Note: This post is considered an episode review and it dives into spoilers for the movie.
There had been a number of anime in the episode review backlog but I think Revue Starlight: The Movie might be the most glaring one on the list. Admittedly, this movie released when COVID was a big deal and I didn’t keep track of when it’ll release on streaming or disc so the movie naturally fell off to the wayside. Be that as it may, I’ve made it no secret that I really love the show so it’s pretty that I slept on its feature-length sequel. It’s about time I change that. To be honest, there’s way too much to talk about this movie. It shines the spotlight on all nine main characters, has six musical numbers that take up almost half of the movie’s runtime, and is filled to the brim with stylism and symbolism. This episode review is still pretty long, so long that I made an exception and divided it up with headings, but even then, I won’t claim that I’ve gone over every single thing in this movie that’s worth talking about.
We begin the movie sometime during the main characters’ third high school year, with an incredibly chaotic scene where Hikari seemingly defeats Karen in a revue. Following the duel, Hikari parts ways with Karen once again and she returns to London for her studies. Sometime later, the remaining students at Seisho each discuss with Sakuragi-sensei about their post-graduation plans. Most of the girls plan on joining a renowned troupe while Kaoruko intends on inheriting her family’s school in Kyoto and Junna applies to attend a university. Karen admits that she has no concrete plans, having developed a case of ennui after Hikari left her again. At the dorm, the girls discuss checking out a troupe together, with Kaoruko being the most begrudged to tag along. She feels there’s no point in exploring new ventures, arguing that they’ve all missed their chance anyway after failing to become the Top Star.
Throughout the movie, we get flashbacks detailing Karen’s childhood, starting with the day she met Hikari for the first time. Knowing Karen in the present, it’s surprising to learn that she was rather shy until she and Hikari started to become friends and Hikari got her interested in theater. Not that Karen and Hikari’s relationship was hard to buy into but it does make a lot more sense now as to why Karen cherishes Hikari so much. Also interesting about these flashbacks is that the movie acknowledges that Karen’s adoration for Hikari is rather obsessive. She tries to avoid learning anything about Hikari as some sort way to uphold their promise to reunite years later. She then starts looking up Hikari online and begins to compare herself to her friend. I suppose Karen having her world revolve around Hikari has always been a thing but I never questioned all that much, having really enjoyed it throughout the show. How curious then that the movie leans into the idea that this relationship could be unhealthy in some way.
In the present, the girls take a train to meet up with the troupe mentioned earlier. On their way to the theater however, Karen gets separated from her friends and is left to trek through the desert region of the underground theater. Meanwhile, everyone is called upon for the first of a new series of revues collectively referred to as “Wi(l)d Screen Baroque”. From my understanding, the name comes from a sci-fi subgenre noted for its larger-than-life characters, extravagant settings, and fast pacing. Honestly, the staff couldn’t have picked a more fitting title. Things get very wild throughout these revues, even by Revue Starlight‘s own standards.
Annihilation Revue
The first revue is the appropriately titled “Annihilation Revue”, in which Nana fights against everyone else and wipes the floor on all of them. Something that I really appreciate about the action in this movie is that almost every matchup is something that didn’t happen in the show. Case in point, we finally get to see how strong Nana really is. I never doubted Nana’s power level but I also can’t deny that she loses both of her major duels in the show and you only get a snippet of her making short work of someone. It’s very satisfying then that the movie finally provides a better glimpse at that (and with quality animation to boot). It’s definitely fanservice but it’s the kind of fanservice that any Revue Starlight fan would want. Also, it’s worth noting that this revue does take place on the train and not the underground theater. You definitely have to suspend even more of your disbelief as to how that works (and really, throughout this entire movie) but it’s hard to deny that the change in scenery is refreshing and exciting.
Naturally, the first revue in the movie comes with the first insert song, “Wi(l)d Screen Baroque”, which shares the same name as the movie’s series of revues. Funnily enough, Nana is the only character who sings in this song. None of the other characters involved in he fight chime in at any point. It falls perfectly in line with Nana soloing everybody. Also, with how often Revue Starlight touts Nana as a major threat, it’s nice to see her finally have her own villain song. I’m not sure why the song often sounds like the girls are in a jungle but it does capture how aggressive and foreboding Nana is in the fight. Also, the instrumental being so unique helps establish the movie’s revues as a different beast from the show’s.
