Deemo Movie: Sakura no Oto - Anata no Kanadeta Oto ga, Ima mo Hibiku

An admittedly strong advertisement for the games it's based on, 'Deemo: Memorial Keys' struggles to stand on its own as a film.

The issue is really the story, which to me seems like it would definitely be enough to stitch together a game that's primarily focused on its gameplay, which is a sensible call for a rhythm game. It's just that this isn't a game, and removing that aspect of direct interaction that separates the music from the story means the story's somewhat thin nature sticks out in a way that would almost be desirable in a game. It's not that it's not there, there ... definitely is a story, and it's got some fun emotional beats, but not enough to really keep your attention in its own right; again, it sort of feels like a lot of video game cut-scenes stitched together, which I suppose it technically sort of is. It definitely impacts the pacing as well, with the whole thing just struggling to flow properly.

Perhaps it would be easier to stomach if the animation was a bit stronger. It's not bad, and the music scenes are kinda nice looking, but it's definitely a little flat, and the 3DCG characters struggle to show any real emotion. Again, they sort of feel like video game characters.

There's a version of this that's a little less authentic to the source material, and by a slightly more thoughtful and interesting set of creators, that's probably pretty good. But, unfortunately, this version sticks a little too close to its source material, and isn't creative enough to really make the most of it.

One of the famous franchises from mobile games. It is directed by Junichi Fujisaku, some screenwriter of Ghost in the Shell and who has written the Deemo: Prelude (manga) since last year. If a brief summary This movie was made for the purpose of people who didn't know or follow Deemo before, as well as to sell it to children because of supporting characters so it helps to avoid the stress of drama silence.
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I was surprised how much less current this story felt. I only measured the number of people in the theater that I went to, which is comparable. So let's compare it to ... the movie Poupelle of Chimney Town that was released in Thailand last year. Compared to the similarity of the overall story and the use of 3DCG, if asked me which overall I like from personal feelings, I would like to answer Deemo actually, the whole story is more full of emotions, using 3DCG more fluid, more beautiful and impact music. But it turned out that Poupelle had a much higher popularity.
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Opening up to a new audience is a double-edged sword. that's normal Because it is a different interpretation of the story Deemo, as well as expanding the story, the add-on may look a bit too much.
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In addition to the soundtrack of high quality that I would like to recommend every 26 songs in the theater, there is also the ending song "nocturne" that is the highlight of this movie, selected at Anime Expo Lite 2020 from 1,400 singers around the world, leaving only one person. Finally got the winner, Hinano Takashima, a 14-year-old girl and Yuki Kajiura to help composer as well.
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Deemo: Memorial Keys reflects on going through a terrible past. until making me want to forget that past It's a movie aimed at selling franchises to new people very well. It's a pity that it's still just Deemo. How good will it be?! (That one is a demo...)

Just watching the game cutscenes stitched together on youtube would've made a better movie. Confused and incoherent direction in all aspects from scenes to script, there is little good that can be said about the film. The music is great, Alice is cute, and that's about it. It couldn't capture the subtle eeriness of the treehouse and its foreboding undertones, nor was it able to develop the characters or their relationships enough for the emotional moments, which were gut wrenching in the game, to have any sort of impact. Just a few very loosely game inspired scenic similarities without any grasp of the substance it ... used to have. There are music videos of ingame songs with more meaningful development than what I just watched: a haphazard collection of uneventful scenes sometimes accompanied by great music with little connection.

I fully believe it's possible to tell a great story with just music. This movie though, doesn't have the first clue as to how to begin accomplishing that.