Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing

This review is a love letter for the entire Project Sekai franchise, not just the movie. Be prepared for lots and lots of spoilers for the game, gushing, obsessing, messy writing, and love towards this franchise. Project Sekai is one of those media that pulls you in, hugs you, and never lets you go. It transparently looks into your feelings, doesn’t sugarcoat it or tone it down like many other media in fear of losing precious investor pennies, and presents it in an emotional and deep manner that resonates with your soul. Each character’s struggles are presented to you raw and honest, including in the movie.Without a doubt, Project Sekai is one of my favourite media of all time, and Kowareta Sekai to Utaenai Miku is no doubt one of the best movies I’ve ever had the pleasure of viewing. Many gacha games out there tend to minimize or put aside a character’s struggles so they stay marketable or keep the game lighthearted, but Project Sekai isn’t scared to dive into more serious topics such as suicide, depression, death, abuse, bullying, neurodiversity, pressure, the entertainment industry, trauma, and more, presenting them in a manner where it is appropriate for all ages yet at the same time subtly making it connect for the more mature audience who’ve struggled through the same events before. The story doesn’t shy away from characters literally wanting to kill themselves, which I think is a great breath of fresh air. This also applies to the movie where we see a whole new side to the SEKAIs: people who have already given up. Those who don’t have a “saviour” like what Kanade was to Mafuyu, who don’t have the deep connection to others keeping them going like Ichika; they are the “failed” versions of the characters we know and love today. There were several lines in the movie where people broke down and talked about wanting to “disappear”, multiple scenes of people just giving up on what they love, all from a range of people, young to old, all struggling with different things, and all resonating with different parts of the audience. It’s incredible how a supposedly family friendly Miku tap tap rhythm game and movie adaptation can connect with everyone, from all ages at different parts in their lives. That’s what I think Proseka does amazingly: resonating with you. Although the movie has a runtime of 2 hours and there are over 20 human characters and technically 31 virtual characters to keep track of, the movie does a great job at getting everyone a chance to shine and have some sort of important moment or role within the movie. While the virtual characters other than Miku never really had an important role within the series and were mostly there in the background, we see a little more to them in the movie and even viewers who’ve never read a Proseka story in their life could get a grasp on their personalities. The human characters, however, were done with a lot more care. None of the character interactions or scenes felt forced in or shoved in your face as if they were saying “Hey look! It’s your favourite character on screen give us money”, each character and scene had a purpose and it was very well-written, especially having to balance so many characters, groups, and maintain a concise and clear story. The characters don’t really develop much throughout the movie as a result, which I don’t think is necessarily bad as trying to have character arcs while balancing everything else would just result in a choppy and rushed arc. I believe there was nothing regarding the characters they could’ve done better; they showcased their personalities incredibly that my brother who has never even looked at any Proseka media got attached to some characters. We even get hints to past and future story arcs which I think is a really neat detail; especially with Mafuyu and her constant “aquarium” camera angles. Overall, while it might seem overwhelming at first with the amount of characters there are, they all have a good purpose and none would feel left-behind or forgotten. If you come expecting your favourite to have half the screen time, don’t get your hopes up, but don’t expect them to just have 3 lines either. The art and animation for this movie was simply incredible. We’ve already seen P.A Works’ capabilities with Proseka after the anniversary MVs and digest animations, but wow they blew it out of the park for the movie. The performance scenes are incredible and so unexpected; I loved the songs prior to watching the movie so it was such a treat seeing them animated in actual performances. The choreography is unbelievable and the overall animation was pleasing to the eye. There were definitely moments where animation felt a little choppy at times but the performances and more impactful scenes definitely made up for it. I was honestly worried about the game’s character designs transforming into animation, especially since Proseka’s artstyle is very detailed. I was anxious the movie wouldn’t do it