The Sakura Taisen Movie looks great, from the pretty
art (based on Kosuke "Oh My Goddess" Fujishima's
original designs) & animation to the good cel-shaded 3D CG. The action sequences
are excitingly choreographed, especially the final battle, and the music complements
the action quite nicely. The story on the other hand is a mixed bag. Ratchet Altair
is a new character coming all the way from the USA in order to gain experience
in creating a New York based strike force much like the ones in Japan and France.
Initially her methods conflict with those of the Hanagumi, causing some interesting
interplay between the characters. Of course she eventually meshes in with the
group, especially after a play at the very end of the movie. It's a unique way
of resolving the character conflicts through roleplaying. and nicely done, but
it still feels rather anti-climactic after the action sequences. The thing that
really hurts the movie though is the annoying storyline involving the main villain,
Brent Furlong, an American businesman bent on conquering Japan through his unmanned,
flying version of the Koubu. English is spoken by several characters but so laughably
poor that you could never mistake them for Americans. The plotline involving the
villains gets incredibly ridiculous by the minute, and with them being so uninteresting
and shallow, you'll just have to accept that they're there as an excuse for some
action sequences.
(3.5)
