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After the devastating tragedy for Kyoto Animation in 2019, seeing this movie as their big comeback is truly an inspiration but felt extremely bittersweet. One of my favorite production studios, hearing about the news was devastating so upon the announcement of this film I was extremely hopeful but also apprehensive for the quality and content of the film after so much of the staff was gone. My worries were proven to be for naught because the movie was everything I had hoped for it to be and even further exceeded my expectations. Kyoani has always been my favorite anime studio because of their attention to ... detail, fair treatment of workers, and impeccable quality and sound design. Each work is meticulously crafted to perfection and you can physical feel all the hard work that is poured into each and every frame. This Violet Evergarden sequel movie and finale is no exception, and I was in awe of the production quality throughout the entire duration (when I could see the screen, that is). Amazing artwork, breathtaking visuals, perfect score and incredibly nuanced and well voice acted characters made this movie a masterpiece in my eyes. The movie itself was full of themes of tragedy and moving on, as well as remembering the past but learning to focus on the present. It presented life to be a precious thing that should not be taken for granted. Thinking about these motifs in the context of the Kyoani tragedy was heartbreaking but also beautiful. Me and everyone else in the theater was blown away until we were all a sobbing wreck, and I eagerly look forward to future works by Kyoani.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one.

Pros: Bench-kun returns!

This OVA continuation of OreSuki picks up the story where it left off where our protagonist Jouro in a competition to see who wins over all the girls. This setup is already enough for anyone to roll their eyes at as it really highlighted how spineless and weak-willed the cast is, but this OVA managed to draw out this cringy premise for an hour straight. While there were a few laugh out loud moments here and there, most of it was a boring snoozefest surrounding the generic villain "Hose" guy and how ... edgy and "mean" he is. A main theme of this anime is the usage of facades and double personalities, and it started to get old and predictable pretty quickly. I did however enjoy the bro ending. A true ray of wholesomeness in a toxic show.

As for the art and sound, it is the same as the anime. As in most of it is pretty mediocre. It looks and sounds clean enough that is does not negatively affect the plot, not that there was much of one.

Don't come for any true romantic closure or you will be sorely disappointed. Instead, expect a needlessly long drawn out battle between two of the most unlikeable characters in media with a few funny and cute moments here and there.

This was the biggest load of barnacles I have ever seen. The promotional video looked promising, with excellent visuals and what could have been a decent plot, and gave me high hopes that this short-ish film will be worth my time. After watching it, it’s confirmed that nothing about this movie was good except the gorgeous animation.

And when I say gorgeous animation, I mean the backgrounds and the scenery. The character designs were pretty mediocre and looked like they came straight out of 2010. Even worse than their designs, however, were the characters themselves. They possessed totally unbelievable character traits that no real human ... being would ever come close to. The main characters themselves were less interesting than pieces of cardboard, and the romance was half-assed and cringe. The forced drama in an attempt to make it a more compelling plot landed flat on its face and makes you roll your eyes in exasperation.

The scriptwriting and the plot were terrible, meaning there was no plot. Sure, it's hard to achieve a complex and deep story in a 52 minute runtime, but this movie accomplished absolutely nothing. Nothing happens at all for the duration of the movie. Don’t let the description fool you into thinking that it will detail the lives of people after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and the effects it had on the population, as it was barely even mentioned. The writing felt like it was done by a six year old as it involves girls smelling each other and killing their friends because they got a boyfriend before themselves.

tl;dr - If you’ve come for a compelling, heartfelt, or even remotely believable plot, you have come to the wrong place. You can choose to stick around for the beautiful background scenery, but that’s about all this movie’s got going for it.

As this is my first time to sit down and take the effort to write a review on MAL, it’s safe to assume that this anime has gone above and beyond my highest expectations and will definitely sit at the top of my list for a long time to come.

The treatment of 3-gatsu no Lion is a crime in the anime industry: it’s criminally overshadowed by inferior big-budget money grabbing shows that exist solely to provide short-term entertainment. 3-gatsu is no longer even close to being in this category: in fact, it’s no longer even just a show. It’s a beautifully crafted and extremely ... well put together work of art that never ceased to amaze me for the duration of its 44 episode runtime.

During my time with this show, I experienced nearly every possible emotion that I have ever felt, but dialed to the max. From blinding rage, to shedding bittersweet tears. Pure happiness, to soul-crushing sadness. I felt it all, and more. This is all thanks to its incredible cast of characters: Rei, a disturbingly relatable, sincere, and believable main character. The three Kawamoto sisters and their grandfather that serve as the family that he never had. Every single one of the characters in this show are well thought-out and brilliantly executed human beings that have their own backstory, motivations, and shortcomings. Even the “antagonists” in this show are well fleshed out so viewers truly understand and relate to where they are coming from.

Endless, elegant metaphors and imagery plague the show, supported by beautiful Shaft animation. Every single frame is a painting, every single screenshot is a wallpaper. Whether the metaphors are outright stated, such as the “burnt fields”, or hidden throughout the course of the show (the opening sequences becoming brighter and more colorful as Rei progresses on his journey in depression), they are always beautiful and a joy to witness. The amazing soundtrack, rather than be hidden behind in the background, is brought to the forefront during important scenes that really conveys a sense of raw emotion and power that can bring the strongest of wills to tears. For me, the soundtrack of a show is incredibly important. Without a decent soundtrack, a show lacks any impact. 3-gatsu has one of the most phenomenal soundtracks to date, with scores that match their respective scenes perfectly.

For me as a viewer, 3-gatsu is nearly as perfect a show as one can possibly achieve. It’s pure, raw emotional storytelling supported by stunning, colorful animation and heartbreakingly sweet soundtrack is as good as it gets in the entertainment sector. It was a heartfelt and lovely experience watching Rei on his emotional journey and undergo subtle changes throughout the series, and ultimately overcome his depression little by little with the help of those around him. While I believe it to be underappreciated by the masses, I am extremely glad to be one of the few that experienced this masterpiece.

Score: 100/100