Ai no Utagoe wo Kikasete --- the Beautiful side of AI... XD

Last week, I was browsing some anime movies on my to-watch list. I was busy with work but wanted to recharge and escape reality by doing one of my favorite things.

I forgot how this particular anime came to my list; it's either that I saw someone post about it here, or that one of my Japanese students recommended that I watch it. It looks interesting, so I decided on it.

It's called Ai no Utagoe wo Kikasete or Sing a Bit of Harmony in English. Let's talk about it!

_{NOTE: The following photos are screenshots I took from the anime.}

I actually didn't have any expectations from the movie. From its title, I just thought it was another musical anime... but it wasn't just that.

Amano Satomi, one of the main characters, is a model student and is the daughter of the lead project manager of Hoshima. It's a well-known company for revolutionizing AI technology. Despite that, Satomi was somehow isolated at school. She didn't care much about it, though, and just got on with her everyday life.




One day, while Satomi was doing her usual routine before going to school, she discovered her mom's latest project. It was an AI system in a humanoid robot. Their goal was to prove that humans and AI can live together.




What she didn't expect was that the robot would end up attending their school as Ashimori Shion. Shion was originally tasked to fit in as a normal high schooler without exposing her true identity. However, for some reason, she had a different goal, and that was to make Satomi happy.

Shion attempted to make Satomi happy, but it was chaotic in many ways. Shion's talent for singing created harmonious melodies that connected her to new friends and, hopefully, Satomi.

Here's the trailer or the anime below...

It was so much better than I expected!

For one, the songs Shion sang in the movie were so heavenly! They were comforting to the ears, and the lyrics were heartwarming.

The integration of AI into their lives was impactful. In most films, AI is portrayed as antagonistic and even destructive. However, it's different in this film. However, if we look at it in a negative light, what the AI did was a bit creepy, but the purpose was valid. (You'll know what I mean when you watch it.)

The story involves relationships between family, friends, work, and society. It portrays various people and issues we encounter in our day-to-day lives. The AI and the technology in this movie might be more advanced than in the real world, but it's not far off. It's pretty relatable, especially nowadays, that AI is becoming both an asset and an issue.

Great storyline and character creation... the art and animation style were also fantastic! All the technical aspects of the film were satisfying as well.

If you're interested in AI-related stories or are into musical anime, this movie is for you! I highly recommend it.

And to the person who recommended this film to me, thank you! It was an excellent watch!

Thanks for reading this post... See you around, and have a great one! (^^,)/