Spoiler-free Section

I would like to start by saying that this movie inspired me so much that I decided to write this review. Despite of having a runtime of 1 hour 34 minutes, it was packed with amazing contents and emotions which keep the audience engaged.

I would like to note that sections below will contain spoiler. For those who want the best experience, I would high recommend those to go watch the movie first before reading further. (It is worth it!)

Visual and Choreography

Before jumping in, I did not do any extensive research on this particular movie and the studio behind it, but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how vibrant and how fluid the animation was.

Some specific frames left a lasting impression on me.

img100%(https://i.imgur.com/85usxKF.jpg)

img100%(https://i.imgur.com/6UhOO9P.jpg)

img100%(https://i.imgur.com/I5OcXzB.jpg)

img100%(https://i.imgur.com/cSze13c.jpg)

However, these frames alone do not do justice on expressing how well this movie has been animated.

The contrasty visuals and smooth animation is on par with some of the best animated movies I have seen.

Characters

Being a standalone movie, it is challenging to introduce many characters while also leaving sufficient impression to keep the story flowing. Generally I have no complaint on this aspect, but thought some of the labels for main and supporting can be adjusted.

I have to say that Pompo did not really seem like a main character to me despite being labelled as a main character on the page. Instead, I would argue that Natalie played a more major role, especially in the later parts of the movie.

Gene Fini was introduced as a somewhat quiet and seemingly incapable character, but we soon learn more about his underlying abilities and passion for cinematography and movies in general. Through Gene's perspective, we were able to see how the story makes sense to the audience.

Sound

Not going to analyse all the different aspects of voice acting and soundtracks, but just some things which stood out for me.

• Natalie's voice acting by Rinka Ootani really stood out for me, I think I expected a more mature and deeper voice initially, but the actual one helped bring out her character more and provided a more youthful and lively image for the character.
• Excellent ED Mado wo Akete by CIEL

Story and Sequencing

Okay, I think this is where this movie truly shines.

The starting sequences is chaotic, with so many cuts back and forth, which keeps the audience curious on what the movie is trying to tell us. Are these sequences in chronological order? Are these events happening in the past or future? How do these events relate to each other?

But gradually everything begins fall into place, and we start to really understand the characters, their background stories, all without being explicitly told. I really enjoyed this non-linear flow of events in an anime movie, perhaps I have been watching too many boring ones ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Might be a somewhat far fetched analogy, but I thought this relates nicely to some of the best game designs. The best game controls are controls which the players can figure out themselves. And the best story and character development are ones which the audience can piece together themselves without being told explicitly what they are.

Linking of Gene's movie making experience to Miester's music conducting experience was a nice approach to resolve the creativity struggle. Thought it was good that the movie kept a strong focus on the main plot of the director, Gene, and did not side-track into other aspects like romance, which I think would have weakened the delivery of the plot.

Overall, the story keeps a good/balanced amount of drama and comedy and makes you want to keep watching.

Shortcomings

No review would be complete without any proper critique. I will state the one which jumps to mind. The plot is really quite optimistic, you would need to be really really lucky to go through what Gene and Natalie experienced in your own career. Not impossible, but just not something you can expect to see in your everyday lives.

Conclusion

The thing I like the most ... is that it's 90 minutes long.

Glad to see something this fresh and exciting which also fits within such a short time span. My only regret now is not being able to enjoy this on a big screen in cinemas.

I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for future works by the same studio (CLAP) and director (Takayuki Hirao).