This review may contain spoilers
Somewhat weak case but well presented
I really liked the first season of the show so I was looking forward to the movie a lot. It wasn't quite what I expected and it didn't really feel like something that needed a whole movie dedicated to it, as far as the importance to the overarching plot of the show is concerned (the connection to Garo was flimsy at best), but it shared enough of the same vibes the first season had to be an enjoyable watch.
(Spoilers beyond this part!!)
Pros:
- Now while I said that it felt weird that this particular case got a movie by itself, it defenitely benefitted from the length and detail afforded to it by the movie format. It was very dedicated to setting up the right atmosphere and giving the characters time to show or process their emotions, something that might not have been possible time wise, had it been in the episodic format of the show.
- Totono as a character was exactly as I have come to know and love him in season one, so no surprises there. It really did feel a lot like a faithful continuation of the story and while some of his 'human nature rants' as I like to call them felt a little out of nowhere, they did manage to tie those into the story as well in the end. Did they sound a little abrubtly preachy? Yes, but not really more so than during the show, so it wasn't really unexpected. The bit about therapy at the end I especially support, the whole family shoud really get some by the end of this...
- There was no over the top questionable acting from any of the characters, but there were some standout performances for me. Shioji's acrtess didn't shine much during the normal or happy scenes of her character but she really nailed the emotional scenes. Be it the moody teenage angst or the heartbreaking grief at the end, as soon as she got to portray more complex emotions she really stole the scene! Same goes for the murderer, who was bland throughout (probably by design) but gave a quite convincing and nuanced performance during his arrest. The way he petulantly started lashing out at everyone and how his whole demeanor changed was as unexpected as it was good. It showed how skewed and unstable the character really was below his unremarkable appearance.
Cons:
- By far the weakest part of this movie (and my biggest gripe with it) was the plot. Or rather the motivation for the antagonists that brought about the plot. While killing people who looked a certain way that didn't fit in with the original family might have made sense during the first few generations to avoid suspicion, there really was no point to keep doing it in modern times. It could be easily explained through people marrying into the family and in turn, continuing the murders based on appearnace was incredibly suspicious. It just makes no sense that the people involved would't have thought of that at all, so it seems really contrived, especially since the parents digging into the story should have been enough motive to keep the murders and therefore the plot going.
- This might be a personal problem from watching too many similar shows but the 'bad guy' was really predictable. As soon as a character shows up that doesn't really have to be there story wise who also acts too friendly or unremarkable it immediatly seems suspicious to me, but this is more of a pet peeve than anything :P
- I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have liked this movie much as a standalone, so it really is more like an extra long episode for fans of the show than anything else. The story itself doesn't need any prior knowledge from the first season, but Totono's character and his oddities are well established throught he prior episodes, so both the way he acts and the way the case unfolds might seem a little odd if you haven't gotten used to it from the show.
Mostly though it's that the case itself isn't really interesting enough to carry the whole movie, so unless you're a fan of the show (or at least another format of mystery to iunakare) I wouldn't really recommend watching.
TLDR: If you liked the show you'll probably like the movie, unless you're very particular about the case having to make sense, then you probably won't. It wasn't outstanding but if you just want to see Totono be Totono then it's an easy watch and a good way to pass the time while waiting for the second season.
(Spoilers beyond this part!!)
Pros:
- Now while I said that it felt weird that this particular case got a movie by itself, it defenitely benefitted from the length and detail afforded to it by the movie format. It was very dedicated to setting up the right atmosphere and giving the characters time to show or process their emotions, something that might not have been possible time wise, had it been in the episodic format of the show.
- Totono as a character was exactly as I have come to know and love him in season one, so no surprises there. It really did feel a lot like a faithful continuation of the story and while some of his 'human nature rants' as I like to call them felt a little out of nowhere, they did manage to tie those into the story as well in the end. Did they sound a little abrubtly preachy? Yes, but not really more so than during the show, so it wasn't really unexpected. The bit about therapy at the end I especially support, the whole family shoud really get some by the end of this...
- There was no over the top questionable acting from any of the characters, but there were some standout performances for me. Shioji's acrtess didn't shine much during the normal or happy scenes of her character but she really nailed the emotional scenes. Be it the moody teenage angst or the heartbreaking grief at the end, as soon as she got to portray more complex emotions she really stole the scene! Same goes for the murderer, who was bland throughout (probably by design) but gave a quite convincing and nuanced performance during his arrest. The way he petulantly started lashing out at everyone and how his whole demeanor changed was as unexpected as it was good. It showed how skewed and unstable the character really was below his unremarkable appearance.
Cons:
- By far the weakest part of this movie (and my biggest gripe with it) was the plot. Or rather the motivation for the antagonists that brought about the plot. While killing people who looked a certain way that didn't fit in with the original family might have made sense during the first few generations to avoid suspicion, there really was no point to keep doing it in modern times. It could be easily explained through people marrying into the family and in turn, continuing the murders based on appearnace was incredibly suspicious. It just makes no sense that the people involved would't have thought of that at all, so it seems really contrived, especially since the parents digging into the story should have been enough motive to keep the murders and therefore the plot going.
- This might be a personal problem from watching too many similar shows but the 'bad guy' was really predictable. As soon as a character shows up that doesn't really have to be there story wise who also acts too friendly or unremarkable it immediatly seems suspicious to me, but this is more of a pet peeve than anything :P
- I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have liked this movie much as a standalone, so it really is more like an extra long episode for fans of the show than anything else. The story itself doesn't need any prior knowledge from the first season, but Totono's character and his oddities are well established throught he prior episodes, so both the way he acts and the way the case unfolds might seem a little odd if you haven't gotten used to it from the show.
Mostly though it's that the case itself isn't really interesting enough to carry the whole movie, so unless you're a fan of the show (or at least another format of mystery to iunakare) I wouldn't really recommend watching.
TLDR: If you liked the show you'll probably like the movie, unless you're very particular about the case having to make sense, then you probably won't. It wasn't outstanding but if you just want to see Totono be Totono then it's an easy watch and a good way to pass the time while waiting for the second season.
Was this review helpful to you?
