Blue Giant

Blue Giant (2023) is a Japanese animated music drama directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa, based on the critically acclaimed manga by Shinichi Ishizuka. The story follows Dai Miyamoto, a passionate high schooler in Sendai who becomes obsessed with jazz after attending a live performance. Driven by a burning desire to become the world’s greatest jazz saxophonist, he dedicates himself to mastering the instrument despite having no formal training. After moving to Tokyo, he forms a jazz trio with talented but arrogant pianist Yukinori Sawabe and a loyal friend turned drummer Shunji Tamada. Their journey becomes a relentless pursuit of artistic growth, emotional intensity, and the transformative power of music. The film’s animation, produced by NUT, is kinetic and fluid, especially during performance sequences that blend traditional 2D with dynamic camerawork and visual abstraction. Unlike most music anime, Blue Giant places heavy emphasis on the physical and emotional exertion behind each note. The highlight is the soundtrack, composed and performed by real-life jazz musicians, with Hiromi Uehara delivering electrifying original piano compositions and Tomonao Hara on saxophone. These sequences pulse with raw energy, making the viewer feel every breath, strike, and improvised run. Blue Giant grossed approximately ¥1.5 billion (~$10 million USD) in Japan, making it a modest hit for a film with niche appeal. Internationally, it was distributed in limited theaters and film festivals, gaining particular attention in Europe and North America for its unique approach to the music genre. Critics widely praised the film for capturing the soul of jazz and the obsessive drive of musicians. It holds an 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes and was praised for its emotional maturity, expressive performances, and sincere respect for jazz as both an art form and personal journey. The film won Best Animated Feature at the Mainichi Film Awards and was nominated at the Japan Academy Film Prize for Animation of the Year. It also received strong recognition at international festivals like Annecy and Fantasia. The legacy of Blue Giant is already forming around its deep respect for musicianship, its realistic portrayal of creative struggle, and its departure from typical anime tropes. It stands as one of the most authentic portrayals of jazz in animation—eschewing glamor for grit and vulnerability. For viewers—especially those involved in the arts—it resonates as a story not about winning, but about burning with purpose.