Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Lmaoborgini
As a tenor sax player who's had experience with jazz/blues (I'm way worse than though Dai lol), this movie was made for me. The trio's uphill battle in Tokyo's jazz scene is very heartwarming and satisfying, and it was cool that each person got their 'arc' with a cathartic conclusion. Maybe Shunji's sudden rise to competency felt a little unrealistic, but I'll let it slide since he was always grinding on screen. Maybe some of the side characters could have been developed a bit more, but this is primarily a story about the Jass Band's time together. Also, my favorite visuals were always the stylized and fluid 2-D bits during solos, which always were a league above the decent CGI that's present most of the time. Overall, very good movie that I'd recommend to any musicians or general enjoyers…
Read at the sourceVaioletteZ
This is one of the most appallingly shallow movies I've ever seen.
It demonstrated literally none of the internal conflict surrounding the craft of playing music, all the conflict are external, the main character has less personality than dried gum on the sidewalk.
Apparently all we need to make moving music is to have PASSION. Has this movie said ANYTHING about music beyond that it's "intense" and "cool"?
I'm convinced this author has no CLUE how to play any instrument, and is just commandeering jazz as an aesthetic when he actually wanted to just write yet another generic sports anime.
AI could've written a story with more depth. Because the author didn't even realize that he wrote one of the most inconsistent, selfish protagonists. What kind of person, the literal day after your…
Read at the sourceLightYagami96
Just watched this for the third time about a year after my first 2 times seeing it, I'm still just as blown away as I was when I first watched it. Really compelling characters, a story that not just demands your attention but earns it, and an emotional hook that kept me personally invested throughout. The animation has high highs with some low lows sadly, but the highs are so high that I can forgive some of the moments of lazy character movement animation. Some scenes are genuinely some of the best animated scenes I've ever seen in my life. Wish this movie got more attention because it's unbelievably good.
Read at the sourceOlorin666
A young man who plays the saxophone arrives in Tokyo to conquer the jazz scene. He has neither experience nor money, but he has great talent and a desire to move forward. He meets a pianist and a drummer, each with their own background and sad story. In spite of everything, they start moving forward to their dream fame.
We have seen such stories dozens of times before, but still, such a simple plot always resonates with the audience, because music unites all people, regardless of their nationality, age or language. It's nothing special, just a well-told story. If you love music in general, or jazz in particular, you'll really enjoy this. Especially if you're a musician yourself. The characters’ motivation and their passion for playing are portrayed beautifully. It feels like a high-quality…
Read at the sourceslimdougie
Incredible. I’m at a loss for words. Between the music, the animation, the storytelling and its arcs — I’ve been moved so deeply over the course of this film. In all the movies, anime, art, music, and performances I’ve seen, so few have moved me to the extent Blue Giant did. I certainly was tearing up at multiple points, just from the beauty of it all. What an incredible production. I would give it an 11/10 if I could. My only regret is not watching it with surround sound, since I believe Netflix’s spatial audio would have made this film a transformative experience. At least I have an excuse to rewatch it again very soon. Those who weren’t able to enjoy it due to both their inability to appreciate Jazz, or at least separate the film from their music taste — I pity them, as even with this m…
Read at the sourceJeiGundam
I loved this movie. My dad is from New Orleans so I’ve always had a love for jazz. I guess appreciation is more accurate of à word. Because I can’t name all the jazz greats and etc. But this film has an energy about it especially when the music gets going. Think of Food Wars minus the nudity but 10 times better. Even the scenes in between are good. You see each characters determination and inner musician. There was a part of the movie where I was like the movie should be over soon and there was still another 30 mins. But that extra 30 mins was very necessary actually. I think this is a masterpiece. Even though there are some “mistakes”. It’s a movie about jazz, so I’m not gonna complain about the CGI with thr dynamic scenes. Animation in this movie is a solid A in my opinion though. Defini…
Read at the sourcekiyo_seibah
Beautifully executed, stunning, emotional.
Yet another story about a form of art, this time it was jazz, and centering around the ambitions to be the best. The formula used in the story is the same like other stories about art yet they still executed it very well.
I love the dynamic between the three main characters as they have their own background, dilemma, and struggles. Yet they achieved what they have been aiming at. And the old formula of talent vs hardwork as expected is used in this story but still well executed. Overall eventho the story feels predictable, it still satisfy you with how they wrapped up the story.
