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Jun 26, 2016 8:20 PM

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To combat end of the anime season blues (all my shows ending and having no new anime to watch) I decided to finally watch one of the anime movies that I’ve been putting off, which ended up being <Harmony/>. I umm... I’m still sorting out how I feel about this... film. I feel like it’s trying to be deep and philosophical, and on some levels it works....
But on the other hand I’m still sitting here going “deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerp” even hours after watching it. Not because it was confusing, I get what was going on, but mostly because it presents such a bleak outlook on everything. Also, I HATE it when rape is used as a plot device, it just annoys me to no end.


Random note:
Every time someone call the main character by her name, Tuan, I kept feeling like they were mispronouncing Tuna and thus I started to call the MC Tuna in my head... hey, I had to cling onto something to keep my sanity intact through out this movie.
GreenTea13Jun 27, 2016 9:53 AM
Jul 4, 2016 12:08 AM

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Wow this was a pretty interesting movie that tackled some heavy topics. Overall I don't think it's amazing but what I do know is that I watched the movie from start to finish without pausing once, which goes to show how to me at least it was an engrossing and interesting watch.

The ending was decent enough although fairly depressing with the inevitable activation of harmony and Tuan killing Miach, would anybody care to explain the ending with the girl and the terminals?

Overall I enjoyed it and definitely liked how they approached and developed their themes, although it was a painful development at the end but nonetheless it was pretty good
"If I don't have to do it, I won't. If I have to do it, I'll make it quick."
- Oreki Houtarou
Jul 4, 2016 12:57 AM

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gust11 said:
Wow this was a pretty interesting movie that tackled some heavy topics. Overall I don't think it's amazing but what I do know is that I watched the movie from start to finish without pausing once, which goes to show how to me at least it was an engrossing and interesting watch.

The ending was decent enough although fairly depressing with the inevitable activation of harmony and Tuan killing Miach, would anybody care to explain the ending with the girl and the terminals?

Overall I enjoyed it and definitely liked how they approached and developed their themes, although it was a painful development at the end but nonetheless it was pretty good


wow it pretty amazing how you watching without pausing to understand what they are talking about. :D

about your question, someone answer that in first page,
derprume said:
I believe it is the opposite. The girl represents the person's' conscious and the white towers are like interfaces for the brains' actions and thoughts represented in code. Once harmony went online, the human conscious was no longer needed, hence the girl walking away and the multitude of white towers with unoccupied seats. Now it is a world where students like our MCs do not go through what they did.


or the different theory that I read somewhere, the girl is on the future when harmony already active, and she read the history about how harmony is active and after read it, she left.
megmicaJul 4, 2016 1:00 AM
Jul 4, 2016 9:17 AM

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alyya said:
gust11 said:
Wow this was a pretty interesting movie that tackled some heavy topics. Overall I don't think it's amazing but what I do know is that I watched the movie from start to finish without pausing once, which goes to show how to me at least it was an engrossing and interesting watch.

The ending was decent enough although fairly depressing with the inevitable activation of harmony and Tuan killing Miach, would anybody care to explain the ending with the girl and the terminals?

Overall I enjoyed it and definitely liked how they approached and developed their themes, although it was a painful development at the end but nonetheless it was pretty good


wow it pretty amazing how you watching without pausing to understand what they are talking about. :D

about your question, someone answer that in first page,
derprume said:
I believe it is the opposite. The girl represents the person's' conscious and the white towers are like interfaces for the brains' actions and thoughts represented in code. Once harmony went online, the human conscious was no longer needed, hence the girl walking away and the multitude of white towers with unoccupied seats. Now it is a world where students like our MCs do not go through what they did.


or the different theory that I read somewhere, the girl is on the future when harmony already active, and she read the history about how harmony is active and after read it, she left.
Yeah I was that engrossed but I doubt I understood everything xD

Ah I see, those theories make a lot of sense actually, I think the second theory is a little more convincing seeing as in the beginning it showed Tuan's terminal talking about telling her story or something
"If I don't have to do it, I won't. If I have to do it, I'll make it quick."
- Oreki Houtarou
Jul 7, 2016 2:05 AM

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I have a question about the book. Is the post-harmony world described in it?
I'd like to see how the writer himself imagined a world where the majority of population doesn't have consciousness.
Jul 7, 2016 2:40 AM

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Madotsuki-san said:
I have a question about the book. Is the post-harmony world described in it?
I'd like to see how the writer himself imagined a world where the majority of population doesn't have consciousness.

no, there's not. the book ends like the movie too.
Jul 18, 2016 2:51 AM

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I just watched this. Not a bad watch, interesting and different from usual garbage. But it isnt as thought provoking or deep as it portrays itself, the movie is alright but isnt a masterclass. But i enjoyed it nonetheless. But the smiling utopia reallly was creepy.
Jul 18, 2016 10:36 AM

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Does anyone know what is the name of opera at the end? I really liked it.. but I can't find it anywhere :\
The only real elegance is in the mind; if you've got that, the rest really comes from it.

