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- The flashback montage of Suzu spending time with her mother, mostly her teaching her daughter music.
- When Suzu uses the (only) photo of herself she has on hand to generate her U avatar, which happens to be a group photo, the app produces Belle. Suzu initially thinks the software got it wrong, perhaps basing the avatar on Ruka since she is also in the photo. The app then adds freckle-like markings on Belle's face akin to Suzu's own. It's almost as though U is telling her "Yes, Suzu, that beautiful girl is you."
- Even though her singing in the U was initially met with haters, Belle receives a kindly comment from Angel about how her song is beautiful. This later turns out to be the Dragon's younger brother Tomo, who sets off the domino effect of Suzu saving both himself and his older brother Kei.Angel: You are amazing. You are beautiful.
- Unto itself, Belle doesn't stop singing even when the haters spout harsh criticisms, because she's doing what she loves most. And even when it does register she got negative comments, she's grateful for the one kind comment from Angel, and that she can sing again like she used to.
- Suzu's pure wonderment that U is a place where she can sing again, if as someone else. That expression on her face speaks VOLUMES.
- The next day, she’s visibly MUCH happier. She goes on with her day feeling a bit better than usual, no doubt because of her confidence boost. And this is all before she learns her first follower has quickly turned into millions of followers.
- Even when she quickly gains popularity and adoration of 5 billion people on U, Suzu NEVER let's the fame get to her head. In the climax, her only hesitation over unveiling herself to the world is her lack of self esteem/confidence.
- Sweeter still rather than use her celebrity status to make a quick buck, Suzu and Hiroka channel the royalties to charity.
- Suzu's singing group. Anyone else would've given up on Suzu being in a singing class when she doesn't even bother to sing, but they're rather understanding that she doesn't have to sing if she doesn't want to. It's later revealed that the reason they're so close is because they were good friends with her mother when she was alive. They even do everything they can to help her out when it's revealed that they knew she was Belle all along.
- Shinobu's watching over Suzu from the time they were children. No matter how introverted she is or how much she (unintentionally) pushes him away, he still takes care of her.
- Suzu's father. He's a gentle man who respects that his daughter's distance is a byproduct of her grieving for her mother and still makes an effort to reach out to her.
- In most tellings of "Beauty and the Beast", the father is either (at worst) a Dirty Coward who sells out his daughter to the Beast or (at best) a desperate victim of circumstances. Here, we have a regularly good man who doesn't even have to be faced with such stakes. He just has to be a father.
- Later, towards the climax, Suzu sends a text message to her father, explaining why she's going to Tokyo so he doesn't worry. If anything, she's trying to avoid a scenario where her selfless act looks selfish to her loved ones. Being her loving father and what not, Suzu's father lauds her for growing to be as brave and self-assured like her late mother. But not before adding that as proud as he is of the beautiful and kind young woman she turned out to be, she should also be kind to herself.
- The Dragon doesn't leave the best impression on everyone for accidentally disrupting Belle's concert during a chase. But rather than get angry at him, Belle is rather compassionate and curious who the Dragon is to actively make people hate him and drive them away.
- For being a dark and brooding creature who is despised on U, the Dragon has a loyal following of children. This speaks volumes that despite his temper and loner attitude, Dragon is not such a monster if he somehow managed to gain the respect of children.
- Among these children is a quiet boy who only has this to say: "The Dragon is my hero." Awwww! Becomes more so when it's revealed this boy (Tomo) is actually Dragon's younger brother, and this is his way of anonymously thanking his brother for all the times he shielded him from their father's beatings.
- When Belle first visits Dragon's castle, he's very angry at her and keeps shouting at her to leave his virtual home. But when Angel wordlessly comes forward for leading her there, Dragon quickly turns gentle and assures his friend he doesn't blame him.
- Becomes sweet the second time watching when one realizes Angel isn't an AI, but rather is Dragon's brother IRL, the same one he protects from their cruel father. Bonus points for being one of the clues that helps lead Suzu to finding Kei.
- Suzu's singing group suggesting that if she has a crush on a "bad boy" (aka Dragon) she can always appeal to him with a gift.