I find it interesting that this song shares the same name as the collective name for the revues. Throughout the song, Nana more or less taunts her friends for not putting much of a fight and she asks them what they’ll do with their lives going forward. She also brings up the idea that everyone is always “on stage” as well as the concept of death, something which was previously hinted at in Rondo Rondo Rondo. Throughout the lyrics, Nana heavily hints at what the revues are about so in a way, it makes a lot of sense to title this song “Wi(l)d Screen Baroque”.
Interlude
Following the “Revue of Annihilation”, the participants return to school to attend a party that formally kicks off production of the 99th class’s third and final performance of “Starlight”. I’m really curious how they explained Karen’s absence to everyone. During the party, Kiriko Masai (Asuka Shinomiya) and Shion Amemiya (Saya Hirose), the director and playwright for the play respectively, hand over copies of an unfinished script to everyone. Apparently, Shion is suffering from writer’s block, due to the pressure of surpassing the class’s second performance of the play. Though shocked to receive an unfinished script, the class nevertheless likes what Shion writes so far, thus giving the playwright some much needed validation.
Frankly, it’s weird to focus on Kiriko and Shion of all people. These two have been around since almost the beginning but I never mentioned them until now because they honestly don’t do a whole lot. I guess it’s nice to finally see them in a more prominent light but it’s a bit late to do that, don’t you think? That said, this scene does serve a purpose for our main cast. During this scene, you can hear an orchestral arrangement of “The Knowledge of the Stage Girl”, which, if you recall, is a song about the Stage Girls’ ambition and growth. The fact that the play is unfinished and Shion risks jeopardizing the entire production is very intentional. Also deliberate is all the new lines cited by the extras, in which the characters of “Starlight” talk about being reborn.
The next day, the girls meet up on top of another train. It’s here that the movie formally explains what Nana has been talking about during Rondo Rondo Rondo and the “Revue of Annihilation”: the death of the Stage Girls. Barring that the rather graphic imagery used to convey the concept, the movie mostly means it in a metaphorical sense (and I am being deliberate when I say “mostly”). As Stage Girls, the girls yearn to be on the stage, hence some of the dialogue stating they’re always on it. However, because everyone didn’t become the Top Star and they know they can’t reach for the top, they’ve more or less resigned themselves to becoming stagnant. In that sense, they as Stage Girls are pretty much dead. The purpose of Wi(l)d Screen Baroque is for the girls to fight each other one last time to reinvigorate themselves. It’s akin to Karen’s idea of rebirth, albeit applied to the rest of the cast.
Apparently, the giraffe is offering himself as fuel to enable the girls to fight as Stage Girls once more. This I think is meant to be taken literally as during the train scene, the giraffe appears as though his body is actually made up of different foods. Later in the movie, he actually burns up as if he’s some sort of fossil fuel. I suppose since the giraffe somehow has the power to run the underground theater and the auditions, it’s not outside the realm of possibility for him to be able to power the duels themselves. Also yeah, you don’t see the giraffe after he’s set aflame. I’m convinced he straight up dies in this movie.
Something that you’d have noticed a couple of times this far into the movie is the use of tomatoes. As silly as it sounds on paper, this is symbolic of the Stage Girls’ impending “deaths”. Occasionally, you’ll see a tomato burst in pieces to signify a character “dying”. Tomato juice is also used to evoke the image of the girls bleeding. I guess at the end of the Rondo Rondo Rondo, that’s actually what we see when the movie proceeds to show everyone’s corpses. Conversely, tomatoes also serves as a symbol of life. The giraffe hands each of the girls a tomato when he offers himself as fuel. When the girls agree to partake in the revues, they each take a bite into their tomato, thereby accepting the giraffe’s fuel and regaining their powers. Again, it sounds silly but that’s par for the course with Revue Starlight and it does work very well in illustrating the idea of the girls dying.
Resentment Revue
The very next revue in the movie is the “Resentment Revue”, a rematch between Kaoruko and Futaba. Given that they’re two of the less important character in the show, I kind of get the impression that their fight is the second one in the movie so that the staff gets it out of the way. Mind you, this isn’t to say that I zoned out during this fight. Far from it.
We start the revue off in a recreation of a gambling den, where Claudine and Kaoruko are about to play a game of chō-han. While talking with Claudine, Kaoruko more or less admits that part of her bitterness as of late is because Futaba decided to go her separate ways with her (hence the name of this revue). My best guess on the gambling theme is the movie alluding to Kaoruko betting on Futaba always being by herself, only to then learn that the latter plans on joining a troupe instead. As for Claudine, she’s there because Kaoruko attributes her as the catalyst for Futaba branching away from her. Eventually, Futaba comes in, appropriately dressed as a delinquent no less, and she and Kaoruko proceed to duke it out.
