Goodbye, Don Glees!

So I watched it without any expectations, ended up getting emotional at the climax. At first I thought it will just be just another youth summer adventure stories which turned out to be absolutely wrong.

Two long-time friends, separated after graduating middle school, reunites the next summer. Except that among them, now there is one wildcard third party, who speaks in riddles and most of the times talks about something that one would doubt is real, who ended up triggering and changing everything.

The film invested practically 80% of its runtime for something with zero payoff before actually revealing the twist ending. While I'm sure many will, ... but I wouldn't say that those 80% of runtime were wasted, if anything it's a great way to make the audience to learn about and get close to the characters. And it's worth the time, considering things got bleak real fast after that.

What happens is basically, things went full circle. It picks up on the legacy of the wildcard character and flipped my expectations about the entire film. And in the end it just left me in sombre disbelief, "did that just happen? Is THAT what happened? How did THAT happen?"

The film was marketed as "the new stuff from the creators of Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho," maybe expecting that would make the audience know what to expect since the trailers and promotional materials barely tells anything about what it really is, which is why the ending is a really pleasant surprise. Such a shame that it never left Japan nor that it ever marketed abroad, the promotional tagline alone should have attracted many Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho fans outside Japan.

But, do not compare this to that. It's not apple to apple. While it shares many similar themes, it's not Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho and it may not for all Yorimoi fans.

Personally, I regarded this film above Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho (a cardinal sin, btw) due to a) how it's presented, b) how the tiny details bites back later in the story (same as Yorimoi, but pandemonium instead of big sad), c) how relatable the bonding between the characters is, and d) how I enjoyed it more regardless of other factors, don't judge me.

Each person has his own treasure to find. This may be the main theme of the movie. The start was beautiful. I was tearing up because I could sense this story would be special, but at the end it didn't turn out like I imagined.

The setting revolves around the countryside, which really makes me appreciate the calmness of the place. The characters were very likeable and very fun to watch. Seeing the trio Roma, Toto, and Drop laughing and crying reminds me about true friendship. It just felt like going on an adventure with them.

The first part of the movie was pretty good, but the ... middle part got kind of boring. Nothing was happening. It was just the trio going around and talking. The main problem I have with this movie is that the characters keep talking and talking about deep and motivational things for the rest of the movie. After hearing so many "wise" phrases, I felt like everything they said was meaningless. What was the main message they were trying to portray? Saying meaningful quotes again and again when nothing is happening really removes its meaning or impact. It was like watching a lecture of wise quotes, or to be more exact, like seeing two friends talking to each other. Basically, nothing was happening. I as a viewer could not relate to what they were saying because there was no event or plot point that made me witness their struggles. It was just three friends "ranting" and saying sorry throughout a great portion of the movie.

Still, the way they transmitted the message is very good. The ending is beautiful and confusing at the same time. This movie could have been a great one if there were more things going on and less deep talking.

Also, please don't expect this anime will be at the level of Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho. Both stories are very different. Yorimoi does its writing perfectly (in my opinion), and it's truly a life-changing anime. Goodbye Donglees is pretty good, and I think you will definitely like it and get inspired.

To summarize, Goodbye Donglees is a very simple story. It made me laugh and tear and encouraged me to start doing the things I've always wanted (in other words, finding the treasure). The problem is that there is a lot, a lot of deep talking and drama when not so much is happening. Still, it's worth to watch it. I definitely recommend it, but don't expect that much.

7/10

I'm usually a big fan of these kind of movies but I have to say I was severely disappointed by Don Glees.

First of all, the positives - I have to state that this is a beautiful film well acted by a talented cast. Some of the shots are breathtaking on a big screen.

Sadly beyond the visual craft of the film it really begins to struggle. Coming of age stories between a group of friends centred around a supernatural theme of death is one of the biggest tropes in anime, so at this point if thats going to be the premise of your movie you have ... to do it well. Anohana is one of the best examples of this trope I can think of, with even the directors own series A Place Further than the Universe treading very similar themes.

With this kind of film its vitally important for any of the emotional beats to land that the audience is invested in the main characters friendships. Don Glees misses this by throwing us in the middle of the story so we never see any development between the characters, we're just told they're good friends before the main plot of the film begins. For the next hour of the film they get up to hijinks and occasionally spurt out pseudo-intellectual musings on the meaning of life. For any of these things to mean anything it would have helped if we even saw how the three characters first met and formed their bond.

It's a repeated mistake of this film that the audience is repeatedly told things instead of shown, meaning we have to take it on word that there is a dynamic between these three worth investing in rather than seeing it grow organically - making this film and its themes feel shallow while it strives for death. There's also an overabundance of musical montages, no doubt to try and prise an emotional reaction from the audience that the film never earns from its story alone.

As stated, if you're into stories about friends facing hardships and growing up then you'd be much better seeking out Anohana. I'd argue Goodbye Don Glees isn't even the best example of this story released in 2022, as Sumer Ghost explores similar themes in a much better way.