Welcome to the first, and hopefully not final review hosted here on Kongbakpao. This time, Sho and Adele went to the cinema together on Sunday, August 31st, to watch Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing.

Let’s go!

A Colourful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing Review

For some background, Sho is a Vocaloid fanatic, but doesn’t indulge in rhythm games for a severe lack of… rhythm. As for Adele, she enjoys Vocaloid and the games alike, though she considers herself more casual about the ordeal.

Sho’s Thoughts

The “Miku Movie”, as I’ve dubbed it, is about a Miku whose SEKAI has collapsed under the fatigue of the overworld humans, who felt too much despair to hear the voice of their Miku anymore. This led to Miku’s desperate attempts to rekindle with anyone, leading her to meet and enlist the help of the main 5 band groups from the Colorful Stage game.

In theory, it’s such a lovely story, but I really struggled to follow so many characters. Don’t get me wrong, I knew I was in for it since I haven’t played much of Colorful Stage, but other game franchises have created movies to reach newer audiences with no prior familiarity just fine, like Sonic and FNAF.

Was the movie made for grind-heavy players who invest a lot of time into each group’s storyline and already know them, or can it also be an invitation to check out the game for newer audiences who are unfamiliar, but are avid Miku fans? I fear it’s the former.

Stunning animation and great music aside, it felt like it was missing substance. I went into the screen hoping to enlighten myself on a new way to enjoy Miku, and left feeling a little bummed out that the star of the show was hardly a major character in her own movie.

It could simply be that I’m not the target audience, which is fine, even if disappointing. I definitely think this movie will become a beloved milestone for those who play Colorful Stage and are more involved with the story and characters.

Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing Review – Adele’s Turn!

Before I start my portion of our A Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing Review, I’d like to say that I wanted to like this movie more than I did, because those who know me know how much I love Hatsune Miku. 

Whilst I love a range of Vocaloids, she’s always been my number one, and it’s safe to say that she’s a bit of a comfort character for me. So, when I found out that the Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing film was coming to UK cinemas, I couldn’t wait to watch it. 

Now, considering the title of the movie, I should have expected it to be largely based on the Project Sekai Colorful Stage mobile game. And while I went in with the expectation that there were going to be characters and references from the game, I didn’t quite realise just how much of the film was going to focus on them.

Where’s Miku?

For a Miku film, I wish there were more Miku in it. The movie focuses mainly on the different groups and the characters involved more than Hatsune Miku herself. 

Aside from the Miku that is trying to lend her voice to those who are struggling. But still, she’s practically a shell of her former self, and this is probably one of the first times I’ve seen Miku cry.

Who is Who?

I feel like there was a way to introduce the character and groups much better. From the start of the film, almost all of the game’s cast appear on screen, with no real introductions as to who they are. This includes the various Mikus who are part of each Sekai. The concept of Sekai isn’t explained either.

Even the band names aren’t revealed until almost the end of the movie. For viewers who have never played the game, this can be confusing. I have very basic experience with the game, and even though I’ve played it a fair amount of times, I don’t have extensive knowledge about the lore of the characters. 

This ties in to my main issues with the film. If you’re a Hatsune Miku fan, but you’ve never played the game before, this film is not for you. The main plot and the majority of the dialogue focus on each member of the music groups, with Miku appearing now and again.

To fix this, the movie should do a very basic introduction of what Sekai is, who these characters are, and which groups they belong to. That way, those who haven’t played the game would have some baseline knowledge of who is who. 

Great For Fans of the Game, But Not For Those Who Aren’t

Still, it’s not all doom and gloom. As a Miku fan, I enjoyed the music throughout the film, and it was fun getting to see Luka and Kagamine Rin and Len. The animation is beautiful, of course, and the voice actors did a great job. 

Don’t get me wrong, as someone who has played the game, it was cool getting to see the characters animated, especially my favourites in Nightcord. I just wish there were more Miku…

Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing Review Roundup

If you want to explore the game and vast cast of characters for yourself, check out the Colorful Stage website.