I really like how the fight has a mix of traditional Japanese imagery to more modern elements such as a hostess club and dekotora trucks. The former is more suited for Kaoruko while the latter matches Futaba more. The switch between the two aesthetics perfectly compliments the diverging paths the two plan on taking after they graduate. Definitely my favorite set in this revue is the hostess club. Having Kaoruko as the hostess evokes the fact that she more or less brought Futaba under her wing and it implies that Kaoruko thinks Futaba is ungrateful towards her. It’s also a great excuse for Revue Starlight to throw some really some strong yuri subtext for the fans who ship these two. That said, I must concede the most epic part is the girls crashing their dekotora trucks at each other.
Given that Kaoruko won the Revue of Promise, I hoped for Futaba to win this time around and sure enough, that’s what ultimately happens in the Revue of Resentment. Part of me would’ve like to see Futaba win through sheer skill. In the Revue of Promise, Kaoruko wins by proving that she still has what it takes to be a Stage Girl. It would’ve been a nice reversal then if Futaba proceeded to do the same in this duel. Plus, it’d compel Kaoruko to be ambitious once more and avoid her “death”. That said, I still approve of Futaba winning by virtue of being a good friend. After crashing the trucks, Futaba saves Kaoruko at the last second and she refuses to let go as they fall down to the ground (which is conveniently cushioned by some Sakura petals). In doing so, Futaba proves to Kaoruko that they’re still friends and it convinces an otherwise bitter Kaoruko to accept their futures. Kaoruko then lets Futaba disarm her jacket, which is a terrific reversal to that fakeout she did in Episode 6. I did raise an eyebrow when Futaba gives Kaoruko the key to her motorcycle. Like, I get that it’s to show that they’ll stay connected to each other but Kaoruko is absolutely going to crash that bike.
Co-Star Revue
Over at London, the giraffe convinces Hikari to participate in Wi(l)d Screen Baroque to find Karen. If you’re wondering how Hikari can just fast travel from London to Tokyo, it turns out that she very much can do that via a magic train. Don’t question it; just roll with it. Upon arriving in the underground theater, Hikari is greeted by Mahiru, who appears to be hosting a multi-sport event in a track and field stadium. Mahiru then forces Hikari to fight her in the “Co-Star Revue”. That title may or may not be ironic in hindsight. This is the one matchup that I wished to have seen the most during the show. Given Mahiru’s jealousy towards Hikari and her borderline yandere tendencies, I really wanted these two to duke it out. I still love the Revue of Jealousy but it was a shame that the show didn’t pit Hikari against Mahiru. You have no idea how happy I was when I see it finally happen in the movie.
The Co-Star Revue starts off on a very silly note. In between all the traditional fighting, Mahiru makes Hikari compete with her in all the different sports games in the stadium. I really dig the sports theme of the revue. It’s not that big of a stretch since Mahiru was established to like sports, certainly baseball at least. More importantly, it’s a perfect metaphor for Mahiru’s envy towards Hikari. I find it interesting that Mahiru tends to have Hikari beat in all of the games, as if she’s telling the latter that she’s better at everything and that ought to include being Karen’s friend. Symbolism aside, the gimmick is just very entertaining. I love that Mahiru somehow throws in sports that would be extremely impractical to host in a track and field stadium. For example, there’s a freaking swimming pool for Mahiru and Hikari to compete in. Don’t ask me how, it’s just there and the movie moves right along. Also amusing is how the animation transitions from traditional dueling to the sports, as if Mahiru magically turns her and Hikari’s weapons into a bunch of sports equipment.
Things started to get rather ominous with Mahiru successfully disarms Hikari’s jacket. Rather than relish in her victory, Mahiru gets frustrated with Hikari’s reluctance to perform in the revue, seeing it as a sign of weakness. This then leads her to conclude that she ill fit to meet Karen again. Mahiru grows increasingly hostile towards Hikari and she even goes as far as threaten to kill her (and you know Mahiru means it when she beheads a replica of Mr. White right in front of Hikari). Understandably, Hikari runs for her life and the revue turns into a horror tinted chase scene with Mahiru as the pursuer.
