Professor Layton e a Eterna Diva

But believe me, this one is actually (how to put it) good. Maybe even excellent. As a fan of the Professor Layton games, I can say that this installation in the franchise did not disappoint. The story remained pretty consistent, and the puzzles were integrated into the story-line perfectly without seeming like an unnecessary gimmick.

While not necessarily breathtaking in all aspects, the animation was still, in fact, well done, particularly during the end scenes – namely the machine and fighting sequences. Those really stood out particularly well. Overall, I think the music may be the boldest highlight of the film. Very melodic and beautiful. Definitely feels like a Layton story.

Some of the original voice actors for the North American release of the games are not present here, mainly because this is a direct port of the UK version. Despite having played the US version of the series, the voices here did not strike me as odd in any way. It all depends on preference, really.

Now for those who haven't seen or played the games, the film does quite a terrific job of explaining the gist of the series to the audience. Some references here and there might be missed, but the story itself is very well standalone. Newcomers shouldn't have too much trouble understanding.

Professor Layton is an archaeologist by profession but he is also a puzzle solver and amateur detective, along with Luke, his young sidekick he is about to solve a particularly strange case. When singer, and former student, Janice Quatlane invites them to help solve a mystery they attend a concert at the 'Crown Petone' opera house. After the performance there is a surprise announcement... one of those attending will be granted eternal life; the rest will perish. The winner will be selected via a series of puzzles. There is no opportunity to escape for reasons I won't spoil.

I enjoyed this more than I expected; I haven't played any of the associated video games so can't say how true to them it is. While there are a number of puzzles for our protagonists to solve it didn't feel too episodic like some game adaptations. The story is fun and suitable for all but the youngest children; there are a few mild scares and some of those are played for laughs... such as the Scotland Yard detective who considers a swim in shark infested waters to be refreshing. The plot may be fairly ridiculous but it works in the context of the film. The animation might not be the best I've seen but I believe it follows the look of the games so makes sense; changing styles and character designs would understandable not work for established fans. There is a decent amount of action which is exciting in a child friendly way. Overall I'd recommend this for anime fans wanting a film suitable for all ages.

These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

This is an average adaptation. Just think of it as being a video game story and you will be fine. The voice actors are all decent for what they are being asked to do...bearing in mind that this review is only for the English version of this video which is the only version I have seen obviously. The characters are also obviously pretty one dimensional, not very deep, so it's hard to judge the talent of the voices here. They are all okay. The level of the writing is pretty weak as I said already, with it being the level of a video game, and the jokes are just stupid for the most part. This is a movie that is just for young kids.

The animation and story are what truly carry the movie while the voice acting and the music were absolutely terrible. Only one of the songs was good and that was the ending credits song.

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva Pretty decent movie, with a good and interesting plot throughout. Although it does try to stay true to the game, there isn't much actual puzzle solving (No random puzzles!). Rather the movie is somewhat similar to the Detective Conan series, but has more possible deduction solutions for its audience to perceive than the latter.

Animation is done by the same people who made the cut scenes in the Professor Layton series, and voice actors for the J version of the game returns to voice their respective characters for the movie.

Music is just perfect! A lot of recognisable tunes ;D - The revamped theme song is just sooo goood! It is definitely geared towards the fans of the series, don't hessitate to watch it if you are not firmiliar to the game as it does fill in the introductions to the characters and the like.

Overall a good movie 8/10