The appeal and evaluation of the "Sakura Wars" motion picture: A must-read review for fans

Sakura Wars Movie Review and Details

Overview

Sakura Wars: Motion Picture is a feature-length animated film released on December 22, 2001, and is part of the Sakura Wars series, based on the original work by Hiroi Oji. It was produced by Production IG and distributed by Toei. Each 89-minute episode follows the stars of the glamorous Imperial Opera Company as they battle demons in the imperial capital of Tokyo.

■ Story

The imperial capital of Tokyo in the Taisho era. Behind the scenes of the imperial capital, where a unique civilization was built using cutting-edge steam technology, strange monsters called Kouma were rampant. Fighting these monsters were the stars of the Imperial Opera Company, who dance and sing splendidly at the Grand Imperial Theater during the day. When fighting the Kouma, they were young maidens who protected the imperial capital as warriors of the Imperial Combat Revue. The story depicts their courage and bonds as they struggle to protect the peace of the imperial capital.

■Cast

・Sakura Shinguji: Chisa Yokoyama・Sumire Kanzaki: Michie Tomizawa・Maria Tachibana: Rei Takano・Iris (Iris Chateaubriand): Kumiko Nishihara・Li Honglan: Yuriko Fuchizaki・Kanna Kirishima: Mayumi Tanaka・Soletta Orihime: Maya Okamoto・Leni Milchstrasse: Kazue Ikura・Ratchet Altair: Akiko Kuno・Kaede Fujieda: Ai Orikasa・Yuri Sakakibara: Yuki Masuda・Tsubaki Takamura: Kyoko Hikami・Kasumi Fujii: Akemi Okamura・Brent Furlong: Koichi Yamadera・Patrick Hamilton: Keiichi Nanba

■ Main staff

・Original Story: Hiroi Oji・Director: Hongo Mitsuru・Executive Producer: Otsuki Toshimichi・Supervisor: Akahori Satoru・Character Original: Fujishima Kosuke・Character Design: Matsubara Hidenori・Mecha Design: Akitaka Mika・Executive Coordination: Tanaka Seigo, Nagoshi Yasuaki, Yasuda Takeshi・Production Producers: Sawa Koji, Okumura Keisaku, Mizuno Joichi・Production Supervisor: Oba Norikatsu・Screenplay: Hongo Mitsuru, Nishimura Hiroyuki, Terato Nobuhisa, Hiroi Oji・Storyboard: Hongo Mitsuru・Director: Mitsuru Hongo, Tamaki Nakatsu ・Character Design: Takuya Saito ・Mechanical Design: Atsushi Takeuchi, Hidekatsu Uemura ・Prop Design: Hideki Takahashi, Kanami Sekiguchi ・Animation Director: Takuya Saito, Mitsuru Ishihara, Kazuya Kise, Meiji Ishii, Hiroshi Okubo, Sushio ・3D CGI Director: Tokumitsu Kifune ・Art Setting: Hiroshi Kato ・Art Director: Yusuke Takeda ・Director of Photography: Hiroji Tanaka ・Editor: Junichi Uematsu ・Sound Director: Masafumi Mima ・Music Director: Kohei Tanaka ・Production: Production IG
Produced by: Sakura Wars Motion Picture Production Committee (Sega, Kadokawa Shoten, Production IG, IMAGICA, Rentrak Japan, Japan Publishers Association, Chara-ani.com)

