Fireworks

Despite beautiful visuals of fireworks, flowers, beaches, and fluttery first love, this teen romance suffers from an uneven, unnecessarily convoluted plot and some iffy stereotypes about women. There are a few jarring, unexpectedly crude comments -- like about the teacher's "bouncing" breasts, a girl being a "dog," and jokes about betting over a woman's panties -- that will throw some viewers off. And then there's the constant focus on Nazuna's leggy, long-haired, wide-eyed beauty. She doesn't have much of a distinct personality other than being sweet Norimichi's ideal crush. While he gets to relive the day to win her over, woo her, and even save her from a forced move with her mother and new stepfather, she has little agency over the proceedings except to encourage and excite Norimichi. She may not be a pixie, but Nazuna sure is a dream girl.

That said, the movie's Groundhog Day-style romance, while familiar, isn't nearly as flat as the parallel plotline about the boys' bromantic debate about the shape of fireworks and their teacher's hotness. The boys are played for comic relief, but their ongoing debate about fireworks simply isn't that interesting. What is worth seeing, however, is the animation, which is topnotch and includes some lovely, dreamy landscapes, as well as realistic spaces like Norimichi's home, the kids' classroom, and the pool. Unlike the producers' runaway hit Your Name, Fireworks is neither as memorable nor as dynamic as its title suggests.