justice, but I believe they did it just fine and exactly what I envisioned for a Project Sekai anime. I’m not spoiling, but the little “surprise” at the end of the movie was a great touch and was very well made and polished. The sound is honestly one of the most remarkable and notable parts of Proseka. Not just the memorable OSTs especially the Phoenix Wonderland theme, but the songs themselves are just incredible. I’ve been looping every song that played in the movie before even knowing their impact after watching their role in the movie. The opening song Hajimari no Mirai is a great introduction and sucks you into the movie, the ending song is incredible, Worlders has been a favourite ever since it released, and oh gosh the group songs. DECO*27 and every artist he worked with outdid themselves, releasing some of the best music each group has seen. Starting out with Fire Dance, probably the most impactful and popular movie song, the rhythm is just so darn catchy and the cool choreography makes it an instant Giga classic. Smile*Symphony is similar to many other Wonderlands x Showtime hits such as Niccori and Glory Steady Go, and the chorus is just too catchy to not smile and dance along. FUN is a more calm and “lonely” sounding song if you listen to it on its own but once put in a performance it’s one of the most hype songs out there. The crowd chanting “YEAH!” in the post-chorus is one of my favourite additions to the songs. Soko ni Aru, Hikari is a beautiful and very unique Nightcord song, and gosh the visuals and direction in this song was just pure eye-candy. I highly recommend listening to the full version, a lot of emotion is packed into its final chorus. Finally, we have SToRY, which I believe to be one of Leo/need’s best work. DECO*27 really outdoes themselves making more rock-like sounding songs, such as Mosaik Role and Android Girl, and it’s no exception here. It’s also a great callback to Leo/need’s first unit song, needLe, finally giving the missing “o” from SToRY to spell out Leo/need, genius. Again, highly recommend listening to the full version, the bridge gets me every single time. Finally, we have the “main” song of the movie, Hello SEKAI, which is so catchy it’s been stuck in my head for days. The first 2 lines are repeated throughout the movie at least 10 times but every single time it gets me. It’s also an incredible payoff to actually hear the song near the end, and I love how it has callbacks to previous DECO Proseka comms such as SEKAI and Journey. Also, the foreshadowing and buildup for the unit songs are amazing and very clever, for example Kohane’s suggestion for vocals at the beginning of the song to hook listeners in, Rui suggesting to flesh the song out with personality, and Ichika suggesting to make eye contact with Saki at a part in the song. I think this is an outstanding touch; it makes the performances and songs a lot more enjoyable seeing how they struggled and practiced and worked hard to get the performances we see. Another point I would like to discuss is its homage to Vocaloid. I do wish there were more though, but I can’t complain since it’s there in the first place. We hear many tracks such as Kariki Bear’s Darling Dance, Ayase’s Yuurei Tokyo, and I believe it’s MIMI’s Hanataba, and I think it’s a great homage to many styles and genres of Vocaloid and many of the great songs made throughout the years. Even fans of Vocaloid who know nothing of Project Sekai would greatly enjoy this movie and be pleased with its call backs and I believe would be very touched with its portrayal and interpretation of Miku. I’ve seen many people complain this movie was Project Sekai related, and it’s sad people call this the Miku movie, when it’s very much Project Sekai. Yes, Miku is a central part of the story but at the end of the day it’s a Project Sekai story. No, you don’t need to play Project Sekai to understand what’s happening, but if you can’t stand Project Sekai but love Vocaloid I think you’re better off watching other movies. However, if you’re a longtime Vocaloid fan who never really interacted with Project Sekai much, then this movie is still a great treat. This paragraph contains spoilers, if you have not seen the movie proceed with caution. Before going into the movie, I expected this movie to be just a fanservice for all fans who want to see their beloved gacha game in theatres. I thought the story would be clunky and shallow and overall filler fun. I did not expect it to blow me away this much, nor did I expect me to be in tears at multiple times throughout the movie. It’s clear the staff working on the movie didn’t just see it as a movie for the fans, they wanted to get across themes and feelings they want to convey, and gosh is it impactful. The scenes of past musicians quitting, a mangaka on the verge of quitting his job, a high school student struggling with exams, all crying and so close to just giving up, but at the same time we hear their desperation, their wanting to live and do their