This is the second movie related to Suite Precure. By what I have read the director of the film said that it takes place between episodes 36 and 37 immediately after Mephistos release from Noises control. This creates a slight incongruity as in the anime Ako declares to her parents that she wants to stay on Earth with the others and the two are surprised: I imagine this has happened for a case of poor communication between the two teams or it was thought that not everyone would get the chance to go to the cinema. Having said that I didnt really particularly like how Ako made this decision in the film: first she tells Souta in a far too cold manner that she would be going back to her home and then she decides to stay because she wants to stand by her companions after having felt the strength of their bonds. Personally I prefer the anime version where Ako never has this doubt at that point of the story: she wants to stay where she is because she loves the people there and has received support from the other Precures during the fight to save Mephisto. What was seen in the movie did not even emphasise her connection to Earth and the one with Hibiki and the others was already clear. Also I would have preferred Cure Muse to have more relevance in the final battle.
I consider Suzu a too wasted character: it is interesting to know that Ako had a friend in Major Land but their past is barely mentioned and there is no direct confrontation between the two of them even at the end of the film after the bad things Suzu said to her. Moving on to the good things within the series I actually felt a lack: after saving him there werent many interactions between Mephisto and the protagonists. The movie fixed this: in fact I could finally see some more serious moments between him and Ako moreover the initial sequence with him knocking on Kanades window and being taken to the police station is incredibly fun this man has no common sense at all Souta even took a bat to defend his sister lol. Concluding on Akos family I liked Mephistos role in rescuing his wife to the point where he was willing to jump in with her... However I didnt expect Aphrodite to ask him to behead her moreover in front of her daughter the scene is too over the top for Precures standards honestly.
Ellens role fits. First of all I appreciated that they picked up on her ignorance towards certain costumes and thus she goes randomly in a yukata. And I also liked how she interacts with Ako at the beginning and with Hummy halfway through the film as she manages to protect the Crescendo Tone and deceive their enemies. She may have been a bit sidelined in the final battle but she had her space in the end. As for the antagonists the Trio de Major is fairly anonymous and only serves as a group of opponents that each Precure must overcome individually. Even Howling is only a final boss to defeat but at least he turns out to be related to Noise and thus at least has his own context.
The movie has also several cute scenes of Hibiki and Kanade such as when their wrists are bound and they cannot move freely so they cannot even summon their objects interesting tidbit. But the best moment for the two of them comes in the final fight in which Rhytm after seeing Melody no longer move after a blow shouts her name not the Cure one but Hibiki her real name I appreciate it when that happens its like speaking more directly to her companion thinks its the end for everyone and cries but then Crescendo Cure Melody arrives and saves her as if she was a princess and Hibiki her knight undertone yuri. The Crescendo form however lasted a little too short. The animation level was not low but also not as high as is usual for Precure movies so that the final fight with the exception of the aforementioned moment is quite below expectations. Last thing: I appreciated that the Miracle Lights did not play a role in the story but are just objects that the spectators can use in the theaters to incite the Precures.
70
/100