■ Main Characters

・Sakura Shinguji: 21 years old, from Miyagi (Sendai). A member of the Hanagumi troupe. A girl who fights against demons with her Hokushin Itto-ryu mastery and the power of the "bloodline of evil-busting" inherited by the Shinguji family. She is strong and proactive on the battlefield, but in everyday life she is kind, innocent, and a little bit jealous. Due to her childhood experiences, she dislikes thunder gods.
・Kanzaki Sumire: 19 years old, from Kanagawa. A member of the Hanagumi troupe. She is the granddaughter of the head of the Kanzaki conglomerate, and her father is the president of Kanzaki Heavy Industries, and her mother is a movie star, making her a true thoroughbred. She is also a master of the Kanzaki Fuujin-ryu style of long sword. She considers herself the top star of the Hanagumi troupe, but she also works hard every day. Kanna Kirishima is a good opponent for her.
Maria Tachibana: 23 years old, from Russia (Kiev, Ukraine). A member of the Hanagumi troupe. Born to a Russian father and a Japanese mother, she is a top male star at the Imperial Theater. She once devoted herself to the Russian Revolution, and is nicknamed Kwassali (fire-eater) for her outstanding shooting skills. Her calm judgment is her forte.
・Iris (Iris Chateaubriand): 13 years old, from France (Champagne). Belongs to the Hanagumi. Daughter of the Count of Chateaubriand in France. Her potential spiritual power is far superior to that of the Hanagumi, but she is still physically and mentally immature and is not able to fully utilize it. Her best friend is her teddy bear Jean-Paul, but she hates being treated like a child.
Li Honglan: 20 years old, from China (Beijing). A member of the Hanagumi troupe. A genius scientist with a bright personality and a mysterious Kansai accent. With an excellent sense for mechanics, she is in charge of developing, modifying, and maintaining the spiritual armor. The large-scale stage sets are also the work of Honglan. As an actor, she is well-known for her comedy and comedy sketches.
・Kirishima Kanna: 23 years old, from Okinawa. Belongs to the Hanagumi troupe. The 28th generation successor of the Kirishima Ryu Ryukyu Karate style, she has exceptional athletic ability and power. Her sisterly and good-natured personality makes her the perfect mood maker. As an actor, she is very popular with children for her powerful and impressive acting. However, even this tomboyish Kanna is afraid of snakes.
・Soletta Orihime: 19 years old, from Italy. A member of the Flower Troupe. She comes from a family of Italian nobility and is a former member of the elite Star Troupe. In the Italian theater world, she is known as the "Daughter of the Sun" and is a popular star who has been in the spotlight worldwide. Her strange Japanese and bright Latin personality are memorable. She also has an excellent sense for fighting.
Leni Milchstrasse: 17 years old, from Germany. Flower Troupe member. A genius ballet dancer from Germany. A former elite member of the Star Troupe, she has excellent tactical skills, calm judgment, and vast knowledge, but she was trained as a fighting machine. She used to have few emotional ups and downs, but this is starting to change after joining the Flower Troupe.
Ratchet Altair: 20 years old, from the United States. A former captain of the Star Troupe who temporarily enlisted in Teigeki to establish the New York Kagekidan. His genius mind and extraordinary spiritual power give him outstanding fighting ability, but his rationalism and individualism can also lead to discord. After the Star Troupe plan was frozen, she worked as an actress in New York.
・Fujieda Kaede: Vice Commander of the Imperial Attack. The twin sister of Fujieda Ayano, who fought alongside Yoneda Kazuki and others as part of the Army's anti-demon unit. She succeeds her sister as Vice Commander of the Imperial Attack.
・Yuri Sakakibara: A member of the Wind Group. In normal times, she is in charge of announcements and guidance at the Great Imperial Theater. She is also a member of the piloting crew of Mikasa, the Teigeki aerial battleship.
・Tsubaki Takamura: A member of the Wind Troupe. In peacetime, she works as a salesgirl at the Imperial Theater's concession stand. In times of battle, she is active as a member of the Imperial Assault Force Wind Troupe.
・Kasumi Fujii: In charge of the administrative work at the Imperial Theater. She has a reliable personality and acts as the leader of the Kaze-gumi members (also known as the Three Girls of the Imperial Theater).
Brent Furlong: The young president of Douglas Stewart & Co. He teams up with Haruyoshi Tanuma, a member of the Wise Men's Organization, and plots to take control of Japan.
Patrick Hamilton: A subordinate of Brent, he is in charge of sabotage operations against the Imperial capital. He has the ability to control his familiars, and is a mysterious character.
Familia: Patrick's familiars who carry out destructive activities in various places. Some of them are said to have the ability to control people's minds.