Production wise also amazing with such a dynamic visualisation, great directing, and of course astonishing scoring. For animation sometimes the 3d can look too stiff, b…
Read at the sourceNkalaB
Jazz music and anime, if done right is an epic presentation of what music and feelings can look like in one setting.
This movie executes the feeling in a grandiose manner that will hook people to the compositions of music that exist within this movie.
It is a given if you are exposed to certain music anime you'll know it follows the trope of a band/main characters who have their come up with the music industry....and this movie is no different.
But what I like is that each character is defined by their instrument that they use, but also within the use of their instruments...the passion or energy behind the music can show too.
The story does accelerate a little too quick with their pacing, but it is no big deal since it is a movie. The animation and soundtrack quality is top tier. The…
Read at the sourceSkyBlue1012
I love music and I love anime, so when I saw good reviews for this, I was instantly interested—and honestly, they weren’t wrong.
The art style is beautiful, and the music is amazing. That final song before the band disbanded gave me actual goosebumps. I also didn’t expect the story to take such an emotional turn—there’s a tragedy in the middle of the show. The story really kept me engaged.
Now, my only real issue was with the animation. I’m not a fan of mixing 2D with CGI or 3D—it just doesn’t look right to me. Either go full 2D or full 3D. The blending made some of the character movements feel awkward, and the finger movements when playing instruments were especially off. It pulled me out of the moment a few times.
That said, the characters were great. They felt realistic and had natur…
Read at the sourceLegoC97
60-SECOND REVIEWS
It's a shame there's an over-reliance on CGI for some key scenes, because otherwise the musical performances were absolutely enthralling, each one practically a 10/10 in their own right, wrapped around a solid, though not exceptional, story.
It's impressive how naturally this one movie managed to trim down 10 volumes of manga into a 2 hour film, though there are, I'm sure, plenty of B-plots and development that I would have loved to have seen adapted that would have filled out the story and characters. But for one film needing to give all three main characters a bit of spotlight and development, they do an impressive job.
What you're really here for are the performances, perhaps--CGI aside--setting a new benchmark for musical performances in anime. If you enjoyed the j…
Read at the sourceSoulwarfare
Blue Giant is an incredible film about passion and Jazz!
The animation is superb with amazing use of clashing colours and vivid imagery during their performances. The music is spectacular and even if you're not big on Jazz like me, the soundtrack will captivate you! The story is incredibly engaging, which is interesting as the director decided to cut out the entire first arc and some backstories that were present in the source material. However, you will barely notice this as what the director focuses is on the emotions and values of the character which works just as well.
My only gripe with this film is the use of CG which is a bit jarring. It can go from amazing 2D animation of our characters to 3D which is not that great and mildly distracting.
Nevertheless, this is a truly phenome…
Read at the sourcePpsoysauce
"I'll keep this short and sweet. The movie was amazing. The music and visuals during the performances were stunning, and the characters and story were compelling. The only thing keeping me from giving it a 10 was the CGI segments. I'm not the biggest animation critic, but the CG took me out of some scenes completely—though there were moments where it blended well. I’m not sure if they used it for accuracy or to save money, but I’d much prefer slightly inaccurate playing over a distracting CGI presence. Even if accuracy was the goal, I feel they could have taken a 'Kids on the Slope' approach and used rotoscoping instead.
Read at the sourcevanillaine
How tf you make three relatable musician characters holy shit.
Inserting Dai with the "There will always be a child prodigy leagues better than you" while also putting Yukinori in a "There will always be a raw talent spitting at your years of hardwork" is CRAZY WORK. And don't get me started with Tamada because holy shit you rarely see drummer character depicted like Tamada. It's a common stereotype in anime and manga for a drummer to be energetic, very outgoing, and skillful. I mean, sure, Tamada was introduced being goofy, but the rest of the film? As a struggling rhythm player it's so fucking tear-jerking and relatable af to see him lost like ACTUALLY LOST IT mid performance, regretting his life choices afterward, then proceed locking himself out, practicing just cause of a passive-agg…
Read at the sourceBaconReviews
This movie spoils you even when it doesn’t seem able to afford to. I never want to be that guy who complains about cgi in anime, most of the times I think these claims are pretty unfounded and I understand the necessity in cutting corners here and there, but this is a little different. Blue Giant will give you chills, it’s music will take you on a journey and some dynamic colorful visual will make you forget about everything else for a moment, but then it cuts to some passable cgi characters that seem uncanny. Maybe KyoAni’s Sound! Euphonium has spoiled me in this area, but I truly think a version of this movie without cgi could have elevated this to the next level. Alas I know enough about the industry to know that the hard working animators probably wanted that too.
