The Quintessential Quintuplets the Movie 映画「五等分の花嫁」

The Quintessential Quintuplets the Movie (映画「五等分の花嫁」) opened in Japan today. I am not really a serious fan of this series, but having watched both seasons 1 and 2 of the TV anime series, I thought I would make my way to the local cinema to watch this movie, which brings the entire series to its conclusion.

It was the very first show in the morning, but the cinema was already quite busy, with the gift shop packed with people lining up to buy what I would presume are The Quintessential Quintuplets merchandise. I thought of getting something too, but the queue was a really big wet blanket, so I just made my way in, and along the way, got handed this.

It is a booklet containing a single manga episode. Being Volume 14.5, containing Episode 122+1, it is about the sisters' swimsuits. Not a bad memento and a nice reward for braving this morning crowd of (probably) hardcore fans. (I am not sure if this will be officially published or sold, though.)

I was also a bit surprised by the audience. Going into the cinema in front of me was actually an old lady with lots of white hair, and she was actually carrying a blue tote bag with Miku's face printed on it (Miku is the third sister). Wow! This franchise even has fans among the elderly.

The movie itself was quite long, covering the preparation for the school festival, the festival itself in general, and then switching to the perspectives of each sister (so you see the festival again for five more times) before Uesugi finally chose his bride. This was followed by a jump to five years later, when everyone has grown up and are working in their own occupations, gathering before the wedding before switching to the wedding itself. There was also a bit of post-wedding coverage on where to go for honeymoon. Throughout the movie, there were flashbacks into the past when their mother was still alive.

In all, I think this movie is really for fans and those who have watched seasons 1 and 2. It is the final chapter of the story, and should thus be watched in sequence. I also don't know why but there were certain scenes which brought tears to my eyes, even though this isn't really that kind of touching movie. 🤷

What I do like about this story is that even though there is the "harem" element, in this case, the main character Uesugi actually has things about him that attract the sisters to him. Most "harem" anime series have main characters that are not really boyfriend material, but Uesugi actually brought positive impact to each of the sisters' lives, which explains why they are attracted to him. It is nice to see how he impacted their lives throughout the movie. This adds a bit of realism and depth to the story, which makes it easier for people to empathise, I guess.

End of one series, the next one is coming up in June when the Teasing Master Takagi-san movie opens in Japan. (Meanwhile, the SAO franchise is going back to the first arc with Progressive...)