- Also, one of them tells a sweet story about how, as a Senior, she went to a foreign exchange and befriended a lonesome young man by gifting him a song. From her description, he expressed happiness for the first time since she came. The only reason she didn't pursue a relationship was because he was in the 8th grade, but he was saddened when he saw her off.
- Dragon saving Belle from being captured and interrogated by Justin and his soldiers. What makes it sweet is how Belle sees first-hand that Dragon has a protective streak, as he shields her from the soldiers and broken glass he crashes into.
- Following this, the dance scene where Belle gifts Dragon her song, leading to the dance scene where the two bond.
- The A.I.s gift her a rose, giving her a new dress in the process.
- Although it borders on Harsher in Hindsight, Dragon flinching from Belle's kiss becomes somewhat sweet when Belle gently hugs his snout instead. We later learn Dragon has a violent home life, this is possibly the first time in a while (perhaps since his mother died) that anyone has ever treated him gently.
- During the scene where possible candidates for Dragon's true identity come forward, one of these is a baseball player who everyone suspects of having a violent nature. He decides to take off his sweater for the public, revealing surgery scars from when he was a kid. He use to be the Littlest Cancer Patient, but when he regained his health and grew stronger, he decided to pursue his dream of being a baseball player to make the most of his life. Rather than hide in shame, he's decided to come forward with his story to inspire kids to follow their dreams, rather than treat his past vulnerability like some awful secret.
- Ruka revealing herself to be a sweet and kind girl, as opposed to being a back-biting alpha female.
- In return, she helps Ruka ask out her crush Kamishin, who is equally bashful about an actual girl asking him out. Cuter still, they bond over how they like Belle (much to Suzu's embarrassment).
- Unto itself, Ruka and Kamishin bonding over their shared love of Belle's music, establishing that Suzu has brought the two together as a couple in more ways than one.
- In return, she helps Ruka ask out her crush Kamishin, who is equally bashful about an actual girl asking him out. Cuter still, they bond over how they like Belle (much to Suzu's embarrassment).
- As sobering as it is, there's something poignantly heartwarming about how Dragon's bruises are a testament of how unwaveringly Kei protects his brother Tomo from their father.
- Shinobu encouraging Suzu that she should sing as herself on U in order to gain Kei and Tomo's trust. Hiroka worries that it's impossible for Suzu to ever sing as herself. Shinobu's response?Shinobu: She can.
- "A Million Miles Away" is a testament to how much Suzu is willing to risk for two boys she's never met in person. First she actively uses Justin's Unveiling Ray on herself so she can sing one of Belle's songs as herself and prove they're one and the same. Then she begins singing this very song, despite how emotionally exhausting it must be. Once she's done, everyone still applauds her, despite she was unveiled. This leads to her epiphany about her mother, and then her singing one last non-lyrical encore. Her voice is so powerful that it invokes everyone (save for Justin and his men) to feel the depth of their emotions, lighting all of U like a swarm of fireflies. But when she loses her voice, the crowd cheers her on, inspiring Suzu to keep singing the song to its conclusion. The cherry on top is when the whales (implied to be the Five Voices of U) lift her up and restore her Belle form.
- Fridge-Heartwarming: The first lyrics of "Come Back to Me" matches the same leitmotif as Suzu's mother. It's almost as though Suzu intended this song to beg her mother to come back to her. Now? It's become a Triumphant Reprise of how she's finding closure for her mother's death.
- During the whole thing, Peggy Sue, a former U Celebrity is astounded to learn Belle is but a young student just like herself. When she overhears a couple catty U members delight in Belle's Unveiling, Peggy Sue trembles with rage that anybody would take pleasure from an innocent student being exposed on the internet. And when Suzu loses her voice for a moment, Peggy Sue begins singing the song as a gesture of encouragement, prompting everybody to do the same so she keeps singing.
- Fridge-Heartwarming: When Peggy Sue and all of U imitate Suzu's singing to encourage her, those aren't just any random leitmotif from her song. They're singing to the exact lyric "Come back to me, stay by my side". Everyone is trying to bring back Suzu.