Jul 18, 2016 10:57 AM

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Tama97 said:
Does anyone know what is the name of opera at the end? I really liked it.. but I can't find it anywhere :\
don't know the title, but just download the original soundtrack it pretty there I think.
Jul 20, 2016 9:23 AM

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found it ! don't know why I didn't think of that xD
Thank you ^^ <3
The only real elegance is in the mind; if you've got that, the rest really comes from it.

Jul 24, 2016 8:44 AM
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Agreed with those saying that Tuan's mother crying is a perfectly normal reaction, it'd be unnerving in those circumstances if she wasn't upset. Tuan wasn't exactly in a normal state of mind (she had just been influenced by Miach to try to kill herself), her perspective was very detached, I think that's why it seemed weird to her.

GreenTea13 said:
Also, I HATE it when rape is used as a plot device, it just annoys me to no end.

Agreed, and this was an especially bad example of it. It simply doesn't work to use a gendered war crime as a generalised example of human brutality (Miach kept just saying 'humans' in her final speech), and have it be what drives Miach's actions. Good sci fi is a comment on our present day society, but here the themes were weirdly abstract and divorced from social context. It just seemed it was trying way too hard to be deep and philosophical while ignoring the blindingly obvious.

Gvendoline said:
...typical anti-russian propoganda ruined this movie for me.

Given it's factual that Russian soldiers raped Chechen women and girls, it's not propaganda.
Jul 29, 2016 2:44 PM
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It took at least twenty minutes to actually put me in the film because I was struggling to hold on to early . But ultimately it is a superb film despite the end which is Obvious
Aug 16, 2016 8:08 AM

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A good worthwhile watch, a lot easier to understand than the other Project Itoh movie, Shisha no Teikoku. A screwed up utopia resulting in world-wide disaster.
ったく、嫌な世の中だよ。
Sep 13, 2016 7:42 PM

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Lol wtf happened? Reminds me of Ghost in the Shell
Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone
Oct 1, 2016 7:29 AM

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I just watched the movie.
As a huge fan of the book, I can't help but feel like this adaptation was rushed...one major flaw was just transferring the ton of exposition from the book into the movie, instead of showing the equivalent amount of information visually.
As a result, Tuan was a bit too talky.

Since the book was written by a dying man, it really hit me hard, as I have relatives who are in the medical profession and other relatives had recently died of cancer. The parallels between the Admedistration and chemotherapy/cancer treatment are obvious and really struck home. I know that frustration with being forced alive all too well, as I've been profoundly suicidal in my past without any means or motivation to act upon it.

I do wish they kept my favorite scene from the book: Tuan granting Miach's final wish and carrying her body to see the Caucasus.
Oct 15, 2016 10:59 PM
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Even though "Empire of Corpses" was flawed by making too many jumpcuts in its story and having its characters act without explanation, I found it to be a much more entertaining and enjoyable film than this one, which offers some gorgeous animation and some unique dystopian concepts about a world messed up beyond belief. Unfortunately, that's all the movie has going for it. I was completely disappointed with <harmony/>'s drudgingly slow pace and meandering story. There are too many scenes of characters monologuing about dull, uninteresting stuff to keep one's interest. I could not understand or follow the story. The ending is especially baffling.

The dubbing is also disappointing, although to be fair, it's not the fault of anyone involved. The problem is that Funimation has to work with a script where the characters have rather robotic dialogue. Save for the occasional bits of emotion and bonus points for accents for certain characters, it's overall a dull, uninspired listen.

My apologies, but I was totally underwhelmed with this movie. It could have been a very interesting compelling story, but its two hour running time seems even longer and overall, the movie is pretty boring to sit through. 4/10 for me.
Nov 3, 2016 12:41 PM

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I would consider this a good movie if it were not so boring...

