Doraemon Movie 30: Nobita no Ningyo Daikaisen

This was a confusing movie from start to finish, with signs that the production team put too much into the story than it can fit. The premise itself was already confusing, with two layers of unknown that the audience (mostly kids) have to process. Mermaids.... AND aliens????? We don't get enough explanation about the gadgets to make sense of what happened at the beginning either. I thought the simulated ocean all through the town was an accident, the way they animated it, but I guess Doraemon intended it. Almost every concept that was introduced in this movie was shallow. Moments hintingenvironmental themes were brushed under a new scene within seconds, the antagonist's motivation is literally "I will rule the universe with this legendary weapon", and the princess's internal conflict surrounding her individuality as a child versus her role as a future leader was introduced with a single monologue from her mother and set aside with the mother's next monologue. Add to that a bunch of cinematic goofs... like where you need a certain gadget to see the ocean simulation versus not needing it was inconsistent. Or how the mermaids know about how humans treat the natural environment despite being totally oblivious to airplanes. Then the whole battle scene in the climax.... what's going on here? The character placements were off and seemed rather abrupt sometimes. Moments during the climax that seemed to be crucial felt missing, and if they came, they felt forced and unnatural, like how the "legendary weapon" makes its appearance. The main antagonist at times felt like he was acting solely on his own and at other times working with a whole group of bad guys - that dynamic felt really inconsistent. There are also several specific moments that I didn't think were needed in the film altogether, one involving Suneo, and also basically all the scenes with Dorami. Why was she even in the movie? There are a lot of Doraemon films where it feels like Suneo or Gian never really got individual time to shine, and this was also another one of those. Other aspects of the movie are okay. The soundtrack is unoriginal but does not bother the viewers. Tetsuya Takeda makes a comeback 14 years after writing his last theme song for Doraemon, but it unfortunately feels out of place with a nostalgic/melancholy melody about the sea as a metaphor for tears during a scene where Doraemon et al. are excitedly touring the sea. Visuals are pleasing as with any Mizuta-era Doraemon film, although they really dragged on the gag about the warm eyes. The riddle was interesting, and it would definitely get the kids watching to wonder about it in a really effective way. But this movie left me confused even through the end. The entire film felt like it was haphazardly put together and then polished with nice visuals and cute characters. Doraemon films tend to struggle with water-themed movies. Hopefully their new remake of the Undersea Devil Castle (2026) will have a better organization (story is much more simple).