'Liz and the Blue Bird' Is a Technically Masterful Arthouse Anime

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.