Review of Aura: Koga Maryuin's Last War
As MAL includes a synopsis and you're here reading this, I start my review deducting you are somewhat interested in this film and you already have a basic notion of its plot. Despite what the cover might imply, this is not really a magical girl film. The superpower idea is there, but it won't bother those who don't like the genre, and those who do will have it just with a bit of imagination. I don’t think this should be catalogued as comedy like MAL put it, that I noticed very few moments were intended to make you laugh and it is mostly drama, dissembled orclear.
In cases of bullying there are mainly two types of people in relation to the ones that are harassed: people who don't care or don't involve in fear of becoming bullied themselves, and people who help those in need in compliance with the consequences.
The main character in this story is the second type, nonetheless he is still influenced by the thoughts and actions of others on him, changing his exterior facade through the story. Hiding one’s inner self and confronting others if it comes out is something that gets a lot of importance in the movie.
For these reasons Ichirou Satou's evolution is one of the reasons for which this plot is interesting to follow. The other is the main protagonist Ryouko Satou. She's a strange girl who (apparently) nothing affects, and she clashes into Ichirou's gloomy world changing the uninteresting way of life he had had for months. Though from a hostile and outsider point of view they would seem completely different (an ordinary student and a freak) the plot unveils they have much in common apart from their surnames (to avoid confusion I will refer to them with their first name).
Ryouko’s difference with the rest of the world is also shown in the animation: her eyes are brighter and warmer than anyone else’s and her hair shines more. In some scenes you can notice a change of light (a park of brighter greens in comparison to the greys around it, or the sun’s orange light in the darkness), but most of the film is presented in shadowy, opaque colours. The school is one of the (scarce) scenarios where this is most obvious, and (excluding Ryouko with her notorious attire) everyone there is coloured in the same muted tones. Characters are drawn with simple traces, becoming the eyes more detailed in close shots (as usual) but though I think the design to be pretty and I do not consider the choice of colours as inadequate for the film, the animation’s cleanliness fails when faces portray strong emotions. In some scenes I guess angry or anxious people were intended to have a crazy gaze, but in others this is exaggerated or the features seem just badly drawn during sudden changes of positions. Fortunately, this happens mostly in the beginning and when the film is reaching its end we are granted with beautiful and carefully drawn shots.
About sound, some of the soundtrack might seem typical, but the OST has some nice pieces and it almost always fits the image well, concluding the film with a song adequate for the mood. I think voice actors did a good job (especially Nobunaga Shimazaki as Ichirou), displaying all the different and numerous moods these characters show. During the movie also a couple out-of-place fanservice moments appear, but as they are short and unusual scenes they don’t influence the story’s style.
Story: 8
Art: 6.9
Sound: 7.5
Character: 8.6
Enjoyment: 8.3
Overall: 7.86
Overall, this might not be a film at its highest referring to technical, but it’s the emotional part what makes you like it. Or better, the story’s development. In fact, it begins with a low level of tension, but it evolves to some special last minutes. I would recommend the movie to that people who want to see how normal people deal with the 'antinatural' or what someone feels when helping a person who’s trying to overcome the same problems. Or to someone that just wants to know why a girl is carrying a cloak and a box on a stick!
This was first review ever! If you did not found it helpful, I hope it at least offered you something new. Thanks for reading.