We want to meet more and more anime that excite our hearts, anime that will cheer us up tomorrow, and anime that we will always love! Our anime writers will introduce you to anime that are hot at the moment, regardless of whether they are new releases or long-term favorites.
This time we will introduce the movie version "KING OF PRISM -PRIDE the HERO-," a sequel to "KING OF PRISM by PrettyRhythm," which was released in 2016 and consists of two parts, which should be called "before and after" parts.
The previous "KING OF PRISM by PrettyRhythm," nicknamed "Kinpuri," was created as a spin-off of the girls' TV anime "Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live," which aired from April 2013 to March the following year. Word of mouth and cheering screenings by fans created a buzz, drawing approximately 480,000 moviegoers and recording box-office revenues of approximately 800 million yen.
The film was released on June 10, and as of June 26, it has attracted 140,000 people and has surpassed 200 million yen in box office revenue. With this momentum, how far will it go this time?
The author, who has experienced the cheering screenings following the previous film, will introduce the charms of this film, which can be enjoyed even if you see it out of the blue this time.
Intense and fast! A fast-moving attraction-type film
What I felt when the movie ended was a pleasant excitement. My blood flowed faster, and it was running through my body.
I really don't know what's going on anymore. In a good way.
I went to see the film thinking I knew what kind of impact "Kimpuri" would have compared to the previous film, but I was still blown away. This is a mere 70-minute film, are you kidding me?
At the center of the world of the play is an entertainment "prism show" that combines elements of idols, athletes, and art. The Prism Stars on stage aim to become the top of the "Prism King Cup," which is held once every four years.
The previous "KING OF PRISM by PrettyRhythm" depicted the bond between the three members of the popular unit "Over The Rainbow" (a.k.a. Obare), the growth of the junior members of the new Prismstar training school "Edel Rose," and the predicament that befell them. In this second part of the film, they start from the bottom. Who will really stand at the top and become the king of prism ......?
When I touched "Kimpuri" again, I was overwhelmed by the density of the story.
First, there are many main characters.
The three main characters are Hiro Hayami, Koji Kamihama, and Kazuki Nishina from the three-member unit "Over the Rainbow. Shin Ichijo, a newcomer from the previous work, and Rui Kisaragi, a mysterious boy.
And Shin's six friends from Edel Rose: Tachibana Yukinojo, Kagami Taiga, Jyuohin Kakeru, Takahashi Minato, Saionji Leo, and Ryono Yu.
The adult group, Sei Himuro, Hitoshi Houzuki, and Rei Kurokawa, are former rivals with whom they have a history.
Alexander Yamato, their rival from the previous work.
That makes a total of 15. If we had tried to make a proper ensemble drama with this number of people, even 120 minutes would have been too busy, and if not done properly, it would have been insufficient.
But they did it in 70 minutes, cutting to the chase, and connecting the pieces by brute force. Naturally, there are some forced developments and not enough explanations.
However, the film moves forward without regard to these issues. Therefore, the more seriously you think about it, the more your mind goes "? The more seriously you think about it, the more it makes you think, "?
However, the speed at which the story unfolds makes me think that it is all right. Or rather, if you don't think so, you can't keep up. You must not stop and think about it!
In fact, the production and tempo are equivalent to riding a roller coaster. In fact, the production and tempo are equivalent to riding a roller coaster, one that is already at top speed as soon as it starts.
In the first film, I was amazed at the "endless hugs," the honey coming out of the buttocks, and the sudden start of the postrecording theater.
In the climax of the first half, when the song "Crazy Gonna Crazy" is sung by one of the characters in the film, a series of meaningful and important events unfold at the same time and in parallel between four different sets of characters. They cry, smile, rage, scream, love, kill, and have a lot of fun. What? What? What? I thought to myself, "What?" and then, when the song ended, everything was over and they moved on to the next scene. It was a compilation!
The pace is amazing, as if you are running at full speed for the entire 70 minutes. It is more like an attraction or a live performance than a story to be savored or a character to be thrilled by. It's just like a high.
Is it a dream or a depression? It is a dream or a depression?
You really don't know what's going on. What is this too free and vigorous visual expression? In a sense, this may be the quintessence of "Japan Animation," cultivated through the year-long TV series.
One of the techniques used in both animation and manga is the "image background. For example, flowers appear around a beautiful girl. A halo shines on the appearance of a great person. A fierce tiger appears over the field in the background of a soccer game called "Tiger Shot. Or a streamer runs behind a surprised face saying, "What the hell?
