On a lazy summer day, young Norimichi (Masaki Suda) is asked compete in a swimming race by Nazuna (Suzu Hirose), the prettiest girl in class. When the race takes an unexpected turn, the rest of the day goes pretty badly for both Norimichi and Nazuna. Norimichi wishes for things to have gone differently, and surprisingly, that indeed happens: he ends up back in time, just before the race. Will he change the timeline for the better?
The original Fireworks was one of Shunji Iwai's earliest works, a TV drama film from 1993. Clocking in at just under an hour, it was a gentle reflection on childhood, innocence and the what-ifs that come with daily life. Like Iwai's films to come, the original Fireworks is wistful and bittersweet at the same time, and it ends at an uncertain yet ethereal moment.
The latest anime adaptation mostly keeps faithful to the original source material, but adds a few fundamental changes to the story. First, the adaptation provides a reason behind Norimichi's time hopping (the original keeps it mysterious, just letting the events happen with no explanation). Second, it adds a certain level of gloss to the story. thanks to the possibilities of the animated medium. Third, it expands on the ending of the story, proceeding to focus on the budding relationship between Nazuna and Norimichi by the last half hour. These various changes either work to the film's benefit or detriment.
Revealing the source of the time travelling to be a magical firework shell and linking its creation to Nazuna's character is an interesting twist to the story, but at the same time explaining the trick behind the magic dilutes its effects. The animation is generally gorgeous, though sometimes the film tends to meander into filler or strange fanservicey moments. This is not all surprising, as the movie was animated by the anime studio Shaft, notorious for making brushing one's teeth a point of fanservice. The 2D animated parts were great, but the animation quality tends to suffer when transitioning to or merging with 3D CGI. And while there are some sweet moments between Norimichi and Nazuna in this film, the film doesn't work as a romance as much as a slice of life youth drama. The character designs make them out to be a bit older than they should be (originally they were about 12 years old) so a meaningful romance isn't exactly a good fit for the story.
While Fireworks is pretty enjoyable, it's not as great as other anime adaptations I've seen this year. It's definitely no Your Name, but anime fans should give it a shot.
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