Tsuki ga Kirei

Honestly in my opinion, this show is one of those original work gems that stand out for this season of Spring 2017!

An Original Work containing Romance, mixed along with Middle School themed characters, plus those awkward and moments we all had at some point in our lives. As what some others have said, I also agree that this show is something refreshing and nice to watch.

The story has good development overtime. It's not really rushed a lot with tons of scenes and action that was all done in one go. The story progressed at a reasonable good pace. Though, there's a notable amount of ... time-lapsing to transition to each episode. I did like the development for the characters too, since it went at a pace that isn't too fast for viewers to try and understand, and not too slow where the viewers will be bored.

The art is good quality. There were a few scenes that were done well. However, I do have some issues with a few particular scenes that could be revised for the DVD/BD Release. But other than that, I don't think it would affect much for my rating. Art wise for the characters, I liked it, and found Akane cute too.

The sounds is something that I found pleasant. The casts all fit with the characters represented too. What stood out for me was the noises that Akane makes. "Eh?" "Aah!" Un!" Like Kumiko noises. Kotarou on the other hand, "Ah.." "ooh.." "Un." basically like Akane but a male version. (lol) Though, that did motivate me to work on a video dedicated to both of their noises that I could find from every episode.

The characters, I don't have much to say (As it also contains spoilers if I do say something about them and the others) but characters that will make you want to like, laugh at, or maybe be going, "What? No! Don't you dare do that!" It's a typical range of emotions and stereotypes that you find in Middle/High School. I do find that the staff and producers managed to make the characters feel more interesting instead of bland.

My enjoyment with the show was lovely. I did like it how in the ED, there's text conversations that is interesting to read. I do believe someone made a forum post dedicated to translations for the conversations. Anyways, the Shorts after the ending were entertaining too. Some in which are hilarious. When I get my Blu-Ray order in October, I will definitely re watch the show to see if they changed anything from how it was aired this season.

Overall, I loved Tsuki Ga Kirei. As I stated, it's one of those original work gems that is both good and refreshing to watch. I've started to support this show by ordering the Blu-Ray. You should too if you enjoyed it! My last thoughts is that it would be lovely to see an OVA or an adaptation (like light novel, manga) for Tsuki Ga Kirei. Who knows what Studio Feel. and the staff members might do for now. Hopefully, maybe something that is good as Tsuki Ga Kirei :)

Tsuki ga Kirei is a boring adolescent romance that masquerades as something more than it is. It's avoidance of standard romance tropes is not an act that by default renders a romance any better, or even realistic or compelling, if it's still utterly lacking in anything substantive whatsoever.

The main couple have a serious lack of chemistry that plagues the show from front to back. Their reservations and quaint interactions are cutely refreshing and much more in line with the actuality of young love than your typical anime portrayal. That said, I still don't understand why they liked each other in the first place or ... why that feeling only grew over time. They were awkward, but it wasn't just a cute display of awkwardness, as they legitimately had nothing substantive to talk about, ever. It felt almost ironically shallow. Nothing particularly exciting happened either, which is both astounding and damning in this show's bewilderingly positive reception. I personally don't watch television or film to be bored out of my mind while in some desperate search for trope-avoidance tactics. There are surely more valuable things to do in this world than conduct pointless meta-analysis on how a boring anime is actually good because it isn't generic. Uniqueness and quality are not mutually exclusive metrics.

Tsuki's side characters are also extremely undeveloped and not impactful in the slightest. The show employed an interesting technique of having brief side character stories shown after the ED of each episode, but these were far too scattered and simplistic to provide any insight into the actual characters. 'Twas nothing more than some quick laughs arising out of character interactions from characters' faces you sadly may not even recognize or ever see again. Back to the main show, the two romantic foils, who had actual relevant screen-time, disappointingly ended up amounting to nothing more than stale obstacles. There was also no discernible difference between the two's roles in the series. Furthermore, there really wasn't a discernible difference between the two main characters themselves other than gender. The pseudo-plot is that these are two very goal oriented kids, longing to fulfill their dreams but gratefully burdened by unexpected love. The actual plot is that these are two regular kids who aren't particularly interesting to watch nor display no distinct, marked instances of actual romantic relationship.

The art style is a blatant ripoff of Kimi no na Wa. Which is good, in the sense that Kimi no na Wa has a great art style, but somewhat shameless nonetheless. The fonts, the lighting techniques, the environments,.. everything screamed budget Shinkai. I sure hope he gets royalties from this show for inadvertently providing the entire visual framework. There was also a very prevalent usage of CGI for background characters in Tsuki ga Kirei, which was wholly unnecessary and distracting. The CGI was awful and not befitting of modern animation standards. There was also no real need to have crowds of background characters populating every scene. The environments were perfectly fine on their own. The music was decent but nothing notable and the voice acting was very poor. I haven't heard so many audible groans, breaths, and bodily noises since I last watched Dragon Ball Z. Why write actual script when you can pencil in dumb, nonsensical noises?

Watch Kimi ni Todoke or Ao Haru Ride if you want to see shy young people fall in love organically, albeit dramatically and with a theatrical flavor, as is the nature of entertainment media. Those shows are compelling, in part, because high school is an interesting romantic setting. Middle school is not. Please do remind me of a middle school romance you witnessed that wasn't (in retrospect) hilariously shallow and forced. Tsuki ga Kirei is the most forced romance I've ever watched, personally, and that's not enjoyable.

Most romantic tales are quite ubiquitous. There is a chance meeting, an initial spark, then further interactions, perhaps some conflict and ultimately a resolution. Tsuki ga Kirei, at first glance, is not too different in these respects. However, while the outline of this anime is similar, there is a certain finesse and subtlety which I will now get into in more detail.

Before delving too deep, however, there's a key symbolic concept that's used in this series and it involves the use of the moon. There is a saying in Japan that goes as such: “The moon teaches us that darkness can’t hide the beauty ... of life if we know how to reflect beauty”. It is by this proverb whereby the Tsuki ga Kirei's title is based off, as well as how the characters grow throughout this show and ultimately how the romance is developed. An example which illustrates this is during the ending sequence in each episode where a moon appears on the top right-hand corner of the screen. Starting from a new moon and concluding with a full moon, this imagery hints that in the end the romance between Akane and Kotarou will have been fully realised and will come into fruition. This is further shown, as a full moon is often seen as a symbolism for height of power, the peak of clarity, fullness and obtainment of desire: which in this case is romantic tension.

In addition to this allegory, quotes from a famous Japanese author, named Osamu Dazai, are tastefully used in each episode. These quotes are directed from Kotarou’s point of view and are applicable to the advancement of the story. In episode 1 the quote “The feeling of joy is perhaps like a speck of gold, glimmering faintly at the bottom of a river of grief” is used, while in a later episode the recitation “This is what I want to believe implicitly: Man was born for love and revolution”. These aren’t utilised without any ulterior purpose simply to sound witty, but are imperative to give the viewer the ability to follow the state of the story, as well as to read the character’s mind-sets at that point in time: starting from the initial moment when affection is first sparked, until the eventual full-fledged liaison.

