Sing a Bit of Harmony

Great film, animation was spot on and the story was fun! The soundtrack was very minimal but complimented the film very well. Enjoyable by all ages in my opinion. My only downside is the pacing felt a bit off.

Another great film from Mr Yoshiura. Animation was mediocre and some shots were reused but the plot and characters were fantastic! This film was actually funny too, which is a big tick in my book. The music was okay but it complemented the plot. Totally recommend.

The power ranking of all animated movie robots has just changed. My apologies to Wall-E, Baymax and Ron, but they are all competing for second place. The best animated robot is now Shion. This movie was a complete surprise. I had seen no promotion for it, I just stumbled upon it and thought it looked neat. On that note, I highly recommend watching this movie. Do not bother watching the trailer, the trailer gives away every major plot point of the film. Just watch the movie and enjoy every twist and turn unspoiled.

The animation is beautiful. There are some shots were likely set up solely to give the animators an opportunity to show off their skills. The voice acting across the board is perfect. Megan Shipman as Shion brings an infectious energy to the role, particularly her singing. Speaking of, yes, this is a musical and the songs for the movie are bangers. The songs will absolutely be added to my playlist.

On the downside, the movie has some very weak antagonists. Given the story, the movie didn't really need a purely villainous character, it could have just been a situational conflict. Their motivation is petty and short sighted. Thankfully they don't eat up a lot of screentime.

The movie also has a questionable concept of love. It seems to aquavit love with a light bit of stalking. And speaking of divisive lessons to learn, let's talk about the movie's view on A. I. Big corporation wish they could sell people the idea that A. I. would be this way. A. I. In this movie looks like the greatest thing to ever be made and definitely doesn't have any horrifying implications.

The morality of artificial intelligence is not what the movie is about. As much as I would love to see "Sing A Bit of Harmony 2: Judgment Day", it is about human connections and finding happiness where you are. In honor of the use of A. I. in the film. I will have my conclusion be written by an A. I.

With unwavering determination, Harmony continued to sing her heart out, uplifted by the knowledge that her music had touched the souls of many. And as she sang, she couldn't help but think that perhaps, just perhaps, she was creating a harmony that the world desperately needed.

In a year with both Mamoru Hosoda's Belle and Wit Studio's Vivy - Flourite Eye's Song, a story about a singing AI robot doesn't seem like much of a novelty. But although Sing a Bit of Harmony might struggle to stand out against its high-concept peers, it's still a sweet and funny movie which definitely proves as a crowd-pleaser.

The movie's plot is split into two halves. The first half introduces Shion to a human environment and plays out like a high school romance drama, with a familiar cast of characters with different backgrounds and personalities. The film's second half then adopts somewhat of a heist-like scenario that heightens the climactic stakes when both Satomi and Shion's safety is threatened. The tone shifts from a slow-paced high school romance to a high-impact thrill ride and successfully delivers an emotional climax.

Sing a Bit of Harmony excels in music department and the lead Tao Tsuchiya delivers an amazing singing voice for Shion. The animation by J. C Staff is worth an appreciation too. While not a traditional musical per se, the science fiction aspect of the story gives the anime film some narrative depth, sympathetic characters, and a message to think about as the technology around us becomes more advanced.

My Rating : 7/10.

Don't get me wrong. Sing a bit of harmony is really nice movie however you can see that it is aimed at a younger audience. The animation is good and so is the music. I am sure that this film will appeal to many younger audiences but the it has no specific message, no value. It's just fun to watch. Personally, I expected a bit more.