After the perfect first movie formed a perfect ending for the Kimagure Orange Road franchise, I was really wondering how the creators would be able to top that with the second and final movie. And yeah, this movie is a step back. It brings cheese into the romance and it requires a whole bunch of random coincidences, just to get going.
Especially the first half of the movie brings back a lot of stuff from the TV series that made it so annoying. Kyousuke’s powers at this point are like the nuclear power you see in a lot of American comics: they do whatever is convenient for the plot at the moment. Kyousuke himself also has this tendency to narrate a bit too enthusiastically at times, saying a lot of things that would have been much better off when left unsaid.
Nevertheless, I really urge fans of Kimagure Orange Road to check this movie out. If you’ve managed to sit through the hell that was the TV-series, this movie offers a HUGE amount of character development, showing the entire cast in their twenties. Ironically, it’s only until the aftermath when things get really amazing, but it’s so worth the wait. Whenever this movie isn’t cheesy, it really delivers a wonderful romance, miles away from just about any overused stereotype.
The animation… is surprisingly mediocre for a movie. I mean, for me, most of the TV series even looked better. Most of the budget of this movie is wasted on a pointless dance scene. For movie standards, I really expected more of the animation.
Oh, and on a side-note: this movie links Madoka to Yuki Kajuira. That is just awesome.
| Storytelling: | 8/10 – Okay, so it uses cheese and some coincidences, but those coincidences make sure that it has an awesome premise to work with. |
| Characters: | 10/10 – The characters already had excellent development. Then this movie comes along. |
| Production-Values: | 7/10 – The animation is disappointing for a movie. On the other hand though: it features Yuki Kajiura’s debut. Years before she got big. |
| Setting: | 8/10 – Stays true to Kimagure Orange Road, though a little too well perhaps. |
Suggestions:
– The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
– Maison Ikkoku
– Umi ga Kikoeru
I see you’re on a roll with the classic anime movies. What’s next? Ninja Scroll? Or perhaps a TV series… What about Magic Knight Rayearth? You seem to enjoy Clamp’s works.
The way I see it, this movie isn’t really comparable to the previous installment in terms of content or execution.
There are some nice moments of characterization, yes, but strictly speaking we could say its existence is unnecessary.
You give it a lot of credit for character development but that wasn’t the impression it gave me. If anything, it seemed to be trying to re-open the triangle (well, at least temporarily) and then decided to leave that as simply a tease.
Honestly, I do think it’s worth a watch but for me this isn’t a necessary part of the KOR story.
Madoka to Kajiura? How do you figure?
Hoiut: Remember how she ended up working as a composer?