As stated in the introduction, refining of simple techniques are used in Tsuki ga Kirei. These techniques are made use of because in essence, this is a simple story: two middle-schoolers meet by sheer chance and a romance blooms. The advantage of such a straight-forward setting is that the more vital features of a good story are highlighted, while simultaneously a large audience is able to enjoy said story, since there is not a lot of challenging information which needs to be digested first-hand. There are no deeply psychological traits here, nor are there any surreal plot-twists. In all honesty, that is precisely what made this anime so effective to me. All the viewer’s focus is predominantly extended to the relationship between the characters, without much distraction from anything else. Tsuki ga Kirei, in this way, is a profoundly efficient tale as every scene exists simply to further and more strongly achieve a realistic narrative.

Correspondingly, the efficient nature of the story is accentuated by the barren use of any major drama or comedy segments (in the main story at least). While these attributes are certainly existent, similarly to the quotations of Dazai, they are applied elegantly and are spread enough apart from one another, so that no overwrought or soppy scenes would strive the viewer away from the show's principal backbone; which once again is the successful capturing of a realistic and believable cast of characters set in a logical and credible environment.

The only issue I personally experienced with Tsuki ga Kirei’s story, ironically (as this is the event that sold most people into becoming infatuated with the show), is with the ending itself. Although beautifully executed, I feel as if it ventured away from what the production attempted to achieve and that is centrally a credible chain of events, but I digress as I was relatively pleased with the finale.

Matching the astounding storytelling, what makes the characters so rational is that they all have their own respective backgrounds, quirks and set of values. This makes each persona their own, instead of relying on tired tropes which bargain on a gimmick to describe their personalities. Equally, one of the most notable achievements in Tsuki ga Kirei is the manner in which the characters enhance each other throughout the series, but more on this later on. Foremost I want to talk about the two protagonists: Azumi Kotarou and Mizuno Akane, starting with Azumi Kotarou.

The story is told chiefly from the perspective of Kotarou as he gradually develops a meaningful connection with Akane, while exploring the changes that occurs in his adolescent mind. What makes him such a proper protagonist is that he acts, sounds and thinks like a child in his age. Combining a fascination for classical writing and love for shadow-boxing, he feels like a living, breathing person and in the same fashion as the story he is shown in a diffident, simplistic light, once again rejecting any unnecessary personality traits which would likely distract from his maturation as a teenager. He is an individual filled with a past of embarrassments and regrets; he has felt failure many a time yet he is determined to succeed in the end. The outstanding writing and characterisation allows for Kotarou to feel genuinely authentic as he is not shown to be without flaws, yet simultaneously he has enough motivation in himself so that he is an ever-changing and distinctive person, without the limits seen in typical male protagonists.

Akane is the female leading character and, besides acting precisely how a middle-school girl would, has her own key traits which allows for her to have an ineluctable bond with Kotarou. She too has experienced sorrows such as constantly moving homes and failures such as losing sprinting races despite years of preparation that permits her to have this innate and almost platonic initial connection to Kotarou, as they both share similar experiences and so can converse about their problems together. However, unlike the way in which Kotarou is portrayed, Akane has experienced and tasted success; she achieves high grades in school and readily surpasses her previous record times in track and field. She also often plays with this potato plush toy, which underscores her anxious nature, increasing the amount of realism in her personality. This opposing nature in character, leads to our main male lead to almost yearn for and strive to be like Akane; this leaves the story space to work with and manipulate its run-time and thus leading to maximum evolution in their romantic relationship, which suggests why Tsuki ga Kirei is so efficacious as a romance.

As previously stated, a remarkable achievement of Tsuki ga Kirei is how different characters enhance each other during the run-time of the show. This enhancement is achieved by the surprising use of both sets of parents of the main characters. For both parties, parents provide much-needed support, be it in a direct way such as motivational talks, or in a laconic and unhurried way such as the making of a celebratory lunch box. Parents are underused in media in my opinion, as more often than not only one parent exists as the focal role for development. This is a waste of good influence, however, as parents are constantly around the characters we follow in stories, so the presence of both a mother and a father is more likely to lead to strengthening of the more relevant characters.

Although the side-characters do not have as much exposure as Kotarou and Akane, they do a great job of adding gravity and intensity to the relationship between them. They are all well crafted and balanced and often have their own battles and desires, which creates increased tension in the overall atmosphere of the series. Something, however, that I would have liked to have been done better is the reasoning behind the actions that some characters take later on the story. I can’t help but feel as if these were slightly rushed so that the intrinsic romance is focused on instead. In a way this is forgivable, as teenagers often act irrationally and radically, particularly in situations such as love which they may not have as much experience in.

The art, although once again simple, contributes greatly to the relaxed atmosphere of the anime. Backgrounds are meticulous compared to that of the foreground and the designs of the characters. This, together with the use of blank space and white accenting is perhaps to further emphasise how simple humans, especially in their younger ages, truly are as well as the nostalgic feeling of first falling in love. The facial expressions characters make, although lacking detail, are accurate to the emotions felt at that point in time.

The animation, however, is more polarising. Despite the fact that many frames are drawn to highlight an accurate representation of a character’s actions, the flow of these frames is commonly ruined by sloppy editing, leading to an almost jerky aesthetic. Furthermore, the use of CGI in the background for crowds of people makes casual movement robotic to say the least. These CGI models don’t carry themselves as fluidly as the drawings do and often end up looking comedic. In retrospect, however, Tsuki ga Kirei’s production team was struggling to release episodes on time, so this is less of an issue concerning talent and more of an issue on time management.

One of Tsuki ga Kirei's most surmounting achievements for me, were the extra phonetics the voice actors made during a lot of the dialogue segments. This produces an almost lifelike status when hearing characters converse, as their conversations mimicked that of an actual discussion. Not only this, but especially in the opening episodes the awkward disposition between Kotarou and Akane’s relationship was further realised by this effortless technique. Besides this, the voice-acting itself was as well pleasant to listen to, especially knowing how both protagonists’ actors were relative newcomers to the industry, accommodating for a more genuine-sounding series as the viewer relates that unfamiliar voice to the specific character being voiced.

The soundtrack itself was comprised of some wonderful vocal insert songs and a pleasant array of classical instruments. These were used sparingly and so no particular soundtrack ever felt forced or hackneyed, which is quite rare for a show especially when you have marathon-ed it, like I did. Perhaps a hindrance I felt with the show’s musical score, is that no singular song especially stood out to me. This may, of course, simply be a result of the abundance of different soundtracks used.

