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IMDbPro

Blue Giant

  • 2023
  • 2h
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
Blue Giant (2023)
AnimeHand-Drawn AnimationSeinenAnimationDramaMusic

Dai Miyamoto, a student from Sendai, receives a saxophone as a gift from his brother, Masayuki. He starts practicing immediately.Dai Miyamoto, a student from Sendai, receives a saxophone as a gift from his brother, Masayuki. He starts practicing immediately.Dai Miyamoto, a student from Sendai, receives a saxophone as a gift from his brother, Masayuki. He starts practicing immediately.

  • Director
    • Yuzuru Tachikawa
  • Writers
    • Number 8
    • Shin'ichi Ishizuka
  • Stars
    • Junya Abe
    • Yutaka Aoyama
    • Mika Doi
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    3.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Yuzuru Tachikawa
    • Writers
      • Number 8
      • Shin'ichi Ishizuka
    • Stars
      • Junya Abe
      • Yutaka Aoyama
      • Mika Doi
    • 19User reviews
    • 31Critic reviews
    • 71Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 4 nominations total

    Photos18

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    Top cast32

    Edit
    Junya Abe
      Yutaka Aoyama
      • Kawakita
      • (voice)
      Mika Doi
      Mika Doi
        Ryosuke Higa
          Hana Hishikawa
            Ikkyû Jaku
              Misa Kato
                Masayuki Katô
                • Isogai
                • (voice)
                Yasuhiro Kikuchi
                  Sayaka Kinoshita
                  • Akiko
                  • (voice)
                  Hitomi Kitazaki
                    Hidenobu Kiuchi
                    • Amanuma
                    • (voice)
                    Naoto Kobayashi
                      Tatsuki Kobe
                        Yusuke Kondo
                        • Masayuki Miyamoto
                        • (voice)
                        Shôtarô Mamiya
                        Shôtarô Mamiya
                        • Yukinori Sawabe
                        • (voice)
                        Yôhei Matsuoka
                          Karin Nanami
                            • Director
                              • Yuzuru Tachikawa
                            • Writers
                              • Number 8
                              • Shin'ichi Ishizuka
                            • All cast & crew
                            • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

                            User reviews19

                            7.93K
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                            Featured reviews

                            8kachuntseng

                            Just about the passion

                            There are no much of the back story of the band members. The main Sax player want to be the number one player. A lot of Manga and Anime spent a lot of time to explain the reason/ motivation. But i just like this movie that they are more focusing on the values/ Attitude while they are getting to their goals.

                            Being jealous of others? Be conservative because of risk avoiding? Worry about the band member will depart?

                            That's all real in this world and we couldn't just solve your problem by friendship and working hard. It is an honor to see this anime show us people found their way to excel and choose their path.
                            10dlwoqls

                            'SLAMDUNK' of Jazz Music!

                            It's more than 'five-star-movie'. It is one of a kind and best music animation ever. The passion and emotion of this movie makes my heart beat. It is the first time that such an emotion has been felt since Slam Dunk. Japanese animation seems to be upgrading its value by expanding its scope to the art world. If you look at the original work, you can know the past of the main character, Dai, so please refer to it. In particular, the fact that Hiromi of the Grammy Award-winning jazz list participated in both music director and piano performance makes my heart race. I am serious about jazz enough to make up a quarter of the movie with music alone.
                            7lordgrimmor

                            Is it really good?

                            It was one of the anime that I really expected because it had the main theme of jazz. But it made me very disappointed in the meat. Ordinary storytelling has only superficial jazziness to the story. Anime about piano in the forest, although it's not jazz, it's more jazz than this one. What I'm trying to say is that it's alive, it's jazzy, this story has it in a sparse and dull way.

                            I'm reminded of a scene in this story where the main pianist is taught that his playing is shallow. Play within the frame Playing in a safe zone. I sat and laughed in my head as to whether they were cursing the script or not because the screenplay is ordinary and trying to be a safe zone like other anime.

                            I was disappointed with the choice of jazz as the theme of the story, but the narrative uses a young boy who is passionate. There's nothing wrong with that, but there's nothing new about the script. It's like choosing a child as the main character of an anime. Other stories are very dull in the anime world. I can only assume that they don't want to change at all? Because young men sell more than middle-aged people?

