BLUE GIANT: Movie FULL LENGTH Reaction & Discussion! PATREON COMMISSION!
Added 2025-03-14 17:00:07 +0000 UTC*JAZZ-FILLED HEADPHONE WARNINGS*
I haven't really had the chance to watch a "music" anime, but patron Sunspots commissioned this movie and I am ENAMORED!
These characters are so lovable, root-worthy, and the story has so much heart and (pun intended) soul to it - this was such a moving experience! Now I want to read the manga!
LINK TO PIP REACTION: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/GvH1qf8nnZ3ur7QVc5NABy?
Thank you for watching with me and for all the support!
Comments
Ooohhhhhh!!! If you like music anime and BL - I HIGHLY recommend Given! It's also a short season with some movies, so it's not a long investment! Definitely recommend trying it out! And thank you for the kind words - I'm glad y'all are enjoying the commissions so far! And yes, OH BRAVE LITTLE TOASTER - I reference it all the time - anytime I sing-song say "Worthless," I'm thinking of that song that completely wrecked my childhood and partially made me want to hoard everything! ;)
Romaniablack
2025-03-22 18:06:16 +0000 UTCWhat is this Given you speak of I wonder? It sounds like something I should check out eventually! I'm loving getting these curated commission-based reactions, they've been a great addition so far for me! Blue Giant to Iron Giant, hmmm, sad robot movies, that just makes me want to raise you a Brave Little Toaster, haha, perhaps the saddest or one of the saddest movies from my childhood! I am very glad this didn't go that direction!
L Freya
2025-03-20 22:51:22 +0000 UTCThank you so much - this film was SUCH a treat! My brother has always loved jazz and I really got into it after watching Cowboy BeBop, so this movie was just so great to get back into it and to get into “music anime” and the sports anime nature of it seems…VERY appealing to me! And then you add shipping in the mix? OVER for me, hahaha! The main trio is so much fun! And how could I NOT jump on the Yukinori and Dai train?! That bathroom moment was such a kickstarter! I could so see Tamada’s storyline being your favorite - arguably, he has the most overall growth in this, though I can see Yukinori having the most…spiritual growth? 😛 Tamada’s cries were all so valid! I love how he transitioned his love for soccer to music and then got the validation he wanted from that man that kept coming to his shows and seeing him grow. :3 I also love that we see him grown in the interview and how he’s thriving! We love to see it! And ooohhhh yes, you absolutely have to bring Natsume into this! I fully think Natsume and Dai would get along so well, but I love the confidence, communication, and support these three men have - it’s so positive and I love it! I also love how the older adults in this support the trio as well and we see them follow them alongside the trio throughout this. Akiko is a great character to expand upon in your comment, too - I love how moved she was by the end of this! Even when you can tell she’s a little envious that they went all the way and realized their dream when she couldn’t; that was so relatable and I love how she still found the way to support and be happy for them! I agree, too, the only real “villains” in the story are the characters’ own inner saboteurs - it’s great to see a realistic look at the journey we go on with our dreams and ambitions and the hurdles we face with them. And yes, a piece of anime that doesn’t have to resort to “extreme conflict” to get to hard-facing issues? We need more of that positivity in content, while still being grounded in real issues. Ooohhh, Tyler was an interesting character! I think it’s a combination of all three? I can say that I would not do it the way that he did it - for sure - but yeah, I feel that Yukinori sort of needed to hear something like that, because when Dai brought it up on the train, Yukinori sort of pushed that notion aside. And since the start of the series, he’s sort of put on that air that everyone was “catching up to him,” be it Dai or Tamada - whether he fully believed it or not. There’s a part of me that was glad that Tyler was the character to have that conversation and NOT Tamada or Dai, so that it didn’t truly break the band apart - sometimes you need to hear the truth from an “outside” source. BUT, I do agree that him breaking him down that brutally was harsh…I don’t know if it was the most effective way to do that, even if it needed to happen. I really love what Hiromi did with the soundtrack - it reminds me of the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack, for sure! I just love how the band literally “became” the characters through their music in this! I also loved the progression we saw in the drumming from Tamada and the music – sooooo good! I’ll forgive the car crash trope this time as well, because the full circle moment was SO DARN GOOD! And yes, raw is a great description of Dai’s music! I just love how “sunshine boy” Dai is! He’s like Sawamura x Luffy for music anime and I’m here for it! Oh, Tamada would be out first round of Blue Lock, but he’s at least got another dream to follow were that to happen! :’) This is definitely Jazz bro!Given and I love it for it! Thank you for the comment and kind words; I’m glad you enjoyed this reaction - I definitely will be back to watch this movie again! And honestly, YES - I am seeing movies this month and next month (already) that I would probably never have heard of or seen otherwise, so that is proving to make the commission slot SUPER worth it! Thank you for all the support!