I do understand that there is a message and a technological dystopia is displayed upon us, in which the human mind has decayed, persons are being rated by a system, the freedom is practically abandoned, the ability to feel, the free will. A world in which a drastic solution as forcing a "collective harmony", eliminate the consciousness, would be a way to avoid it to decay even further.

Ok, I get there is a message but the movie and its characters bored me for 2 entire hours.

I do agree with some comments saying that he movie tried to be too deep and philosophical and cruel in some sense but it did not get me. I didn't feel nor entertained by the work, or moved by the substance of it.
I did not feel any connection with the MC, or the "antagonist." I did not know how she planned to stop all the problem of the Harmony activation. I also did not get the inspiration of Miach to do all this just because she had a -truly- awful life experience when she was young. Ok, I won't take away metir of her life and how sad it was. I can't imagine it but I can understand it. However, I don't buy it as a mean to deliver this plot. Just because she was raped I do not have to understand and agree her further life decisions.

And that's it. I didn't even understood the motives of Tuan or her father or anyone else.

4/10 or 5/10
The low rating of mine is mostly because I got bored. I can't say I enjoyed it so I'm not able to rate it any higher.
Nov 17, 2016 7:50 AM
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Damn, I'm having hard time touching myself every night. It's just because of Miach story. I felt guilty. :3
akiraaishaNov 17, 2016 9:23 PM
Nov 26, 2016 5:55 AM

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Amazing film regarding individuality, conciousness and what makes you ... well you.
It was a great watch for sure but I feel like the fact that most of the characters weren't really explored aside from Tuan and Miach is a bit of a letdown.
On the other hand maybe that's what the creators intended to do.

I think it could've done a little better on the world building, how it came to this etc but still good enough for me.
I've always been a fan of stories that are trying to explain a future world etc.

9/10
Nov 29, 2016 8:03 AM

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Wow Harmony plot subject is pretty intense and heavy, I didn't really understand what really happen in the end but I quite enjoy this movie
Dec 12, 2016 4:22 AM
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I have few questions about the movie and if no ones minds I want the answer from someone who really understanded the movie/anime.

1. Was the switch to the Harmony world activated?
2. Did Tuan killed herself too when she killed Miach?
Dec 14, 2016 1:09 PM

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Broccoli_nyu said:
I have few questions about the movie and if no ones minds I want the answer from someone who really understanded the movie/anime.

1. Was the switch to the Harmony world activated?
2. Did Tuan killed herself too when she killed Miach?


1. Yes they activated Harmony, WatchMe societies were already going crazy so killing or not killing Miach wouldn't make any difference to the outcome
2. There is no certain answer to that as the ending just shows some beautiful landscape scenery, but I highly doubt it. Seems like she just put one in Miach...
Dec 19, 2016 9:58 AM
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HunterHearts said:
Broccoli_nyu said:
I have few questions about the movie and if no ones minds I want the answer from someone who really understanded the movie/anime.

1. Was the switch to the Harmony world activated?
2. Did Tuan killed herself too when she killed Miach?


1. Yes they activated Harmony, WatchMe societies were already going crazy so killing or not killing Miach wouldn't make any difference to the outcome
2. There is no certain answer to that as the ending just shows some beautiful landscape scenery, but I highly doubt it. Seems like she just put one in Miach...



Thanks:) Now now I finnaly understood the ending .
Dec 28, 2016 10:28 AM

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Broccoli_nyu said:
I have few questions about the movie and if no ones minds I want the answer from someone who really understanded the movie/anime.

1. Was the switch to the Harmony world activated?
2. Did Tuan killed herself too when she killed Miach?


She does not kill herself.
Dec 31, 2016 4:25 PM

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Was quite a surprise, I've had this on my list for some time now, just only now got around to watching it. Held my interest from start to finish, although the last maybe 20 minutes had me at a loss, will have to go back I suppose and rewatch to understand better.

Solid movie


"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment"
Feb 2, 2017 9:07 PM

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wtf... I have a feeling that I've just lost 1hr and 59 min of my life?

TechOtakuFeb 2, 2017 9:14 PM
Apr 13, 2017 5:31 AM
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Damn, this movie was so boring that I had to struggle to watch it till the end, constantly telling myself "five more minutes, five more minutes... don't fall asleep, five more minutes... oh gods, it's only been two minutes since I last checked?..."

And this comes from a person who happens to be deeply interested in antiutopian words, questions of safety versus free will, not to mention psychology and philosophy. I love this stuff, but the movie presented in all in such an unappealing matter, I can't consider it anything but a waste of my time.
May 23, 2017 10:52 AM

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In the middle of playing Dragon-Age, immediately 'Tranquility' came out. The atmosphere was quite pessimistic lonely, and the charas are quite real-like.

