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Aug 12, 2019
I'd like to preface this review by saying I went into the movie blind, not knowing anything about it and it won over my heart wholeheartedly. This movie will go in my top animes of all time, but it is not without faults.
*Warning: spoilers ahead*
Like a lot of critics mentioned, I felt the story was overly ambitious for the amount of time the movie has. In particular, I felt the battle between other nations at the climax was rushed and unresolved. The invading nations won, so what is the fate of the support cast? There is also no closure for most of the support casts
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who had long pass away by the time Maquia returned back to the village to bid her son, Ariel, farewell.
I don't think the story had bad elements per se, but just lacked the extra scenes needed to make the movie whole due to time constraints.
But this is nit-picky of me, because the main focus is on the relationship between Maquia and Ariel. Everything else serves to explore their relationship (which I wish we could have more of!).
I really think the movie is best enjoyed by people who can really empathize with others. Here, we have a 15-year-old immortal who was ripped away from her home and family, and tossed into a foreign world with nothing but a burnt cloth that serves as memoir of her home. It's absolutely devastating and the only thing that gives her purpose to move on is this orphan she picks up from a raided camp.
I'm not a woman, but I could imagine how happy she was to have someone to bond with as family. You get to see how Ariel is attached to his adoptive mom as a child, and how he grows distant in his teens. He doesn't mean to, but he said some mean things that really hurts his mom.
The raw emotions of the characters are so real that it really hurts me, and I found myself crying three times throughout the watch.
I will never forget what my literature teacher taught me: It doesn't matter whether there's a moral to the story, or if there's a specific message the author is trying to convey. What really matters is how YOU can relate to the story and characters; Losing my dad to cancer was the most traumatizing experience I've ever encountered. So hell-yes, I cherish the bond between family members, but I also know how painful partings are.
We are so caught up with everyday life that we take for granted how lucky we are to be among loved ones, and sometimes we regret how we didn't spend enough time with them when it's too late. After watching this, I want to give my mom a kiss on the cheek.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Mar 20, 2019
Note: The following will be very spoilery in the scope of this movie only.
Let me get the good parts out of the way; overall as a package, I give this movie a 9/10.
It definitely does the visual novel justice with bombastic action, great line deliveries and intense pacing. I welcomed the new changes to the plot, like the part where we get to see Sakura's POV where she gobbled up humans in Wonderland.
However, I strongly feel you're doing yourself a disservice by not reading the visual novel:
-The pacing of the movie was too fast. Understandably, there's a lot of material to cover in the span
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of 2hrs, but this resulted in strong plot points being overlooked. For example, the first time Shirou and Sakura had sex, it was incredibly passionate and steamy, but subsequent intercourses got increasingly eerie as he'd have more visions of the Grail's shadow sucking his energy that juxtapose with the hot sex.
-And on that note, the movie quickly revealed Sakura as the shadow responsible for devouring people in Fuyuki, while the visual novel had the readers guessing because Sakura would vividly dream about eating humans, but would always wake up in bed as if nothing truly happened; It wasn't until Gilgamesh showed up and shred her in the alley that we realize Sakura was actually sleep walking in the city.
-As mentioned by other reviewers, we don't get to hear Shirou's inner monologues. It resulted in him appearing shallow or confusing at times, such as when he asked himself "Are you going to betray?", which alluded to whether he was going to betray his ideals as a hero of justice. The audience will never truly understand his heart ache when he pointed that knife at Sakura after he had previously resolved to protect her from Rin after Kirei revealed the worm crest embedded in her body will eventually drive her mad.
-I really disliked how they made a joke of Shirou losing his arm by jump cutting to a scene where he stands at the entrance and nonchalantly explains to Sakura he got into a scrap with the enemy. In the visual novel, this was an incredibly low point in the story, because not only does he have no servant, but now one of his arm is useless. He no longer has the means to fight, yet I did not feel a sense of helplessness like I did with the first movie when he lost Saber. This contributes to the last problem:
-The movie lacked a sense of urgency. I felt this was due to the amount of crazy stuff happening; Sakura is a master, Rider stone gazes everyone, Sakura impales herself and Shiro in an outburst, Saber Alter kills Heracles, Archer dies, Sakura is revealed to be the culprit behind the black shadow, Gilgamesh gets eaten, Shirou attempts to murder Sakura, Shinji reveals he had repeatedly raped Sakura and gets rekt, and Sakura merges with the shadow. There are so many shocking events to digest in 2hrs! But again, it's the fault of the medium and that's why I recommend people read the VN!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 3, 2016
Um, this anime I find to be a mixed bag. The first 5 episodes were quite enjoyable and I would easily rate 8/10 (overlooking some uncomfortable fanservice scenes.
*Minor Spoilers for the rest of the review*
However, starting at episode 6, the story starts getting serious about Machi being overwhelmed by urban society. You'd think she'd overcome her fears in the final arc, but it actually increased her anxiety with city life.
The anime could've ended with "Oh you made a little progress, Machi. Let's try our best next time!". But instead it ended "Forget about city life and enjoy the life we have now!". I don't
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think this message is inherently bad, but it ignored the previous trials she overcame. It pissed the hell out of me; what was the point of the last half of the anime!?
I would feel much better if Machi made *an informed* decision to stay in the village (like out of love) instead of baseless fears. Grr!
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Apr 17, 2016
This movie reminded me of Grave of the Fireflies where the parental figure is inexperienced in raising. New parents will likely be able to relate to this movie. However, there are a lot of frustrating moments where I'm just thinking "Oh my god you did not think this through, did you?
I can understand the mother's pain, but at the same time I'm just shaking my head. By the time the credits rolled I felt a bit empty like I wasted my time. I give this movie props for originality and good production value, but the story isn't something I'd consider a must have experience..
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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