DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA AdventureGoodbye, DonGlees!

REVIEWS

• 

  Juliko25

  72/100
  Wholesome and fun slice-of-life adventure that's marred by a heavy-handed third act bogging down its rustic charm.

  In January of 2018, a little anime called A Place Further Than the Universe aired in Japan, winning the hearts of anime fans all over for its fresh, nuanced, down-to-earth take on the well-worn premise of young girls going on an adventure. I need to rewatch that series some time, and with the news that it's FINALLY getting an English dub and home video release, I'll actually have an excuse to do so! After the show's success, the team behind it decided to try their hand at another project, a movie called Goodbye Don Glees. The movie tries to go for the same initial premise and appeal as Yorimoi did: Dorky kids on a down-to-earth adventure to a real world location that has great personal significance to them, with even the marketing going into this. But what the marketing tried to sell the movie as and the movie itself are two very different beasts, and as much as I hate to say it, Goodbye Don Glees wasn't necessarily the home run that Place Further Than the Universe was.

  The story centers on three young boys—Roma, Toto, and Drop—who are a tight knit group of friends, naming their little group Don Glees and spending time together in the countryside. But they don't exactly have the best reputation and are often picked on. One day, Roma spends all his money on a cheap drone with intent to use it to take a video of fireworks the next town over, or if not that, the fireworks Don Glees set off for the night. But that night turns out to be a fateful one as they're hit with one misfortune after another: Their fireworks don't go off, the drone goes missing, and later, a forest fire occurs. Worst of all, the townspeople believe that Don Glees are responsible for it. But the kids think the missing drone might have proof of their innocence, so they decide to go on an impulsive journey into the mountains to find it and clear their names.

  From what I've heard, the original Japanese marketing made a big deal about the characters going to Iceland, which only happens in the last third of the movie. 85% of the movie is focused on the trio of boys and their quest to find their missing drone in the countryside. Now, these parts of the movie are legitimately great, with the animation really going all out in conveying the natural beauty of the woods and the countryside. Of course, the animation quality isn't limited to just the backgrounds. Similarly to Place Further Than the Universe, a lot of attention is paid to how the characters move and how they express themselves through body language, like the way Drop sits or the way Toto hunches over when he feels insecure. Speaking of the characters, the main trio are a delight to watch. They actually feel like real dorky kids from the way they move, talk, and get into scrapes, and their designs change believably near the end of the movie. It helps that a lot of their banter and interpersonal conflicts are pretty naturalistic without bordering on cheese. I honestly wouldn't have minded if the whole movie had just been about their adventure through the woods. Low-key, slice-of-life movies have their place! I mean, the Laid-Back Camp movie exists, y'know!

  But as much as I want to love Don Glees as a movie, if the rating didn't clue you in, it has quite a bit of issues holding it back, with the main one being the really rushed, shoehorned in third act that feels like it's only there because the staff felt like they absolutely had to escalate the movie's plot by the end. The third act never felt like it was properly built up, and when the characters are made to go to Iceland, it just zooms through the process of exploration in favor of throwing in a very heavy-handed emotional climax at the end, with the shift into said third act being so intense and dramatic that it feels like you got hit with a case of whiplash, eschewing the rest of the movie's down-to-earth charm. It also results in a certain twist coming across as a lot more predictable, even though it was foreshadowed well in advance. Say what you will about Place Further Than the Universe doing the same thing, but there, the writers actually had the time and wiggle room to properly show the process, build up to its own emotional climax, and used every tool at its disposal to have it make an impact. Furthermore, the drone and forest fire subplot doesn't get much in the way of resolution at the end, because it just gets dropped in favor of the Iceland trip. Also, the character of Chibori is woefully underutilized. From what I've heard, the Japanese marketing also made a big deal out of this character, but she really only gets one scene in the whole movie and is just there to be a prop for Roma's development. Yeah, she's mostly just a waste of animation and has no character beyond supporting Roma.

  So basically, bad marketing made the movie tank, and I'm not exaggerating. Apparently in Japan it did pretty badly at the box office, which sucks because other than the flaws I mentioned above, Goodbye Don Glees is a fairly cute movie that really showcases director Atsuko Ishizuka's talent, alongside that of the rest of her team. Plus, it's getting an English dub and a home release in the US this month, so you'll be able to watch it legally fairly soon. So while I do admittedly like Place Further Than the Universe better, if you're looking for a fun, wholesome movie to watch, I'd still recommend you watch Goodbye Don Glees, even if its third act feels very heavy-handed and out of place in what's supposed to be a fun slice-of-life adventure.

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• 

  Gianluca03

  90/100
  "Goodbye, Don Glees!" is a well-written story which talks about a friendhsip, a loss, and changes.

  When I finished this show, I looked for reviews about it; but, to be honest, I haven't found any reviews of my interest. So, I decided to write one, for myself and for all the other people who want to talk a little bit more about the movie. I hope you can enjoy this, let's begin.

  Goodbye, Don Glees!

  First of all, I have to say that I watched this movie with two of my friends, so I was able to speak with them about it. And this is a crucial point to me, because the talk with one of them in particular changed my overall opinion, somehow.
  But first things first.

  The anime movie is from the A place further than the Universe 's authors and the entire team has made a great job again. If you have seen both of them, you'll agree that the two works have traits in common; but this time the team developed the story in a different way, maybe "darker" than before.

  I want to focus on the trio, the main cast of the movie; they play an important role for the themes we're going to talk about, and they do an excellent work with it.