The end was quite gripping, the hellish years of rape of 8yr old Miach was devastating on her consciousness and her decision of 'Harmony' is quite plausible unlike Tuan's chara. The tragic? end seems good to this show.
May 24, 2017 12:19 AM

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LucreciaLeVrai said:
Damn, this movie was so boring that I had to struggle to watch it till the end, constantly telling myself "five more minutes, five more minutes... don't fall asleep, five more minutes... oh gods, it's only been two minutes since I last checked?..."

And this comes from a person who happens to be deeply interested in antiutopian words, questions of safety versus free will, not to mention psychology and philosophy. I love this stuff, but the movie presented in all in such an unappealing matter, I can't consider it anything but a waste of my time.


This. Make me give a fuck goddamit. It felt like someone was reading a book, perhaps a good one, but nonetheless reading it. I'm watching a movie, if I don't find it engaging there's no way I'll start pondering over its themes. (Tbh I watched the first 40 minutes before deciding to rush through the movie )
Jun 21, 2017 4:31 PM

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I really enjoyed this movie. Not only made the one viewing think and form an opinion, it was also not cliche at all, imo.

While the ending might be something that we see from time to time as the classic "tragic ending" I don't think that's the case here. Tuan was like obsessed with Miach not in a psycho way but she could not forget her even after all those years and although she wanted to make Miach's dream come true, she couldn't imagine her without all that "aura" she had - basically the twisted part of her.

So she killed Miach and I think she knew what was coming as she was smiling at the end when Tuan pulled the trigger. Honestly I can't think that it was betrayal like Miach knew Tuan better than anyone and was the only one who understood her.

Am giving this an 9/10 but will rewatch and reflect more.

Ah and one more thing, I think they purposely left an open ending and never really explained what the loss of consciousness was because in reality no one knows this and it's up to each person to think about what actions are "obvious" and do not need to be weighed or pondered. Did not understand those machines tho, guess rewatching might help.
BisieJun 21, 2017 4:59 PM
Jul 21, 2017 8:53 PM

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This is a film that was struggling to find its proper footing in its own plot.




It wants to be a dystopian detective story, analyzing the effects of technology on the human condition within the context of a society that had long since forgotten emotions. Though, that could have also been stiff voice acting and character models, but I digress.

It also wants to be an audiovisual experiment to realize the ambitions of its creators, establishing an animated world portraying fluid motion and hyper-realistic scenes, mirroring the technophilic nature of the film itself. Though, the CGI was really rough, and technology in the show mainly served as pretty imagery and tools of murder. But, again, I digress.

The film also attempted to become a film about the relationship between its two main characters, balancing their physical and emotional attachments between one another with their social standings, that being a government official and terrorist. By doing so, it attempted to tell a futuristic tale where, amidst a plague of apathy and indifference, a terrorist attempts to shock society into feeling emotions again while a detective tries to rediscover her past and reconnect with a woman she thought was long dead, of whom resurfaced as a mass killer.

...though, the film also used rape and incest as the underlying cause of all of its conflicts. That, I feel, was the film's greatest problem.



As a film that referenced Brave New World, it must have been familiar with previous interpretations of Dystopias in the past, where a perceived "perfect" society is, in fact, not perfect. However, in properly establishing a Dystopia, a properly established Utopia must exist first. In a way, a Utopia is a response to some current condition, where, in recalling texts such as Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke, they refer to, speak against, and/or make improvements upon an existing societal condition in the world. In a way, they serve as criticisms of society, but not in terms of merely pointing out flaws. Rather, they expose harmful conditions to which may have alternative solutions to, or at least some observed end by which can be avoided by taking an alternate path. For Dystopias, they more so work as criticisms toward Utopias. In a sense, they're reactions to reactions. As I understand it, such Dystopic sentiments arose around WWI and the turn of the century, where the hopeful ideals of future were dashed when people realized the destructive potential of technology - the very same technology that was supposed to lead towards a cleaner, sophisticated, controlled and orderly life.

