Wow. I just finished watching this and honestly, I’m still processing how amazing it was. It’s not just another isekai (like Gigguk even said it might feel like). It really came across as something special, almost like a personal story from his own life. Just like when he talked about Porter Robinson’s Shelter in his trailer, you can feel how much of his own voice and experience shaped this anime.

The way they interwove Rinrada and Daichi’s journeys through the portal to another world hit me hard. I loved how Rinrada’s perspective was full of excitement, like “​​​This is so exciting!​…this is a new beginning”, while Daichi’s side felt heavier, like he was carrying the weight of starting over. The whole way their timelines connected through the portal reminded me of Your Name. That sense of different timelines interconnecting against each other yet still being connected in a bigger story was powerful.

And the music as you already know is by Kelvin Piken, the same composer behind Made in Abyss and Shield Hero, absolutely killed it. Some tracks had me pausing and replaying just because of how good they were. Straight-up legendary, no capping. Honestly, the soundtrack might be my favorite part of the movie. It didn’t just set the mood, it captured Rinrada’s emotions as she adapted to life in Tokyo. And then you’ve got Elspeth Bawden’s vocals layered in, which gave the whole thing this otherworldly atmosphere that tied back beautifully to the fantasy setting. I remember hearing Gigguk on Trash Taste even mention how this kind of music was a big influence on the anime’s creation.

What really stuck with me was how real the characters felt. Daichi especially reminded me of that story Gigguk told about quitting the BBC and telling his mom he wanted to make anime content for a living. That “come back home” line from Daichi’s mom felt exactly like something his real mom might have said. That mix of fear, hope, and determination to start fresh is exactly what Daichi embodies.

And then there’s Rinrada. Her longing to escape her world, especially after everything with her parents, felt painfully real too. She wanted her own future, even if that meant giving up her magic and stepping into a completely different world like Tokyo. Her magic honestly reminded me of Gigguk’s early YouTube days. He had to adapt, figure out how to survive in the content creator ecosystem, and sometimes hold back parts of himself just to keep going. Rinrada suppressing her magic for the sake of fitting in hit the same way. The flashback of her parents, who died after the failed dragon ritual, and Daichi basically stepping in as a foster father, hit especially hard. It reminded me of how family shapes you, even when you’re trying to move forward.

One small thing I noticed was Rinrada’s aunt adapting to life in Tokyo, which reminded me a bit of A Lull in the Sea. If you’ve seen it, you probably get what I mean. It has that same vibe of someone not from that world trying to adapt to society while also growing into family bonds at the same time.

That’s why this hit so personally for me. It’s not a perfect anime. The fantasy side could have used a little more context, and at times the pacing felt like it was rushing toward the end. Even so, I could feel the passion behind it. It’s not the traditional type of anime, and I know not everyone will love it as much as I did. But whether you end up liking it or not, it is clearly a life-changing project for Gigguk, and I hope people respect his work even if they dislike it. He’s talked for years about wanting to create anime, and now he’s actually done the thing most of us weebs only dream about.

This might sound corny, but the biggest takeaway I got from this movie was to cherish the people close to you and not be afraid to start over if it means chasing what you love.

I know I’m glazing kind of hard, but when projects like this come out, they just feel different. Most anime can feel like just another project, but this one felt like a true passion project, like Shelter or others that carry real emotion behind them. That’s what makes it so special.

Rating
Character design: 8/10
Voice acting sub/dub: 10/10
Characters: 9.5/10
Series composition: 8/10
Pacing: 7.6/10 (if they had added a few more scenes for world building I probably would have rated higher)
Music: 10/10 (easily the highlight of the short film)
Story: 8.5/10
Overall: 8.8/10