Movie Review: ‘Trapezium’

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Review by James Lindorf

In North America, anime films have not been a large part of Sony Pictures’ distribution plans. In the previous 30 years, they brought three films to the big screen. With a new partnership with Crunchyroll, they are showcasing their second film in just four months. In May, they collaborated on the “Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle.” They are leaving the sports fields behind to favor the stage with “Trapezium.” This charming film about the weight of our dreams, the cost of fame, and the importance of friendship will have a one-day special release in theaters around North America on September 18th.

Yu Azuma (Asaki Yuikawa) is a young, ambitious first-year Joshu East High School student with an unwavering passion for becoming an idol. Knowing that groups tend to have a gimmick and ties to a region of the country, Yu sets out to form a team with a girl from each of her region’s four high schools. Yu from the east is joined by Ranko Kashima (Reina Ueda), a sophisticated and open-minded second-year student from the south; Kurumi Taiga (Hina Yomiya), a diminutive vocational high school student from the west who is a giant in robotics competitions; and, Mika Kamei (Haruka Aikawa), hailing from the north she is known for a kind-heart and a dedication to volunteering. Together, these four set off on the bumpy road to stardom with its unexpected trials, rigorous demands, setbacks, and pressures, threatening to undo all that Yu has worked so hard for.

Overall, “Trapezium” is a beautifully animated film. The animation quality is consistently high, with only brief moments where it doesn’t shine quite as well as others, but they pass quickly. However, there is one segment that was an odd design choice. During their first big performance, the animation style shifts jarringly. It could be an interesting artistic take on how becoming famous shifts their worldviews, but it reverts as soon as the song ends. Instead of having a point, it gives the impression that they did it because they could and wanted something more flashy, even if it wasn’t the girls’ first time on TV. If we want to be generous, we could discuss that it was done to shine a light on the glossy, over-produced nature of showbiz and that nothing is really like what we see on screen. It is a point of view the writer of the novel “Trapezium,” Kazumi Takayama, a former member of the group Nogizaka46, would be very familiar with.

“Trapezium” may seem like an odd title. You may get it confused with the trapezius, the muscle most responsible for your stiff neck, or the small bone in your wrist near your thumb. But the most likely explanation is its other definition: a trapezium is a quadrilateral with no parallel sides. It encapsulates the four girls and shows that no matter how different or far apart they may be, they always have a way of coming together over time. Much like the choice of title, the film itself is smaller and more cerebral than what many people envision when you mention anime. There are no swords, mechs, magic spells, or monsters; instead, the source of the conflict comes from differing goals and points of view, making it a unique and engaging narrative for anime fans.

At a runtime of just 94 minutes, no one would say that “Trapezium” overstays its welcome, but it may have been a stronger film at 89 minutes or perhaps after a redistribution of those five minutes. Yu is not a monster, but she is not nice, and her revelation and everyone’s acceptance of it goes over too smoothly and too quickly. Diving into those personal and interpersonal battles would have been worth almost many scenes from the middle of the film that feel essentially the same. They could have been used to really make us feel Yu’s betrayal. Director Masahiro Shinohara shows the mental toll and unrealistic demands stardom placed on these girls but appears uninterested in showing us the darkest side of fame, especially at a young age. However, despite that shortcoming and the odd animation choice, “Trapezium still comes in at a solid 4 out of 5.

Director: Masahiro Shinohara
Screenwriter: Yuuko Kakihara
Distributor: Crunchyroll / Sony Pictures
Production Co: Aniplex
Genre: Drama, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 18, 2024, Limited
Runtime: 1h 34m