As artifacts of the past, such Dystopic sentiments are, perhaps, more relevant in today's world, where technology has come to the forefront of our lives where, in a sense, those living comfortably with laptops, smartphones and access to all manner of 21st century technologies have become cybernetic: forming an actual physical dependence on machinery. Carl Silvio, Assistant Professor of English at Monroe Community College, talked a bit on this in “Animated Bodies and Cybernetic Selves: The Animatrix and the Question of Posthumanity," but in essence, humans have become a sort of "interface" where information can be received, interpreted, and transferred to other "interfaces" with the aid of various tools. Because of this, differentiating the physical reality and the cybernetic reality becomes more difficult, which recalls anime such as Serial Experiments Lain and Ghost in the Shell. Or, well, Harmony, but to a lesser extent.




Harmony attempts to create a world where cybernetic technology allows people to have constant access to networked information, thereby being connected to one another as a result. However, this aspect wasn't really explored further than everyone capable of being killed Death Note-style at any given moment. Additionally, technology was used initially in a battle sequence and in various scenes throughout the film to establish the level of sophistication present in the metropolitan context. This can be seen in the restaurant scene where the constant rotation, panning and zooming of the camera gave a full view of the entire room, demonstrating both the technology present in the scene and the technology used to create the anime.

...that is, if the scene itself had any actual interesting content beyond the two characters eating and the monotonous color scheme of white and pink. If anything, it's a wasteful scene that could have been used to show off its world, but instead, it attempts to make a monologue seem more important than it really was. Or, alternatively, it featured unnecessary camera that, instead of focusing on the characters speaking about plots and intents, instead overemphasized the technique used in creating its shots, of which didn't reveal anything beyond glass, buildings, and more of the film's limited color palette. This happens throughout the film, where technique overshadows content, by which should have been an indictment on modern-day society. It's a real shame actually, where the potential for a visually astounding film is wasted on pinks and whites. Baghdad, in comparison, was much more colorful and active, despite there not being many scenes in the streets. It's the first time I've seen Baghdad in an anime, which proved to be a wasted opportunity to further explore the world of Haromny.

The bones are present for a unique story akin to Blade Runner. Or Minority Report. Or Ghost in the Shell. Or Total Recall. Or Demolition Man. Or...well...anyways, it could have at least given its own spin with the addition of two women possessing attachments deeper than just simple friendship. Like Psycho Pass. Err...nevermind.

Beyond its issues establishing its identity and managing its usage of technology in terms of plot and actual anime creation, Harmony was also confused as to its characters. At some point, the organizations, affiliations, government agencies and opposing factions became so jumbled that I stopped paying attention. If writing logic stands, then if a film chooses to not focus on a subject as much, then it must not be as important as its main focus, which are its main characters. As such, I interpreted the film as story about the two main characters, Tuan and Miach, attempting to reconnect with one another. The former attempts to stop a mass murder initially, but becomes emotionally invested and instead searches for Miach in order to come to terms with her own past. Miach, instead, wishes to introduce "feeling" into a perceived Utopian society, which is Japan, by virtue of mass killing. As a near parallel to the actions of Death Note's Kira, she kills people through a variety of means from a distance, almost as if it were done by magic. In this case, it's done through technology, further cementing the fact that technology is bad when abused.

...yes, I think that's been well established in the past hundred or so years.




Oh, did I mention that the main "villain," whom in this case is Miach, is somewhat excused for her actions due to being the product of generations of inbreeding and being a victim of kidnapping, rape and torture? Because, as it were, the way in which Harmony portrays how she is made aware of the evils of society is through sexual violation and violence. Putting aside real life implications and the sheer absurdity of the scenario (as that would require a whole other post on), there are at two three major narrative issues I have with this act. First, it establishes Miach as the main figurehead of all that is wrong with the film's conflict. Rather than the wrongs of society being society itself, the government, some manner of human mannerism or pure circumstance leading to a Dystopia, the film's problems were brought about by Miach viewing Japan as a pure Utopian society that she wanted to disrupt. Second, while not necessarily being a direct reference, Miach was raped, and thus she was made aware of the world's evils. As a result, when arriving at Japan, a pure and untouched nation, she wished to make impure create mass panic and chaos through her murders. Rape, as viewed through this perspective, is the underlying plot. This narrative decision was not justified, and was thus used as a quick excuse to explain Miach's motives within the film's final act. Goodness gracious.

If I can give this anime any props, it's its dedication to a downer ending. Had it ended with unicorns and rainbows, it would have actually insulted me. Instead, it at least remained consistent with its initially established tone, so I can at least give the film that much. Overall though, it was a mess, but one that at least had the ambition to...uh...feature two young women becoming intimate while spouting philosophies regarding death and historiography in a dark room full of burning books?