passion, it’s all incredibly powerful. When Miku can’t reach them with her song, you can see how much it despairs her. How heartbroken she is seeing that not everyone lives happily ever after like our beloved groups. Her only purpose is to sing, and seeing that that’s not enough to get to other people breaks her. The scene where she succumbs to the darkness and ponders if that was her fate all along is heartbreaking. The symbolism of the Sekai breaking is amazing and it gave us a whole new side to the Sekais we never even thought about. Another thing that surprised me were its high stakes; Miku’s Sekai breaking actually impacted the real world, it actually affected everyone else’s Sekais, oh my goodness it even affected the other Mikus. Killing off the Mikus was genuinely shocking, as I never expected them to actually have the guts to make their prime character disappear. Miku’s character development throughout the movie is also an incredible touch; her transformation at the end left many in tears and it was beautiful. Overall, Kowareta Sekai to Utaenai Miku is genuinely one of the best films I have experienced, so good that 2 days after I watched it in theatres, I went again and watched it for the second time. I thought it wouldn’t hit the same, but my heart was still pounding the same, I cried just as much, I laughed just as much, it’s just such a magical experience. It has its funny moments which would have you giggling like crazy (especially Tsukasa) and it has its silly and wacky moments you’d smirk at, musical scenes you’d tap your foot to involuntarily, but at the same time it has serious and emotional moments where you’d be bawling on the floor. Even in scenes where it's not trying to be emotional, it’s still very moving and oftentimes so powerful I’d cry anyway. The movie’s themes and message are so incredibly powerful and universal it’s just astonishing. Project Sekai as a whole sends its messages and themes to you with care yet at the same time stabs you right in the heart in your deepest insecurities, yet brings you up and uplifts you. It’s not scared to address problems within mental health, families, and more, and should be applauded for how they take serious things seriously. Don’t think it’s shallow just because it’s a rhythm game marketed towards kids, it’s surprisingly much more mature than you’d ever expect. This movie as a whole is a beautiful love letter to not only Project Sekai fans, but also Vocaloid fans and just anyone as a whole who even slightly knows who Miku is. Even those who never even heard of Miku would surely have a great time and be able to somewhat connect to it. However, this movie is mainly for Project Sekai fans, so do proceed with caution. Don’t take that as a turn-off though, Project Sekai is a beautiful and fantastic game and I’m sure anyone of all ages can enjoy it, so if you have never played Project Sekai, I highly recommend it! Finally, to anyone out there struggling, in distress, or just ready to quit, just know Miku’s got you. Thank you P.A Works, SEGA, and Colorful Palette for making this beautiful, inspirational, and heartfelt movie. Allow me to talk a bit about my personal experience with Project Sekai. I was a big Vocaloid fan around 2 years ago and my friend told me to get this rhythm game called Project Sekai. I knew about Project Diva and its franchise, so I thought Project Sekai would be the same, but imagine my surprise when I saw it was a completely different game, centering around new original characters instead of Miku. Additionally, Proseka actually has a story to follow and lore, rather than Project Diva’s simple ‘play songs and get rewards’ structure (which is great by the way). I was shocked, though a little turned off as I came for Miku and her songs, so having to follow 20 characters I knew nothing about looked like a chore. However, as I persevered through and read the main stories, it felt like the game was speaking to me straight through the heart. Leo/need’s desires to reconnect with your old friends yet wanting to fit in with your new group, MORE MORE JUMP with letting go of the past and carrying on no matter how many times you failed, Vivid BAD SQUAD with feeling inferior to those around you and wanting to run away countless of times, yet having people there to support you, Wonderlands x Showtime with feeling outcasted from everyone and just wanting the best for everyone even if you have to mask your own tears, and finally 25-ji Nightcord de with wanting to keep on going, wanting to live, no matter how hard life is or the amount of guilt you have with from the past. All the stories are genuinely so beautiful, and that doesn’t even count the event stories after the main stories. Each character has their own story to tell, development, and relatability. Saki’s illness holding her back from everyone yet she feels guilty for making everyone worry, Honami’s people pleasing tendencies making her hide her true self to fit in, Airi’s tomboy nature and not being a stereotypical “idol” hence sticking out, Shizuku’s expectations yet discrimination and assumptions for being above the rest, An’s feelings of being left behind and attachment issues, Toya’s abuse and trauma with classical music, Tsukasa getting ahead of himself and not looking behind to see what he fought for in the first place, Nene’s shyness and struggling to come out on top as a result of her inability to truly come out of her shell, Ena’s anger issues and feeling like everyone in the world is against you, and finally Mizuki’s secrets and feelings of not wanting things to change the way they are now and wanting to be accepted. Notice how that’s only half the characters as I didn’t want to drag on for too long, but you should understand by now that THESE CHARACTERS ARE FREAKING WELL WRITTEN. Never have I seen a media that puts so much effort, care, and love into so many characters and are able to make them equally likeable, well-written, and relevant. I hope any future installments of Proseka as an anime would center more around the characters and their development because many people who play the game don’t read the stories, and they’re truly missing out on some emotional rollercoasters, huge progression, and overall masterpiece showcasing of character writing. This is starting to get long, so let me end off the review by saying. Project Sekai isn’t just some stupid idol rhythm gacha game. It’s not shallow, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine, and it’s anything but bad. Proseka doesn’t lie to you nor does it tell you everything is going to be okay. Sometimes all you need is a little push or support from others; maybe everything won’t turn out perfect, we will stumble, we will fail, we will cry, but that’s okay because we still have each other. We will stumble with each other, we will fail with each other, and we will cry on each other’s shoulders. That’s what Project Sekai is at its core: emphasizing, caring, and loving the people in your life. Suffering with them when no one else does. Laughing with them until you start crying. Hugging them so tight it feels like you would explode. Project Sekai is about, and in fact IS, love. Play Project Sekai. It saved my life. Thank you for reading. (By the way, this review is exactly 3039 words not counting this note. Miku fans, you know what I'm talking about.)

As a vocaloid fan and avid Project Sekai player, I felt let down by this movie. Clearly the goal of this project was to create a neat little package primarily aimed at PJSK fans and generate publicity for the mobile game. As such, whilst the film briefly touches on every original cast member, the writing does not try to advance the plot of the event stories, nor does it even build off of them. This is a shame, as the event stories have flushed out the characters for four years at that point and we know that the team behind Project Sekai is capable ofwriting serious and heavy hitting event stories. Instead, the movie revolves around a mediocre B-plot that can't even be considered canon to in-game events. Even considering the fact that PJSK is aimed at both adolescents and adults, the instigating conflict of the movie felt particularly childish and forced. The underlying message is supposed to be a feel-good story of believing in yourself and spreading joy through music, however the movie doesn't give enough time raising the stakes for the characters and it ends up falling flat on its face. If you are a fan of the game, then watch this movie regardless of how good it is. It's an amazing feeling to be able to see your oshis animated on the big screen (and credit where credit is due, the animation, score, and soundtrack are well done). For vocaloid fans who don't play Project Sekai, this movie will be harder to watch. For everyone else, it just feels like a generic kids movie.

I had the pleasure of watching this movie in cinemas in Japan during its initial release, and as a day 1 Project Sekai player, it definitely lived up to expectations. All of the main cast from the game get a good amount of screentime and line distribution, with plenty of background scenes and B-roll to show off their personalities and character quirks. The Vocaloid cast also make an appearance, dressed in their respective outfits from each of the game's "Sekai"s. Definitely would recommend having some knowledge about the game's characters, as they contribute heavily to the plot. However, even if you have no knowledge about ProjectSekai, it is still an enjoyable movie. The movie itself is an emotional ride, with some incredible background visuals and music to accompany it. Speaking of music, be prepared for Love Live-esque music sequences where the characters perform both Vocaloid covers and original songs. There were even special post-credit performances similar to the in-game "Virtual Lives". The audience in Japan brought along light sticks for this segment, and were waving them excitedly. Definitely check out the movie when it releases internationally!