Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Moshimo, Japan. The annual fireworks festival is about to take place and a group of schoolboys, arguing over whether they are round or flat when viewed from different angles, set out to find it out.
Fireworks (2017) is a visually stunning anime film with gorgeous, painterly cinematography and some memorable sequences, particularly the fireworks themselves rendered in exceptional detail and color. However, the plot is frustratingly thin and undercooked — the time-loop mechanic feels underdeveloped, and the central romance lacks emotional depth, leaving characters feeling hollow. The voice acting is competent but unremarkable. The film's novelty is middling: while it has a distinctive visual style, the time-warp romance premise feels derivative of other anime films like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Your Name. The ending is widely criticized as abrupt and unsatisfying, failing to give closure to characters or themes, which significantly undermines the overall experience.