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Goodbye, DonGlees! Movie Review

Date: 2022 November 23 20:04

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Goodbye Don Glees is due to hit cinema screens around the UK and Ireland from 30th November 2022.

The anime film is a about a group of friends who have little local adventures they call themselves Don Glees. One day the trio get blamed for a nearby forest fire, so they set off into the woods to prove their innocence. A coming-of-age adventure ensues. We've seen the film and enjoyed it, but enough of that, read our review to find out more!

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Goodbye, DonGlees! is written and directed by Atsuko Ishizuka and produced by renowned animation studio Mad House.

Goodbye, DonGlees! ©Goodbye, DonGlees Partners

Set in a rural Japan. It follows the adventures of Roma, Toto, and Drop. The trio call themselves "Don Glees" and they get in to gentle adventures as a group. After meeting up for one last summer firework show together, they find themselves blamed for a nearby forest fire. To attempt to prove their innocence they set off to find an errant drone which should have camera footage of the night in question.

The story is one of adolescence and growing up, realising that your path in life might be different than your friends. It tracks dreams of the future and that sense of ambition that only teenagers can capture. It's a fun and mostly light hearted coming of age movie about fun and friendship. The story does an excellent job of showing that awkwardness. The trio are outsiders in class, the classic slightly nerdy unpopular kids.

Goodbye, DonGlees!
©Goodbye, DonGlees Partners

Ishizuka is best known for the much loved series she directed A Place Further Than the Universe. The series was touted as one of the best shows of its season. It is much loved by anime fans and received plenty of critical acclaim. As a result we had high hopes for Goodbye, DonGlees!

The trouble is the movie doesn't quite meet its expectations. It's overall enjoyable, but a bit clunky in places. There is very clear foreshadowing throughout the story, but also some elements that felt like massive flag waving end up being annoying loose ends.

Goodbye, DonGlees!
©Goodbye, DonGlees Partners

The film is well paced. It sets the scene, builds the characters up and gets things rolling. The length seems just right, it's not over indulgent it's not insulting to its audience.

One thing that really does also stand out is blatant product placement from Coca-Cola and Nikon, both of which are interwoven into the story and form key elements to the film. Although it's nice to see characters geek out about photography!

Goodbye, DonGlees!
©Goodbye, DonGlees Partners

The film is well animated as you'd expect from a Mad House production. It has some great chase / action bits and the scenery feels just right. There are some subtle and not so subtle uses of CG, including some bits where the characters are clearly CG and look a bit too stiff. The soundtrack is catchy and kicks in at just the right time for the key scenes. It does feel lavish in places to watch.

Overall we enjoyed Goodbye, DonGlees!, but it's not without its faults. We'd happily watch it and enjoy it again. However it does leave you wondering, with a few changes and minor tweaks it could be an outstanding movie instead of a good movie. We're looking forward to see what Atsuko Ishizuka does next.


Goodbye Don Glees is due to hit cinema screens around the UK and Ireland from 30th November 2022. Tickets on sale now from dongleesfilm.co.uk.

Source: Otaku News
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