Trapezium

Just watched this in the theater today. TL;DR, this was a very well-animated idol anime with great songs for a more mature audience (compared to, for example, Love Live or IdolM@ster). Its small flaws come from the fact that it is adapted from a novel, so its running time feels unsatisfying for getting to know the characters, and the drama ramps up very quickly in the second half of the movie then gets resolved relatively conveniently.

Overall score: 8/10
Animation: 9/10. There was some spotty CGI but for the most part everything was very well done, and certain scenes were downright impressive with the way the characters ... moved.
Sound: 10/10. The songs were very enjoyable and I wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be one of those movies where the songs outstay the movie in popular consciousness years from now.
Characters: 8/10. Unlike your typical idol anime where all the girls are happy-go-lucky with their minds set on idoling, the girls in this one each have their motivations and flaws which become apparent in the second half. These girls feel a bit more realistic than your typical idol anime heroines, which some people will like and some will not. I found all 4 of the main girls likeable by the end despite the drama.
Story: 7/10. Similar to my comment about the characters, this is a much more dramatic take on being an idol than your average idol anime where everything is rainbows and sunshine. The girls have conflict and struggles with a few touching scenes that will make you root for them, but not everyone will enjoy that aspect. Pacing also feels very quick in the second half compared to the buildup of the first. Not a huge issue though.

In summary, this was a very solid and satisfying "I'm glad I watched that" movie with more mature drama than your typical idol anime, but I am not sure if I will be rewatching or remembering the details in a few months.

Recommended anime: Wake Up Girls! is another idol anime with a slightly more "realistic" take on the industry and the struggles of being an idol. For a more lighthearted comedy about upstart idols, I highly recommend "Oshi ga Budoukan Ittekuretara Shinu."

This has to have been one of the better idol movies I’ve ever seen.

Unfortunately, the movie is region locked to theatres in Japan and without subtitles so you need to understand Japanese to a certain level and be living in Japan near a theatre (or be touring) to get the opportunity to view the movie right now. Perhaps this will change with time, but unlike some other Japanese movies I don’t see much information on this one in English, nor do I see much movement to change that and release the movie in western theatres. It will eventually come out on BD I’m ... sure but that could be another 6-8 months away…

Like someone else said, this movie has a bit more of an adult-oriented audience than Love Live and the Idolmaster movie that comes out this Friday. I could tell just from the viewership in the movie theatre that it wasn’t really geared towards teens as much as other series.

My favorite part of the movie was when it showed the mental breakdown of the girls after reaching stardom. It was highly realistic because most idol anime show the struggle of reaching stardom, not what happens after the fact, which is usually a disaster in the making save for a few divas who exit the idol industry here and go solo, which MC ended up doing by the end of the movie.

There’s not much more to say about this movie. It was a female idol movie, it showed the buildup, had the girls do various volunteer activities until they were eventually scouted by an agency and made their one debut single premiere (the song was unfortunately pretty mid compared to most anime idol songs :\), they each went mentally insane and then the group split up and they bought their song on a mashup CD and reminisced about their time as idols together, have a timeline skip and Yuu becomes an industry professional in here adulthood and the girls meet up to see this boy’s starry night pictures. That’s it.

I’m still not sure exactly what this movie did right, but if you have the means to see it, I definitely recommend shelling out the 1300 yen for a ticket :)

Summary: The story continues flatly without any interesting points along the way. Therefore, I was not able to empathize with the characters. The story then reaches its final phase, but the emotional buildup is weak throughout. Therefore, their actions felt cheap. I think they could have extended the screening time and added more elements.
However, you can meet high school girls and idol who are realistic, even though it is fiction. You can only see this in this movie. After watching the movie, can you empathize with the main character?

People who should watch it: People who like 3D (Real) idols.
People who shouldn't watch it:People who ... want to watch a fun movie (If you're expecting an idol anime you'll be disappointed. However, the way it depicts the student life is unique.)

Information: The original is a novel serialized in a magazine by an active idol (She is now retired).

I haven't seen the original novel.

(+) Interesting perspective
There are many anime that depict hischool student life. However, it is rare to come across an anime like this.

(-) The ending feels far away
The story is simple. The ending is also somewhat foreseeable. That's why the story continues flatly, and I was patiently wondering when the movie would end. If I hadn't seen it at the cinema, I would have stopped watching it.

I've only commented on the story, but the pictures, voices and music are good. In other words, there's nothing particularly noteworthy about it.

After watching it to the end, I had a strange feeling that it was realistic, even though it was fiction. After watching it, I was reminded of my student days, so I think it was worth it.
The reviews in Japan are polarized. I would like to watch it again to see why it was "not for me" this time, but I probably won't.
To be honest, I have a dislike for the main character. I wonder if the movie couldn't have been made a little milder. However, if they had done that, the individuality of the movie would have been lost.

Final thoughts: It was a story without any surprises. Maybe that's why it felt realistic. That reality is what makes this movie so valuable. However, I am neither a high school girls nor an idol, so some parts of it felt real(As I remembered the past..), while others felt like Unrealistic. However, the author of this story is a real idol, so it may be real.