From its hyper-realistic setting with stunningly crafted backgrounds, to its effortless communication of emotion at just the right times, Tsuki ga Kirei is an anime which promptly came to my surprise from the very first minute of the first episode. Euphoric yet wistful, joyful yet dismal, melancholy yet hopeful, the innate beauty which Tsuki ga Kirei permeates can dispense a wide array of emotions. For myself, this allure lead to tears being shed through almost every episode despite there being no logical reason to. But in shows like these, reason should be the last thought in your mind:

just sit back and cherish the inevitable void you will feel once the 12th episode hits 24:26.

Story - [Score: 8.5/10]
Characters - [Score: 8.5/10]
Animation/Art - [Score: 6.5/10]
Sound - [Score: 8/10]
Enjoyment - [Score: 9/10]

[Final Score: 8.2/10]

Final comment: An absolute marvel of a school romance; there may never be another like it of its caliber for me.

Every season we can watch average animes, good animes but few times we have the privilege of watching an amazing anime that will be part of us for a long time. Tsuki ga Kirei will fulfill our expectations and more.

Even if the story could be at the beginning simple, it will start advancing in a way that will keep us entertained until the end. The story has excellent pacing and covers the insecurity, the desires, the doubts, the dreams of a group of teenagers.

We follow the story of a couple from the start until the end (in some way), their names are Akane and ... Kotaru. They are just typical teenagers, and their relation starts from the immaturity and the usual shyness, the fear and the anxiety that can be found in the real world every day. As the relationship progress, we can visualize how the casual insecurity, the distance, and the everyday life issues appear and how they try to surpass them. From my perspective, that is one of the reasons to watch this anime because in some way we will feel related to that kind of relationship.

The anime has a great narrative combined with great visual art, and perfect sound timing creates a masterpiece that you will enjoy. The characters are well developed, they transmit their feelings, emotions to the audience and not only the main ones, but the extra characters also add some atmosphere to the story.

The music and the songs are great. They used it in the perfect timing, and it doesn't destroy the narrative or the visual. The story is balanced in the perfect sense of the word.

One last advice, please read the line messages, there are some translations if you don't know Japanese, they are short stories about the relationship and will add more ideas about it. You could try to guess if they are related to them or not :P

You should try to watch it if you like romance stories and a slice of the life stories. If you are seeking fights, actions or anything different, you should skip this anime.

An anime about the pure, innocent, and slow-pacing love of the adolescence page in our lives that we can relate to. This show can bring back nostalgia about how dumbfounded we had been when we experienced love in the middle school.

The art style is very unique with the watercolor palette and will be very distinguishable at the first episode. It’s fitting in the general feel of the show, which is like the reminiscent of our youth days. There’s a lot of great sceneries which somewhat akin to what Makoto Shinkai’s produced in his works.

The soundtracks help a lot in creating the atmosphere of the ... scene and are noteworthy. The OP is beautiful yet exciting, the same goes to the ED and insert songs (though both are calmer). All in all, the sounds are working in concert with the art to create a delightful duo for our senses.

Both of the main characters seem like dandere because of how shy they are except with the ones they’re close to. This helps create heartwarming awkward moments between the two of them. Other supporting characters also show interesting premise for future episodes.

The slow-paced nature of this show may turn away some people off, but actually it’s the strong point. It also occasionally surprises us with the sudden increment of development in the story. This anime might be a hidden gem in this season or maybe this year because of how down-to-earth it is and it might refreshes our not-so-pure self with something as innocent as this.

EDIT: Although I still stand by everything I said before, as the story advances, I want to say more, namely I really want to emphasize that this show is truly beautiful and special, it's real and honest and not cluttered with any needless tropes or background noise. Their feelings and circumstances are extremely believable and everything is treated in a very gentle manner. And up to now I have loved every single episode I have seen.

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I wouldn't normally follow a story about middle-schoolers, however I am not sorry I started watching this. It delivers an overall sweet and considerate story, and is the only decent ... romance anime that this season has to offer us.

The story is very down to earth, boy meets girl, they gradually get closer. Although the pacing of the anime seems slow (in terms of how the scenes are constructed), I would say that (at least by shoujo standards) things are actually evolving pretty quickly. I like the story because it feels authentic and earnest and because the characters inner life plays a big role. In this age of lolis, anything human and real is to be appreciated.

The art and animation are of perfectly good quality by modern standards, nothing spectacular, but I feel that lots of attention to detail was invested.

The characters portray what you would expect from a (no frills) 14-year old. They are discovering the world, dealing with their emotions, interests, desires... they are also quite sweet and shy :)

I personally am enjoying this series more and more, I find it sincere and refreshing and feel swept into the characters' emotions. If you like this genre of anime, I encourage people to give it a try, the first two or three episodes should convince you.

Aah, I wish someone told me before I started watching this that it's SoL on ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIDS.

NOTE: Before going any further, I just want to disclose that I'm not the biggest fan of SoL, especially when comedy is sparse. So just remember that this is from a perspective of someone who generally tends to avoid these types of shows. Also, I'll be diving into spoilers, as I don't think I'll be able to convey why I just couldn't stuff last 2 episodes otherwise. So, with that said, let's get this over with.

Story: 1/10

Now, I could write something generic here, like "well, truly, there is no ... story" or something along the lines of "whatever little story there is, it sucks", but the problem with Tsuki ga Kirei runs much, much deeper when it comes to the general narrative. Not only is it pretty cliche in terms of where plot points begin, how they climax and where they end, but it is absolutely ruined by its snail-slow pace. Now, again, this is one of the reasons why I tend to dislike SoLs in the first place: lack of forthcoming narrative. I believe that all stories should have, well, a story. It doesn't have to be epic. It doesn't have to invoke thunder-like emotions. But, it has to have a story. Otherwise, it's just a string of sketches, and it has no point. And that's the problem with Tsuki ga Kirei: it has no point.

For an example, first 2 episodes (~40 minutes), have about 5 minutes of material in the terms of narrative. Which is why nearly every new scene has like 15 establishing shots for no reason. 5 minutes of narrative, with absolutely no comedy worth a dime, stretched to 40 minutes run time. I don't understand. What's the point? Is this supposed to convey some deeper meaning I'm missing? Is it about how life is truly mundane and how little to nothing happens in our daily lives? Perhaps. Maybe that was the intention. However, there are better ways to convey this, and stretching it to 40 minutes certainly isn't a way. Maybe there's even more to it, but I'm not seeing it. I just kept trying to fill in the blanks with my own imagination, but I don't feel like it was supposed to go that way.

From episode 2 onward, this speeds up somewhat, but the whole narrative is so bare bones that nothing of true consequence happens. First and foremost, what's even the point of this story? It can't be coming of age story, as characters aren't old enough for that. It can't be relaxing romance because it's boring. It can't be comedy because it's not. It can't be melodrama because it has no drama. Is it really just 'daily lives of middle school kids who kinda like each other for some reason and decide to date'? If you ever took classes on storytelling, the very first thing you'll learn is to avoid cliches. Second is that your story generally needs to have a threefold structure: incisive beginning, cumulative climax and natural ending. Whether it's in the terms of the entire narrative or just short arcs within it, if you decide to stray from this formula, you better have dozens of years of experience when it comes to writing, or whatever you do will amount to nothing. Which is the case here.

