Soap Opera: The Movie

Soap Opera: The Movie is a Japanese-American theatrical comedy-drama mystery anime film produced by Bossco Studios. It is a standalone adaptation to the anime series, Soap Opera, which ended its run with 34 episodes. The movie was released 8 years later and 8 years after it was originally announced when Bossco Studios first formed. It is the third animated film produced by them, after Hungry: Fly Me 2 Vegas, released one year prior and taking this film's original release date.

Plot
After recently mourning the death of his close cousin, 24 year-old college graduate Takashi Miyake decides to go to therapy. Apparently, its just at some guy's house. At this house, he meets the Yamazakis; a family of 4 that happen to have lost someone too. His therapist is James, the man of the house with the most American name out of anyone. Arguably, he himself might also need therapy, as he opens up to Takashi about losing his wife. They're able to connect when Takashi tells the entire family that he lost his cousin. By the way, he is receiving therapy near their pool.

As he keeps coming back week after week for more sessions, he slowly befriends Ayumi, the eldest daughter who is 19 years old and heading to college. Suddenly, Takashi has stopped visiting the Yamazakis just for therapy. Now, he's become a friend of theirs who frequently comes to visit.

Later on, he's invited by Ayumi to a group hangout with her friends, Bernard and Mana. They hang out exclusively in a park near a lake for three hours, until Bernard somehow goes missing. Ayumi immediately starts to believe that Bernard is dead and breaks down crying at the very thought of it. Takashi helps her get back on her feet and they put up "missing" posters that read: "Have you seen my cat?" Ayumi's twin brother and sister, Seiichi and Sachiko, find out where she is and offer to help, thinking it's a game because they're both stupid.

Mana tries to report Bernard's disappearance to the police, but just then, Bernard calls her and says he went home because he got bored. However, the gang notices something up with this video call. The background certainly didn't look like any room in his house. It turns out he was forced to lie about his location and is actually at Sazae Fuguta University, the college that him, Ayumi, and Mana are going to attend and that Takashi graduated from.

Them and the police rush to the college, only to find out Bernard had a club meeting tonight, and is hanging out with "Big Bless" Daisuke and Tim. He lied about his location because he didn't want Ayumi and Mana to know that he's friends with her enemy.

Epilogue
A few months later, Ayumi goes to her college and Takashi is now a professor. Uh oh...

End Credits
The end credits for this movie are an AMV (anime music video) tribute to the original TV series and soup commercial that started it all. It also features footage from the movie that you JUST WATCHED.

End credits song: What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club

Post-Credits Scene
In a surprise ending, Bernard decides to make a film based on his friends thinking he went missing called "Wind Calling."

Production
The movie was announced 4 years before it actually started development, meaning it took 3 years to make. It was delayed for one year due to Hungry 2 being further along in production. Thankfully, it came out early that year. The film's director was none other than the creator of the original show himself and even some of the animation was done by Bossco Animation, the show's production company.

Reception
Soap Opera: The Movie was meant to appeal to new audiences and that's exactly what it did. Visually, it was a huge step up from the show.

Long-time fans who have eagerly awaited this movie for nearly a decade were divided on how they felt about it. On one hand, it has stellar animation, doesn't shy away from the comedy aspect of its source material, and completely reinvents the source material in some ways. On the other hand, it's not canon and took 8 years to get around to, despite not even continuing the original story in a huge way. It's just another anime movie.

Sequels
The writers have opened up about a sequel, stating "Eh, maybe not right now..." As for the original series, the show's creator announced that because the movie was highly profitable, they would be making a second season of Soap Opera, in celebration of its tenth anniversary.