Worth: $13.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
(voices) Mayu Hotta, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Junya Enoki, Mikako Komatsu, Daisuke Ono
Intro:
… your anime eyes will adore it.
It’s the very first day on campus for Tamaki (voiced by Mayu Hotta). She’s a first-year university student studying literature at Aonagi University in Tokyo. She’s overflowing with excitement just to be there, and she’s not only seeking knowledge but love – a “sparkling, heart-throbbing romance”, to be specific.
Trying out for the tennis club, a mishap with a tennis ball leads to the broken wing of an expensive, German-made glider. She’s told she’ll have to pay for the damage and fears her new college life has already come to a dismal end…
But of course, it hasn’t. Before long, Tamaki gets involved with the aviation club and meets a couple of boys, including club captain Jun Kuramochi (voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki), a mechanical engineering senior, as well as the stroppier Daisuke Sorachi (voiced by Junya Enoki). From here, Blue Thermal is on course to become a fairly standard coming-of-age tale, albeit set against the novel backdrop of competitive gliding.
Visually, Blue Thermal absolutely soars – the skyscapes and landscapes are incredible as Tamaki glides over the mountains and water, with a sublime colour palette. It’s a visually stunning anime, but story-wise, it’s not quite there.
It’s hard to figure out who, exactly, this is pitched to – the film is about teens but it’s a bit too simple for a teenage audience. If it’s intended as a family flick, there’s not quite enough narrative strength or emotion for adults to become involved, while little kids won’t find much to relate to.
But it does have great moments (like the excellent, early dream sequence, revealing Tamaki’s inner psychology and fears), and the characters are certainly likeable if not especially memorable. While more narrative substance was needed, anime fans will still find plenty to enjoy.
Either way, Blue Thermal will be best appreciated on the big screen – your anime eyes will adore it.
