Music, fairy tale don’t quite fly
“Liz and the Blue Bird” is a feature spinoff of the animated shojo (girls) series “Sound Euphonium,” about the musicians in a top high school concert band.
Flautist Nozomi and oboist Mizore are best friends, but when they have to share a difficult solo in a piece based on the fairy tale “Liz and the Bluebird,” their friendship is called into question. Mizore identifies with the lonely, hardworking Liz; they both see Nozomi as the bluebird who represents freedom.
Can they resolve their conflicted feelings, musically and personally, amid the stress of the approaching end of their senior year? And can they do it in time for their performance to win the upcoming musical competition?
Viewers unfamiliar with “Sound Euphonium” will find the lead characters underdeveloped. Perky Nozomi chats with the other girls, but rarely says anything interesting. Dreary, withdrawn Mizore rejects invitations from everyone except Nozomi, who is the center of her world. Director Naoko Yamada repeats shots of the characters walking, often showing them only from the knees down, which lends little visual interest to the story and fails to energize the leaden pacing.
The sequences illustrating the fairy tale are rendered in a handsome water color style, but even these scenes feel too slow and deliberate to enliven the film. “Liz and the Blue Bird” may appeal to fans of “Sound Euphonium,” but many recent Japanese features have dealt with teen friendships and angst in more interesting ways. “Liz and the Blue Bird.” In Japanese with English subtitles; English dub in selected theaters. Not rated. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes. Playing: In limited release.