Goodbye, Don Glees!

Caught the UK debut of this at the 75th Edinburgh International Film Festival (director told us it is getting general UK release in November 2022, think Oct for North America). It is a coming of age story - I was thinking Stand By Me only for the director to tell the festival crowd after the screening that Stand By Me was indeed an influence. Although many of the beats of a teenage coming of age are there, all tropes we've seen before, it is well done and it really brings out the emotions (be prepared to blink away tears a couple of times), while the artwork is lovely, especially some of the big landscape moments in the forest, a night sky or waterfalls. Lovely, warm and emotional.

I love the storytelling in the middle, but it's a bit hastily and ended for the sake of ending. But I honestly can't figure out how to write it could be better.

Sorry for my bad English. Not a native speaker.

I went to see this movie to the theater as my teenager sister loves Anime and she knows the quality of Mad House studio.

Wow!!!!

What a beautiful movie is this one. So we'll crafted, so we'll written and directed, animated and told. We all ended up crying, touched by the emotional story of three teenager friends and their simple adventures, yet fantastic and full of vitality. That's why I love cinema. A subtle, profound and touching piece of art.

A piece of art.

For two boys Roma and Toto, aged 15 and 16, this will be final year of their hidden secret gathering place "Don Glees" as they will all most likely seeking separate careers going separate ways. For this final year a third teenager, Drop, has joined them - he's new to the group but brimming with enthusiasm for one-in-lifetime experiences.

So Roma is pushed into blowing his entire allowance on a camera drone for an ambitious attempt at a good close-up film of a fireworks display, but events on night do not go according to plan.

This will force them into an adventure deep into the forest without detailed maps and scant phone coverage, taking them through tragedy, terror, heart-ache, and culminating with a truly epic closure.

I watched this at "Scotland Loves Animation" festival in October 2022 and out of 4 entries for the Audience Award - this the only one I felt compelled to vote for. With an excellent script and visuals, intelligently nuanced characters, plot and storyline, this will keep me alert in future for any more work by the writer and director Atsuko Ishizuka.

This movie is about three teenage boys accused of starting a forest fire. They are trying to find evidence to prove their innocence. The film's theme is discovering the treasure you desire, which can be anything like passion, love, friendship, etc.

The story is simple, and the characters are well-developed, especially Shizuku "Drop" Sakuma. His character was particularly impactful. The inner conflicts of each character contributed to their growth by the end of the movie. The place Shizuku mentioned as he tried to find the treasure was a good element, as Roma Kamogawa and Hokuto "Toto" Mitarai set off on their journey to find this place and the treasure at the climax. Even Roma and Toto growing their hair for the same reason Shizuku did was a nice addition to show their friendship. Some other elements make this movie special compared to other friendship films.

The journey to find evidence to prove their innocence has fewer conflicts, as it feels like it was just written to explore themselves. Their singing of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" rhythms was not enjoyable and seemed silly. The middle part of the movie lags for these reasons. Despite the flaws in writing in some parts, the emotions are conveyed well, making it easy to root for the characters. The climax, however, was unsatisfying for the characters, Roma Kamogawa and Hokuto "Toto" Mitarai.

The voice acting was well done as usual, but I noticed a change in Shizuku's voice when he cried while they were lost in the forest. The animation was excellent, especially in the landscapes, the waterfall where the treasure is, the drone footage of fireworks, and Roma's photographs. The music was also good, enhancing the emotions of the characters and situations. The songs were good, except for the rhythm song.

The strength of the movie lies in the emotions and the three characters' arcs throughout the story. The weakness is the mediocre writing on the journey where they explore each other's life treasures.

Overall, I love the movie. I would recommend watching it for the character arcs.