Theres something to be said for judging a story by its spinoffs. True a good story is good no matter the quality of its ancillary material movies like PsychoPass and Robocop arent made any less fantastic by their awful sequels and shows like A Place Further Than the Universe weave such a complete satisfying experience that the lack of side stories doesnt feel like a missed opportunity. Still though on the rare occasion when a franchise has spinoffs that equal the main story if not surpassing it you know youve found something really special. Neon Genesis Evangelion basically rewrote its own ending with End of Evangelion and the result was probably the best anime film of all time. Gintamas sole sidestory filler movie ranks among the best of its arcs and that is no small feat with a show like Gintama. Symphogears silly chibi shorts could have been nothing but disposable fluff but they regularly pack in some of the franchises best character moments. To close out KOn Naoko Yamada wrote a tiein movie so damn good it actually elevated the shows second season just by existing. And now Yamadas back to strike spinoff gold once again with Liz and the Blue Bird a side story to Hibike Euphonium that transcends the show itself to become perfectly capable of standing on its own accessible for newcomers and Hibike fans alike. The story focuses on Nozomi and Mizore two side characters from the show who take center stage here a year after the shows events took place. Theyre both concert band members in their final year at Kitauji High School Mizore is quiet and withdrawn Nozomi is cheery and outgoing. Theyve been friends for a very long time but as the end of their high school experience approaches their relationship begins to strain under the weight of unresolved tension theyre both still carrying with them. Exacerbating that tension is the fact that theyre going to be playing an important solo together for their bands latest concert piece: Liz and the Blue Bird. Its based on a childrens book that tells the story of Liz a lonely girl who one day meets a bluebird in human form. The two fall in love but in the end Liz has to let the bluebird fly away. Both Nozomi and Mizore see far too much of their relationship in this story for comfort and the thought of being separated like Liz and her bluebird after high school as their lives tread different paths makes it difficult for them to play the piece. And as the long summer rolls on both of them must come to terms with what they want their relationship to be and whether their story will have the same ending that Liz does. The most striking thing about this film is its sense of minimalism. That plot description I gave you pretty much summarizes the entire damn film deliberately paced across 90 minutes. The entire thing takes place inside the school with no cutaways to the outside world. There are only a few side characters Yuko and Natsuki from the show proper the briefest of appearances from Hibikes central foursome Kumiko Reina Midori and Hazuki one of the new firstyears in Mizores oboe section and thats pretty much it. At times we cut away to the tale of Liz and the Blue Bird animated like a picturesque storybook in motion as the events in the tale parallel or contrast with Mizore and Nozomis understanding of themselves and each other. And thats as broad as this movies focus gets. Its about as paired down as it can be focusing almost exclusively on its central twosome as they fumble their way through their vanishing days at Kitauji High. And then its paired down further with Naoko Yamadas empathetic direction which often favors the communication of subtle body language over spoken words and Kensuko Ushios haunting score which at times sounds like its literally constructed from the soft little noises you hear in silence. Footsteps lockers opening and closing shoes scuffing on the floor the mechanical hum of piano strings... if youve seen A Silent Voice you know exactly how Ushios soundtracks sink into your tenderest nerves and refuse to leave. The end result of this minimalism is possibly the single most intimate moviewatching experience Ive ever had. Watching Liz and the Blue Bird makes you feel like youre right there next to these characters breathing in the faint classroom dust and watching the sunlight dapple off the far wall. Its tender aching even uncomfortable at times you feel so close to the events unfolding that you feel the urge to look away and respect their privacy. And the way Nozomi and Mizores story weaves through this minimalism is nothing short of breathtaking. Through the subtlest shifts of character acting and vocal performance through the most deliberate choices of framing and editing through the simplest reverberations from the soundtrack youre taken on a journey with these two girls. You watch the ways the connect the ways they miss each other how Mizore doesnt want to let Nozomi go and Nozomi doesnt know how to follow her how Nozomi doesnt think shes good enough for Mizore and Mizore struggles to live without her how the ways they think they parallel Liz and the Blue Bird develop and invert over the passage of time. This is the kind of movie where just the opening credits a nearwordless montage of Nozomi and Mizore walking through school in the morning communicates almost the entirety of their relationship just from how they react to each other and how the camera chooses to focus on them. Its insane how much is communicated with so little. And its fucking powerful. The longer you watch Liz and the Blue Bird the more vulnerable it leaves you as it peels back layer after layer of unspoken hurt and desire. There are moments in this movie that left me trembling with emotion where it felt like I would shatter into glass if I so much as breathed wrong. Its portrayal of tenderness and intimacy is second to none and the push and pull between Nozomi and Mizore as the fear of losing each other grows stronger is the kind of softness that hits like a speeding truck. Its a movie about the liminal space between independence and interdependence what it means to be with someone and what it means to be by yourself what it means to love and what it means to let go how to find your own strength while relying on someone and how to support someone while standing on your own. And when it all comes to a head and we hear the solo in its full glory followed by Nozomi and Mizore finally letting all their walls come down around each other... yeah suffice to say my eyes are still damp. I cant remember the last time a movie left me feeling this raw with emotion like I was experiencing something so unmistakably and undeniably human it was overwhelming in its beauty. But thats the power of Hibike Euphonium isnt it? Out of all Kyoto Animations many masterpieces nothing has captured the essence of humanity quite like Hibike. Nothing has so perfectly understood what it means to live and love as an ordinary person in an extraordinary world. And while I dont think Liz and the Blue Bird quite surpasses the shows best its such a small intimate story that it doesnt have time to explore the sheer breadth of intertwined ideas that a TV show can it is nonetheless a masterpiece through and through and another highwater mark for a studio thats already set so goddamn many. Whoever you are however much anime youve watched whether youve watched Hibike yet or not you owe to yourself to watch this movie. Liz and the Blue Bird is truly astoundingly beautiful and it will linger in your heart long after the credits finally roll.
95 /100
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