Philosophy and anime are no strangers to one another- just one look towards the end of the last millennium reveals a plethora of movies and shows like Ghost in The Shell and Neon Genesis Evangelion that incorporated ideas of various philosophers such as Nietzsche and Schopenhauer. But, as time went on, less and less anime used philosophy as the main focus of the story, and today it is a rarity, but it does not mean that it does not happen from time to time. One such example is Harmony, a subtle blend of interesting cinematic and philosophical ideas.
The story follows Kirie Tuan as she investigates series of suicides that happened across the globe and a group that stands behind those suicides. This sets of a premise Harmony builds around its plot and characters- most of the side characters are there for a brief period of time and are there more to make Kirie's nihilism even stronger. Speaking of her, she is quite likable and suits the story well as a protagonist- strong but not invincible, has quite a bit of a moral dilemma and wants to know the truth, her motivation being her, at first straightforward but later mysterious friend Mihie Miach, who is the only recurring side character. The story is mostly focused on Tuan and her development, so if you are looking for a solid roster of characters, Harmony will not suit your tastes in that regard. But, not having many strong characters actually works in the context of the film.
Harmony relies heavily on visual metaphors and foreshadowing to convey its story. One such metaphor is the buildings of the city, which look like they are made out of biological cells, which serve as the metaphor for this world's obsession with medicine. In the original novel, I don't think that it can be inferred that the world looks like this, but here I think it was a well-thought-out liberty with the source material. Because of this, visuals are unique overall, which cannot be said for the character designs, which are serviceable and distinct from one another but not something that you will remember till the end of your life. But, I think this was the right decision, considering the seriousness of the movie.
Production values of the movie are average, nothing too bad here and nothing too stunning animation-wise. The only jarring thing was CG character models in certain scenes. CG models of characters worked great when camera spinning around them and gave them some more depth, but when the camera wasn't moving it became very jarring. This usually happens in the scene where a lot is going on so I would presume that this was a way to cut down the budget.
Music in the movie is actually pretty great. It is a mixture of minimalistic, atmospheric tracks that enhance the mood. I also liked the ending song by Egoist. Confusingly, it hasn't been released as a standalone, you can only get a soundtrack if you buy a special Japanese edition of the movie.
Lastly, the movie has Serial Experiments Lain-like finale and requires interpretation. I personally think this works in the context of the movie. Another complaint regarding the way movie presents its world; there is a piece of information related to Miach that is presented somewhat poorly, and I think it got omitted completely from the original novel while I was watching Harmony for the first time, but it just requires you to pay special attention to the subtitles.
Speaking of that, English dub is not necessarily horrible, but necessary good either- it is one of Funimation's weaker movie dubs, so this is the one you want to watch in Japanese with subtitles.
I can recommend Harmony to the fans of movies like Ghost in the Shell and series like Serial Experiments Lain. In North America, series is currently licensed by Funimation and available from them on Blu-ray/DVD combo or just DVD.
Score breakdown:
Story: A
Some truly interesting philosophical ideas, interesting use of visual metaphors and foreshadowing.
Characters: B-
While Tuan and Miach are great characters, others are there just to reinforce Tuan's nihilism.
Animation: C
Nothing too stunning and nothing too bad. Some great use of CG, and some bad use of it. Overall, a mixed bag visually.
Art: A-
Visuals work well with the story, but character designs are somewhat, perhaps intentionally, dull.
Music: A
Enhances the mood, ending theme is excellent.
+ Great philosophical ideas, music, interesting use of visual metaphors.
- Don't go into it expecting action or great amount of interesting characters. Most people not interested in movies you need to think about will find it, well, boring.
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