I think Harmony really wanted to be shocking and innovative, but it fell a few steps short of that goal.
ShockedJul 21, 2017 8:59 PM
Sep 10, 2017 1:40 PM
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Good is happiness and evil is pain.

However human minds do not assign a desirability number based on projected happiness number. Humans have their own values and wants, that do not necessarily make them happy. For example, Matrix red pill or blue pill. Average human mind wants truth and legitimacy and so will choose red pill even though blue pill makes them ultimately happier.

Makes sense if you think of it from evolutionary 'selfish gene' perspective. A gene that creates a mind forming desires based on actual happiness will choose happiness over persistence. So that gene will end. A person who takes drugs all day every day will be happier than one who does not and struggles to survive. The unhappier survivor though, has a gene that persist, and so persist they will.

Miach is Cypher and she chose to be happy.

TLDR: Blue Pill.
Oct 20, 2017 4:01 PM

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6654
at least the scene in which the girl slits her throat was good, the rest wasn't
The dearer you hold a memory the more painful it becomes.


Oct 25, 2017 6:08 PM

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5519
I liked it. A cartoon called Prisoner Zero has a similar plot of nano machines being used to strip humans of free will.
Nov 3, 2017 1:31 PM

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Defective_Minus said:
Ok guys so I just finished the movie and like many people, I have a few questions.
1. Towards the end of the movie, that group with the really long name contacted Toan and basically told her "you're the only one who can stop machi". If they said this, that means they weren't planning to activate harmony if machi was stopped. Yet, machi ended up dying anyway but they still activated harmony. What was the point of them even talking to Toan if they were just gonna activate Harmony anyway?
2. So basically Toan witnessed a childhood friend dying, then her own father dying. Her father told her to stop Machi so that the Harmony program wouldn't be activated but she ended up going to machi side anyway? So her father died In vein, the sacrifices on her journey were in vein?
3. Why did she decide to go with machi' plan at the end of the movie when she was against it for most of the movie? She seemingly said "screw the world, I just want machi" and then killed her. Letting the world go into the trance state.
4. The whole killing machi thing. I understand that it was because she didn't want machi to become doll like and she wanted to preserve her memory of what machi was like when she knew her but would it matter if they are both in that trance like state? Would Toan even think about things like that.
5. Will there be some sort of sequel where we get to see what harmony world looks like?

PS: I realize that I probably misspelled the white hair girls name.


I have similar thoughts too. For movies that end like this, I think the ending is up to the viewer's interpretation. I think this method is lazy, so I subtracted one point from 8 to 7 rating.
Nov 24, 2017 11:34 PM

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And that was the end. EGOIST with another great song. Miyuki delivers once again. LAWD! This had more CG than Shisha no Teikoku.

I started watching this on 11/19. I just now finished on 11/25. Why? Not because I was busy, but because it wasn't grabbing my attention so I started doing other things. First 18 minutes of the movie took me 3 hours. After that, I just had to stop around the 30-40 minute mark and continue the next day. Next day came, and I only got to the 1 hour mark. At that point I knew I couldn't finish it in one watch. I decided to do 30 minutes at a time each day to finish it. The next day, I got ready to continue it then I talked myself out of it and decided to finish it the next day. Skip to today. I had to force myself to finish since my plan is to watch Gyakusatsu Kikan tomorrow. It took me 3 hours to finish the rest. I watched Shisha no Teikoku before this and it was much more enjoyable. I finished that in 3 hours (I pretty much paused only for "culture" reasons).

Harmony wasn't bad. It's actually good. My attention just wasn't grabbed. I had high expectations as well just like with all the Project Itoh films, but between this and SnT, Harmony was disappointing. I hope my most hyped Itoh film, GK, delivers next to end it with a bang.
If you see that my post is exactly 1 month old (or more) from when it was posted... Don't waste your time, especially when you want to reply with something petty & insignificant. Assume that I've moved on (because I have).
Nov 27, 2017 3:33 AM
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564089
Honestly, this movie was a big let down
Apr 11, 2018 1:19 PM
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GrimorumInvoke said:
Defective_Minus said:
Ok guys so I just finished the movie and like many people, I have a few questions.
1. Towards the end of the movie, that group with the really long name contacted Toan and basically told her "you're the only one who can stop machi". If they said this, that means they weren't planning to activate harmony if machi was stopped. Yet, machi ended up dying anyway but they still activated harmony. What was the point of them even talking to Toan if they were just gonna activate Harmony anyway?
2. So basically Toan witnessed a childhood friend dying, then her own father dying. Her father told her to stop Machi so that the Harmony program wouldn't be activated but she ended up going to machi side anyway? So her father died In vein, the sacrifices on her journey were in vein?
3. Why did she decide to go with machi' plan at the end of the movie when she was against it for most of the movie? She seemingly said "screw the world, I just want machi" and then killed her. Letting the world go into the trance state.
4. The whole killing machi thing. I understand that it was because she didn't want machi to become doll like and she wanted to preserve her memory of what machi was like when she knew her but would it matter if they are both in that trance like state? Would Toan even think about things like that.
5. Will there be some sort of sequel where we get to see what harmony world looks like?

