I must admit that I wasn’t expecting much from this movie at first. Even though I’ve been playing Project Sekai since its launch on JP server, I only followed the story for the sake of understanding the surface of the the characters’ backgrounds (I only here because of rhythm game and the Vocaloid songs tbh). So when I watched the movie, I was more of a “Vocaloid fan” than a “Project Sekai fan”. My expectations were not that high, I just wanted to follow the story and maybe sing along to some Vocaloid songs I know.

But damn, the movie turned out to be much more than that. I actually understand the plot and the message much better than I thought, and even enjoy the characters and the story itself. The Project Sekai's characters and the world building are actually serve these messages really well without being too tied to their domain.

My not-so-deep interpretation

I think I can catch something after watching the movie. Firstly, it conveys a message to individuals growing up who may encounter some setbacks and feelings of failure during their journey. And secondly, it depicts the fear of being overlooked and forgotten by others.

Miku is portrayed as someone who want to be heard and helps others overcome their hardships, rejection, failure, or frustration with the world. They represents individuals who fail to pursue their dreams, lose joy in their passions and things they love, and become fed up with their lives, yearning for an end to their suffering. This frustration accumulates, leaving a sense of losing "hopes".

Miku’s voice attempts to convey the message, the "hopes" itself, but their frustration overpowers it, transforming her voice into a something that they don't want to hear, something that they don't want to accept, and just a mere bluff. This creates illusion that Miku and her voice is no longer accepted by society, despised, and forgotten. She herself also finally drowned in the bad emotions that she had been trying to fight all this time.

But in the end, that's the nature of the world. World is not built just from happiness, love, and good experiences. Uncertainty, rejection, and failure are also components of the world. Whether it’s Miku or the individuals she assists, they all experience and feel these emotions.

We may have beautiful dreams and desires for our future, but it’s equally important to understand that pursuing those dreams doesn’t necessarily mean sacrificing our well-being in the present. Try to embrace whatever your current passions and things you love, whether it’s as an illustrator, musician, or boxer, everything, as they bring a sense of fulfillment and joy to our lives and maybe to others.

The world may not always be as beautiful as we think and want, it also filled with disappointment and suffering. But it’s important to keep hold on to hope and persevere through these challenges. We can overcome any obstacle that comes our way.

愛されなくても君がいる - PinocchioP

This movie also reminds me of the song “愛されなくても君がいる” by PinocchioP. The song describes the story of Miku, who is gradually fading into obscurity. As people become engrossed in their own personal struggles, Miku’s existence becomes increasingly insignificant. But she holds onto a hope, believing that as long as people continue to believe in her, no matter how small, understand her, and still find love in her voice, that’s enough for her to continue to exist, to continue singing, and to continue conveying her message and "hope" to everyone.

This movie and song share a similar message. Miku (and Vocaloid in general) faced a time when people started forgetting her, when her best days were behind her, and when her importance was fading away. But as long as there are still fans who believe in her, she’ll keep living on, and her voice will continue to be heard by everyone. These music and movie also for all Miku fans (and Vocaloid fans in general) out there (including me, I guess) who are now grown-ups. Some of them might be already enjoying life, but some of them still figuring out who they are, or facing the challenges of adulthood. They’re people who used to be comforted and entertained by Miku’s voice.

My DECO*27 "burnout"

This movie also features new vocaloid songs by DECO*27. To be honest, I’ve been feeling a bit underwhelmed by some of DECO*27’s recent songs. He seem to be more focused on creating upbeat, TikTok-style music, which is different from his old arrangements, which had a deeper message. I was so tired of his new songs that I only listened to the "reloaded" series songs, which were basically re-arranged old tracks.

But the songs he made for this movie gave me a breath of fresh air. I can say that DECO*27 makes great music again for me. From そこに在る、光。 and SToRY, which have arrangements and lyrics that feel like his old work, to the epic Fire Dance (thanks to Giga to make this arrangements banger as fuck), and the catchy and joyful FUN!! and スマイル*シンフォニー. He managed to create an arrangement that perfectly captures the background and concept of each unit while also still convey Miku's voices. It’s made me so excited to listen to his work more!

Closing

At last, I can say that I absolutely loved the movie! The music, animation, character stories, and the message it wanted to convey were all so great. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it. (Although a bit gatekeeping, if you’re a fan of Project Sekai, you might need to know a bit about the characters to fully enjoy it so that you don't become a "wtf are these people" kind of person).

I also loved all the Vocaloid references in the movie, whether they were direct or just easter egg. From irucaice’s album promotion to livetune’s logo (I was hoping that Tell Your World would be mentioned somewhere, haha), PaIII.Sensation’s album art, and even Mitchie M’s (I think) MV. I also loved the afterlive. As someone who has a dream of going to a Miku concert in person, it really brings back that dream. I really hope to be able to go to a Miku concert someday!

And thank you Ichika for covering glow! It’s been a while since I’ve listened to that song, and your cover so beautiful. Everyone should check it out!

Oh yeah btw, I really love そこに在る、光。! I actually listened to this song a few times before actually figuring out that this was Niigo's song for the movie (which I finally understood the reason behind the lack of Vocaloid singers in this song).

Miku, thank you so much! Our frequencies will definitely meet, and your voice will be heard by everyone. I’ve so grateful to have you by my side through all these years, both happy and sad. Thank you for being an encouragement and a reminder that the world is a beautiful place.