Post by Bytor on Jan 17, 2013 20:54:53 GMT -5
-Details-
Genre: Drama/Romance/Musical
Company: MAPPA & Tezuka Productions
Format: 12 episodes
Dates: 12 Apr 2012 – 28 Jun 2012
-Visuals- 9.3/10
This is, for lack of better words, simply a really pretty anime to watch. the colors are vibrant, the backgrounds very well done an the individual animations also portrayed rather nicely. Honestly, it's one of those shows were I become so engrossed in the characters and story that I actually didn't pay a lot of attention to the visuals, and then suddenly I'd realize, wow, this anime looks really, really nice! And actually it's hard to say much more, there is certainly little to complain about and it's simply a really well designed show and while the visuals may not make me gush and wax poetic superlatives it is still a fine looking show!
-Characters- 9.2/10
Ok...now, I admit, be prepared for some typical anime cliches...at least at first. Kaoru is the transfer student who excels in academics but seems to have some serious issues with personal relationships. Sentaro is the standard trouble student who likes fighting more than pretty much everything else. And Ritsuko is the class representative who likes everyone and whom everyone likes. Then, about three episodes in something amazing happens. You find out that these characters, along with a couple of more (slightly) secondary characters are much more (dare I say human?) than what was originally represented, not only that but they are likeable, naive, detested, shallow, friendly and despicable, all within a relatively short show, in other words they are human, and what more could you ask for in a show?
-Story- 8.9/10
The story is actually pretty much a typical slice of life anime. The above mentioned characters, who seem to have little in common, discover that they do have something very fundamental in common, and that is music, and more specifically jazz! And while this music does play a central role in uniting the main characters it does not actually play a central role in the show, instead, it provides a great backdrop and almost even a supporting character in the show. In the genre I wrote drama/romance/musical, and that is certainly very apt. The show is a drama about some young guys and girls who love music and are discovering who they are and how their relationships will play out as they become older. Honestly it's a very well told and enjoyable little story.
-Overall- 9.0/10
I like to say the true gauge of an anime is that when you finish watching it you wish there was more. The great ones make you wish there was much, much, much more, the good ones make you wish for some more. this one falls into the I wish there was more, not much, much more, but still more. This anime is really good, not quite as good as BECK which is in a similar vein but it is still certainly good, and it was, like many shows a very, very pleasant surprise.
