A special screening in D.C. gave me the chance to see this movie, which beat Jurassic World head-to-head at the Japanese box office.

What’s It About? Nine girls who found fame performing as pop stars at their high school must deal with the consequences of their now-global popularity.

STRAIGHT UP: This is all it took to take over Tokyo? 3/5

What I Liked

Impressive set pieces – The high-production concert scenes are a treat, bursting with bright colors, lighting effects, and elaborate costumes. The spectacle of dancers filling the Akiba Crossing at the film’s climax is especially memorable.

Catchy songs – Your mileage may vary, but as a fan of Japanese idol-style pop music, I enjoyed all of the songs performed in this film. I thought “Sunny Day Song” and “Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari” were particular standouts.

Uplifting themes – The School Idol Movie, like other Love Live productions, carries a message about the virtues of staying true to one’s own heart and working hard to make dreams come true. There’s not an ounce of cynicism in this entire film, which feels rare and refreshing in this day and age.

The ??? scene – A heavily-promoted scene highlighting the oft-teased relationship between the characters Nico and Maki came across as shameless pandering to fans… but it was also the funniest moment in the movie.

What I Disliked

A story in 9 acts – The School Idol Movie scoffs at traditional narrative structures by featuring three distinct story arcs over its run time. There’s enough material here for multiple movies, or several episodes of a TV show. As a result, a lot of potentially interesting scenes are cut short and the screenplay resorts to telling, rather than showing, what happened.

Musical numbers outta nowhere – Set pieces in this movie are served a la carte, with little thought given to the transition between mundane scenes and show-stopping performances. With the way costumes and staging elements appear out of nowhere, it’s unclear whether some of these scenes are really happening or just part of the characters’ imaginations.

Her name is Tyler Durden – The movie makes an ill-advised foray into magical realism when main character Honoka, facing a crisis of faith, receives advice from a woman who turns out to be Honoka’s mental projection of her future self. It’s as ridiculous as it sounds.

Underdeveloped characters – With such a large main cast, the distribution of screentime was bound to be uneven. Honoka is more or less fully-realized, while poor Hanayo’s only personality trait is “likes white rice.”

CLOSING THOUGHT: Probably the most surprising thing about this movie is that it has a conclusive ending, definitively closing the book on Honoka and friends’ careers as school idols. Given that the Love Live franchise began with one of those endlessly profitable mobile games and has been massively successful for years, there was little reason to expect such a big change to the status quo. It actually lends an interesting meta element to Honoka’s indecision over whether to become a pro idol – and prioritize making money over all else – or end her career on a high note, before her popularity ever fades. Will Love Live continue with a new generation of characters, or are the studios involved “selling high” on the franchise? Considering how Love Live has dominated Japanese pop culture lately, does this mark a changing of the guard? I’m probably reading too much into this, but it’s fun to think about anyway.