dropped significantly.

Now ... that any biases are declared, let's get into the review:

Story: 7/10
The story might be complex and fantastic to some, but I found that it generally holds water given some artistic licensing. It wasn't too mind-blowing or amazingly original and creative to me, but it was a good, simple, realistic story. (realistic as in the motivations, development, etc.) The structure and pacing was solid, but I would prefer mixing up presentation technique (e.g. types of montages used) a bit more.

Art: 8/10
Something that stands out from the first few frames is the use of CGI. This doesn't detract from the movie by itself, however, as the movie uses the advantages of CGI very well. The movie also embraced the CGI as part of its aesthetic and complements the tech, sci-fi theme. Creative use of VFX and speed ramping made for some interesting compositions and sequences that you wouldn't see in traditionally drawn anime. However, the reason why I didn't give this section a higher score is due to some minor... mistakes(?) where some actions looked unnatural due to poor key-framing, I would guess, especially in minor character running loops and then some.

Sound: 10/10
Now, I might be biased, but Nulbarich is simply awesome and so was the OST. Sounds great on its own, suitable usage in the movie, really good. But the reason I gave this a 10 was also thanks to the thoughtful sound design throughout the movie - very consistent and high quality.

Character: 8/10
Half-way into the film, although there was obviously plot progressions, I didn't really think that there was significant character progression. I felt that some hinted developments didn't really happen, and I couldn't see the obvious thematic messages original anime movies would often scream out. After getting past the first part of the story structure, however, I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong things and was treating it as a conventional linear romcom/action movie. I recalibrated my mindset and focused on the things the anime focused on, and was satisfied with the realistic/logical motivations and development.

Enjoyment: 8/10
I wonder if I'm rating this too highly since it was above my expectations... Nevertheless, beautiful aesthetics both visually and audio-wise, world-building very solid, cohesion was there, and it kept me thinking and enjoying throughout.

Overall: 8/10
Overall, I'm giving this a high 7 / low 8. Some of the marks given in the sections above might be a bit lower but lesser than 0.5 points.

The strongest part of this anime is the sound design and it plays a huge role in the immersion factor. The weakest link by far is the story, but if you don't think too much about it, the more enjoyable it'll be, perhaps.

I feel that if you cannot wrap your mind around the world, disagree with the stylistic choices, or fixate on the things that the movie isn't primarily trying to narrate, it would be closer to a 6 or a 7. Conversely, if this is your first sci-fi anime, you might get blown away and get absorbed in a very rich and fun experience.