Overall it’s a great…
Read at the sourcemellio1238
I thought that Blue Giant was very good. As someone who does not have a lot of experience with jazz music, Blue Giant does a great job of welcoming non fans. The use of color and animation was very evocative, and while some aspects of the story line were very predictable, Blue Giant made up for it by having charming characters that know what they want, and put those characters in humorous and harrowing situations. Go now, while life lasts, and watch Blue Giant.
I thought it was funny when the two main characters met in the bathroom and one complemented the other on the size of his penis.
Read at the sourceFanServiceDaddy
An absolute masterpiece. A simple premise (though unique, as I don’t see Jazz anime often) with relatable characters, portrayed in a manner that constantly reaches into the depths of your soul to remind you that you’re human. The animation near-perfectly conveys the feelings/passion of the main troop, their audience, and likely, yourself. The are really made the emotions in the performances feel expansive and meaningful. Everything that happened felt real and believable, thereby making it feel relatable despite the story’s scale. The characters were similar but distinguished and differentiated without relying on standard tropes or quirks that rear their ugly head just to remind you who’s who (looking at you, Black Clover). I’ve never watched anything that wasn’t just action-packed and all…
Read at the sourceAlchemi_
Just what I needed, I am normally impartial to Jazz; however, the music in Blue Giant was exactly what I needed. The storyline is compelling, drawing you into the journey of the protagonist as he navigates his passion for music and life's challenges. The character development is well-crafted, and you can't help but root for the main character as he strives to achieve his dreams. The animation beautifully complements the mood of the music and enhances the overall experience. Blue Giant is not just an anime about Jazz; it's a heartfelt exploration of ambition, friendship, and the pursuit of excellence. Highly recommended for both music enthusiasts and anime fans alike.
Read at the sourceMaxwellRB
I'm not the biggest Jazz fan by any means, but this film spoke to me; I believe that Blue Giant is one of the most inspiring pieces of fiction I've consumed in quite a while. Not only does it deliver on the music, which all music anime need to do to be successful, but it shows an amazing story through creative storytelling decisions to convey the weight Jazz music has on not only its characters but it's audience as well. Most of all Studio Nut absolutely cooked when it came to the pacing of the film, being able to fit so many plot points from the manga into an hour and forty five minutes without making anything feel rushed is a feat in its own right. So to recap...
Story (10/10): The story of JASS, a band made of three young men who can't help but pour every ounce of their souls into thei…
Read at the sourceEverySportsAnime
This anime resonated with me on a profound level. Having grown up surrounded by music, I began playing saxophone at a young age and have spent more than two thirds of my life performing and studying jazz at a conservatory. Because of that, this story struck every emotional chord within me. I laughed, I cried and I shared in the characters’ pain, sorrow and triumphs. The narrative is raw and deeply human and as the protagonist describes it, “intense and rough.”
From a technical perspective the artistry and animation are extraordinary. The colors burst with vibrancy and create a visual experience that feels almost symphonic. Each scene flows seamlessly into the next, capturing both the energy and fragility of musical expression. It is clear that every frame was crafted with immense care and…
Read at the sourceToxicTodo
The very first notes of "Blue Giant" just clicked with me in terms of melody. This anime masterfully weaves a story, music, and emotions like a virtuoso improviser to create a unique symphony that no jazz lover can ignore.
The protagonist, Dai Miyamoto, is not just your normal teenager who is into music. He's fanatic about it, driven by a passion for the saxophone and jazz. His path to the top is hard, but he never gives up, inspired by rhythms and melodies that ring in his soul.
This anime doesn't only tell the story; it submerges you into the world of jazz—a place where every note matters, each musician a creator. Jazz here isn't only a background; it is a living character, playing with the heroes and uncovering their inner selves.
The soundtrack is stunning, dragging you not only int…
Read at the source
