35. Blue Giant; movie review

BLUE GIANT

Cert 12A

119 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate injury detail, sex references

I enjoy jazz and have a particular ear for the saxophone, so I was bound to be happily immersed in the anime Blue Giant.

Yuzuru Tachikawa's movie is adapted from a manga series, and its hero is 18-year-old jazz fanatic Dai Miyamoto (voiced by Yuki Yamada).

His obsession is the sax, which he began learning three years previously and spends every spare hour practising.

Now, he travels to Tokyo and fulfils his dream of playing in a club.

His first port of call is an old friend (Tomoaki Baba), a student in the Japanese capital who reluctantly allows him to sleep on his sofa.

Finding a jazz club, let alone somewhere he can play, is tricky, but chatting with a bar owner is a life-changer.

Then, he sees a precocious piano player (Shôtarô Mamiya) in action.

The pair become friends, and Dai persuades his flatmate to join them in creating a sound they can take to the stage.

Blue Giant's edge comes from its mesmerising score with world-renowned pianist Hiromi Uehara joined by Shun Ishikawa and saxophonist Baba. 

They create the backdrop for a tale of determination against the odds as the enthusiastic but raw trio of friends try to make their way.

Blue Giant looks great, and its combination of human spirit and music is thoroughly uplifting.

Reasons to watch: Great music

Reasons to avoid: Slightly simplistic

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? Jazz was considered "enemy music" in Japan during World War II and the state issued a mandate to destroy all records of the genre but many disobeyed.

The final word. Yuzuru Tachikawa: "I read the manga and I personally thought it would be better as a TV series. The producer told me that they were very specific about having this in the theatre because they wanted the audience to experience as close to a live jazz concert as possible in a full theatre surround sound system." Screen Rant

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