- Later on, when Suzu is shielding Kei and Tomo, you can hear the leitmotif for "A Million Miles Away" as Kei recognizes her loving touch as that of Belle, as though realizing this is the real Belle and she's trying to get him and Tomo to come back to her.
- Suzu realizing midway through the song why her mother risked her life all those years ago. Kei and Tomo are just like that little girl in the flashback: someone in dangerous waters, but nobody else is bothering to save them. Her mother didn't risk her life because she didn't care about Suzu, she did it because someone needed help. She did it because she valued how precious life was. This inspires Suzu's resolve to save the brothers from their father, no matter the cost.
- At one point during the song, Suzu has a flashback to when she was about to go wading into the river out of vain hope of finding her mother. ...except a hand grabbed her wrist. In this flashback, it reveals that the hand who grabbed her was a young Shinobu, framing this as symbolic that he's always been her metaphorical anchor.
- The song is enough to move Tomo to tears, almost as though he (and by that extent, his brother) realize that if five billion strangers can encourage one girl to keep singing, perhaps the one stranger (Suzu) can be trusted to help them.
- Generally, the fact that it's not just Suzu who's trying to reach out to Tomo and Kei. Despite Kei's belief that nobody will every help him and his brother escape their father, Suzu's circle of friends getting involved are a testament that there are enough people who want to make a difference in their lives. During the scene with the abusive father alone, everyone was speechless and shocked by what these two brothers had to go through. And when the father cuts all contact, Suzu and the group all work together to figure out how to find where Tomo and Kei live so they can save them.
- Also, just how much everyone in the group is willing to contribute to Suzu's attempted rescue. As soon as they get a location and Suzu says she needs to get to Tokyo, two of her singing group friends immediately run to get the van going, and are discussing whether they can purchase a plane ticket or if they have to drive her all the way themselves, with absolutely no sign that they wouldn't be willing to go through with it.
- From the moment they met face to face, Kei has been leery about whether or not Suzu is Belle like she claims. Even when she sang as Suzu on U, it wasn't enough to entirely convince him. During the climax, when his and Tomo's father tries to take them away from Suzu, what finally proves to Kei this really is Belle in person? When she hugs the brothers close to her, Kei recognizes that the way she firmly but gently holds them is the same way Belle held his snout as Dragon.
- Kei and Tomo thanking Suzu for saving them from their father, the former of the two professing his love for her. Likewise, Suzu expresses gratitude that because she met him as Dragon, it set off the chain of events that lead to her finding the courage to sing as herself. Either way you look at it, Suzu and the brothers changed each other for the better.
- Right after, we see a shot of U as a voiceover plays the U slogan. This time, the slogan is more meaningful because it did just what it promised: it gave Suzu the power to "change the world", not just for her followers, but the lives of two boys.
- Although we never see it, Hosoda reassures us that Kei and Tomo will be fine. Based on your own interpretation, it is safe to assume that they ended up in a new home with relatives or foster parents. As for their dad, well, maybe he’ll finally realize what a horrible person he was and reconcile with his sons…maybe he won’t.
- Suzu returning home to her loved ones. Among them is Shinobu, who not only commends she's become strong enough to stand on her own, but is glad he doesn't have to be her protector so much as a friend and potential boyfriend.
- While it’s not given much attention, there’s something inherently sweet about just how supportive Suzu’s social circle is. From her father just being there for her, to Hiroka wondering if she may have accidentally triggered her, to Ruka actively calling Suzu to join a photo, and later just to spend time together, to the other members of her singing group allowing her a place even with her difficulty participating, to everyone eagerly awaiting her return at the train station. Even a viral rumor about her is dispelled notably quickly.
- While everyone looks at the breath-taking view of the sun shining through clouds, the audience hears the first few notes of "Gales of Song" play. It's almost as though it signifies that indeed, Suzu's singing helped her through the rough times and she's now ready to live her life.
- As Suzu and her friends and family walk home, they decide to sing the whole way back. Suzu leads the song, ready to move on with her life and enjoy singing like she used to.
