Name: Piece together this puzzle of a film, it's worth it!
Item: Fireworks
Rating: 91
Author: Tachypnea

Piece together this puzzle of a film, it's worth it!

I think this film is very underrated because of the plot's subtlety, but it is a wonderful film. I like that the producers don't really spoon-feed you explanations so you have to pay attention and piece together your own conclusion. (You should watch it twice!)

It is definitely a coming-of-age film, I think his friends (as one dimensional as they are) served to show his immaturity and how he slowly changed throughout the film. At the start of the film, he pretty much liked her because she was pretty. However, with more decisions he made through the film, he developed from an ignorant character to a passive observer to finally someone who could think and act for themselves.

I like the use of fireworks. Whenever I think of fireworks, I think of a memorable point in life (like graduation). Fireworks represented the end of that chapter in his life. When he saw the fireworks, did he regret it or did he appreciate all the memories that lead up to this moment? Many of the 'if I had done this' thoughts the main character had was sparked after seeing the end.

Theory:

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

I think the "magic of the sphere" allowed the main character to create an alternative world where his wish would come true. Doing things over, he was able to truly learn about the female lead and "save" her. The world is made through own memories, perceptions, and experiences which appear dream-like at times, but isn't. For example, when he wished to take her away from her parents, the scene at the train station was fuzzy because he was shocked when he first experienced it focusing only on the events that were occurring not the world around it. When he wished to take her away to somewhere they could be alone, they both escaped on the train to end up back home because he couldn't imagine the city of Tokyo and never had the thought of leaving his hometown.

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

Near the end of the movie, the sphere breaks and everyone gets a glimpse of a future where their wishes come true in the shards. Both the main characters are seen together in what looks like Tokyo. The next day, our MC doesn't come to school and our female lead is no longer in town. Maybe the world returns to back to normal after the sphere breaks, it isn't really clear, but it doesn't matter because the MC is now capable of pursuing what he wishes for without the help of an anomaly.

This movie isn't without flaws, but I enjoyed putting together its creative storytelling and it has a good message. Face the world boldly. You don't want to wait until after you see the end to realize that you could have done it differently, but even if you do end up at that point, it's not too late to change from that point.