Meikyuu no Shiori

Labyrinth is a sci-fi 3DCG film produced by SANZIGEN, the studio renowned for BanG Dream! and D4DJ. It is helmed by the legendary director Shoji Kawamori, the visionary behind Macross and Aquarion. Adding to the star power, SUZUKA, the leader of ATARASHII GAKKO!, voices the protagonist, Shiori Maezawa.
With a studio famous for music anime and a director known for iconic soundtracks, the music is understandably top-tier. The film features standout tracks like "RUN" by Klang Ruler and "Sailor, Sail On" by ATARASHII GAKKO!, delivering a high-energy auditory experience.

The film is a bold, ambitious take on social media culture through Kawamori’s "larger-than-life" lens. However, the first ... hour is a test of patience. The pacing is sluggish, and the rules of the digital dimension are unnecessarily convoluted. Watching the shy, "tomboy" Shiori struggle helplessly while her "Gyaru" counterpart chases hollow fame was genuinely irritating. It feels as though the director intended for the audience to feel the suffocating nature of the digital world, but for me, it crossed the line into a "torturous" viewing experience.

Most shocking was the gore. The film features three explicit, blood-splattered scenes that felt jarringly out of place. While the robot combat was acceptable, the other two scenes were so visceral they left me wondering if such graphic detail was truly necessary.
However, in the final 30–40 minutes, Kawamori truly "unleashes" his genius. The film shifts into high gear with a frantic, brilliant blend of action and music that nearly justifies the earlier boredom. While the gore remains hauntingly memorable, the climax is undeniably thrilling.
Technical Aspects
* Voice Acting: SUZUKA delivers a stellar performance, perfectly distinguishing between the two contrasting personalities of Shiori.
* Visuals: The 3DCG is fluid and polished. While some might find the CG style slightly jarring at first, it fits the "digital world" theme perfectly.
* Music: The cyber-pop score is a major highlight, effectively grounding the film’s atmosphere.

Behind the Scenes & Message
The film stems from Kawamori’s personal experiences with broken smartphones and his study of Gen Z's social media pressures. He uses "Stamps" (LINE stickers) like the popular Opanchu Usagi as metaphors for the masks we wear to hide our true feelings and seek validation.
The core message is profound: In a world where we "cosplay" for likes, we must first learn to love our "distorted" or imperfect selves. Relationships built on digital facades are fragile; the film urges us to break the "digital mask" to find our humanity again.
Final Verdict
Meikyuu no Shiori is a polarizing experience. It is an ambitious, "insane" work that challenges the audience with a frustrating first half and unexpectedly dark violence. But if you can endure the "labyrinth" of the first hour, you will be rewarded with a creative explosion that only a director like Kawamori can provide.

I can usually find some silver lining even in bad movies, but this is just complete, utter ass. I really am not sure who the target audience is supposed to be, I feel like even as a teenager I had more brain cells than what enjoying this movie requires. Bad, bad, bad. What really irks me the most is that for the first 10-15 minutes I really believed this might be satire on what a non-anime watcher might think anime is, then the guy started talking all that bullshit disguised as “lore” and I knew I was in for a horrible time. I was right.