Michael's Movie Grade: B+
A very entertaining compilation movie.
Becoming more and more common today is the anime compilation movie. These seem to come in-between seasons of various anime TV series. They often are comprised of the first few episodes of the next season of the show. These allow fans of the show to experience these episodes ahead of time and on a big movie theater screen. The results are often very entertaining films but ones that don't quite feel like actually movies. Dan Da Dan Evil Eye consists of the first few episodes of the popular show's second season.
This film does a better job of actually feeling like a movie than many other anime compilation films (especially the Demon Slayer ones). First it gets rid of end credits (though there are credits at the end of the whole movie) and the opening theme song. Secondly this movie does not seem to randomly start in the middle of a storyline. This in fact is the start of a new story arc for the series. Thirdly the ending actually feels like a bit of a conclusion. True there is a bit of a cliff hanger, and it is obvious that there is going to be more to the story. However, we live in the age of the MCU and two- and three-part movies, so this does not keep it from not feeling like a theatrical film. Still, it feels like the end of this part of the storyline, giving the movie a feel of a beginning, middle and end. Fourthly this movie is completely accessible to those who have never watched the TV show. You can quite quickly pick up on who these characters are and their relationships to each other. There are some flaws in this part of the filmmaking though. It is obvious when the commercial breaks are supposed to be, which can feel a bit awkward when watching it on a movie screen with no commercials. Also, the recap at the beginning is unnecessary (as one can still follow the story and characters without it) and feels like padding.
The episodes themselves are excellent. The action scenes are fantastic and look great on the big screen. The villains are very creepy and memorable. There is a dark and foreboding atmosphere all over this film. This includes some scenes that are legitimately scary and make you feel at complete unease. There are also some very emotional moments here. One flashback scene hits you like an emotional punch to the gut. The characters are all very likable and you immediately connect with them, even if you haven't seen the show before. I do feel the humor is a bit hit and miss but this is hardly a major flaw.
This is one of the better anime compilation films of recent years.
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