In terms of romance here, I don't get it. Ayame and Azuki have no chemistry. They are just awkward teens that kind of decide to date. And I mean really 'awkward' of the 'awkward' kind. They're both shy, indecisive, reclusive, silent. These couples are some of the worst to write about because they have nothing captivating about them. Who will ever say that Ayame or Azuki, as individuals, are great, or even memorable, characters? No one. This isn't the case of two terribles making something great, just enhancing their template terribleness even further. All the moments they share are stuffed to shit with silence and awkward glances. I get it. That's how teens are. However, it's not interesting. Whenever we reminiscence of teen days, we don't talk about awkward relationships where nothing of consequence happened because even we forgot about it. And that's another problem here: nothing is memorable.

They don't have a moment together where you go 'haaah I'll remember that for good while'. Even their 'kiss' scene is cluttered with 'artsy' foreground and background to the point that the focus of the entire scene is indiscernible. I get what the show was going for, I really do. It aimed to convey the awkward days, the innocence of youth, but there's a reason why every other show that does this adds more to it: it's because that concept can't stand on its own. Hell, even in movie form, it can't stand on its own, let alone for 12 episodes. As someone who generally hates 'drama for the sake of drama' in shows, I was PRAYING for something to happen, anything. But even when it did, the show played it so safe I wondered what the hell was the point.

Okay, I feel like I rattled on about the story for a bit too long. I'll probably get back to it when I get to the characters, but, for the time being, let's move on.

Art: 5/10

Art has two sides: good and bad. Whenever there are only a few characters on screen, it's pretty decent. The pointless white highlights on every character were unnecessary and distracting, but it was okay. The show does have some decent moments (my favorite scene is actually the opening scene as it pans over rather interesting architecture), and bolsters some pretty decent background work.

However, it all falls apart whenever we see a group of people. CG people. It clashes with background far too much, it's amateurish, it's absolutely ugly, and even people casually watching it will notice. And, as the show loves to have 26 establishing shots for every scene, you can bet your sweet ass that those CG monstrosities will be showing up in every episode. I know it's expensive to animate such scenes, but at least put some effort into CG. If you can't handle it, don't try to go for the 'impressive' perspective to awe the viewer when details ruin the entire scene.

In terms of animation, it's similar to art. It has some competent animation, especially when it comes to running/dancing, but outside of it it's pretty basic. There were several atrocious scenes when people were running outside of track, but animation is salvaged somewhat with the aforementioned background work, as I oftentimes just ignored the characters altogether and looked for details in the scenery around them.

Sound: 9/10

By far the best part of the entire anime. Even if exclude those random 2 music videos that show up because, well, episodes gotta be 20 minutes and holy shit how else are we gonna make that happen, sound on the whole was good. Music accompanied the scenes properly and it set the mood the show was going for. To be honest, most scenes that should otherwise be completely terrible were oftentimes salvaged by the music alone. It may be just me, but I generally tend to like slow piano pieces, which this show has plenty of, so it sat with me well. Not much else to say, really.

I'd love to comment on VA's, but I bet half their scripts read 'uh' 'ah' 'umm' 'eh', so why even bother?

Characters: 5/10

As is the norm with these half-assed attempts at making romance of generic teens appealing, the show focuses on the 2 least interesting characters of its entire cast. Why? Why do these shows do this? Why focus on literally the most boring aspect of your narrative? I don't know. Maybe, again, it's some metaphor that reflects our own lives, maybe it's just something I don't get because I can't relate to it, but I was far more intrigued with everything else except our leading duo.

Azumi is defined like this: shy guy who writes.
Akame is defined like this: shy girl who runs.

There. That's the characterization. There's no depth to them and, whatever depth there appears to be, is just teen angst rearing its ugly face. They are defined by their hobbies and their base characteristic. Relationships between two shy people are AMAZING for two shy people, but they're some of the most boring relationships to look at as the third party, especially when you have to stretch it over 12 episodes.

Again, it may be me missing some deeper narrative, but I highly doubt it. I don't think it's me missing deeper narrative, but it's simply not a show meant for me. I get that. I'm not 14 anymore and, if I'm being frank, I hate my 14y old self. I'm pretty much full-fledged adult at this point, and these 'cutesy' 'coming of age' stories just don't do it for me anymore, especially if they're so lacking in comedy. I enjoy seeing relationships, not awkward attempts at them. I enjoy seeing characters that brim with 'character', not two stick-dolls who can barely hit 'audible' in terms of volume of their voices. I enjoy narrative with a point, not attempt at basic pandering.

I don't understand why this show is rated so highly. I don't understand why its characters and narrative and 'message' are so praised. They're basic. Take every 'awkward couple' of every romance anime, and you have it. Honestly, I even found Kimi no Todoke less boring, and it's not like Kimi no Todoke is epitome of even passable narrative. The reason I found it less boring is because it had comedy. Its characters bounced off of each other to create the comedic narrative because it was lacking elsewhere. However, Tsuki ga Kirei doesn't have that. I think I chuckled maybe once during their interactions. Was that the point? Maybe. I'm generally not the type to say 'oh, it's fine as long as you enjoyed it', as that statement encourages more of the same. I want aggressive, challenging stories. I want characters with depth, and I want to see them tackle issues in accordance to their character. There's none of that here.

Even though I've been shitting on our main couple, it's not like side characters are any better if I'm being honest. This mainly stems from the fact that we don't see them often enough. I don't get it, though. Pretty much every episode has at least 3-4 minutes of establishing shots, so why not just use it to give your side characters SOMETHING? Those post-credit bits aren't enough. It's like the creators realized that the story lacked that comedic narrative, and just slapped some randomly irrelevant comedic bits in the end and said 'great, let's do it like this'.

When that Chizu whatever best friend asked our MG 'can I confess to your boyfriend', I was honestly looking forward to their fallout. Not because 'I choose my 1week BF over my BFF', but because that's just not something you do as BFF. But nope. Why have SOMETHING interesting happen, when we can have 83 establishing shots of pointless scenes instead?

Tsuki ga Kirei is jam packed with nothing. It's a string of mundane events that offer no depth. It's an attempt at 'ordinary coming of age story' that fails to understand that ordinary doesn't equal boring and uninteresting. I spent most of my summer vacation at home, and I had way more fun than any of these characters. And that's just fucking sad.

Enjoyment: 5/10

I didn't enjoy the show, far from it, but I'd lie if I said there isn't any merit to it. Young people nowadays lack shows like this, and I appreciate that about the show. Doesn't mean I excuse all its shortcomings, but still, it's something. It's a show that tells young people that it's okay to be boring and ordinary. And, even if I disagree with that, I can see its point. At least it's better than your generic harem and echii crap, so if you're gonna watch something, at least watch this over that.

