Review of Saekano the Movie: Finale

THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW After the mildly enjoyable first season and the surprisingly mature second season, this movie marks the end to the story of Tomoya, Kato and their development circle. Ending a show with a movie has been a trend for anime in the 2010s and sometimes it can really work. But did it here to? Story – 7/10 The first thing i have to say is that… i really don´t think this should have been a movie at all. I´d preferred it to be season 3. The storytelling still retains the strong and emotional vibe from the second season but the movie fails to buildup the emotions correctly over a long time. There were some standout scenes but it was really a hit or miss for me whether they hit accordingly or not.
The main idea of this movie was good but the execution was a bit off. I feel like there were some key elements in season 2 that really gave it it´s payoff that were contradicted in this movie. The pacing was also weird and character decisions don´t quite feel earned or reasonable.
This sounds worse than it was, i sill found this movie enjoyable because i was so invested in the group themselves. It is an ending and it fills some of the stuff i
would have wanted to see in season 2.
Also be sure to not turn this movie off to quick.This anime did something that i have never seen an anime do before. There is actually a pretty long post-credit scene which absolutely blew me away because it completely flips the story on it´s head. I won´t spoil what exactly happened because of spoilers but i think i got emotional whiplash watching those scenes. But although it didn´t seem to work for me at first, it completely fits the theme of the show and makes this movie stand out, so props i guess?

Art – 8/10

This was another improvement for the visual department. The first scene alone was absolutely gorgeously animated. There was actually a studio change from A-1 Pictures to Clover Works („Darling in the Franxx“, „The Promised Neverland“, „My Dress-Up Darling“) but because most of the main staff returned for this movie they retained the art style the show was known for. If i didn´t read about it, i wouldn´t have noticed the difference. The only thing missing after the transition are the fanservice shots, but i don´t miss them as they just wouldn´t have fitted the themes of this movie.A-1 was always known for their detailed background so Cloverworks hit it out of the park here. The character designs were almost exactly the same as before. Other than that there is not that much standing out.

Sound – 7/10

There is a wonderful concert scene in the first 5 minutes of the movie which set the tone wonderfully. The insert songs were all great and the BGM as well. I still think they could have gone more into the music of the visual novel itself because in my opinion it is one of the most important element of a visual novel and can sometimes even be one of it´s standout qualities (Think of something like „Clannad“ which eventually became one of the best anime soundtracks of all time).
Other than that, pretty good stuff, although nothing really breathtaking.

Characters – 7/10

A little step down from before mainly because of two things.
Firstly i think they should have left Utaha and Eriri out of this movie. Season 2 was such a bittersweet ending to their story and i really think letting them of the hook and maybe only given them a cameo would have been a way stronger ways to bring them back. Instead, Eriri good a pretty good final arcs but Utaha feels kind of left out.
I really enjoyed Akane Kousaka in this movie, i really did. Her becoming the girls new mentor could have been a great story arc.
The other main reason is the romance aspect of th movie. I am not a women-expert but from everything a know the way Kato acts in this movie felt a bit of for a girl in her situation. Some things she said in season actively contradict her development in this movie. I still think she is written pretty well but the decisions she made are just a little bit to selfish. Season 2 found a perfect way to explain the relationship of Tomoya with his friends but now there are some big holes in the continuity of their characters. This sounds negative i know, but something like that always bugs me a little bit. However, the ending as itself was done really well. It really feels like this is the definitive end to this franchise and after this movie i can wholeheartedly say that i really really enjoyed the journey with these characters.

Enjoyment – 8/10

I think this movie definitely has it´s flaws, but it did what i expected: It gave closure to every single character. Everyone who has seen the first two season HAS to watch this movie. The show itself is a completed story with a lot of hints and references to other anime. I counted references for „Sword Art Online“, „Madoka Magica“, „Steins;Gate“, „Fate/Zero“ and so much more. If you are into Visual Novels this is a must watch. To everyone else who likes comedy and romance, give Saekano a watch, you will not regret it.

- Marco_Yooo

FINAL SCORE - 7/10