■ Main robot items

・Kobu Kai: Spirit armor owned by the Imperial Combat Revue. It is an advanced humanoid steam mecha based on the "Kobu" developed by Kanzaki Heavy Industries. It is 2532mm tall, with a dry weight of 728kg, and an improved steam-compatible spirit engine as its main engine. Shinguji Sakura's unit is cherry blossom yellow in color and is equipped with a large sword. Kanzaki Sumire's unit is violet in color and is equipped with a long sword. Maria Tachibana's unit is black in color and is equipped with a 7mm Gatling gun. Iris Chateaubriand's unit is yellow in color. Li Honglan's unit is green in color and is equipped with guided rocket missiles. Kirishima Kanna's unit is red in color.
・Eisenkreit: Manufactured by the German company Neugier. Its official name is Eisenkreit III Type <Kreuz>. It was deployed as the Star Troupe's exclusive spiritual armor. Soletta and Orihime's machine is Italian rose in color and is equipped with a large sword. Reni Milchstrasse's machine is German gray in color and is equipped with a lance. Ratchet and Altair's machine is silver in color.
・Gourai-go: Nicknamed the "Bullet Train." It runs between Teigeki HQ and Hanayashiki HQ, and you can get off at any stop along the way. It uses the Ginza subway line.
・Yafukiel: An automatic humanoid spiritual armor developed by DS. Its greatest feature is that it does not require spiritual power, unlike the Hanagumi's Koubu Kai and Eisenklite.

■ Related works

・Sakura Wars: Ouka Ranman ・Sakura Wars: Gouka Ranman ・Sakura Wars: Ecole de Paris ・Sakura Wars: Le Nouveau Paris ・Sakura Wars: New York ・New York

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1: The Movie: The Miracle Bell Lyrics: Hiroi Oji Music: Tanaka Kohei Arrangement: Tanaka Kohei Sung by: Imperial Opera Company

・IN1: The Movie: Everything is for the Sea Lyrics: Hiroi Oji Music: Tanaka Kohei Arrangement: Tanaka Kohei Vocals: Yokoyama Chisa, Kuno Akiko

■Review

"Sakura Wars: Motion Picture" is a long-awaited movie for fans of the series, and is a work that further deepens the worldview of the series. The story is set in the imperial capital of Tokyo, and depicts the stars of the Imperial Opera Company fighting against demons, depicting their courage and bonds. In particular, the growth and bonds of the characters, including Sakura Shinguji, are highlights, and will move viewers.

The character designs are by Kosuke Fujishima, and each character's personality is vividly expressed. The coloring of each character is particularly striking, such as Sakura Shinguji's cherry blossom-colored Koubu Kai and Sumire Kanzaki's violet-colored Koubu Kai. The mecha designs are also by Mika Akitaka, and recreate a unique worldview based on steam technology.

The music is also an important element in enhancing the appeal of the series, and the soundtrack and theme song "Kiseki no Kane" by Kohei Tanaka capture the hearts of viewers. In particular, the singing by the Imperial Opera Company further enriches the worldview of the work.

In terms of story, not only the battle against the demons but also the relationships and growth of the characters are carefully depicted, deeply moving the viewers. In particular, each character's story is fascinating, such as Sakura Shinguji's growth, the friendship between Sumire Kanzaki and Kanna Kirishima, and Li Honglan's activities as a scientist. In addition, the enemy characters such as Brent Furlong and Patrick Hamilton are also fascinating, adding depth to the story.

Overall, Sakura Wars: Motion Picture is a work that can be recommended not only to fans of the series, but also to viewers who love anime and movies. Beautiful character design, a unique world view, a moving story, and charming music combine to make it a work worth watching. Be sure to experience its charm at the theater.

■Recommendation

"Sakura Wars: Motion Picture" is a work that can be recommended not only to fans of the series, but also to viewers who like anime and movies. It is especially recommended for those who want to enjoy a work that combines beautiful character design, a unique world view, a moving story, and attractive music. Also, by enjoying other works in the series, you can experience the world of "Sakura Wars" more deeply. Please experience its charm at the theater.