Since the release of the Saekano film last year, I have anxiously been waiting for the film to be released in the US, checking every website possible, hoping that the sub had already been uploaded somewhere. Finally, after a year later, I got the chance to watch the movie (sadly no theatrical release) and I am glad to say that it was gratifying to finally experience the conclusion to a series I adore so much.
Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata or Saekano: How to Raise A Boring Girlfriend was my introduction to the harem/romance genre and it quickly became one of my favorite anime as I began to indulge myself more into the medium. Now, Saekano is by no means a masterpiece or a flawless series but it is still quite impressive overall. The story is well executed and entertaining, the characters are charming, the animation and soundtrack are great and overall, it is really enjoyable to watch.
The film contains the same melodrama and lighthearted comedy from the anime, keeping things entertaining but also engaging. I have always been a fan of Saekano's meta humor which pokes fun at the typical anime cliches and troupes, without being overly obnoxious. Don't expect too much fanservice this time around, although I don't think the anime has ever been excessive when it comes to that. The plot is nothing too extravagant either. It is pretty straightforward with the main focus being the relationship between Tomoya and Megumi, which has progressed further as they work on the game and spend more time together. I love how Megumi and Tomoya's relationship has been setup and developed since the start of the series demonstrating their growth and showing how significant they are to one another. My favorite part of the movie is obviously the confession scene, which was emotionally touching and done and wonderfully done. Everything about it was perfect. The scenery, the song, the voice acting. Perfect. I cannot express how satisfying it was to finally witness our "main heroine" Megumi win after the long journey it took to get here.
This time around secondary characters are given more screen time – although it is nothing to significant – and are fleshed out a bit more such as Akane Kosaka who receives more than just an episode of screen time. We see more of her harsh and ruthless character shine more, as she pushes Eriri and Utaha to produce one of the greatest work ever made. She also helps Tomoya during his slump when writing the main heroine scenario for his game, giving him the push he needs to complete it. Michiru and Izumi get additional screen time as well but again it's nothing major. I'd say the real character development involves the main cast, and the movie did a fairly great job in properly concluding their stories.
Eriri who probably receives the most development – including the first and second season – has a heartwarming but also bittersweet conclusion to her arc. The feisty and endearing twintail tsundere has matured over time and has turned into someone thoughtful and inspirational. The last scene with her and Tomoya was really well done and almost had me tearing up just because I like her character so much. My other favorite, the cold and talented dark haired beauty, Utaha, had some great development throughout the first two seasons as well but sadly does not receive a similar scene like Eriri that really gives her a proper-send off. It's kind of a bummer but I truly love how Eriri and Utaha have matured throughout the entirety of the series. They went from enemies to now established rivals and partners. While they do still bicker around with one another – which is always fun to see – they respect each other and admire each other's work. And they continue to push forward and strive to be great creators. As for Tomoya, he has come a long way since his first game proposal, having improved a vast amount, enough to make a great game without being carried by the talents of Kashiwagi Eri and Kasumi Utako.He makes mistakes along the way but it's all a part of the process in achieving his goal of becoming a creator on the same level as Eriri and Utaha. And finally, there's Megumi. She has changed a great deal over the course of the show. She was first introduced as the bland and "boring" main heroine who had a habit of being unamusing and blending into the background. Yet her mundane expression and sometimes sarcastic remarks added to her charm making me adore her character. As the show went on, Megumi began to be more bold and livelier, becoming a more striking character overall and ultimately becoming the captivating, irresistible and admirable main heroine everyone loves. If you couldn't tell already, I have a hard time picking best girl out of these three but if I were forced to make a definitive list it would be: Megumi > Utaha > Eriri. It doesn't matter though because in the end, I enjoyed watching the journey of these characters and their growth from start to finish. It was a definitely a wonderful experience.
If there is one thing that stayed consistent throughout this adaptation it is the animation and soundtrack which were well done. The animation is clean and fluid while the visuals are alluring and beautiful. The music is similar to that of the anime with some notable tracks. The movie gives us a couple of new songs such as an Icy Tail song,『icy tail YO!』, a new Megumi song 『ULTIMATE♭』 and the ending song "Glory Days" performed by Luna Haruna. All Saekano songs are memorable, straight bangers and catchy as hell, including the OP and ED's. If it weren't for the first season's ending "Colorful", I might have never even watched Saekano in the first place. And I almost forgot about the voice acting. Just like the first two seasons, the VA's gave an amazing performance bringing out the emotion and truly instilling life into their characters and making them even more lovable.
Now for the criticism. Was Saekano:Fine a perfect film? While I do like the movie a lot, truthfully, it could have been better. One major issue I had with the film is the pacing. It honestly felt rushed at times, which made certain transitions between scenes awkward and scenes that should have left more of an impact on the viewer are not as strong. Although I have not read the source material (I have skimmed through parts of it though) it is obvious that much of the light novel content was cut to fit things into the timespan of the movie, and the parts cut out might have been interesting to see on screen. I can't help but think that a third season might have been a better option. Maybe the story would have been executed better or maybe not. Who knows. Am I disappointed though? Not at all. As I mentioned in the beginning, I am satisfied with the movie and how things turned out. Not to mention that Clover Works added an extra 10 mins or so of anime original content after the credits which was great so I guess that makes up for the missing LN content lol.
Saekano was one of the first series I watched when I was just starting to get into anime, so it is always gong to be special to me no matter what. It is nowhere near perfect and it is definitely not for everyone, but I do believe this anime is kind of overlooked by people for whatever reason it may be and there are certainly those who are missing out. There is undoubtedly people who would genuinely enjoy this anime. This review has gone on longer than I expected so to sum everything up, Saekano is an excellent anime which I appreciate wholeheartedly and I think the movie was a pleasurable and rewarding conclusion to the series. After all, it's got everything that most anime viewer want. A good plot, comedy, nice art and animation, great songs, excellent waifu's and all in all, it's an entertaining and fun show. And to those who are still questioning if they should watch Saekano, go for it.
