This shouldn't have been an independent film. Impeccable voice acting, exquisite yet impactful moments, Sakuta being the greatest Onii-chan there ever was - yet it felt... plain, at least compared to the previous arcs animated.
Despite all the conflicts Kaede faces throughout the show, all the heartwarming but slow build-up made it almost feel like a slice of life show rather than a supernatural and mysterious one. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as nothing feels forced, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I wanted more oomph to the story. I personally was craving for Futaba to ted-talk some next-level Nobel-prize winning hypothesis just for Sakuta to mess up everything and make the world fall apart...
Overall, a huge praise to Cloverworks for maintaining consistent and high quality animation as well as encapsulating each of the character's emotions perfectly in the segments that mattered the most. As an Ao-Buta fan, the better option might be to wait and binge watch everything later in the winter!
Also HOLY **** THE ENDING SONG SLAPS HARD