I found that the movie is very stop and start mixed with some "whats going on?" and "what are they talking about?". I didn't understand how these two kids who barely interacted were suddenly like "lets get married when I come back from Italy making violins!". That sentence alone was confusing enough for me. I think the message was supposed to be something along the lines of "Follow your dreams!" but it feels different from other Studio Ghibli movies that have a lot more love put into them. It just feels generic. But a Ghibli movie is a Ghibli movie so I can't say that it didn't keep my attention. The scene where they all sing together was a nice touch and was pretty much the best part of the movie.
Art 10/10
Studio Ghibli never fails in the art aspect. Their clean and comfortable style drew me in and I really can't say there was any point I thought the art was bad. No, it was exactly up to Ghibli standards so I can't be disappointed on that front.
Sound 7/10
Again, Ghibli can't fail on the technical aspects
Character 6/10
The characters were confusing. The one girl wanted to be an author but for some unexplained reason she's really isolated and on numerous occasions diminishes her own worth. By the end she still feels that way except now? she has a fiancee? And the guy character was totally underdeveloped. He didn't have nearly enough screen time for this to be a love story (or whatever it was?) and I would've liked to see more of him and her interacting. Don't get me wrong, I loved their visual designs, but as fleshed out characters they seemed lacking in a lot of ways.
Enjoyment 6/10
It kept my attention but I wouldn't watch it again. I wouldn't say it was a waste of time because its always on the "most underrated ghibli films of all time" list. So now I don't have to sit and wonder why it was so underrated. I know now.
Overall 6/10
The technical portion of the film was well done but the story felt a little too bare bones compared to what I'm used to seeing from Ghibli
