Jan 11, 2022
**Spoiler-free Review**
Did you know?
Uchiage Hanabi, Shita kara Miru ka? Yoko kara Miru ka?, has a film adaptation from back in 1995. I just happened to have watched the film first and I think that greatly affected my expectation for this anime. The thing about the film adaptation; the original Uchiage Hanabi is that, it did great on reminding the viewer the following, which the anime tried but wasn't as successful:
1. Kids asks unusual questions (ex. the title of this anime: Fireworks, should we see it from the side or the bottom?).
2. Kids argue over silly things (ex. One kid would argue that the fireworks are
...
flat/2D and the other kid would argue it's spherical/3D).
3. Kids or boys starts to show interest in girls but too shy to admit it in front of them and even in front of their own friends.
4. Sometimes, kids want to rebel or wants to be left alone/independent.
5. Kids have dreams and goals.
6. Kids tend to make more regretful decisions.
7. Kids don't tend to think they are just "kids".
8. Yes, these can apply to adults, but it's more cute when kids does them.
I think the plot and especially the characters should've allowed the viewers (adults) to indirectly re-experience what it likes to be a child again.
Should you watch the original film? If the anime was a complete waste of time for you, then you won't get much entertainment out of the film either. It's more likely that the film would bore you even more than the anime did. If you enjoyed the anime, then you should definitely watch it.
If you watch the film adaptation and then watch (or re-watch) the anime, your thought on this anime may change. Your rating may not change, but at least you will know where they got this "unusual" plot and characters from. Again, the film adaptation executed this better as it feels more natural and relatable with real children actors in a real world. This anime was never meant to have an incredible plot and character development.
Despite that, I'm rating this anime a 10/10 only because it tried its best to capture what was in the original film which I thoroughly enjoyed, while having its own unique features as an anime, like the whole "marble" thing. Confusing but interesting.
Also, the fact that the anime has the 「Forever Friends」 song was the best thing ever. I still like the 「Forever Friends」 by REMEDIOS better which was featured in the film adaptation.
I'm sorry for making this look like a film adaptation review, but comparing them is inevitable.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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