  

  You can easily empathize with Rouma or Toto, the two "friends for life" presented there. They have their good moments, both as solo and as a pair; in general, they are good characters.
  Drop has a different role, instead. He is the character who shakes the souls of those around him, he is the "spark" from which everything starts -well, at least it seems so, but in the end we find out that the story starts, accidentally by no one but the two friends we've talked before.
  The entire story takes place by mistake, a twist of fate, indeed. Drop will return in Japan, and there he'll become friends with Rouma, and from that point the start, and the end, of their adventure.

  

  It's not very common to see an "all-male" trio, and it's even more uncommon for it to work so well.
  I've really appreciated the direction, always combined with a great and careful photography; I've loved the colour palette, and to be honest, it's why I wanted to watch the movie in the first place.
  Also the OSTs are good to listen to, and they are integrated very well with the story -I'm referring especially at the ones with lyrics. Well, we're talking about an anime produced by MadHouse, they know their stuff.

  It's time to focus on the themes of the movie, and what's left at the end of it.

  The movie lasts about 90 minutes, and even if it's not much, it conveys several teachings.
  First of all we can -and we have to- talk about the grieving process, and about how death can happen anytime.
  Drop knew his health issues obviously, but he tried to live his last moment to the fullest, with a smile. He gave to his fellow travelers some hints, but they didn't get them until it was too late, how it's likely to happen.

  

  It's beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time to see Drop crying when the trio is at a dead end, with part of the forest totally flooded. Drop really wanted to experience one last adventure with his dear friends, and just the thought of having ruined their last two days must have felt horrible. Thanks to Rouma, he'll be able to return to smile, once again.

  An other theme, that Drop -and sometimes even Toto- teaches us, and that Rouma explicitly says on the final, is about courage. We must have the courage to go one step further and leap, we must be brave enough to change, ourself and the world around us. It's a theme I'm particularly attached to, and it is often treated "not-very-well" by many shows, especially by shonen manga.
  Talking about the themese of changes and self-improvements, I can't fail to mention my favourite anime about this theme, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from the genius pen of Hideaki Anno. He was really careful in exploring this theme, and it gets clear in the Rebuilds.
  But I have to say that Goodbye, Don Glees! holds up very well.
  While Rouma and Toto have to face changes during the movie, Drop has already done that "off-screen", he has been forced to "mature" before time for his health problem, and now he tries to convey a message of bravery to his friends:

  

  "What regrets would you have if the world ended tomorrow?"

  Live without regrets. It's really hard, and maybe Drop knows this best than everyone else. That's why he cares about his dear friends, his "treasure".

  Last but not least, the trip to Iceland.
  For Rouma and Toto, this trip symbolises their own "step further" to overcome that "grief" for the loss of their precious buddy. Only by visiting the place so much praised by Drop, Rouma and Toto will be able to find peace and start a new path of their life.

  The phone box's ring is the final element that closes the circle.
  If it had not rung, the guys wouldn't have seen it, and in this scenario they would have never found out that everything started by their initial mistake. Why does the phone box ring? Who knows, but what does it really matter?

  

  "All it takes is a little courage to leap and see things you missed before.The treasure you'd been reaching for would be right there by youw own feet."

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• 

  SenNkA

  100/100
  "+356 is not Ireland. It's the number for Iceland."

  Watch out for spoilers!!

  _# Goodbye, Don Glees! Wonderful storytelling of what loosing someone means and how you want to get closer to them, even after they're long gone._

  Story:
  Roma and Toto are enjoying the summer with their usual activity - their own firework show. This time, they have a new friend join - Drop. Roma buys a dron to capture the fireworks, but they end up loosing it and set up on a different adventure - finding it!
  For one of them, it's the final adventure, the last brave act, his treasure.
  Dealing with a loss, the other two head to Iceland to search for the mysterious red booth to unravel the reason why they became friends...
  Some people might have problem with that, but for me, the conclusion of the story, the unbelievable coincidence of it all felt in place. The best friendship are born from coincidences, and this must have felt like a miracle to them.

  

  Characters:
  Our three boys are regular human beings. And that's what makes them lovable. 15/16 boys that any of us knows. What is wonderful about them is, that the problems they have are nowehere near as important as their friendship and their ultimate goal. I found that really interesting. Friends always do come first. Because they help us forget the things we are the most worried about.

  

  Music:
  The OST is wonderful. But you know how it goes - anime focusing on scenery during important moments has to be.
  The three friends sing some songs together, and I admit, I cringed hard. But they were so happy... you didn't focus on the butchered English :D
  And then the closing song... It's just wonderful.

  

  Animation:
  Animation was pretty crisp, I enjoyed it a lot. No comment.
  Art style was very pretty, I like the character design. The scenery was incredible. Wether it was the city, or the nature, it was gasp-worthy.

  

  Entertainment value:
  8/10
  The first 30 minutes, I was incredibly bored. We got to know the characters and that was great.
  The next 20 minutes, the story told us what will happen (the character tells us many times his time is nearing close) but I enjoyed that, because it gave things a deeper meaning and I found a lot of fun details.
  The last half of the movie was just... perfect. Chef's kiss. I love it.

  

  Conclusion:
  Defnitely recommended. It might be a bit slow at first, but it's a wonderful story and the ending is really worth it.
  It's probably not going to make you cry, but you might just feel charmed by Goodbye, Don Glees!

  
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