Don't Call it Mystery: The Movie (2023)

We all need more Kuno Totono in our lives

Another completely biased review from me to you

I love this character, and the way Suda Masaki plays him. I have a thing for quirky characters and Totono is one of my favorites.

First of all, not enough Garo. It was nice to see a little bit of Garo in the beginning but that just leaves me wanting more!

There's not enough Totono spouting theories in this. That's one of the things I love about this character is the way he talks and talks and talks until he drives the villains/bad guys/antagonists crazy! (I knew I loved the character from the first bit of the series when he is being questioned by the police and just tears apart their reason for suspecting him. I laughed so hard when I saw that the first time, and still laugh when I rewatch! 'Maybe it was a twin who was separated from me at birth...Do you have a twin that was separated from you at birth?...I don't' The delivery from all in the scene was perfection!)

And there's not enough of the majestic King Gnu that played all the time in the series, except finally in the last couple of minutes. Damn I miss that! Yep, too much silence in some scenes, they need the music more.

Nanoka Hara was adorable and I love how the resolution of the story went.

I loved seeing Furomitsu Seiko, Ikemoto Yuto, and Aoto Nariaki, even if it was just in the last 3 minutes of the movie! And my heart is full, got to end the movie with Garo. What a smile. Where the hell is Season 2???

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Way too predictable mystery, same flaws as the series but beautiful context + location

The story is centred around a singular mystery and I appreciate the fact that there was enough content in terms of plot for a full length movie. I also really enjoyed the context and location in which the characters are evolving.

However, I anticipated all the revelations of the scenario, nothing came as a surprise and the resolution of the mystery was super expected from the get go, which tempered heavily my enjoyment of the story. I found the teaching moments provided by the main character interesting in their content but it was too heavily given without any subtlety, for me to really resonate with it.

Acting was okay for the main roles but with some really weak points for some of the support parts. I also regret to have seen almost no Garo, as it is the interactions of this character with the hero Totono that were the best part of the drama to me: it was totally lacking here. I am super happy to have found back Hagiwara Riku in a support role and I am curious to see more of Hara Nanoka as well.

Soundtrack was okay, with the generic song that I like from the drama, very slice of life in a way and less overpowering than in the main series. Production was very good with some beautiful landscapes.

I would recommend this to people that loved the drama Don't call it Mystery. The qualities and flaws are consistent between both series and film. Therefore, if you enjoyed the drama, you will likely enjoy the movie as well. On the contrary, if like myself you had already lukewarm feelings for the drama, the film will definitely not change your mind.

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