Kagerou Daze: In a Day's

Who else /tohocinemasshinjuku/ here?

It would be more accurate to think of this as a thirty-minute preview for Mekakucity Reload than a movie. Jumonji is basically using this to try and convince people that they can do the Kagerou Project better than Shaft. And for the most part, I believe them.

Every aspect of this movie points to the fact that Jumonji is trying to perform a hard reset on the idea of a Kagerou Project anime. The character designs, for one thing, are notably different from how they were in Mekakucity Actors. There's the already-infamous Dorito chins, but Momo's hairstyle has changed completely, Konoha's hair is ... longer, Shintaro looks a bit older, Marry is now Mary, and everyone has narrower eyes. The voice actors are also different (I think), but most of the new ones are good. Seto's will take some getting used to, though.

As for the story, this is basically a reimagining of Jinzou Enemy/Mekakushi Chord. The basic premise of "Mekakushi-dan saves a department store from terrorists" hasn't changed, but the details of the Mekakushi-dan's counterattack are completely different. For one thing, Seto is there. Also, Hibiya, Hiyori, and Konoha are hanging around, and Shintaro takes a more active role in working with the Mekakushi-dan. Everyone gets a healthy amount of screentime, using their powers often.

Which brings me to my next point: this movie is for dedicated KagePro fans only. It expects you to know who the characters are and what their powers are. Newcomers, beware! This movie came off as an apology by Jumonji on Shaft's behalf for the abomination known as Mekakucity Actors. This new studio recognizes that fans didn't like seeing the exact same story as the songs for the majority of Actors, and their edits to Jinzou Enemy/Mekakushi Chord show that Reload is going to take the story in a different direction. Earlier I said that Jumonji is using this movie as a proving ground, and I think they succeeded. It's by no means an outstanding movie, but its animation shows that the studio has the technical skill to produce a competent KagePro anime. Jumonji's rewrites of the story show that they know how to breathe new life into the series, making me look forward to Mekakucity Reload.

As such, I give this movie a six out of ten.

It's nothing magnificent, but it's still good. Is it worth the 1800 yen it costs to see it? Uh... I don't know. That's kind of a lot for half an hour of content. Still, though, I enjoyed the experience.