Romaniablack
2025-03-20 14:39:46 +0000 UTCThe fact that the first two commissions involved colors normally opposite each other? Could not have been a better coincidence, honestly! Hahaha, I honestly am just sitting on my hands, waiting for Season 3 of JJK! I have really enjoyed the commissions so far! The patrons who were so kind and generous to donate are all to thank for that! It definitely does not feel its length, especially when it gets going - I had seen this movie mentioned in a survey before, but until I saw the poster, I thought it was the anime equivalent of The Iron Giant - hahahaha!! I’m glad it was slightly different! ;) That is SUCH a good point about the sound and how music and being able to “listen” really enhances the experience beyond the manga - I feel that way about Given - I really enjoy the manga a LOT, but seeing the experience in an animated form where you can “hear” the songs and music played? It completely adds a new, richer element to it! I REALLY hope the manga gives us more BL elements, though! Ooohhh, I have wanted to watch Whiplash for a long time, but haven’t been able to commit! I’m glad that Yukinori turned out to be OKAY at the end of this, because I was horrified at first! I thought that the animation for the most part was GLORIOUS - some of the 3D got a tad wonky, but it was a tiny nitpick; for the most part - especially Yukinori’s scenes - they were so well done! And yes, the connection to the animation of Arcane, *but seriously that series is incredible animation-wise* was definitely there! Thank you for the comment and kind words! I really am glad I got to see this movie; it was so great! I’m glad you enjoyed it as well! Tally ho!
Romaniablack
2025-03-20 13:26:59 +0000 UTCThe act of ferociously hugging pillows with this movie makes all the sense! I LOVED this movie! It was sooooo good! I am so glad that it was commissioned because it’s not a genre I’d normally get into but I love it! Is this y’all getting me into music anime? 😛 I’m glad you weren’t spoiled either to this! I definitely want to check out the manga when I can get a chance to! The artstyle is so good, though! All of the characters are so well-designed and fleshed out just enough in this, especially our main three! Dai is so sweet; I love how determined he is! He reminds me of Sawamura from Ace of the Diamond so much! And hahaha, seriously, Yukinori and those piano SKILLLLLLSSSS…My heart melted with these two; how could we NOT ship them!? The twin flames note! <3 Thank you so much for the comment and kind words! I’m so glad you enjoyed the movie as well and yeah, the saxophone is not easy at all, so to hear the runs Dai gives in this movie? IMPRESSIVE! I agree, a GIANT of a movie!
Romaniablack
2025-03-20 03:20:11 +0000 UTCI'm really glad to hear you got a chance to check out the film and had a great time with it! 🥰
Sunspots
2025-03-16 08:00:21 +0000 UTCCursed Technique: One Piece RED No, that's not right, Commision Tier: BLUE Giant Tell me we're not all just trying to summon Gojo from his hiatus and bring us Jujutsu Kaisen S3! The commissions have been off to an incredible start! Thanks Sunspots and Romania! This movie was not on my radar at all, and I loved it!!! I ended up seeing it twice in 3 days and it feels like it's 45 minutes long! Even the second watching, it's amazing how it just flows so well with no dead time. And it just makes you feel so good watching it, and it has great messages on life and one's passion, seen through the different characters differently. One of the best things when you think about it, with getting manga like this brought to anime, is the sound, you can't really put the music in the manga like we get in the movie, and I just imagine watching the movie muted and can't! But I am sure the manga is incredible for different reasons (BL??!), while we are spoiled with such great OST in the movie. I've only seen a half-dozen or so anime series focused on music, and maybe one other movie. And then there's non-anime stuff like Whiplash which was good, but loosely speaking is more like the Full Metal Jacket of music movies haha. They're all pretty different and unique, and luckily they don't all involve huge tragedies either. I was a little worried at the end of this, but thankfully it turned around! The trio in this series does have a small bit of the Hajime no Ippo to them for some reason. Also, that youthful energy! In the anime series about music I have seen, they all tend to dip to 3D for the performances, with mixed results. Most are good, but some don't quite get there, so I think it must be really hard to animate music performances. This movie did such a great job with animation, I loved the visuals. The colors are so vibrant, and when they're in the zone in the performances I like the almost Arcane-like effect of scribbling 2D on top of the 3D footage, but this movie takes it even one step further and just flows the effects over the whole image. And the characters are all so enticing and wonderful! I originally missed the little stinger at the end, so I'm glad I caught it in the reaction on second watch! That last conversation at the end was everything haha! Great reaction and discussion!
