STORY: What a bunch of garbage. Based on the trailer, I went into the movie expecting a story about two teens who missed a chance to get together and, for some reason, end up making some sort of wish to redo the night of the fireworks. It reminded me of Koe no Kodachi mixed with Your Name. Instead, we get a disjointed story about a bland teen and his sexist, immature friends and the girl they all have a crush on. She’s just as bad, whining about a home life issue that was frighteningly common and wanting to run away because she doesn’t care about her family. It could have been a moving coming of age story as characters learn to care about more than just themselves, instead it was wish fulfillment (literally) and overly sexualized, privileged teenagers who don’t appreciate what they have. Yes, I realize I sound like an old lady shaking my cane at the kids to get off my lawn right now. You will too by the time you’re done with this movie.
The kids have no character development or personalities that make you as the viewer like them. The closest you get is the early likeable Kosuke who, by the second “if” wish, has completely changed personality from the supportive friend to a murderous, jealous jerk. Ugh.
CHARACTERS: The characters are frighteningly 1-dimensional. I kept waiting for the boys’ teacher to have a side plot. This honestly would have been much more interesting if all the characters that are randomly introduced got some sort of minor subplot or somehow get more development with each “if.” Instead, she is used for boob jokes over and over, and ends up with possibly 3 lines in the entire movie. The same goes for Kosuke’s dad, who is a doctor very intent on his golf stroke. They never address this again. It’s a one and done joke that could have showed up in other places. For example, even if they just added him in the background playing golf watching the fireworks or something! The main characters aren’t any better. Nazuna is a bland Manic Pixie Dream Girl with no personality. Looking at her as a parent, I see a whiny child that the animators over sexualized. I asked my son if he liked her and he said that there wasn’t anything to like (but he did like the male lead character because they match in immature personalities). Her story is laughable: running away from home because she doesn’t like her mom’s decisions, she ends up repeating her mom’s behavior, while giving her dad’s storyline 30 seconds of screen time and a MAJOR plot hole. But she gets TWO laughable idol solos (the same song from different POVs) in which she envisions herself as a princess. I also couldn’t get into our main protagonist. He’s overly bland with a voice actor that didn’t fit. We get no information on him other than his family runs some sort of shop and he’s immature along with his stereotypical pack of man boys. But, hey, the situation gets so out of hand that his best friend basically tries to murder him and no one bats an eye because it causes a different reaction than intended.
ANIMATION: I cannot stand 2D mixed with 3D. I try to be open minded when it’s done well, such as in Land of the Lustrous. It can be done well if the 3D is cell shaded and smooth enough. But then there are really BAD CG jobs (looking at you, Golden Kamuy). The CG in this starts out just BAD. The movie is ridiculously similar to the Monogatari series in terms of character looks, mannerisms, and the way it is “filmed.” For example, close up on eyes, quick seemingly random shots, and slow mo moves up or down a body, and way too much fixation on young girls. The movie even goes so far as to use a school that looks like the 3D model was plucked straight out of the first episode of Bakemonogatari (complete with repetitively used circle stairs). At other points, the 3D is just downright intrusive to the viewing experience. Sometimes they obviously replaced the 2D characters with distant 3D models on a 2D or 3D background, and included real photos in background images. It looked like a game from the early 2000s. By the time Nazuna has her ridiculous idol sequence in which everything is made from cheap glass that any 3D CG beginner could have rendered, I was annoyed with the film and ready to leave. As the 3D gets a bit heavier, it’s obvious they were trying for a surreal Madoka (witch scenes) feel. This would have worked well if it was only used during the “if” sequences, but instead it is spread unevenly and intrusively across the whole movie. If there were any saving graces, it would be that the character’s “if” wishes are reflected in English in a really neat environmental object during the scene switch.
SOUND: I was extremely disappointed with the sound in the movie. The music is all right, nothing special. However, there could have been much more of it. Instead, it was like: “Oh, there’s music. That means this is an important and/or surreal and pretentious sequence.” The voice actors are HORRIBLE. It felt like they all recorded separately, literally phoning it in as the volume and tone of all characters is the same through the majority of the movie. Their pacing and rhythm are awful. Nazuna is the only voice that seems to fit her character. The boys sound nothing like a group of bickering friends. The main character has a voice much too deep for his age and stature.
OVERALL: Horrible movie. My middle school son enjoyed it for the garbage humor and lack of in-depth storyline, and the fact that it features a pretty girl rebelling. As an adult, I wanted to leave the theater by the time Nazuna was singing.
