I recently had the pleasure of watching The iDOLM@STER Movie: Beyond the Brilliant Future!, bringing my experience with this franchise back to the ensemble that started it all. It was an unexpected round trip due to my checkered history with this franchise, not being terribly enamored with the original TV series--lets save time and call it Classic--falling in love with the Cinderella Girls TV series, trying to get into the SideM TV series to no effect, and peeking back to the closing chapter of Classic out of curiosity
Perhaps my on and off relationship with this franchise disqualifies me from quantifying this films place among its co-branded relatives. I know not whether I can speak for iDOLM@STER fans, idol fans in general, or even anime fans. I can only speak for myself, but the disparity between Classic and Beyond the Brilliant Future! despite sharing the same ensemble, makes for an emotional core that eludes description
But to be honest, my first impression with this film was rather pedestrian; simultaneously enjoyable while starved for a sign of incoming narrative catharsis. But as the curtain fell on the films first act, I realized what this film was about, and from there I knew I was in for something a little special
Beyond the Brilliant Future! is a film dealing in experience, walking side by side with enthusiastic aspirations and tangling with tangible insecurity. At the center of it all is Haruka Amami, thrust into the role of leader as she guides her peers to their first arena concert. Along the way, a group of aspiring idols is taken under Haruka and cos tutelage. Though the gap in on-stage performance ability between the established idols and the idols in training is obvious, its soon clear the established idols, and especially Haruka herself, still have a lot to learn themselves
This is Harukas story through and through. Her bestowment of experience and the experience she gains is the canvas through which her character is expressed, painted by scene and song alike. Rain or shine, there are many moments where a certain frankness permeates her feelings. The whimsical fluttering in the early morning sun beyond her cheerful demeanor in the everyday. Her emotional maturity in confiding with her closest friend despite her role as leader, the only visible expressions mere reflections off a nearby window. To the very songs themselves, encapsulating everything from when she was a new idol herself, to the heights shes reached and the triumphs shes had
But where Harukas character is most realized is through her relationship with a certain idol in training named Kana Yabuki. The plucky Kana adores the idol Haruka, her nervousness and fervor apparent but never a caricature of either shyness or admiration. At the same time, Harukas response to Kanas intensity never elevates her to being above Kana, but sets them as equals from the outside looking in. At once, Haruka is elated and embarrassed, flattered and flustered, happy to be mentor and nervous -as- mentor, learning as much as Kana is along the way. The balance of humors between them perfectly grounds their relationship. The story understands what being starstruck is while the film understands how admiration acts
Through it all, Haruka runs through an emotional gauntlet as she juggles leading her peers while guiding Kana and the new idols. Throughout the film, the story slowly builds an escalation of tension on palpable worries and fears. But rarely does the story overstep anything it ever establishes; its clear their problems are a major obstacle for them, but the film scarcely draws attention to it with manufactured musical moments, instead preferring to punctuate high drama with low ambience. The film has -confidence- in itself enough to let the writing quality of its story come through in its deliberate pacing, to let the character writing express its depth for itself than to cue in for when its being expressed
But in committing so heavily to one main character from a cast of characters that was a true ensemble, the film runs afoul of having too many characters that contribute nary a much to the story. Remember how I said I might be disqualified from quantifying this film? I wasnt terribly enamored with Classic in the first place, so where the film would go in terms of its focal point would be irrelevant to me. It might be safe of me to assume youd really like movie this if Haruka was your favorite character from Classic, but Kana is the deuteragonist. Id feel a bit dishonest if I didnt disclose where Im approaching this film from
That isnt to say all of the characters got lost in the shuffle from Classic to movie. Chihaya Kisaragi has the same role to Haruka as before, being a close friend to confide in and be open with. The Producer and Ritsuko Akizuki are also more or less intact, but now distancing themselves from Haruka and her peers as they become the mentors for Kana and the new idols. Most pleasantly surprising, however, is Iori Minase, who imparts a few words of wisdom for the competitive Shiho Kitazawa
While Shiho felt like an antagonist who only expedited what wouldve happened eventually, shes at least understandable, owing much to the preamble set in the early parts of the film that build to more drama as the story goes on. But the biggest problem with Shihos storyline, and Kanas by extension, is the disconnect between what underlies their aspirations and the cinematography of the arena concert. The story is focused on Haruka and Kana, but the arena concert emphasizes Haruka and her peers. I know this is likely due to what The iDOLM@STER is as a franchise, but the disconnect between them is still noticeable
Thats my biggest issue with that storyline, but its overall just a nitpick thats amplified because of how much I bought into that thread in the first place. Putting that aside, the arena concert song itself, M@STERPIECE, is, well, worthy of its title. Its a tour de force of the Classic ensemble, as each of their voices stand out when they need to before harmonizing to perfection. The overall feel is nothing if not triumphant, emblematic of their accomplishments. Some of the insert songs are also nice callbacks to when Classic was the only anime The iDOLM@STER had. Definitely a nice touch of the past to accentuate the story-driven songs of the films present
But what I found more pleasing than the music were the visuals, and not solely for how good they look in and of themselves--high polish and budget can fade over time--but the direction within them. The film has a knack for communicating in juxtaposition between characters where dialog would be redundant, from the idols in training to Haruka to Miki Hoshii to Chihaya to Iori. And at its best, the film expresses some emphatically poignant epiphanies with nary a line of confirmation. This is part of why the film is often so confident to let the character and story writing express itself, because it can still speak volumes without uttering a word. And I just realized how ironic that is for a franchise rooted to characters who dance and -sing-
Regardless of what the core of the franchise is, Im glad the original iDOLM@STER anime had this chapter and Im highly satisfied I checked this out. This was the entry the original series needed, and the film the first face of the franchise in Haruka Amami deserved. Beyond the Brilliant Future! isnt quite the M@STERPIECE to end a Classic, but if subsequent entries in the franchise can stick to this level of care, then thats just one more step to a Brilliant Future