I don't know how the show ends. I'll probably never find out. I've been skipping scenes since episode 4, and stuffing through 40 more minutes is just not something I can do (well, 50 more minutes, as I just quit halfway through ep. 10). Whether it ends in a happy, sad or bittersweet fashion, I don't care because I don't care for the main characters. Whether their dreams come true or not, I don't care. They're 14. What the fuck are they thinking is going to happen? I don't know.

That pretty much summarizes my 'thoughts about the show': I don't know. I don't know whether there's some deeper narrative that I'm missing because I'm not the target audience (both in terms of the genres and in terms of the characters). I don't know if there's deeper meaning to the show's lack of any form of narrative. I don't know whether CG people are supposed to represent how our society is robotic, or whether it's just cheaper to make it that way. I don't know whether I'm dead inside, or it's just the show. I just... don't know.

Overall: 4/10

Whichever it may be, I know this isn't a show I'd recommend to anyone. Perhaps, if I was 14, I might have enjoyed the show more. But, I doubt it. I was very much different when I was 14 than our main duo, or even any other side character present here. It may be just me, and the show is truly a masterpiece that I'll never get, but at least from the technical standpoint of the writing, the show is not good. It has terrible pace. It lacks proper narrative. It uses bare bone foreshadowing (ep. 3 oh, we might be moving to Chiba = it's gonna be a major plot point for the couple later on. Whoever missed this... eh, whatever), it's stuffed with nothing, it doesn't have decently written characters, and myriad of other things that I'm probably forgetting, because I'm already forgetting the show itself. I don't think it's as bad as, say, Your Lie in April, but it's definitely far more boring than it.

That's really all I wanted to say. Maybe I'm truly turning into an old man... I just... don't know.

*no spoilers*

As far as this anime is aired, four episodes currently, I am really enjoying it.
This anime is "just" a normal and common slice of life, school, romance anime, but the way it is made is just pure awesomeness. The characters are lovable and the setting is really good. The voices are really calm and fascinating...it just feels good to hear them talk. The anime is really calm and that is one of the reasons why it is so good. You can feel the characters, and everything seems realistic. I highly recommend this anime for school/romance anime fans.
Right now the hype for the next episode ... is strong...^^
In this spring season this is definitely one of the upper anime
But be prepared for moments that make you think "OMG, this is so accurate" and a lot of sighs by the main character xD


I hope this review was helpful

I watched Tsuki ga Kirei, also known as The Moon is Beautiful or NyQuil PM. Here are my thoughts:

I tried. I swear I tried. I tried my very best to like this show. I dropped it TWICE – once shortly after it aired, and once again when I gave it a second chance around 2019. I picked it up a third time in 2022 in a desperate effort to see what the hype was all about, yet still I was disappointed, although did finish it. I did my very best to like this show, and watched it in a variety of states of mind only ... to be met by unwavering disappointment.

For those unaware, this is a pure romance show focused on characters in late Japanese middle school (around 14 years in age I think).

The male lead and his female love interest are both ridiculously boring characters. They both have the personality of a three-day-old bowl of gruel. They have terrible chemistry and their interactions are mindnumbingly boring. I never felt the slightest spark of romance between them, or any emotion at all for that matter (besides boredom and frustration). Their entire relationship feels unnatural and artificial.

The dialogue is painfully boring and tedious, way WAY beyond the point of endearing shyness. This is not the cute reluctant youthful romance I was lead to expect. The two leads are absurdly deadpan – their affect is so flat I thought they were on enough antipsychotics to put a schizophrenic elephant into a coma (and if that doesn't work they should just broadcast this anime in the beast's habitat – this show is so forgettable it could invalidate prior studies on elephant memory). Furthermore, a huge portion of their interaction takes place via phone messages, which maybe is a blessing in disguise because the character animation is so bad. Which leads me to my next point...

The visuals of this anime are poor. The character CGI is awful, and I'm usually willing to overlook this. Seriously, those scenes of the school campus with the CGI-animated students were so poorly done. Besides the rare background frame, this show has poor visual production quality. Also worth mentioning is that I did not like the character designs – those sameface characters with the beady eyes were consistently unpleasant to look at. This is compounded by the bland school outfits and totally boring colour palette. Even outside of the CGI scenes, the character animation is crude and often off-model. Like, I can excuse poor animation if the show makes an effort at some kind of art style, but this show has neither! The colour palette and character designs are ugly and the animation quality is messy. I will concede that there were sometimes nice background frames (the ep.8 festival date is a good example), but that certainly does not excuse the appalling character animation. A lot of the visuals in this look like they took a real-life photo, passed it through an anime-style visual filter, and then added some hideous CGI-animated characters. The visual contrast between the characters and their environment is often quite stark. Even in scenes that take place on the street, the CGI-animated cars look like they belong in a console game released in 2002. Infrequently the focus of a frame is well targeted to create a nice cinematic effect – unsurprisingly these moments don't have any characters in the shot. Also I would be remiss if I did not mention that the ridiculous amount of phone messages in this show resulted in some consistently boring and tedious screenplay. Seriously, when phone screencaps are a central focus of the ED sequence, you can't deny something has seriously gone wrong with this so-called 'romance' anime (and that's not even mentioning the unfunny 'comedy' skits they add after the ED).

The commercial success of this anime is a total mystery to me, but clearly the return on investment must have been great since the animation budget was planned in Zimbabwean dollars (perhaps the elephants really were running the show, with autocratic rule too).

As I already alluded, the voice acting for the two leads is totally catatonic, and because they dominate the screentime and script, the rest of the cast is largely irrelevant. Regardless, none of the supporting cast VAs impressed me. As for music, I remember there being at least one okay insert vocal song, but otherwise the OST seemed fairly unremarkable.

Storywise, the sources of conflict are quite cliche. It was a pretty generic school romance in this regard too. There was nothing in the writing that I found praiseworthy, and the story overall feels formulaic.

Later in the series, competing potential love interests are introduced for both the male and female MC. Ordinarily, I would not enjoy this, but the two leads have such awful chemistry that I actually enjoyed (relatively) the presence of these other potential suitors. Seriously, both the alternative love interests had better chemistry with their respective targets. I think in both cases this was largely due to the pairing of an outgoing extroverted character with a shy soft-spoken romantic target. This is in stark contrast to the original couple, who are both quite introverted and reserved (and boring!). On a similar train of thought, I gotta say that I liked the amusement park episode way more than the others, perhaps mainly for the reasons just outlined. Or maybe because everyone in that episode communicates in-person instead of relying on those awful tedious text messages. In any case, episode 7 when they go to the amusement park, that was probably my favourite episode of the entire series (which isn't saying much).

It's worth noting there is little comedy in this, which is certainly not something I can say about other romance shows. Regardless of all my criticisms, I will always praise the absence of inappropriate comedic relief, particularly here because it's so common in romance shows like this. Similarly, I appreciated how wholesome and pure this show was. There was pretty much zero sexualization at all or so-called 'fanservice'. This anime was consistently innocent and sweet, regardless of all its flaws; it consistently had a 'puppy love' feeling to it. I think this is one of the main reasons it was so well received, but that also illustrates the scale of unmet demand for this kind of thing – I'm sure a show with the same premise as Tsuki ga Kirei but competently executed could be very successful.


