Hello, and greetings to you, anime fans! Just now I have watched Blue Giant, and I should discuss this as this is because... I'm still kind of a mess. As well, I figured this was going to be a lazy jazz film, you know? Perhaps a little form of pretty pictures, a little background music of saxophone, something to rest the eyes on over a weekend. But nah. This film took me by the throat and then simply would not leave until the credits were displayed not even then had I ceased to stare at the screen having the sense that whatever it was that had just happened to me?
Thus the novel is about this boy Miyamoto Dai. He is a high school student, and he is staying in this extremely quiet town, where nothing in particular happens, and one day he simply hears jazz. That's it. Hears it and in some place alone, and suddenly his entire life has to change. What is even more insane is how he responds to it, he does not simply believe that it is nice and move, but rather this man is absolutely obsessed by it. He picks up a saxophone and informs all that he would be the greatest jazz musician in the world. Not a good gamer, not even a great one, THE greatest. And remember he does not even know how to play the thing. He is at the bottom of the deep sea but he is already determined that it was his destiny.
This was something that I really liked about Dai since he is not an anime character where he is somehow endowed with all. The dude struggles HARD. And there are scenes of him rehearsing so much that his lips are bleeding, his fingers are all in a mess, he can hardly breathe one proper breath but he does not stop doing so. He plays in the middle of nights, in the rain, literally anytime he has enough time to play. His family believes that he has lost the head, those surrounding him do not really know what he is doing but he is not afraid why? It does not count as he is so obsessed with this vision he has. It is almost creepy how serious he is and at the same time very inspiring in a strange sort of way.
At length he relocates to Tokyo because that is where there is the actual jazz scene. And Tokyo beats him up, people. The level of competition there is unbelievable, no one cares about some unknown kid with great ambitions. He is doing these horrible jobs on the means to survive, seeking any venue he can play at, turned away everywhere. It is quite the film demonstrates how hard being a musician can be, as it is not a romantic or vibe, just the brutal reality. But Dai has got that fire burning some way. He begins to mingle with other artists and later on, he forms this band and you actually see how his mad passion begins to influence them as well. It spreads. The manner in which he describes music, the manner in which he experiences it as he plays, it makes everyone around him begin believing in something grandiose.
The animation however... crikey, the animation is a different level. The scenes involving the performance particularly when they are on the stage performing it, it is more than well drawn, you can actually smell the music even when you are watching it on a screen. Their dancing, the rhythm, the manner in which the characters are moving to the music, it will make you feel as though you are present in that smoke-filled jazz club and it is happening in real time. And the lightings and colors at those scenes? Absolutely beautiful. They even hired the real jazz performers to play the soundtrack as well and you can notice the difference, each note sounds different, each solo has this uncivilized feeling to it. By playing his saxophones, Dai makes the time to pause a moment and all that there is, is the sound of his sax.
What truly did not fit me in this movie is the other stuff behind the music and dreams. It is what you sacrifice in order to become great, what it really costs. It is this, which may not even succeed, that Dai throws away any possibility of a normal life, any security or coziness. And the film does not fool you about it, it just tells you bluntly like that life pursuing your passion will make you suffer, it will be lonely and you are not even sure you will survive. It does demonstrate the consequences of not attempting, of simply going safe and never taking the risk of getting what you really desire. That part hit me so hard. Similar, should one be happy and never ask oneself what would make the world different, or should they risk everything and at least know that they have tried? That was the question that was running in my mind.
The other band members are quite okay as well. They are not just wall characters who are there to make Dai appear good, they too have issues, their own motivations behind playing music, their own aspirations. You start caring about them all. It seems so life-like as you watch them coalesce, watch them get better and help one another and offensively attack and reconcile. Friendships in this film are not imposed but obtained.
I would rate Blue Giant as a 9 out of 10, or even higher, as I would need to be honest. It's just that good. The animation is the finest, the soundtrack is amazing and the plot is not a non-sense mindless entertainment. I managed to shed a few tears in several occasions, I have nothing to be ashamed of. It also made me consider my life and how I myself am not really pursuing what I desire but am just content with how things are as they are easier. That is what makes the difference between a good movie and a great one, when it leaves you with the after-effect, and makes you see yourself in a different perspective.
Eyew Drop, I had very low expectations when going into it and was blown away by it. It is one of those anime movies that I can clearly tell that I will be thinking about in the long term. And in case you have not already seen you should just go and watch it. Yet perhaps since you should be ready first, emotional wise because it will strike you much more than you might think. Anyhow, the best I can do to-day is that! Take care everyone! Byebye!
