Tag: #atarashiigakko

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Anime Film Japan Reviews

Labyrinth Review

After Shiori’s bad day gets her the internet fame she’s craved in ways she doesn’t want, she finds herself trapped inside her phone watching a charismatic doppelgänger take over her life.

I was lucky enough to catch Labyrinth during its limited theatrical release last month. While I’m an anime fan in general, this movie was primarily on my radar for a different reason altogether.

As mentioned in the blog before, I’m a huge fan of a Japanese music group named Atarashii Gakko. A few months ago I checked out their newest song and found out it was featured in an upcoming animated movie.

I adore the song and have listened to it incessantly, which ended up adding layers to my viewing experience. Sailor, Sail On isn’t just a song that they did for this movie. It’s THE song of the movie, used in numerous variations throughout. Recognizing the faint melody right away and knowing what was being built to musically as the film progressed provided additional resonance I quite enjoyed.

Beyond Sailor, Sail On, Atarashii Gakko has another strong tie to the movie as their lead vocalist Suzuka voiced Labyrinth’s main character. While dubs have improved drastically in recent years, I prefer seeing anime with the original Japanese audio and English subtitles over seeing dubs in general. And in this case I was even more interested in checking out the sub due to Suzuka’s involvement.

So I went into Labyrinth with high anticipation, and as the movie got underway I was intrigued with the developing themes. The underlying concepts in Labyrinth faintly echo topics explored in some of my favorite films, albeit from completely different directions and examining different aspects. And, to be perfectly frank, not as subtly or deeply. Still Shiori facing a direct manifestation of the struggle between being yourself and all that entails positive and negative versus letting the public veneer you show take over and how fame can twist it all is an engrossing premise.

Some films weave their message subtly throughout with teases and whispers. This is not one of those films. Labyrinth applies its lessons with a sledgehammer, repeatedly outright stated in a direct manner.

In addition its whole setup necessitates a fair amount of isolation of conflicting characters, leading to a significant amount of conversational exposition. Concepts, world building, and a few key story elements are delivered in a much more tell than show manner with a ton of exposition that can drag a bit at times.

None of which bothered me personally overall by the time the movie was finished however. The themes are worth exploring, and perhaps being direct with a message about denying aspects of one’s self is appropriate. The world’s interesting enough to justify the info dumps, and the story and characters engaging. There was more potential in the character arcs and certain plot elements, but judged on its own merits the story was satisfying.

The atmosphere was well established and maintained. I liked the animation and the contrast shown between the bleak labyrinth and the more vibrant real world. Suzuka, and the rest of the vocal cast for that matter, did a great job. I’d figured out where things were going pretty early on, but the ride was still compelling.

I’ve seen mixed reviews for Labyrinth and certainly concede that its perhaps not what it could have been. But I found what is here engaging and an enjoyable watch. Pretty easy recommendation overall. It’s not without its flaws, but I loved it by the end.

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Japan Music

The New School of Music is Here: Atarashii Gakko

Last November I got a simple text from a close friend that would end up having a pretty significant effect on me: “Hey, do you want to go to a concert tomorrow night?” And thus a new music obsession was born.

My friend was going to see Atarashii Gakko no Leaders (“New School Leaders,” now commonly shortened to Atarashii Gakko) and someone had to cancel, leaving an available ticket.

I had never heard of the group before, so did a quick search and checked out the first video that popped up. Thirty seconds into Nai Nai Nai I messaged back that I was in. The second video I saw was their performance of  Otonablue on First Take, and I was completely blown away and hooked on their music from there.

I made it to the concert the next day, and was lucky to do so. I deal with a variety of chronic health conditions and my ability to function is highly variable day to day. Plans with me are always tentative until they happen, and I’ve had to cancel on a great number of events including many planned months in advance. On the flip side, my friends often check in with me when last minute opportunities arise as there’s a chance it falls on one of my good days.

Atarashii Gakko always seems to catch me on my good days, a quirk of fate I’m extremely grateful for. That show was the first concert I’d managed to attend since pre-pandemic, and it was a treat.

The concert was just as the extremely talented group was starting to grow in popularity. Among other things it happened a month before their appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live aired.

The Music Hall of Williamsburg is a small venue, and the sheer presence of Suzuka, Mizyu, Kanon, and Rin filled the space. I was in the balcony with a partially blocked view so didn’t get the full effect of their dancing, but what I did see and more importantly their fantastic vocal performances and catchy music blew me away and made me a permanent fan. I had a blast.

Late in the concert Suzuka ventured out into the audience (appropriately accompanied by staff, although keeping up with her was a task). A couple of her stops included directly below me at the audio station, and a couple people down from me when she came up to the balcony.

Considered to a point to be anti-idols, Atarashii Gakkko embrace elements in both their songwriting and performances that buck traditional idol trends and embrace their individual styles. Their songs and performances have a touch of indescribable uniqueness and feel extremely genuine. They do their own choreography as well, and everything comes together in a captivating manner.

Suzuka generally sings lead, but all four have amazing voices and a variety of their songs highlight each member at different times. I’ve grown to adore their music and the way it touches on several different styles, and listen to them regularly.

My second fortuitous opportunity to see them perform live came in a vastly different situation six months later. They appeared at the Head in the Clouds Festival in NYC in the open air venue Forest Hills Stadium. They killed it, and received an excellent reception particularly for being one of many performing acts. Also poor Rin was thankfully fine after tripping over an unfortunately placed speaker and playing dead for a few moments.

Back indoors for my most recent stroke of luck, last night I saw them perform at Terminal 5. I got a ticket months ago when the concert was announced, and despite an extremely difficult day for a variety of personal reasons I was thankfully able to attend in the end.

This was a chance to experience Atarashii Gakko at full power, with stunning multimedia visuals backing them up in a venue that holds 3,000 people. The experience was fantastic. Their shows are just pure fun, and with the possible exception of hearing a couple of my favorite songs that were absent I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

The atmosphere was electric. The crowd was already super hyped to see them, and they know how to pump the audience up even more into a frenzy. Suzuka in particular showed a phenomenal ability for crowd management in a foreign language. She also continued her venue exploring tendencies during their designated main concert ender, the previously mentioned Nai Nai Nai.

She went all over the place (with a small group of support staff in tow), including singing in the balcony again and later ending up right next to me for a moment at my spot behind the audio station. Wild, awesome experience.

Atarshii Gakko are charisma personified, and I highly recommend anyone that gets a chance catch them live. Wishing them the best of luck on the rest of their world tour.