Ya like jazz? No? Oh, that’s a shame. I understand not every music genre can be for everyone, but I personally do think there’s something special about the genre. You’re not alone in that, though. My partner has never been a massive fan of, and in particular has always struggled with listening to the saxophone – sensory issues make the occasionally screechy brass instrument a tough listen for them. However! That all changed one day last week, thanks to the incredible anime movie that is Blue Giant.
If you’ve not heard of it before, Blue Giant is the latest project from director Yuzuru Tachikawa, who you’ll probably best know as the director of the stunning Mob Psycho 100. It follows Dai Miyamoto, a confident 18-year-old is dead set on becoming the best jazz musician in the world, as he moves from the slightly quieter city of Sendai to the busy and overwhelming streets of Tokyo. Does he have a plan? Not really! But he’s got a dream, and isn’t the best way to start any story? Plus, he quickly reconnects with an old friend of his who soon decides to take up drumming, and he meets a skilled pianist too. Thus, Dai’s band is born.
Compared to the likes of say, Jujutsu Kaisen or Demon Slayer, it’s not exactly the kind of story most people would look to when they think of anime, but with the way Blue Giant is delivered, I wouldn’t have it in any other medium. For the most part, the animation is simple enough, only lacking in certain scenes where characters are rendered in 3D for more complicated movements while they’re playing their instruments. The CG mostly comes across as a bit rudimentary, but there are some stunning sequences of 2D animation that fans of Mob Psycho will absolutely love – but we’ll come back to that in a bit.
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