PS: I realize that I probably misspelled the white hair girls name.


I have similar thoughts too. For movies that end like this, I think the ending is up to the viewer's interpretation. I think this method is lazy, so I subtracted one point from 8 to 7 rating.

To be honest, the whole Itoh Project is an extreme reflection on humanity in its current state (especially the Gyakusatsu Kikan). To provide a definitive ending in the narrative for either film would mean to accept subjectivity (which is wrong). Neither of us can say what will humanity do next, as it remains to be seen, whether it can actually save it self, or if it is simply not worth saving. You are not supposed to look for the ending, but for the reflection the films leave in yourself. And hope the project does not end up a predecessor for reality to come.
Re:formed
Apr 25, 2018 6:54 PM
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Apr 2018
2
Defective_Minus said:
Ok guys so I just finished the movie and like many people, I have a few questions.
1. Towards the end of the movie, that group with the really long name contacted Toan and basically told her "you're the only one who can stop machi". If they said this, that means they weren't planning to activate harmony if machi was stopped. Yet, machi ended up dying anyway but they still activated harmony. What was the point of them even talking to Toan if they were just gonna activate Harmony anyway?
2. So basically Toan witnessed a childhood friend dying, then her own father dying. Her father told her to stop Machi so that the Harmony program wouldn't be activated but she ended up going to machi side anyway? So her father died In vein, the sacrifices on her journey were in vein?
3. Why did she decide to go with machi' plan at the end of the movie when she was against it for most of the movie? She seemingly said "screw the world, I just want machi" and then killed her. Letting the world go into the trance state.
4. The whole killing machi thing. I understand that it was because she didn't want machi to become doll like and she wanted to preserve her memory of what machi was like when she knew her but would it matter if they are both in that trance like state? Would Toan even think about things like that.
5. Will there be some sort of sequel where we get to see what harmony world looks like?

PS: I realize that I probably misspelled the white hair girls name.


1. If you have watched the movie you could understand that Miach already has accomplished her goal to throw the world into chaos. The group was just desperate. But no matter what Tuan could have done, it was too late already.

2. To put it short: Tuan actually never felt much empathy for the world as it is. Which is also why she also took the suicide pills in the past. And if you think about it, you would understand her. I mean it has been shown again and again during the whole movie. What she only cared about was to see Miach again.

3. Tuan did not join her. The ending was pretty heartbreaking actually. From her perspective, not having a consciousness is as good as being dead. The world has already been in chaos (riots, murders, suicides everywhere), it was just a matter of short time before the "group with the long name" pulls the emergency brake and activated Harmony-programm. World's going to end. So she did one last selfish act for herself: She told Miach what she wants to hear, hugging her, confessing her love and then pulled the trigger.

4. Tuan agreed with her father in that regard. From her perspective, not having a consciousness is as good as being dead. Imagine if a life without any kind of feelings and emotions would be worth living?

5. Sadly, i doubt that. The original Author died a while ago and it's almost a miracle that his partly unfinished projects not only have been finished & published but also adaptated into movies. Given that they handle quite deep topics and are targeted at an older audience.


All in all, I really liked this movie. It gives a lot of food for thoughts and it's different from most animes. But it has a dark tone. The depicted dystopical Utopia is quite disturbing and the ending leaves a stale aftertaste - even though it fits well with the movie.
Oct 1, 2018 6:48 AM

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Jul 2011
336
As I expected it was average. Some parts greatly done, others not much.
What happened to the people without implants after activating the program?
How in really looks like that "un-consciousness" state, how can people function and continue living?
Or how could Miach's whole tribe lived that way?
Or how she developed pseudo-consciousness through the pain and suffering in that short time?
Why did government ever wanted to turn all people into potato even to avoid couple of thousand deaths?
Did some central computer took over the world after Harmony activated?
etc...
So many unanswered questions..
P.S. Movie is also too "bright" for the plot like this..