This is my favorite bit of fanservice in the movie. I’ve always joked that Mahiru would make for a great yandere and lo and behold, this movie actually entertains that idea. Even better is that the scene is legitimately tense. You have Hikari running through an empty backstage, trying to find a way out, only for Mahiru to always be near. Haruki Iwata absolutely kills it as a psychopathic Mahiru and Suzoko Mimori likewise does a good job selling how frightened Hikari is at this moment. Even when Mahiru isn’t in the frame, her presence is still felt thanks to the inclusion of her props from the Revue of Jealousy and a very evocative use of shadows and colors.
The chase ends with Mahiru pushing Hikari off the top of the stage. Hikari lands safely on a giant Mr. White plush and she confesses that she does feels bad about leaving Karen again. Having gotten Hikari to be honest with herself, Mahiru reveals that she was acting this entire time in an effort to give her friend the push she needed. Boy did she have Hikari and I fooled! Are we sure that Maya is top of the class? I would call this a cop-out but I knew deep down that Mahiru wouldn’t actually give Hikari the axe (or mace, you know what I mean). Plus, I much prefer that Mahiru had truly let go of any disdain towards Hikari a long time ago and she simply played the villain for her friend’s sake, as opposed to her simply hating Hikari again. How cute that Mahiru gives Hikari a sports medal reminiscent of the button on their coats; she’s basically telling Hikari that she’s the real winner of the revue.
Hunting Revue
While Hikari resumes her search for Karen, the movie cuts to the “Hunting Revue”, starring Nana and Junna. This is less of a no-brainer compared to the other matchups in the movie. Nana did acknowledge in Episode 9 that she and Junna have yet to fight each other but it never made sense for them to fight because they arguably have the most stable relationship out of any duo in the main cast. To the movie’s credit then, there’s actually a strong thematic justification for them to fight now. In a vacuum, there’s nothing wrong with Junna pursuing university but when compared to everyone else, it does seem as though Junna has picked a safe path. Nana meanwhile wants to prevent the death of the Stage Girls so she’s naturally disappointed in Junna for not pursuing something more ambitious. It’s therefore reasonable for the movie to pit these two against each other.
Framing the revue as a hunt did come across as a random choice to me at first but I can see the thought process behind it. The more obvious interpretation is that Junna is the hunter and Nana is the prey. In the revue, Junna lays a bunch of traps and she tries to snipe away at Nana from a safe distance. Meanwhile, the rogue Nana explicitly acknowledges that she’s an untamable beast by roaring away at Junna. Conversely, you could argue that the roles are actually reversed. Nana deliberately picks Junna as her target for the revues, making her more of a hunter and Junna more as prey.
I’m amazed at how scathing Nana is towards Junna. There are a couple times where she tries to get Junna to commit seppuku with one of her swords. This may seem surprising given that Nana is the one who brought up everyone’s impending deaths but it does make sense as the fight goes on. Nana argues that the stage is too “bright” for Junna so when she demands that Junna commit seppuku, she’s basically telling her to bow out while she still can. Also brutal is Nana destroying Junna’s bow but not disarming her jacket and walking away as if she’s won. By not defeating Junna the traditional way, Nana is essentially telling her that she doesn’t count as a Stage Girl.
Of course, you have Junna knock some sense into Nana and win the fight. I love that she replaces her bow with one of Nana’s swords. By forcing herself to fight at close quarters and getting progressively better with it, Junna conveys to Nana her determination to carve her own path. It’s also just a really cool moment. I very much approve of Junna winning the fight. She’s always been billed as an underdog in the cast and the show never actually gave her a major victory so she deserves it. You’d think things would be awkward between Junna and Nana after the fight but they surprisingly and fortunately do reconcile. I love how teary eyed Nana gets when thinks about how dazzling Junna fought against her. Given her obsession with the first performance of “Starlight” and her struggled to find a new thing that shines brightly to her, it says a lot that she’s moved by Junna’s performance.
Soul Revue
The second to last battle is the “Soul Revue”, featuring Maya and Claudine. This is likely the matchup fans have wanted to see the most during the show. Despite making a big deal about Maya and Claudine’s rivalry and friendship, the show never actually had these two fight, save for a very brief one in Episode 2. I didn’t mind it during the show but in hindsight, it is a pretty mind boggling decision so I appreciate the movie making up for it. How fitting that this happens towards the end of the movie. The staff definitely knew that fans would be hyped for this fight.
For the “Soul Revue”, Maya and Claudine perform in a four act play. Claudine portrays a devil who makes a wager with a performer played by Maya. If the devil can show the performer a brilliance no one has ever seen before, than the latter must hand her soul over to her. Confident that she can’t be topped, the performer agrees to this contract and she and devil proceed to duke it out.