L Freya
2025-03-16 04:41:51 +0000 UTCLoved the reaction and discussion! So happy to see you had such a great time with this film! 🥰 The jazz itself in this is so accessible, that it works perfectly for a first significant foray into a ‘music anime.’ And yes, this is definitely a sports anime type music anime – I agree with this classification completely! All those are reasons (+ all the shipping potential) why I chose this one as my first commission. 🥰 I adore the main trio! Seeing you immediately jump on the Yukinori/Dai train was a delight. As soon as Dai saw Yukinori, and then Yukinori started flirting it was over! 😂 I think I love Tamada’s storyline the best in this, as well. I particularly loved the moment after their first performance – when Tamada has a good cry and then goes off for a huge (!) meal. I think this is a great example of something I love about the characterisation overall: the obvious layer of ‘Tamada worked hard and got really hungry,’ but we could also read it as him being so anxious beforehand that he couldn’t eat and got his appetite back, or imagine that he’s extra happy because he feels the way he used to after finishing a match (accomplished, satisfied, exhausted) and hadn't felt that for a while, etc. 🥺 The scene gives the audience space and also plenty of crumbs to complete the picture the way we want to. I also tear up every time I see grown!Tamada in that interview right after – I believe that moment is the one he thinks of first when thinking back to his time with ""Jass."" Really excellent discussion around Tamada and also the likely family dynamics affecting him! I’m now gonna bring Natsume into this. 😆 We talk there a fair bit about representation of positive masculinity, growing and learning to manage and navigate emotions, healthy emotionality – and this film throughout has such great examples. You noted how well they communicate, I completely agree. My headcanon is that Natsume and Dai would be amazing friends! 😂 And Dai would be a really good older brother figure to Natsume, and I think be able to show by example how to grow in confidence. I can’t identify a lick of arrogance in Dai, his confidence comes entirely from the joy he feels when he expresses himself through music. He is certain - the way Natsume is certain - of the core of his being. Another big one part of what I love in this – the way the older characters are presented and the way they support the boys! 🥰 Akiko 😍: I would watch a whole series about her (please universe), the way she gives them a literal 'space' to grow, watching her at SoBlue crying the whole way through their performance – I adore her. When she turns away to have a little cry, I think there are so many things happening at once: she is so proud of them and happy for them, she is really touched Yukinori would tell her first but is still wanting to maintain boundaries, I think there’s the melancholy of an unrealised ambition but I don’t know how far it shifts towards envy. This is another Natsume-linked example for me – the way characters show good examples of introspection. Tamada’s biggest fan 🥰: love that we saw him from the very beginning, and him taking a moment to express enjoying seeing Tamada’s growth. Not just in a ‘I’m glad you’ve improved’ sense but a ‘thank you for letting me see the process.’ The sweetest old man! The man who was 10% sure he’d show up at their show, Dai’s saxophone teacher, etc – they all get tiny moments that really build who they are. There are so many layered feelings, absolutely masterful humanistic storytelling. There are no ‘villains’ – there are people who make some assumptions, or work through some presumptions, or have moments of weakness. Depth, complexity, human flaws are completely possible to be shown without toxicity; talent and confidence can be examined in a narrative without maliciousness, hostility or arrogance. I am all in for any examples of 'positive' media content. This brings me to Tyler – I would be interested to know what you think of him. The way he spoke to Yukinori to me was interesting. I wonder how much of this was truly that he felt offended by the lack of deference shown by Yukinori, or that he wanted to take him down a peg, or that he wanted to be honest in a way that he thought would motivate Yukinori. I personally do not consider this way of providing feedback to be useful at all, especially to a young person, and I would never do it that way. But, I also don’t think anything he said was ‘incorrect.’ It hurts Yukinori - but he also agrees. I am very conflicted! 😆 The music! Hiromi has created one of my absolutely favourite OSTs to any film with this 🥰 – the amount of very specific storytelling she does through the compositions is remarkable. Tomoaki as Dai was amazing – the melancholy and longing in that performance without Yukinori? 😍 Stunning. But I specifically want to highlight Shun as Tamada – who had to play as a beginner seeking purpose and joy. The progression, the gradual improvement, the mistakes - are all present in the way he played. The level of skill necessary to be a virtuoso and then go beyond that and make ‘mistakes’ that just elevate what you’re expressing as a pre-defined fictional character... Just spectacular! 🥰 Various moments I loved in the reaction: Noting the thing about Yukinori and ‘is there a reason he doesn’t use both hands?’ straight away – it is such cruel foreshadowing. I am generally not a fan of the car-crash as plot development trope, but I’ll forgive this one time. 😭 ‘Raw’ is I think the best descriptor for how Dai plays. “We’ll never make BL at this rate!” Poor Tamada, he would not survive BL. 😆 “He doesn’t get mad – he just gets more optimistic!” 😆 And all the fawning over Dai. He is Best Boi. 🥰 “Jazz bro!Given.” 🤣 Dai being the “Luffy of music anime” nearly killed me. 🤣 He is! “Show, don’t be crazy! Let them do this, movie!” Yeah, first time watching this I knew Something was coming, I was protesting as well. 😆 “Yeah, you cry old man!” 🤣 Everyone in that room was crying (and me). This reaction will absolutely go into regular rotation! 🥰 Looking forward to next week! 💙 And more of the general commission journey with you! 🥰 I think this will be a great chance to share works which may not have made their way onto the channel otherwise. And hopefully more people will check things out as a result! 🥳
Sunspots
2025-03-15 10:27:07 +0000 UTC*Ferociously hugs a pillow* “Is this love at first sight?” Yes.. yes and yes haha. That was such an amazing ride wasn’t it?! This movie- this MOVIEE. I was so pleasantly blown away when I first saw this film last year. I’ve had a couple friends recommend it and I put it off for a bit. I was pretty lucky that I never faced any clips/spoilers. The only things I’ve seen and/or heard was that it involved music.. and ofc the poster haha. Yk.. about the artstyle/character designs- I had the same thought! “Is this perhaps a series that got revamped?” When you mentioned banana fish I started laughing because it was like deja vu almost. I honestly have no clue or answer for that, maybe? When I was in Barnes and Nobles last year I DID see a cover of BG but did not approach it. (I had already gotten comics and did not want to spend anymore that I alr was planning at the time 🤣) but yeah… where was I? OH, so about the character designs!! I adore this artstyle so muchhhhh. It’s reminiscent to older series and quite frankly even adorable. I really love the cast of BG. Akiko, Tyler, Tamada, Sawabe, Dai, and so many others. Even their relatives who we don’t spend all that much time with. I do appreciate that they are at least brought up in flashbacks. Yk I also thought the guy at the beginning was too young looking to be Dai’s dad. The flashback later in the movie with the 3 of them definitely deterred the idea of him being his dad. It was soooo cute to seeing them as little children and now as teens/young adults. It IS lovely to see someone find their passion & work so diligently in it. Dai is quick to get ppl enamored with his talent…. Just like how quick HE was enamored with Sawabe haha. His piano skills that is… right? *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge* 😆 Ugh my heart melted hearing Dai say he’s his number one fan… how could I NOT SHIP THESE TWO- they’re like twin flames… *looks at Sunspot* LOL. I’m so ready to listen to the discussion but I couldn’t help but to immediately express how much I enjoyed listening and watching your thoughts throughout the movie. I didn’t know your brother played the saxophone. That’s so neat!! The sax does look like it needs someone with a good long capacity. I can’t imagine how exerted one would be after playing one song- let alone several in one performance!! There’s a lot more I wanna say but I wanna catch up with the discussion 😅 Blue Giant seems like a rather fitting name for the film/series huh 😊
Nicolas
2025-03-15 07:16:40 +0000 UTC
