Angel Flight: The Movie (2026)

The souls of the deceased return to the world one last time when their families come to say goodbye.

Heartwarming and heart-wrenching.

Fittingly, this film is dedicated to the memory of Ryōko Sasa (佐々 涼子), the author of the original novel, who passed way between the release of the series and the film.

If you enjoyed the series, you will love this. If you’ve never seen the series, I highly recommend watching it first, but I think the film stands on its own. Either way, make sure you have a box of tissues nearby.

The stories of the deceased are varied across multiple demographics, so it’s likely that anyone watching will be rocked by at least one of them. The subject matter is heavy and you’ll go on a roller coaster of emotions. Between the sad and uplifting moments there is some light comedy to break everything up.
You won’t notice the 139 mins runtime because the editing is done well and doesn’t linger on any one story for too long.

Yonekura Ryoko leads a great cast. Everyone including the Japanese and international actors did a great job of portraying the emotions of the characters.

Diegetic music is used well to aid in telling the stories and non-diegetic music is beautiful and understated.

I will rewatch this along with the series when I’ve forgotten enough about the stories and I’m in the mood to be punched in the gut again.

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