These things do not exist in real life, but are merely "images" that create a mental landscape and guide the viewer's impression of the scene. It is not so special, and is often seen in sports, gourmet food, love stories, pop comedies, and gags.
In "Kimpuri," however, the "image" is more than just a mental picture; it dominates the screen. They engulf the main characters and overflow into them. The characters become one with the images, touching and riding them without any sense of discomfort.
The viewer notices this at an early stage. This is no longer an "image," but has become "the real thing in the play.
Because it is not right. It is not right in terms of the laws of physics or economics that an explosion, an expression of the impact of a dance battle, destroys the actual venue, the audience is taken hostage, and the venue is instantly revived in a new form with the sparkle of a new performance, and, of course, the cost of construction has gone down the drain.
It is neither magic nor supernatural, but rather an aggressive affirmation of strangeness that makes us doubt whether this is even a story about the earth.
Oh, I see, that's why the earth-encompassing feat exploded in such a big way this time. So it was an Earth story after all...but that's not what I mean!
I also enjoy the abundance of parodies of various anime. Spoiler alert: it's a "The Heroic Monsters: Wataru" parody! I was surprised to see the name of the late Shuji Iuchi (director of "Wataru"), who wrote and composed the series of "Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live," in the credits.
I love how everyone is passionate and single-minded in their love.
The story is relatively simple, as the visuals are off-the-wall and the characters are sometimes too passionate.
The story is set on a stage where the prismatic stars, who make women's hearts flutter with their idolishness, compete in the art and beauty of "prism jumping" at a festival held once every four years, aiming to become the top king. Yes, this is a sporty event.
There is the joy of performance, the desire to improve, teamwork, trial and error, and training. There are those who teach and those who inherit, winners and losers.
And, plainly, everyone loves someone. It can be friendship, attachment, adoration, or sexual love.
In the presence of that love, feelings are revealed, and joy, anger, sorrow, and joy are bared. It becomes clear, "Oh, this is her strength and weakness. When that happens, you start to love the child.
There seems to be plenty of material in this area that can only be understood by watching "Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live" in its entirety. Many people will want to watch "Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live" in the future after seeing Kimpuri.
It is 70 minutes long, so you can watch it over and over again. Just as long as one CD.
Normal anime films are usually around 120 minutes long. Compared to that, this density at about 60% of the length is still amazing.
If it were 120 minutes long with this density, it would probably make you sick to your stomach!
We tend to think that the longer a film is, the more substantial it is, but when you think about it, 70 minutes is good for some things.
Because it is 70 minutes long, you can watch it several times; because it is 70 minutes long, you can watch both the front and back parts at once (some movie theaters are showing the previous film for this occasion).
(Some movie theaters are showing the previous film on this occasion.) Seventy minutes is also the length of a CD album. It may be said that this not-too-long volume allows you to enjoy the film as many times as you like, just like listening to your favorite music endlessly.
Because it is so dense, there are things that are overlooked. So no matter how many times you watch it, you will discover something new.
Director Masakazu Hishida originally planned to make this film in two parts (from the pamphlet). The final trick that appears after the credits is really neat. I even feel a little sad about it.
Considering it as a two-part film, the balance between the first and second parts is very good. Especially in the second part, the fan-favorite Taiga had his moment, and of course, the characters of Rui, Kakeru, and Yukinojo were given more depth. While the previous Prism Jump left a strong impression with its flamboyance, melancholy, power and impact, which could be called a battle, one of the highlights of this year's show was Rui's delicate, beautiful and colorful show. I felt the attraction of wanting to take the time to watch and immerse myself in the show.
The popularity of the "Cheering Screening," in which the audience calls out in unison to interact with the animation, has not changed. Psyllium lights were waving from the preview, and the production company's logo was accompanied by a chorus of "Thank you! to the production company's logo.
The regular screenings, on the other hand, are also quietly lively. The audience, who were so eager to see the film that they were breathless and did not want to miss a single thing, were smiling and talking quickly and vigorously to each other about their impressions as soon as the screening ended.
It seemed as if there were two types of people: those who wanted to speak out and those who wanted to enjoy the whole show without giving anything away.
I truly believe that it is great to see a film that makes you smile and want to talk with others after the film is over. This is a film that does not betray the fans who have been waiting for it. I hope that this film will be shown again for a long time, expanding the circle of viewers.
(Text by YAMAYU)
(C) T-ARTS/syn Sophia/King of Prism Production Committee