Sidonia S1 was a bombastic marvel, and led to many people declaring it as Attack on Titan in space. It had the perfect balance of character-driven story arcs and action, and it seemed like a fresh take on the space opera, giving backroom politics a lesser role in favor of the frontline drama. Our hero, Nagate Tanikaze, had to make difficult decisions again and again. But S2 was a strange departure. The immediacy and horror of the Gauna threat took a backseat to rom-com antics with the introduction of Tsumugi. I felt S2 was a much weaker season than S1 and it left many questions unanswered. This movie needed a great payoff and return to the grim seriousness that made S1 so great.
The movie returned to its serious form after a short introduction that breaks the ice a little. But it's a jarring switch, as the rom-com elements were eliminated entirely, and there was no closure to the harem that Nagate accumulated in S2. Instead, Nagate swiftly and suddenly made his choice without too much on-screen brooding. This allowed more time for the space battles, which looked and sounded better than ever due to the movie budget.
My biggest criticism of the movie was that it tried to do too much and juggle too many characters at once. The screentime of the new minor characters took away from what could've been more screentime and development of the characters we were already familiar with in S1 and S2. Nagate himself felt like a minor character, as he wasn't the main focus for much of the movie. Giving a large cast enough time for each of them to shine is an issue that many anime adaptions must deal with. Notably, the two shows in which Sidonia evokes memories for me, Legend of the Galactic Heroes and Attack on Titan, had much more time to develop things. Sidonia had only 24 episodes and this movie. Though the movie clocked in at almost two hours, it really could've used some more time to explore the mystery of the Gauna.
The antagonist had great potential, but he wasn't given proper development. Instead, he ended up acting comical, delivering hammy dialogue instead of being nuanced and making an attempt to convince viewers that his grand plan had any merit. This is a shame, as S1 had the compelling drama and fallout from the fate of Shizuka Hoshijiro. S2 and this movie's writing were significantly weaker. The climax sets up the final battle as the Gauna's last major stand, but with a hammy villain behind it all, I didn't get the same thrills as the climax of S1.
The ending is satisfactory, and it is certainly the slickest space opera production in years. But while everything wrapped up nicely, I can't help but feel that we were cheated out of something completely epic. Nagate needed to be more than just a nice guy with amazing Garde combat skills, and the Gauna needed to be more than just an evil alien force. It's clear that underneath all of the technobabble, the Sidonia movie didn't intend to present a deep, substantial story that will resonate with viewers long after everything's over. But hey, if you want shiny space battles with some of the best sound production you'll ever hear in anime, this movie delivers that in spades.