My overall rating: 3/10
Tsuki ga Kirei is one of the worst romance shows I have ever seen. I'm mystified by what people see in this show. From my perspective, it brings nothing to the table; I see nothing of artistic worth here. There are some brief romantic moments but they're not nearly enough to compensate for the time invested. The two leads are unbelievably weak characters, and more importantly, they have zero romantic chemistry whatsoever. Additionally, both the screenplay and dialogue are incredibly dull, and the character animation is jarringly dreadful.

What words would I use to describe my Tsuki ga Kirei viewing experience? Exasperating, frustrating, BORING, irritating, unemotional, tedious...

I feel like most of the people praising this anime are just projecting their own memories onto it. Since the show and its characters have zero personality whatsoever, it is certainly a good projection medium (perhaps this is a positive feature for some viewers). I also imagine that this show would be potent self-insert material for some people. Maybe I am the wrong audience for this kind of thing.

Are you Interested in a change of pace? Want something out of the norm? Something that's different from previous romance titles but still leaves a large impact on the viewer. If so then I would highly suggest watching something else. I went into this anime hoping that it would progress in a manner I am not used to but it failed to impress let alone entertain me for the majority of the season. Typical intro where the main character meets a girl who he doesn't know and for whatever reason they're instantly drawn to each other. A clichéd intro like this had me feeling as ... if I was going to be watching another typical shoujo anime. And boy was I right. That's not to say that the anime is horrendous, the art style is interesting and the sound is fair. The characters however, did not leave much of an impact on me at all. I felt as though I was actually watching supporting characters rather than regular characters in a story(if that makes any sense). It feels as though the characters were there because they needed to be not necessarily because they were meant to or because they fit in well. This review comes from someone who watches romance anime more often than any other genre and the rating this anime has still continues to baffle me in comparison to some of my more favorable titles. I do have to give the creators some credit because they did manage to construct a pretty eventful story in only 12 episodes without it feeling rushed, the story itself however, could've used some polishing. Check it out though, you might disagree.

Tsuki ga Kirei is like an embarrassing flashback to those days in middle school where you wanted to grow up as fast as possible and do things all the cool adults did. Remember that first time you fell in love from looking at someone, but didn’t know what to do or didn’t have the guts to try it out? Yeah, Tsuki ga Kirei is just a reminder what should’ve or could’ve happened for all those with regrets from their younger days. Tsuki ga Kirei is everything I wanted Kuzu no Honkai to be, the characters are brimming with ... personality, the visual storytelling is off the charts, and there is more to it than just a love story. Each character has their own aspirations and there is substance to why they exist. I’m glad the show takes its subject matter seriously, because there’s not a lot of room for comedic relief and gags in a show trying to express how difficult young love is. Characters have insecurities and can’t explain why they feel a certain way to specific people. Tsuki ga Kirei does a great job showing how young people can make relationships work without needing a reason.

First of all, the story is basically what the synopsis is saying. However, that is just a hair of what Tsuki ga Kirei is trying to express. It goes without saying that we are going to see these characters mature, as they are in their adolescence stage. But just the cringy awkwardness of character interactions and difference in personalities depending on settings just show that the writers care a little bit more about portraying the life of adolescent teenagers taking the next step in life. Besides even showing the romance between our main characters, (which I think is its weakest link) the development each character gets leads to satisfying results. The show doesn’t hold back in regards to losing out. No doubt by the end of this anime, we see characters mature and become their own person. The process of getting to that point makes Tsuki ga Kirei different from other anime in the romance drama/ coming of age anime.

The characters are all full of life and are definitely the high point of this anime. The character interactions in this are what you’d expect from middle schoolers ready to get into their naïve “we will be together forever!” stage. However, it’s a joy seeing how characters think about other things other than this character or meaningless gossip. Of course, gossip plays a part in the story, but there isn’t anything overly dramatic where it forces an interaction like for example the main guy saving the main girl from girls talking about her behind her back. What we get are characters listening to what peers say and coming to the realization that it’s not a bad thing to fall in love with this certain someone. While it’s really cheesy, the portrayal of these real-life scenarios is what really makes these characters shine. There ends up being a love triangle in this Tsuki ga Kirei, but instead of the really cringy “let things flow” that anime does, the characterization really shows through these scenes. Instead of letting it go, characters resolve themselves to see it through to the end and it just makes me feel so bad because it makes me regret seeing these young kids do what I couldn’t (it also makes me feel great). Seeing every character go beyond their roles is what gave me the most enjoy watching Tsuki ga Kirei.

The visual presentation of Tsuki ga Kirei was really breathtaking sometimes. It’s use of angles and scenes with no words but animation created powerful scenes. Accompanied with the music, it really brings out the mood and atmosphere of whatever scene we’re watching. Of course, the animation itself isn’t that great, there are instances of awful CG characters and some sloppy animating of the main characters, but all can be forgiven because the most powerful scenes were the best animated. Also, the music really brings out the charm in some of the romantic scenes. It’s excellent how the animations and music mesh together and it’s almost rare nowadays to see anime express themselves like this.
I also really liked the skits at the end of the first 7-9 episodes, they were funny to watch and just that little bit of screen time makes me think of characters I would otherwise not even bat an eye to after they’re off the screen. They were also just a slight, but effective addition to the overall narrative Tsuki ga Kirei is going for, so I’ll accept them.

Side Note: too bad Chinatsu was the weakest link in all this.

All in all, Tsuki ga Kirei impressed me. The setting and age of the characters leaves the anime vulnerable to pandering, but Tsuki ga Kirei went above that and elevated itself above most romance anime by taking its subject matter seriously and not making a joke of it. The empathy I got from watching these characters struggle is what lead me to believe that the writers didn’t joke around when it comes to adolescent love. The satisfaction I got from watching characters talk out their problems and resolving themselves for hard decisions is what really made me like these characters. The plot also has decent substance without using that much exposition, as previously said. The directing was very good and projected the characters emotions very well. The overall package of Tsuki ga Kirei created a very enjoyable experience for me and proves to me that anime can still be expressive and creative in ways live action movies can’t.

"It's not being in love that makes me happy. It is the person that i am in love with that does"

Story of romance sometimes are pretty generic. We see a boy and a girl fallin in love with each other then they meet some obstacle in their relationship but somehow can manage it and happy end. But of course, the differences is how they would wrap that generic story and for me, Tsuki ga Kirei have take to a whole new level of it.

