Jan 29, 2025
I was enamoured by the trailer for this film and waited for it to be screened internationally for many months and I really did enjoy watching it but it left much to be desired.
I didn't realize the film would focus so much on Christianity. Although I'm not a Christian (I practice a Dharmic faith), this wouldn't bother me as long as the story is good and the characters are well developed but there was a lot set up in the first half of the film that was never fully resolved in my opinion. [Spoilers] Each of the main three have something that they hide from
...
the world and end up lying.
For Totsuko, it's her synesthesia-like ability and also being in a band with Kimi and Rui- her desire to be in a band with them causes her to lie several times throughout the film for which she seems to be constantly repenting.
For Kimi, she dropped out of school- the actual reason for which is never mentioned- and she's unable to tell her grandmother (who previously attended that very school herself) and ends up lying about it. She also feels guilt because she believes she's making Totsuko lie as well.
Rui hides from his mother that he's passionate about music and that the responsibility of continuing the legacy of the clinic is burdensome to him.
I really enjoyed watching the three of them grow closer and especially liked seeing Totsuko and Kimi's relationship but the way the film attempted to resolve each of their problems left me pretty unsatisfied.
Kimi and Rui coming clean about their lies was very anticlimactic- almost as if their worries did not actually hold any significance. Especially with Rui since he ends up agreeing to continue the clinic and going off to college despite the reluctance he shows towards this at the beginning of the film.
Kimi was also apprehensive about showing herself to her ex-classmates and for a good reason because they do spread rumors about her in the beginning but when she later performs at the school festival, it's like none of that ever happened. It's the same with Totsuko- she's apprehensive about being friends with a boy in the begging because of the strict nature of her school but by the end of the movie, nobody in the school cares that she's performing with a male bandmate and a drop out.
Overall, it feels like the movie was set up to want to say something about the environment that each of them exist in but ignored that entirely by the end to just have them perform wholesome songs on stage.
Either way, I still did really enjoy the film for the beautiful animation, colors, character design, and catchy songs. I absolutely loved seeing Totsuko and Kimi's relationship unfold and especially loved watching Totsuko sneak Kimi into the dorms.
I don't know if I would wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone but I enjoyed watching it nonetheless.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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