The Quintessential Quintuplets the Movie (2022)

[映画 五等分の花嫁]

Director: Masato Jinbo
Starring: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Kana Hanazawa, Ayana Taketatsu

Synopsis:
Amid the hectic school festival, Uesugi must come to a final decision about his relationship with the Nakano Sisters.

Impressions:
I didn't think I was going to see this in theaters. I'd already read the manga and I thought that was enough, but one of my students who's a fellow fan of the series prompted me to get out there and show it some support. If you've read my manga reviews, my thoughts on the plot haven't changed, but for the sake of those who haven't read those reviews, let's break it down. We have a fairly typical school festival story as the backdrop for tying up the loose ends of the story. Uesugi uses the time of the festival to sort things out for himself to resolve the situation with the Nakano Sisters. The second act of the film is broken up into five parts, one for each of the quints, that serve to mostly tie up their individual character arcs. Regardless of which of the five you're rooting for, you should find yourself fairly satisfied with their development of individuals. For those who haven't read the manga, the third act is devoted to the aftermath of Uesugi's decision and we close on the wedding that was teased from the start of the series. Some fans are still salty about Uesugi's choice, but I feel the story sufficiently justifies it.

A few minor points of contention include two characters who feel like they should have a larger presence in the story but are instead introduced for some short-term conflict: Uesugi's childhood friend Takebayashi and the girls' estranged biological father Mudou-sensei. Also, on a production level, while the close shots look quite nice, the medium to longer ones tend to look a little wonkier, as if they may have been farmed out to other studios. It's not a deal-breaker, but it feels inconsistent with the standards you'd expect of a feature-length animation.

Overall, this is a solid finale for the series which I think most fans will want to add to their collection, even if their girl of choice doesn't win the Uesugi Bowl.

Rating:
Own It