This is a spoilerfree twopart review for a twopart movie. You are reading the review for: Red Intro To Me The One Who Loved You Red Background also known as Kimi Ai and To Every You Ive Loved Before Bluehttps://anilist.co/review/21152 background also known as Boku Ai are a pair of films that can be watched in any order. For convenience I will refer to them as Red and Bluehttps://anilist.co/review/21152 respectively throughout this review. The following review will be kept spoilerfree but if youre seeking quick recommendations it is suggested to start with Red and then proceed to Bluehttps://anilist.co/review/21152 in the same viewing session. The Good Lets cut to the chase Red serves one essential purpose which is to provide crucial exposition for Bluehttps://anilist.co/review/21152. As both films possess a slight scifi element Red effectively sets the stage by offering the necessary background without actually being a part of Bluehttps://anilist.co/review/21152. Its akin to the popular meme that says My hands look like this so hers can look like that. The way Red and Bluehttps://anilist.co/review/21152 tie together is actually quite cool but Ill leave the details in my review for Bluehttps://anilist.co/review/21152. If I were to give pity points I appreciate the limited number of side characters considering the ambitious nature of the two films. By focusing on the individuals who truly matter it becomes easier to keep track of whats significant. The Bad Just as the color red is often associated with something amiss Red unfortunately falters in nearly every aspect. Lets start with the abysmal voice acting which feels as though the director instructed the actors to speak like robots. This is particularly puzzling since the male lead character who reportedly shares the same voice actor in both films doesnt speak with such lifelessness in Bluehttps://anilist.co/review/21152. Even during pivotal moments where emotions should run high the characters barely raise their voices by 30 failing to convey the necessary depth of feeling. While it could have been an intentional decision to differentiate the two films it was ultimately a poor one. Furthermore the female lead also speaks in the same monotonous manner. If enduring two lifeless characters engaged in dull heavy dialogue wasnt enough the absence of a compelling soundtrack exacerbates the issue. I kid you not the first 30 minutes of the film consist of NPC interactions against nearcomplete silence. While we often take sound design for granted it becomes painfully apparent when you sit through ten minutes of dialogue without any accompanying music. By the time I reached the onehour mark it felt as though two hours had already elapsed. At this juncture its difficult not to delve into a rant. The characters lacked depth the plot failed to captivate and meaningful themes were sorely absent. Despite being advertised as a standalone movie Red stands as one of the worst films Ive encountered recently when viewed independently. Disregard everything youve heard Red cannot be watched on its own. It merely serves as a setup for Bluehttps://anilist.co/review/21152 but does so in a remarkably disappointing fashion. Conclusion Unfortunately Red falls short in various aspects including lackluster voice acting a glaring absence of a compelling soundtrack and uninteresting characters and plot. While it serves as an exposition dump for its counterpart Bluehttps://anilist.co/review/21152 it fails to stand on its own as a satisfying standalone film. Its reliance on Bluehttps://anilist.co/review/21152 undermines its individual merit making it a disappointing watch. However it is highly worth recommending the combined viewing experience of both films. Despite the flaws the clever overlapping of the two plots adds an intriguing layer to the story. The true enjoyment of Red and Bluehttps://anilist.co/review/21152 lies not in their individual entertainment value but in piecing together the puzzle they create when watched together.