Story
Hatsune Miku (voice of Saki Fujita) a Vocaloid software voicebank, travels between screens in Shibuya, often appearing as nothing more than an electrical glitch, as she searches for help. Her ‘Sekai’ (an alternate dimension formed from people's emotions) is nothing more than a bleak void full of dark windows, falling sand and broken dreams because the individuals who created it are struggling with self-doubt and are on the verge of giving up. Miku desperately tries to connect with them through song but repeatedly fails and, as a result, grows increasingly discouraged.
She then seeks the aid of 5 musical groups to help her refine her song and regain her confidence. However, when she attempts to reach out again, she’s met with crushing failure. As the creators of her Sekai sink deeper into despair, Miku loses hope. In a final act of desperation, she transports all 5 groups into her Sekai, where they witness the struggles of those who formed it. They try to convince Miku not to give up but she ultimately sends them away and her Sekai is consumed by darkness, affecting all other Sekais and making their versions of Miku disappear. Heartbroken by what they’ve seen, the bands join together in an attempt to honour Miku and save her Sekai. The 5 groups give a concert in the hope that they will be able to touch the hearts of all the hopeless and despairing and inspire them to keep fighting for their dreams.
Themes
Artistic struggle; failure; loneliness; powerlessness; hopelessness and despair
Violence
Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing has some violence. For example:
- A character slams a phone down and cracks the screen.
- Other characters topple statues, crumple papers and throw things.
- Miku’s Sekai crumbles and falls apart. She’s buried in falling pieces of debris.
- Black smoke claims the Mikus of other Sekais. One appears to have been exploded, while others are simply claimed by the black smoke or disappear.
Sexual references
There are no sexual references in Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There’s no substance use in Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing.
Nudity and sexual activity
Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing has some nudity and sexual activity – for example, many teenage girls are shown wearing very short skirts.
Product placement
Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing has some product placement. For example, Hatsune Miku is, herself, a mascot for Crypton Future Media, a Japanese media company. She’s marketed as a virtual idol. In the opening sequence she encourages viewers to take photos of her and with her and to share them on social media.
Coarse language
Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing has some coarse language. For example, ‘shut up’, ‘hell’ and ‘loudmouth’.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing is a Japanese, animated, musical drama based on the mobile game Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! The movie is in Japanese with English subtitles and is best suited to viewers aged over 10 years, with parental guidance recommended for children from 10-11 years.
These are the main messages from Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing:
- Failure doesn’t define you.
- Never give up on your dreams.
- Music has the power to overcome language barriers and bring people together.
Values in Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing that you could reinforce with your children are persistence, teamwork, empathy, determination and creativity.
Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing could also give you the chance to talk with your children about how facing challenges and making mistakes is normal when you’re working towards your goals. You could remind them that big achievements don’t come easily, and that failure is a chance to learn and grow. You could share real life examples of famous people like Michael Jordan, J.K. Rowling, Colonel Sanders and Thomas Edison, whose resilience and persistence ultimately led to their success.