I'm very glad that this wasn't a summary movie like so many anime movies tend to be. It was nice to see what happened after the original series, and my favourite thing about it was getting to see a side character get more time in the spotlight- Koutarou Watari. I adored getting to see all of these sides to his character, the little hints that there's indeed a lot more behind that smile and loud personality he displays more often than anything else. I also loved seeing the bond they've all formed in action - the fact that Ryouya [Misato] called Watari out and toldhim to be a proper captain or he could just give the role to someone else. I always liked Misato's levelheadedness in the series, and unsurprisingly it made its way into the film as well, where it was very much needed in times when people around him were insecure, worried, unfocused, etc.

The rhythmic gymnastics scenes were, like in the series, such a delight to watch. The animation struck me from the very first scene in the first episoe and it doesn't fail to deliver and wow me even this time around. I would've liked to see the actual 'failure' of their performance at inter-high instead of them cutting it short right after Watari's moment of panic. As much as I loved that final performance, the whole anime series built up to the inter-high and so did the beginning of the film, so it felt strange that the climax of the series would be cut short like that. But nevertheless, their final surprise performance for Shuusaku was beautiful and I loved that Shiro High teamed up with Ao High for it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film and teared up at least twice. The animation was gorgeous, wacci and Centimillimental delivered fantastic songs that really encompassed the general feeling of the series in various ways, I already really liked the characters and continued doing so in this film. It's going to be sad to see the series go, because part of me wants to see Shoutarou and Ryouya in their second year, Watari continuing to be their captain in his third year, and how their new team would be together both as friends but also during practice and performances. But at the same time, I'm satisfied with this ending and that the series doesn't drag on like so many other series have done in the past. Quit while you're already at the top, as they say.