As the credits roll a great feeling swells in my chest while a bit a moisture disgorges from the corner of my eyes. That overwhelming feeling that one often has when you have witnessed something great. However on this occasion it was different. Not only was my body shaking from the visual orgy that I had just laid witness to, but my mind felt vindicated. This movie sets in stone what I've trying to inform others many times before. The core message of this movie is that Haruka is the best iDOL.
This is likely why many have been rather quiet about this movie. It can be quite difficult to grasp that ones life has been a lie since around 2005 and its clearly left many in a state of absolute despair as they ponder what exactly have they been doing with their life.
So one complaint people had with the main series is that because of the large ensemble of characters some didn't quite get as much time in the spotlight as others so to address this issue the film does two major things; firstly it increases the ensemble by introducing seven characters from the Million Live mobile game into the fray and secondly the focus on each character is almost exactly the same as it was in the TV shot. So yes, if you like Haruka you're quids in, but if you like the other girls then bad luck because they're going to get even less time in the spotlight as the film also need to focus on the new girls! In fact one of the new girls, Kana Yabuki, is introduced, as what can be described in so many words, as basically Haruka Jr. and out of the new girls she is the one who gets the most focus. The film is a double Haruka feature!
So what's the story like in this Haruka extravaganza? Well it is pretty basic stuff. Their producer has managed to secure them an arena based concert and so the film is basically about them preparing for this, which of course should sound familiar because it's almost the same plot as the arcs in the TV show. The two big twists in this plot are the introduction of the aforementioned Million Live girls and 765 Pro has decided the group need a team leader, who, if you can't guess, is Haruka. Now obviously there's a bit more to the plot than them just them training and one problem I had is that one of the plot points felt very similar to the final arc in the TV series. This time, however, instead of Haruka moping in bed it's actually Haruka Jr. and instead of it being the rest of 765 Pro girls trying to save her, it's just Haruka. So you could say the story is about Haruka Jr. wanting to be like Haruka but is afraid she can never be like Haruka but Haruka doesn't want Haruka Jr. not to feel she can't be Haruka so she tries to convince Haruka Jr. she can be like Haruka and spends her time trying to save Haruka Jr. and Haruka does this because she is Haruka. Don't worry, there's a bit more to the story than just that and the rest of the girls are actually in the film, though their roles are, in some ways, boiled down to them doing their one fan favourite bit from the show like Azusa getting lost and Iori calling the producer a baka hentai.
Animation wise, it's like a well polished episode. Animation is some scenes is more fluid than the TV series but on other occasions you had scenes where characters are standing completely still and in fact one bit is literally a set of stills. There was also one bit where the animation looked rotoscoped which ended up really sticking out like a sore thumb so I have no idea what was going on there. It didn't add anything to the scene so it just ends up feeling a bit distracting. Now one thing that has always set iM@S above its peers is the concert scenes. To be fair, when the competition consists of Wake Up the Animators and Love CGlIve, it doesn't require much effort to come out on top. However that didn't stop them from blowing my socks off with the final arena concert. Oh my giddy aunt, this was a sight to behold. The camera sweeps through the auditorium all the while the girls animate in all their 2D wonder with such grace. Some may complain about the use of CGI for the distant shots, but honestly the characters are so small during these moments you hardly notice it. It's not like you are coming face to face with usual bad aspects of that technology like eyes devoid of life. The bar for animated performances has been raised considerably and I don't think this scene is going to be toppled any time soon. Also the song during this part is up there with the best. Honestly can't get enough of it.
So that's my review of the Haruka Movie. A two hour spectacle dedicated to telling the world just how awesome Haruka is and why she is indeed Queen of the iDOLs.