                            The era of anime in Japan has been considered to be in the dark ages for a long time. Many people did not dare to take the risk of doing anything new or artistic. Everyone made commercial anime. Because it sells more than anime that has a complex script and has different and outstanding art.

                            Ultimately, Blue Giant is just an average anime in terms of script. The visuals are almost good, but their 3D animation is terrible. The jazz music is great but it doesn't help the anime's script. 7/10.
                            7CinemaSerf

                            Blue Giant

                            I very nearly didn't make the 30-mile schlep to my local Cineworld to watch this film but I'm really glad I did. It's not about a whale, no. It's about the aspirational saxophonist "Dai" who heads to Tokyo with dreams of taking over the world. He arrives, unannounced, on the doorstep of his friend "Tamada" looking for a bed for a few days. Needless to say, that few days turns out to be a bit longer and their friendship starts to strain a bit (the visitor snores!). "Dai" visits a small bar and meets the jazz-loving owner "Akiko" who sends him to a live venue where he encounters the pianist "Sawabe" whom he tries to convince to form a band. They are both eighteen but the latter man has been playing for about fourteen years longer than his new friend, so is a little sceptical! That doesn't last long once he hears him play and they soon decide they need a drummer to keep both from straying into the uncontrollable territory that can be improv jazz! Well, it turns out that his "landlord" isn't half bad at beating time with a stick on a Coke can - but can he up his game and turn this duo into a trio good enough to play at the city's most prestigious club - "So Blue"? The story itself is a bit predicable, with a few temper tantrums, frustrations and fallings out but it does illustrate well just how athletic these musicians must be to perform. Hands are covered in calluses and bruises, the sax takes quite a toll on the breathing and at times it's touch and go as to whether they can make it out of the starting block. There's nothing easy about the task they have set themselves nor the dedication and sacrifices it will take to achieve (or not) their goal. The animation itself it a little hit and miss, the CGI works much less well that the hand drawn scenes, but what really works here is the synchronisation with the musicians and that can be really immersive at times. If you are a fan of this genre of music, then you are in for a treat of Coltrane, Stitt et al. The saxophone (Tomoaki Baba), piano (Hiromi Uehara) and drums (Shun Ishiwaka) are unafraid to start off timidly and (especially the drummer) very rough around the edges, but as the story develops and they improve and become more confident, so do their performances until a tragedy tinged denouement that really does get the toes tapping. I'd have to say - there is no point in watching this is if this style of rambling, meandering and frankly rather musically self-indulgent performance doesn't appeal to you, but the powerful mix of frenetically syncopated animation and music I found really quite compelling. Sure, it's a bit long - but it's well worth a watch.
                            9okmovierankings

                            Absolutely incredible in every regard

                            This film is amazing from start to finish, and it only gets better.

                            Not only is the story great, but the music, animation, and sound are all top-tier. I love when films show how sound looks, which this film does several times in very creative ways.

                            Yes, the CGI on the characters may look a little out of place, but I think they chose that approach to best show how the characters are playing the instruments. You can see all the details and movements that go into such an art.

                            The music in this is absolutely mind-changing, and you'll leave feeling inspired-not just musically. I really can't describe the music in words, so go listen and see it for yourself.

                            9.2/10 absolutely recommend this for any musician.

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                            Storyline

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                            • Trivia
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                            Details

                            Edit
                            • Release date
                              • February 17, 2023 (Japan)
                            • Country of origin
                              • Japan
                            • Official sites
                              • Official site
                              • Official Twitter (Japan)
                            • Language
                              • Japanese
                            • Also known as
                              • BLUE GIANT 藍色巨星
                            • Production companies
                              • Nova Media
                              • Nut
                            • See more company credits at IMDbPro

                            Box office

                            Edit
                            • Gross US & Canada
                              • $266,645
                            • Opening weekend US & Canada
                              • $131,380
                              • Oct 8, 2023
                            • Gross worldwide
                              • $6,934,632
                            See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

                            Tech specs

                            Edit
                            • Runtime
                              2 hours
                            • Color
                              • Color
                            • Sound mix
                              • Dolby Digital
                              • Dolby Atmos
                            • Aspect ratio
                              • 1.78 : 1

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