first of all, great casting! from all the online blurbs, the actresses were chosen for characteristics specific to the manga/anime characters. let me say, live-action yumi, sei, eriko, youko and tsutako rulez!
and the setting & location! it's almost like Lillian Jogakuen, albeit with slight differences. imho, the differences just make it better than the anime/manga because it lends a "real" feel to the place.
the storyline. well, it's taken from volume 1 of the manga (season 1 of the anime version). honestly i haven't read the manga, only the summary posted by Erica Freidman. i did watch the anime version though, and with (still) slight differences, it did follow the anime storyline albeit abbreviated, so i have no complaints. i'm sure it's hard to pack 13 episodes on an hour-or-less movie.
the acting. i think Akiyama Nana and Hirata Kaoru just aces Torii Eriko and Mizuno Youko, respectively. Takizawa-san is sooo Satou Sei down to her voice, but her acting is cringe-worthy! eh, i'll just have to remember that most of the talents here are models and not certified actresses. they did choose character specifics over acting ability. Honoka Miki is sooo cute as Yumi, i just wanna glomp her! her acting's not bad, either. same can be said for Haru, though at times she can be so expressionless. the other actresses came out as minor characters since the focus in this movie was the development of Yumi and Sachiko's soeur relationship, but they did okay, otherwise. weeelll...
i'm hoping they continue the live action with Kibara Kakumei and Ibara no Mori arcs in the future. i'd like the current actresses to play the same characters but hopefully, they'll get some acting lessons. i'm sure some acting experience in between movies would go a long, long way.