Brought to you by the director of famous anime, Angel Beats. The story is pretty much generic but what makes Tsuki ga ... Kirei interesting is how they deliver the story. When we see the first second of the anime, one things that would come to our mind is 'relatable' like have you ever fallin in love with someone without any reason? and doesnt have much courage to talk with them so u just can look at him/her in a distance? for some people, they can relate this kind of romance story when they were in Junior High School like you are shy to hold your partner's hand or doesnt have any courage to talk with your crush or partner in the school. For me, i can relate to all that stuff so i can feel what the main characters feels in each scenes.

Along with it, there is kind of a refreshment to see how the romance develop between each characters. Because your main characters (Azumi Kotarou) isnt some of playboy with outgoing personality but a timid-literature-nerd boy who just experiencing the first love of his life and the same case for the heroine (Mizuno Akane), she is an active girl but when it comes to love she becomes timid. How they will make their relationship become much better is one of things that makes this anime interesting to see more.

However, the story progress is quite slow and maybe it will bore some people but this kind of approach is suitable for romance series anime because we will see much detail about their story or background and it can increase the tense that happen in some scenes.

The art in this anime is perfectly suit with the pure romance themes. The watercolour pallete they use are deepening the mellow atmosphere and really suitable with story. The background also pleasing to see like it's kind of Makoto Shinkai works but instead using sharp colour they're using subtle and watercolour pallete. Though not many people get used with this kind of art.

Overall, i found this anime is enjoyable to watch and so far is still interesting to see what happens next. This anime maybe would be a hidden gem in this season if they still continuing with kind of pace and have a kind of twist in the end.

In an era where people continously gush about Serial Experiments Lain for being one of the most mind-boggling shows to ever come out of Japan, in an era where people all over the world jump from excitement when they see a new fight in Boku No Hero Academia, in era where people consider Rem from Re:Zero to be their ideal waifu, there's something that I always felt was left underappreciated. That thing was simplicity.
Some look at simple shows and say that they're not making their minds busy, some say that they're not worth their time when so many excellent, fantastical adventures await, but for once ... I want to give credit to a wonderful, amazing piece of animation that just followed every single step of how to create a great anime, and it did so to with the understanding of each of those elements and with the passion for a project that isn't as exciting as some would like.
Tsuki Ga Kirei is a show that could only be created through anime, as it is absolutely boring on paper and wouldn't sell anywhere else. With that in mind, it almost seems as if the people who created it wanted to prove to themselves and to the audience that simplicity can be an advantage. With pretty much every possible part of this series being handled with care and ingenuity, it shines much brighter than most anime with an original or a fantastical plot.

*A few spoilers included*

Tsuki Ga Kirei doesn't only tell a story, it SHOWS you a story. This is something that can usually be swept under the rug, but here the visuals are much more important the the written word. With a simple premise of "boy meets girl, he likes to write, she likes to run" creating melodrama and simple arcs wouldn't be enough. So the director decided that he will just tell you everything, and I mean every single thing, through visuals alone. As an original work, this was possible more than with most other series that are just adaptations of writtern word. Now, don't get me wrong, people speak, there are dialogues, monologues, everything of the sorts, it's just that most of the exposition for the world and the characters is done either through quick, short versions of those things, or entirely through the visuals and music.
The perfect example for this would be one of the little quirks of the main character Azumi. In his room, there's a a light on his ceiling with a little cord to turn it on and off. Azumi tends to punch it, but does so differently depending on his emotional state. He either does almost proffesional-like hooks when he's full of determination, playful jabs when he's in a happy mood, or throws in punches full of power whenever he's angry. This is only one of many examples of character presentation through the visuals, others include things like portrayals of happiness through uncontrollable random movement, lots of facial gestures during conversations, different body movement while being with different people, more energetic when with friends and more reserved when being with your loved ones, slowly devloping those into more expressive ones as the relationship goes on.

That's not the only thing however. Another one that I want to point towards is the quick shots that express a lot about characters, without the viewer even realizing it. As such, in one of the episodes, when Azumi enters his home we see his father polishing a gun, a hunting gun to be more precise. This immediately adds personality to a character that overall has very little screen time. You know he acts like a living being, by that I mean he has interests and does things on his own free time. In the same scene, in the background we see Azumi's mother washing dishes, we actually see her cleaning in different ways and caring for the home a lot. This allows us to safely assume that it's her daily work, that this is what she does for most of her time. So we can already create a pretty clear imagine of a daily life of that family, through those two or three shots alone.
This also happens often with the designs, like the interior designs for example. Remember when I mentioned Azumi punching a cord? Well, it still could be weird seeing him doing this one thing out of nowhere, but if you look closely, you can se a Muhammad Ali poster next to his bed. Turns out, he's into boxing, his quirk relates to something else other than just being random.
There's also minor things like the differences between his and his girlfriend's - Akane's - houses and rooms. Akane sleeps in the same room as her sister, but even then her side is extremely clean, even while studying, there are shelves full of cute things and bright colors all around. Azumi's room is more messy, but it's also darker. You can get a lot of information based on ones room they say, and here it's definitely true. You can come to many conclusions about both characters based on their rooms alone, such as "Akane likes girly things", "Akane has to have everything in the right place", "Azumi is messy" or "Azumi prefers to be left alone". All of those are true. Akane has her little pink squishy toy that helps her relieve stress, but she gets really confused whenever she loses it. Azumi's hair earned him a nickname "Curly-kun" for how messy they are, and when he studies his notes are all over the place, he also is in a little conflict with his mother because they disagree on what path he should take in the future, thus he prefers to be left alone in his house. It all clicks, doesn't it?

And don't even get me started on the wonderul directing. Seiji Kishi, you clever bastard! I have an entire list of all the scenes that I've found to be incredible, but I'm only going to bring up a few to prove my point.

1. First one comes from episode 7, where Azumi was searching for Akane in an amusement park. This consists of a few shots, the trick is, we see Azumi moving, but every time the background changes, he is in the same place on the screen. It symbolizes how despite him searching, he's pretty much in the same place, and while the director could've shown multiple angles, the transitions feel magical and special when he does them this way, not to mention that they are less tiring to look at and don't require to draw more with an already limited budget.

2. Second comes from two episodes, episode 6 and 9. In those episodes, we see two of the last track meetings for the school club that Akane goes to. In episode 6, there's a lot of conflicting feelings inside her, mostly because she has to choose her boyfriend between Azumi and her track club leader Kira. This uncertainty is reflected mostly through three things: facial expressions, character positioning and lighting. Of course it is obvious that she looks troubled, but she does moreso when she realizes that her close friend Chinatsu also has a crush on Azumi. When they both walk into the arena, Chinatsu stops in the part where she's lit up by the sun, and stops Akane to tell her this when she's in the dark. The next shot we see them both, Chinatsu is practicing her running start while Akane is doing practically nothing, once again, in the shadows. Next thing we see is them preparing to start on their respective blocks, Akane breaths in and the voices of the crowd start to become quiet. The race starts and the last thing we see is Chinatsu passing Akane. As we learn later, she lost. Sulking in her defeat she sits on the stairs, once again, in the shadow as her track team leader approaches her from the right side (which is lit up of course) with an angry expression. During their conversation we slowly see how Akane's face changes into extreme despair and how Kira becomes more troubled when he notices. In episode 9 we get to see the club's last track meeting, but this time it's after Azumi and Akane confessed and have been going out for some time, leaving both Chinatsu and Kira filled with regret. This time around, Akane is in the sun for most of the shots, while Chinatsu is the one that's in the shadow. This already indicates that it's going to be a good run for Akane, and it is, in fact it's her record time! Through little subtleties this show creates an atmosphere and allows the viewer's subconsciousness to provide him with expectations. Remember, you may not notice it, but your brain always does.

