Sing A Bit Of Harmony is a delightful and charming story about friendship, family, and love that also touches on just how human AIs can be.
Sing A Bit Of Harmony is immediately intriguing when you look at the synopsis. A beautiful new girl at school turns out to be an AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the testing phase — how could this not be an interesting film? It ends up being so much more than that too. There are surprisingly a lot of meaningful and heartwarming moments, especially towards the end. And yes, tears were shed. That said, this movie certainly has its faults too.
One of the biggest issues with Sing A Bit Of Harmony is the length, and because of it, the feeling that it drags on in the middle. There is one point in the plot where it feels like everything is wrapping up and coming to an end. A fitting end. A big reveal that will wow audiences and is sure to get the waterworks flowing with just about anybody. A moment that makes the entire movie special and unique.
However, just when it seems like things are wrapping up, the movie goes on for another twenty minutes or so. Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing, as this is an even better and unexpected ending, but it does mess with the flow of the film a bit.
Sing A Bit Of Harmony takes a while to get going, and even after it does, it dips a little in the middle. There is a reason here and there will be a big payoff in the end, but if fifteen to twenty minutes was removed from the middle, it would flow a lot better.
That said, there is still a lot that truly works when it comes to this movie. The group of friends, although they have their ups and downs, works through a lot of real things together, which is important for kids to see. Shion is able to help Satomi find her way back to meaningful relationships with her friends, and it is heartwarming to watch.
Speaking of Shion, she is super quirky, as to be expected, but brings so much fun to the screen. She is easy to fall in love with because she is always so positive and upbeat, and willing to do whatever it takes to make her newfound friends happy — even if it means belting out a song in the middle of the halls at school.
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So is this movie safe for kids? And if so, what age range is it good for? Well, I have two young daughters who are 9 and 10. They are very much into anime and sometimes these movies are not appropriate for them. That is why my husband and myself screen them first — just to make sure.
I am happy to report that Sing A Bit Of Harmony is a film that I will gladly watch with them, and I know they will fall in love with. The musical aspects of it are perfect for them, since they both play piano and sing. They also each have Tamagotchi’s, so the fact that these toys exist in the Sing A Bit Of Harmony world will make them very excited as well.
The only thing that parents should be leery of is that there is some young love undertones in this movie. Nothing inappropriate by any means, but boys and girls have crushes on each other and are dating. There is also a little bit of violence, but considering my daughters have seen all the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, this won’t phase them.
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Overall Sing A Bit Of Harmony is full of welcome surprises. It is sweet and charming at times, and heart-poundingly upsetting at others. The music is wonderful, as are the voice actors. The story has a lot of powerful messages about love, friendship, and what it means to truly care about someone and their wellbeing.
While it does lose its way in the middle, the end result is more than worth watching over and over again. A truly special movie that proves there are friendships that will stand the test of time, and they are worth holding on to with all your might.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
About Sing A Bit Of Harmony
Sing a Bit of Harmony tells the story of the beautiful and mysterious Shion (Tao Tsuchiya) who transfers to Keibu High School where she quickly becomes popular for her open-hearted personality and exceptional athletic talent… but she turns out to be an AI (artificial intelligence) in the testing phase! Shion’s goal is to bring chronic loner Satomi (Haruka Fukuhara) “happiness.”
But her strategy is something no human would expect: she serenades Satomi in the middle of the classroom. After finding out that Shion is an AI, Satomi and her childhood friend, engineering geek Toma (Asuka Kudo), steadily warm up to the new student. Along with the popular and attractive Gotchan (Kazuyuki Okitsu), the strong-willed Aya (Mikako Komatsu), and judo club member “Thunder” (Satoshi Hino), they become more and more moved by Shion’s singing voice and earnestness even as her antics bewilder them.
But what Shion does for Satomi’s sake ends up involving them all in some serious pandemonium… Get ready for the heartwarming story of a not quite market-ready AI and her classmates!
CAST
- Shion – Megan Shipman (English), Tao Tsuchiya (Japanese)
- Satomi – Risa Me (English), Haruka Fukuhara (Japanese)
- Toma – Jordan Dash Cruz (English), Asuka Kudo (Japanese)
- Gotchan – Ian Sinclair (English), Kazuyuki Okitsu (Japanese)
- Aya – Alexis Tipton (English), Mikako Komatsu (Japanese)
- Thunder – Kamen Casey (English), Satoshi Hino (Japanese)
Sing A Bit Of Harmony heads to select theaters subbed and English dubbed January 23-26!
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.