It started great, but ended with one big meh..

5/10
Oct 1, 2018 10:40 AM

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May 2012
25828
This was quite the interesting movie, and it sure amazes me that I actually never heard, or seen anything related to this movie! The CGI was quite well done and the general story had a pretty decent pacing I must say.

Quite enjoyed watching the movie and general progression of the story!
Oct 5, 2018 3:23 PM

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Oct 2015
6916
Why did Tuan kill Miach even though she accepted her utopia, it doesn't make sense?? Anyway i loved how the series was tackling teenage suicide and all but i didn't enjoy it in the least bit.

Too much talk and focus on Miach, i didn't like Tuan she sucked, the animation wasn't that good anyway and the plot wasn't bad. If i say i would see it in the future i would be very lying.

5/10 for the message.
How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb --- Dr Strangelove

Oct 6, 2018 4:06 PM
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Nov 2014
1
To have suffered such incomprehensible abuse at such a young age... and do you know how many women actually do have severe rape in their backgrounds?... to come to the conclusion to choose a world in which nobody can make any choices so that no one will ever get hurt again.
This is the big question, isn't it?
Mar 11, 2019 5:11 PM

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Jul 2016
50
Lol at how they burned Kierkegaard. No wonder Miach was so edgy.

You ever rape a girl so hard she develops a consciousness? That's like reverse mindbreak.
EsotericDesignMar 11, 2019 6:43 PM
All you can hope for in your worldview is consistency
May 18, 2021 1:51 AM
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Sep 2018
2
Why is the rating so low? This anime is such a gem
Sep 6, 2021 9:26 AM

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May 2020
1983
I wonder what exactly Miaha's plan was for the large numbers of people that the movie went out of its way to show were specifically not using the WatchMe interface. I mean those people are normal humans without their consciousness being tampered with. All Harmony managed to do was essentially zombiefy a majority of humanity but it's not going to stop anything.

Anyway, I found this to be pretty boring. It had its moments but they were far and in between. Interesting concept but I just couldn't get invested into it.
Feb 8, 2022 7:30 AM
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Jan 2020
1984
I have no clue what to think of this
Mar 5, 2022 5:54 PM

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Sep 2014
4834
One of the most fascinating movies I have seen in a long time. I was glued to my screen the entire time, partially because there was so much dialogue going on and I really had to concentrate to keep up but it was worth it.
Tuan slowly uncovering the truth of this world together with us viewers and chasing after her old friend was well done. Her not saving the world but just wanting some personal closure was refreshing.
Miach was portrayed as an intriguing character with some grand plan, but in the end she just wanted to escape her pain. This stands in conflict to the sublime image of her which Tuan fell in love with. In the end tuan really was alone, as the Miach she chased after did not exist anymore, ultimately getting killed by Tuan as to not further tarnish her image.

(Watching this now feels a bit weird with the russian war going on.)

The author dying from cancer definitely influenced this medical system but I wonder how close the harmony is to ego death, which is actually more realistic.
I didnt even realize this was one of the project Itoh movies at first, but it was by far the strongest. Genocidal organ was fine but it pales compared to Harmony. Really I wonder why I did not watch this sooner.
Ultimately all the Itoh movies are pretty convoluted and somewhat disappointing. But harmony was interesting enough to consider picking up the novel as the adaption probably screwed some things up.

Its best to focus on the drama and existential question rather than to try to make sense of the technical part of the world.
8/10, but Im really biased towards characters like Miach and also Tuan, who doesnt care about saving the world.
Comander-07Mar 5, 2022 6:16 PM
"This emotion is mine alone.
It is for Madoka alone." - Homura
or how I would descripe Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica.
Mar 27, 2022 11:46 AM
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Mar 2010
171
Surprisingly enjoyable. Although some scenes went on for longer than needed. Way too much of exposition dialogue and I wished they would've shown more. Otherwise, love the subject matter and setting. Definitely deserves a higher score.
Apr 4, 2022 4:38 PM

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Aug 2017
3040
Tuan's father's look kinda remind me of Black Jack

Anyway, the movie really surprised me with the contents in a rather pleasant way, although I suppose the source is more elaborate. The presentation is very moody, nothing you'd expect from a pretty cyberpunk-ish movie. Instead we got jabs at some wars that I've never expected to see in anime, a bunch of philosophical ramblings, bold experiments with 3D and...some yuri?
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