Blue Giant movie review
Date: January 27, 2024 18:38
Posted by Joe
Blue Giant is a new jazz-themed anime film based on the award-winning manga of the same name. The film follows the adventures of aspiring jazz saxophonist Dai Miyamoto. Thanks to our good friends at Anime Limited, the film will be released in selected cinemas in the UK and Ireland from Wednesday 31 January 2024.
If you’If you’re curious about this movie then read our spoiler free review to learn more about the upcoming release.
Full story
Blue Giant is the latest anime film from Toho Animation and directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa. The film is based on the famous award-winning manga of the same name.
© Blue Giant Partners
The film tells the story of Dai Miyamoto’s journey to becoming one of the greatest Alto Jazz saxophonists of all time. The story begins in cold, sleepy Sendai, saying goodbye to his family, 18 year old Dai sets off to Tokyo to seek fame.
I describe the film as a character-driven play. It’s more about Dai’s journey than the destination. Blue Giant captures the determined focus of youth, the hunt for dreams, the dedication to becoming obsessed with one’s goals that only someone Dai’s age has. And that’s what captivates you. You are drawn in and are rooting for Dai to succeed.
The film is animated to a high standard, with highly detailed sets that look like real-life locations. The Tokyo that Dai visited felt real. This is not the sleek, idealized version of Tokyo. As soon as Dai arrived, we were introduced to the homeless and saw shabby shops as well as beautiful new places.
We’re treated to a variety of camera angles, along with beautiful panning shots, combined with many other popular live action filmmaking techniques to create what feels like a cinematic experience (not not cheap to do). made in animation). While watching this movie, I felt it was more like a live action movie and I started to question why it was animated? Then the musical scenes begin and it all makes sense. As an audience, in this movie there are many musical performances that Dai and his teammates have to perform. Not only does it document musical performances, the film also aims to capture the emotional experience of listening to live music and how music can truly move you. We are treated to speed lines, even manga-style explosions. At high points, the images become smooth and abstract to match the music, which is exciting for an animator but also hypnotic to watch. It was an attack almost like a special attack.
The film follows the Blue Giant manga a bit but condenses some aspects so the story can be told at film length. If you’re familiar with the manga, you’ll recognize some of the characters with more character development on the page who appear briefly in the film. This helps tell the story better within the time frame. If you haven’t read the manga, the story still works perfectly as a standalone film.
Real musical performances are recorded from live performances of musicians, not only the sound but also their playing of instruments. So the way they move and the notes they play are real. This can be a bit jarring because when the musicians actually perform the animation becomes too fluid. The characters change size slightly to match the construction of the performing musicians. I guess you assume they’re shifting gears or switching modes, but it’s still a bit jarring.
Overall, the feel of Blue Giant is authentic. Although he loves jazz music very much, he also admits that not many young people are interested in music, so the bars are gradually closing, it is no longer the golden age of Jazz with the bars becoming dusty, almost dying. die. Even so, there was an established order, Dai and company could not become the greatest jazz musicians of all time, they had to earn their place on the stage.
The character designs and choices in the film give it a retro feel. It has the aesthetic of an anime from the 1990s or early 2000s and this gives it a nostalgic, jazz-like feel.
Can Dai pursue his dream of becoming famous on the Jazz scene? Well, you’ll have to watch the movie and find out!
We really like Blue Giant. It does justice to the source material, both manga and Jazz. It’s perfectly paced and there’s never a dull moment. It hits all the right notes!
Blue Giant is expected to hit selected cinemas in the UK and Ireland from Wednesday 31 January 2024. The film is distributed by Anime Limited.
To find a screening near you, visit https://bluegiantfilm.co.uk
Source: Otaku News