Review of Sing a Bit of Harmony

In a year with both Mamoru Hosoda's Belle and Wit Studio's Vivy - Flourite Eye's Song, a story about a singing AI robot doesn't seem like much of a novelty. But although Sing a Bit of Harmony might struggle to stand out against its high-concept peers, it's still a sweet and funny movie which definitely proves as a crowd-pleaser. The movie's plot is split into two halves. The first half introduces Shion to a human environment and plays out like a high school romance drama, with a familiar cast of characters with different backgrounds and personalities. The film’s second half then adopts somewhat of a heist-like scenario that heightens theclimactic stakes when both Satomi and Shion’s safety is threatened. The tone shifts from a slow-paced high school romance to a high-impact thrill ride and successfully delivers an emotional climax.

Sing a Bit of Harmony excels in music department and the lead Tao Tsuchiya delivers an amazing singing voice for Shion. The animation by J.C Staff is worth an appreciation too. While not a traditional musical per se, the science fiction aspect of the story gives the anime film some narrative depth, sympathetic characters, and a message to think about as the technology around us becomes more advanced.

My Rating : 7/10