After exchanging some blows, Maya reveals to Claudine a bird statue (or maybe it’s a robot because it does actually move at one point), which she is says representative of who she is: a vessel of the gods. This is easily the most arrogant thing Maya has ever said about herself and that’s saying something given her character. By saying she’s a vessel, Maya says she has no soul for Claudine to take and the latter therefore can’t win. And by attributing herself to gods, Maya says she’s the pinnacle of the Stage Girls and her shine is unparalleled. During this part of the fight, Maya and Claudine also fight in different costumes across different sets and time periods. Maya treats these different roles as variations of herself and by assuming all of these in the fight, she accentuates that her status of the vessel is all encompassing. She could in a different place or time, be a different person, and she’d always be the vessel.
Maya eventually knocks the button off of Claudine’s costume but she’s denied victory as Claudine reveals that she has a second button. While Claudine is technically cheating here, she does point out that the fight isn’t over due to the contract (and Maya did sign it with her own blood so they can’t exactly rescind it). I imagine that’s a huge blow to Maya’s ego. The contract stipulates that a never before seen brilliance must occur for the duel to end so the fact that Maya fails to fulfill this condition even with all the stuff she pulled already must sting a ton. Claudine then pulls a Karen by declaring that she’ll be reborn until she finally surpasses Maya, even stabbing herself and rematerializing to fight Maya once more.
I adore that by the final act of the revue, Maya and Claudine completely drop the act. They’re no longer acting as characters in the play; they’re just lashing out each other as themselves. It greatly goes to show how heated things are between them. You especially know that Claudine is pushing Maya’s buttons as Maya stops trying to act high and mighty and instead gets arrogant and frustrated at her. The animation also kicks into overdrive during this part, offering some very dynamic shots and fluid fight choreography.
Claudine coming out as the victor is an excellent outcome. She really deserves it after seeing herself at second place to Maya for so long. Plus, Claudine beating Maya for the first time has never been seen before so it very much fulfills the whole contract aspect of the fight. Something that stood out to me in the dialogue is a particular taunt Maya gives to Claudine: “Give a hero a trial, give a saint temptation, and give [her] a devil”. Looking at the whole fight, Claudine very much fulfills each of these demands. She gives Maya a real challenge. She tempts her into giving into her desire to fight and win. And she very much is Maya’s devil, someone who upsets her world and challenges her godliness.
The Last Line
While trekking through the underground theater, Karen comes across and heads over to the replica of Tokyo Tower. There she reunites with Hikari for one final revue. I don’t think there’s really any other way this movie would end. These two are the main duo of the series. It largely revolved around them so it of course is going to conclude with them. The title of this revue is “The Last Line”. It’s the most self-explanatory title for any of these revues though I do find it interesting that the word “revue” is nowhere to be found. That sells the finality of this duel just as much as the title itself does.
The final revue starts off with Karen confiding to Hikari about how much she inspired her to pursue theater and become a Stage Girl. Suddenly however, the movie pulls the curtains that are the fourth wall and Karen learns about Revue Starlight‘s fanbase. Even with the show previously having the giraffe talking directly to us, I was very taken aback by this moment. And somehow Hikari has already known about this? When the hell did she learn about that? As surreal as this moment is, it actually serves to advance Karen’s arc. Discovering that she’s onstage and having no idea what to do, Karen realizes that she’s kept her eyes squarely on Hikari and the promise they made together. That then makes her think about what she should to do now that the promise has been fulfilled. Hikari appears to have some idea for herself but Karen has nothing. And because Karen has nothing, she’s effectively dead as a Stage Girl and this realization causes her to literally die right in front of Hikari.
I figured that at some point, the movie would actually kill someone off. Even before the movie, Revue Starlight had been entertaining that idea so you’d think it would eventually happen. I also would argue that Karen’s death here is at lot less graphic than the one teased at the end of Rondo Rondo Rondo. At the very least, there’s way less tomato juice being spilled in this scene. That all said, it’s still very unnerving seeing Karen look so lifeless. What especially puts gravity to this scene is Hikari’s reaction, first acting in denial before completely losing it once reality sinks in.
As Hikari holds Karen in her arms, she reveals that she went back to London because she was afraid of becoming to0 starstruck with Karen and she wanted to maintain a healthy distance between the two of them for the time being. After seeing how attached Karen got to her and literally die as a result, you can understand where Hikari is coming from. That said, there clearly were a lot of mistakes made Hikari’s part. She left without giving a proper explanation and making it clear to Karen that they’re still best friends and it never occurred her that Karen might be lost after they performed “Starlight” together. If she’s going to part ways with Karen again, she has to do it properly. Knowing this now, Hikari proceeds to bring Karen back to life.
