The anime film Blue Giant is a jazzy tribute to aspiring young musicians, offering a glimpse into the world of music in a stunningly visual way. Starring relatable characters with a solid bond of friendship, Blue Giant hits a lot of the right notes to get an interesting story while keeping the music center stage.

Blue Giant is based on the manga of the same name by Shinichi Ishizuka, which tells the story of aspiring saxophonist Dai Miyamoto on his quest to become one of the greatest jazz musicians on the planet. He teams up with pianist Yukinori Sawabe and his newbie drummer friend Shunji Tamada to form a jazz trio, known as JASS, but the group quickly finds that making their way in the world of jazz is harder than it looks. The film itself, directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa, brings the manga to life with real jazz music and wild visuals to match, while also keeping the story of the three friends firmly grounded.

Blue Giant is An Anime Film Turned Concert

As one might expect for a movie so closely tied to music, the music that JASS plays has a big role in Blue Giant. The director described the film as being "a concert in the theater," and that's a very apt description of their performances. The jazz music they perform was original to the film, and designed to showcase the skills of the three characters. The music always goes hard, providing an intense experience for viewers as the visuals become somewhat surreal, playing with light and color in interesting ways. For those without much experience with jazz, the movie is sure to be a memorable experience.

The story of Blue Giant is a familiar one, especially to fans of anime, who are used to protagonists that desire nothing but to be the very best. Where it mostly shines is with the characters, who feel very relatable in their goals and their struggles. Dai and Yukinori have good chemistry despite an awkward first meeting, while Shunji's lack of experience starts him off on rocky footing with Yukinori. The friendship between these characters really blossoms over the course of the film, and makes up the backbone of the story. The movie is occasionally dotted with documentary-esque interviews with characters, as if talking about the events that led to Dai's success in the past tense, which also provides an interesting alternative perspective on some events.

All in all, Blue Giant is a great film for anyone who loves jazz, as well as anyone who has a history of playing music themselves, as they will no doubt relate to the characters. Blue Giant could also make for an excellent introduction to the genre, though, and is perfectly enjoyable for those who have no experience with performing music at all. The experience of watching Blue Giant will no doubt be better in a theater with a high-quality sound system, so potentially interested fans are encouraged to catch it in theaters while they can.

Blue Giant is in theaters October 8th and 9th.