Liz and the Blue Bird is a spin-off film of the anime series Sound! Euphonium. However, the main characters of Sound! Euphonium only have cameos in it,
for the focus of the film is on two of their bandmates who are mostly found in
the background of the show – the reserved oboist Mizore and the outgoing flutist Nozomi. The story follows these two girls, who have
been inseparable best friends for a long time, as they deal with the impending
end of high school – an occasion that may finally lead them to head toward
separate paths.
Meanwhile, their concert band is
set to play a piece in which they have to do an oboe and flute duet. The piece is called “Liz and the Blue Bird”,
which is based on a fairy tale of the same name. It’s about a lonely young woman named Liz who
one day finds her life cheered up by the sudden arrival of a bubbly girl in a
blue dress. This mysterious girl is
actually a blue bird who has magically transformed into a girl. Once Liz realizes this and the fact that she’s
preventing her to soar to new heights, she makes the difficult choice of
letting her go.
The fairy tale plays out as an
accompaniment to the main storyline; its theme lies in parallel with what
Mozire and Nozomi’s relationship is currently going through. Thus, unlocking its meaning becomes the key
for the two best friends to not only give justice to their musical piece, but to
realize and express their true feelings about their friendship’s current state and future.
Liz and the Blue Bird is a film that can be watched even without having
seen Sound! Euphonium. It can stand on its own, and it being set in
the same universe as Sound! Euphonium
could just be considered a fun-but-inconsequential, nod-to-the-fans, Easter
egg-level detail.
Actually, those who have enjoyed Sound! Euphonium and expect Liz and the Blue Bird to be just an extension
of what’s it about might get disappointed.
The anime film is an entirely different animal. While Sound!
Euphonium did deal with sentimental character dynamics, it primarily had a
straightforward “team working hard towards achieving a goal” narrative, similar
to that of sports anime arcs. On the
other hand, Liz and Blue Bird is a character
drama through and through.
In fact, it has the sensibilities
of a restrained, intimate indie film. This
should not come as a surprise since it’s helmed by Naoka Yamada, the director
of A Silent Voice. And this film is every much of an arthouse
anime as A Silent Voice was.
However, I don’t
find this film as emotionally resonating as A Silent Voice had been. It might be
because I find its central message of “if you love someone, you would not pull
him/her back from realizing his/her dreams or full potential” a bit too clichéd
already. Nevertheless, I was in awe of
the impeccable interweaving of its fantastic production elements and the
expressive nuances of its storytelling. At
a technical standpoint, it’s every bit as masterful as A Silent Voice.
All things
considered, Liz and the Blue Bird is
undeniably beautiful. Even though it isn’t
as moving as I hoped it would be, I did get to like it as a whole.
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