What happens next is probably the most insane resurrection scene I’ve ever seen. Hikari starts by giving Karen a letter, akin to the ones Karen wrote to her and the ones she wanted to write to Karen. Then, she sends Karen down a chute and Karen’s body transforms into a Position Zero shaped box with her face drawn on it. The prop then lands on a rail car, which then carries it through a freaking sandstorm. The rail car then ignites its engines to drive through the storm and off a ramp. When it lands back on Tokyo Tower, the box opens up and Karen emerges out of it, alive once again. I’m entirely sure why the staff went this hard. I suppose it’s a souped-up version of Karen’s transformation sequence in the show but if that’s the case, they crank the dial up to 1,000. All I can confidently say is that this scene is freaking awesome.
With Karen back, the duel can begin in earnest though the action doesn’t last for very long. Karen and Hikari draw their weapons but it immediately becomes apparent that Hikari has way more shine than Karen. It’s so blinding in fact that it causes Karen’s sword to snap in two. When the two finally exchange blows, Hikari wins immediately with a stab to the chest. I was surprised to not see a more drawn out fight but I actually like that Hikari wins so quickly. It shows that the path she’s taken is paying off and it opens Karen’s eyes to the idea that she could shine so brightly if she stops limiting herself. It also helps that this scene is just stunning. Seriously, the lighting and coloring in this scene is so pretty.
Somehow, the stab causes various Position Zero-shaped items to erupt out of Karen and this causes Tokyo Tower to break in half. It doesn’t make any sense but it’s pointless to question the logic of Revue Starlight at the very end. Plus, I can’t deny how jaw dropping this moment is. I do love that the final fight ends with Tokyo Tower’s destruction. It’s a major symbol for Karen and Hikari’s promise but that promise has been fulfilled. It’s time for the girls to let it go and what better way to convey that than tearing the symbol apart. It’s also worth noting that Karen and Hikari’s hairclips are left somewhere in the sandy ruins of the underground theater. You do find out later that they still have them in their possession but they no longer wear them and they instead keep them as a memento.
Although Hikari is technically the winner of this revue, she does disarm her jacket, as if to say it doesn’t actually who won and to signify the end of the revues. You then see the rest of the main cast do the same. A nice touch here is Kaoruko being the first to follow suit. Given how obsessed she was with becoming the Top Star, it’s satisfying to see her let it all go. Hikari meets up with Karen and she encourages the latter to find her next stage and role. A cheeky detail here is Hikari handing over a tomato to Karen to denote her friend’s reinvigoration.
The ED serves as an epilogue of sorts. Having now graduated, Hikari travels around the world and she meets up with her friends to see how they’re doing (I knew it! I knew Kaoruko would damage Futaba’s bike!). The only one Hikari doesn’t meet is Karen, who’s busy with an audition for an unspecified production (which we then see in a post-credit scene). Karen is being true to her word by finding the next chapter in her life and while you don’t get to see her and Hikari reunite, the movie still assures you that they will meet again one day. I’m hard pressed to think of a more perfect ending.
Closing Words
Having loved the TV show so much, I was a teeny bit afraid that the movie would not be up to par. Having now it seen however it, I can say without a doubt that I love it. It’s easily the best “episode” in the entire series and it further cements the series as one of my all-time favorite anime. The plot is a bit of retread on the show’s but I ended up being fine with that. For one, the movie does take old threads into some new and interesting directions. This is especially the case with Karen and Hikari’s arc, with the movie reversing their roles in the show and exploring a genuinely compelling question about their futures. Also, if you’re going to do a retread, you should at least give it as much pizzazz as this movie does. It’s a dazzling experience from beginning to end. The staff really outdid themselves with the visuals and the direction. And I didn’t talk about it all that much but this has some of the best animation I’ve seen from Kinema Citrus.
I’d like to check out some other Revue Starlight media such as the El Dorado visual novel that just released. But as far as the anime is concerned, the movie is the end of the road and this episode review is my last one for the series. There is a cryptic teaser from a few years about a new anime project by director Tomohiro Furukawa and that’s been speculated to part of the franchise. However, there hasn’t been any update on that so who knows what the status is on the production. If Revue Starlight ever does come back in anime form, I’ll definitely be covering that. And if doesn’t, I’m beyond happy with the TV show and movie that we got.
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