I only just found out about this movie! I am a huge fan of the Trick series and I DID enjoy watching it, but...I didn't love it as I really wanted to.
I unfortunately could only give it a 5/10, because in the end it did disappoint me.
It follows the same formula as the series, with Ueda tricking Naoko into going to a remote location with him, in order to debunk a so-called Shaman. The usual threats to kill -- and the subsequent deaths -- were present, but they weren't exactly clever. It really seemed like the writers were rather lazy about this plot.
I also felt that not a lot of effort went into the 'tricks' in this, whereas the series always had some very clever tricks and satisfying reveals found out by Naoko. In fact, I was quite disappointed by how few tricks there actually WERE. After the reveals, which took very little time to figure out (I get that it's a short movie with time constraints, but a lot more effort could have gone into it!), I kept thinking: "Is that IT? Surely there's more to it?" Nope.
There wasn't as much of a comedic vein as there was in the series, and previous movies, but there were moments. It seemed to struggle through the humor and come off as awkward. If there had been more funny moments, I would have gladly given it a higher score.
Things were a lot more serious in the plot, but considering the events it had a nice build up, and it was all for a reason. Having it more serious did make it feel less like a Trick movie and the very reason (Other than the romance between Ueda and Naoko) that we love the series so much.
There were some very touching moments between Ueda and Naoko that was sweet, but they came off more as just friends. That usual playful nature between them, where he would taunt her and she'd act rather stupid, was mostly absent. It was only towards the end that their feelings were more apparent as romantic.
Switching tracks like that with their emotions sort of came out of nowhere. If you weren't familiar with the series and you'd watched this movie, you'd definitely have been wondering when the hell did they suddenly develop feelings for each other when it hadn't been there before.
The ending wasn't completely satisfying considering it's been blatantly obvious for several seasons and movies that Ueda and Naoko love each other, but it should make most fans happy. The romance between Ueda and Naoko was as subtle as always.
In fact, reading the comments written on the Discussion Board, the ending was a little TOO subtle for most, who completely misunderstood what had occurred. Since I don't want to add the spoiler here in the review, I've left the explanation of the ending scene on the Discussion Board for those who might not understand what happened.
All in all, as a long-time fan, the movie was worth watching, but as a conclusion to our favorite series it did not satisfy.
I unfortunately could only give it a 5/10, because in the end it did disappoint me.
It follows the same formula as the series, with Ueda tricking Naoko into going to a remote location with him, in order to debunk a so-called Shaman. The usual threats to kill -- and the subsequent deaths -- were present, but they weren't exactly clever. It really seemed like the writers were rather lazy about this plot.
I also felt that not a lot of effort went into the 'tricks' in this, whereas the series always had some very clever tricks and satisfying reveals found out by Naoko. In fact, I was quite disappointed by how few tricks there actually WERE. After the reveals, which took very little time to figure out (I get that it's a short movie with time constraints, but a lot more effort could have gone into it!), I kept thinking: "Is that IT? Surely there's more to it?" Nope.
There wasn't as much of a comedic vein as there was in the series, and previous movies, but there were moments. It seemed to struggle through the humor and come off as awkward. If there had been more funny moments, I would have gladly given it a higher score.
Things were a lot more serious in the plot, but considering the events it had a nice build up, and it was all for a reason. Having it more serious did make it feel less like a Trick movie and the very reason (Other than the romance between Ueda and Naoko) that we love the series so much.
There were some very touching moments between Ueda and Naoko that was sweet, but they came off more as just friends. That usual playful nature between them, where he would taunt her and she'd act rather stupid, was mostly absent. It was only towards the end that their feelings were more apparent as romantic.
Switching tracks like that with their emotions sort of came out of nowhere. If you weren't familiar with the series and you'd watched this movie, you'd definitely have been wondering when the hell did they suddenly develop feelings for each other when it hadn't been there before.
The ending wasn't completely satisfying considering it's been blatantly obvious for several seasons and movies that Ueda and Naoko love each other, but it should make most fans happy. The romance between Ueda and Naoko was as subtle as always.
In fact, reading the comments written on the Discussion Board, the ending was a little TOO subtle for most, who completely misunderstood what had occurred. Since I don't want to add the spoiler here in the review, I've left the explanation of the ending scene on the Discussion Board for those who might not understand what happened.
All in all, as a long-time fan, the movie was worth watching, but as a conclusion to our favorite series it did not satisfy.
