I'm not sure what to say except that I like this movie. I know it's not perfect, as i has problems with pacing due to it being adapted from two whole novels rather then one. What is even more frustrating however is how easily these problems could have been fixed by extending the ninety minute movie by about fifteen or even just ten minutes, or maybe even just releasing the story as episodes in the show. I also understand that some people are not fans of the last third and general finale which I won't spoil, but personally it didn't bother me very much as I felt like the ending accomplished what it set out to do. The same thing can really be said for the film really, it does have some minor faults but it accomplishes exactly what it needs to and hits just the right notes at the right time, at least in my opinion. The film does more than just redeem its faults with some very poignant scenes and all the fantastic characters we remember from the show like Sakuta and Mai, although some of the others surprisingly doesn't get as much screen time as I would have liked due to the short length of the film. In the end however, the film really does strike a chord with me, even if it did feel like it struggles with certain elements at times. Its very difficult to discuss the films minor flaws without spoilers, so instead I will now get into the positives.
Even though it seems as though I've been hard on this film up until now, it should be obvious that I did really like it. Like I said, the characters you loved from the show are still here and they're still great. the voice acting is pretty on point and the soundtrack is still quite good. One common criticism as before mentioned is the pacing: with the film being forced to adapt two books in one film. I understand why they did this however, as if they had only adapted one of the novels in this movie, then it would have been pretty underwhelming/unsatisfying. And even though the pacing could feel a little off at times, either moving a little too fast or a little too slow, the story hits all the right notes an really does accomplish what it set out to do: be really really emotional and make a bunch of grown men cry. In all seriousness I really did like the narrative and an perfectly willing to overlook some of it's imperfections. Not everyone feels the same way about the story however, with some people stating that they felt the plots more subjective elements were weak and generally felt negatively towards the story. While I can understand where these people are coming from, I really don't think the objective problems with the story are detrimental enough to ruin it for anyone, and its really mostly a subjective thing about how well the film connected to you or if you just didn't like some of the stories more "confusing" elements. Again, I totally get why some people might have problems with the overall story and respect their opinion, but it personally didn't really bother me at all and I really personally liked the more subjective and at times confusing elements of the plot.
In the end, this movie really connected with me. I loved the characters and liked the plot. everyone has different tastes but this one just happens to suit mine really well. I may be a bit bias as I really enjoyed the show as well (which I also highly recommend,) but I tried my best to acknowledge the film's faults. If you're at all interested, I can certainly recommend at least giving this film a shot, just be sure to watch the show first.