3. And as the last one I want to bring up Chinatsu's point of view after she gets rejected (well, technically doesn't confess, but she sees Azumi announce their relationship for the first time). Two scenes especially come to my mind when I think about it. One of those is when Akane drives home on a train and gets a message from Chinatsu saying "I couldn't confess", and the already sad and melancholic music becomes slower and more distorted, the last thin we hear is a warning sound for a closing gate... I don't have to explain that, do I? Another one happens in episode 9, as we see Azumi leaving the track meeting, Chinatsu notices him as he's exiting, but through the whole time she sees him through the bars on the gate or behind a bush, this of course symbolizes how he's too far from her reach.

I hope that at this point you can get a good grasp on what this shows' directing visual-wise. There are many, many other shots like this, countless directing tricks that I didn't bring up here that you can find on your own. Perhaps this is what made this series so fun and exciting for me despite it being a rather slow burn. Characterization and exploration through such technical stuff is something that I'll probably never get enough of.

However, it's important to bring up that there are things make the presentation overall seem less impressive. Obviously, the time limits and such led to quite a few CGI crowd models. What's even worse is that they do end up dropping the frames in several scenes. Don't let that discourage you though! This show is much better visually than just that.

Tsuki Ga Kirei knows not only how to show using visuals, but also how to tell using music. I can't quite describe how well the tracks complement the scenes, as I think this is for each person to judge separately in this case, but I want to bring attention to the moments where the show pretty much turns into a music video. There are places where everything goes silent and the only thing you hear, is a song. It's used so that showcasing even more mundane things than usual doesn't feel as mundane, instead it feels magical, captivating, it's almost as if the characters do those things with some sort of grace that none of us see on a daily basis, despite doing the same things. This is another reason why I think this series wants to put simplicity on a pedestal of glory for everyone to witness. It almost glorifies normality.

The plot itself does suffer a tad bit from being so normal though. Despite the excitement that spotting small details brings, watching this show just for the plot can leave the viewer a bit bored, with all the exposition shots and longer scenes included. There's this aura of awkwardness everywhere the two characters go, it fits the social ineptitude quite well but can prove to be tiring.
Akane and Azumi are both introverts, despite having friends and laughing with them, they aren't as expressive and don't have the same presence as someone like Roman or Chinatsu have in their respective friend circles and both prefer to keep their private life to themselves. As such, the show relies heavily on their own awkwardness, cute scenes that happen when they interact, their small quirks and speech patterns. As they start to date, all of that changes into normality and finally into boundless love. It's a very natural progression that sells the image of the series as a show about adolescence and romantic feelings during that time. It asks questions like "should you truly commit to your first love" and "how much should you trust your partner". Most of the time, it ends on a positive note, because Akane and Azumi fit each other very well, they're able to overcome their hardships through each other's advice and simple, often short talks. Knowing that there's someone always waiting to listen to them, caring for their achievements and their losses and simply someone who loves them. Their relationship also allows them to notice what other people mean for them, Akane start to distance herself from her friends a bit when she notices that some almost treat her like just another gossip material, Azumi notices that his mother really cares for him despite his shortcomings, even if she treats him like a child at times. Their relationship keeps blossoming, and even with bumps along the way they keep getting stronger with it, no matter what others say. Each event does impact both of them in a way, they're just getting more comfortable with themselves and the people they're around. Simply put: They're growing up, leaving people who keep playing children with their silly relationships behind. Their love is pure, meaningful and precious and they both believe in it.

Another very interesting take that this show has, is it's view on romance in modern society. Akane and Azumi at first communicate mostly though LINE, which is pretty much their version of Facebook Messenger. They smile when they see new messages, get all excited because nobody can see them, send each other cute and funny stickers. It's not only charming, but shows how that the internet can be a place, where people who typically aren't communicative speak freely and do whatever they want in the meantime, keep being awkward while also socializing. Not only that, but at no point does it feel like it's trying too hard to appeal to the teen audience with it, it really seems like people who worked on this show write like this on an everyday basis. It never boils down to just pandering to a certain audience. I find this approach very charming. It's something that hasn't been explored too much, which, when I think about it, is pretty weird with all the anime about teenagers coming out each season. Well, at the same time, not many of those have characters as socially awkward as those two dorks.

That's really all there needs to be said about Tsuki Ga Kirei. It's an easy to understand show, but one that's very hard to comprehend the beauty of. It is simple, it embraces being simple, but it knows how to compensate for that on so many levels. It's like a reflection of the moon on a small pond, but if you lift your head you may be able to see the true image of it on the night's sky, start noticing the stars around it that compliment it and make it even more amazing than it already is. So As the Moon, So Beautiful lights up the dark anime sky with it's imagination, I am finally able to see how wonderful can it truly be when you just put the effort into making something. I won't be forgetting this image for a long while.

As always, this is purely my opinion. I highly encourage you to develop your own.

I don't usually write reviews, but i'm gonna make an exception, for this anime really touched me.

I originally thought about giving this anime an 8 but after finishing it i feel like it would be unfair. It's not an anime that has amazing episodes, actually they can even get a bit boring at some point (specially if you're not used to "paused" animes) but what makes this anime so good is the whole of it, it's actually quite realistic about how current teenagers have relationships(with the typical japanes touch, of course) and the art is good, even though sometimes the CGI was horrible, the music ... fits perfectly and most importantly the MC is not the typical pu**y, he's in fact normal not a badass nor a pu**y.

This show is not for everyone but if you like to cry and feel feelings(xd) when you watch anime this is your show

Romance is a genre that has been done to death in anime. Some try to liven things up by going for a romance-comedy approach that often falls short of balancing between the two. Some try to go for moody serious drama that sometimes take itself too seriously by sprinkling dark elements into the mix resulting into a mess. Whatever various scenarios these shows present, what they all have in common is that they have always strive to show something interesting to its viewers beyond the romance, which can result to negligence of the potential development from it.

It has always bothered me, as a person ... who has encountered a lot of romance fiction, that stories revolving between two pairings are often beaten around the bush up until the very end. Not that it's automatically considered a bad thing since I wouldn’t mind it if there was a sense of progression in terms of character development, but the potential of a love in bloom is often ignored and then the story tries to come back to it with a very rushed resolution that can leave an unsatisfying taste. Of course, I’m talking about shows that don’t have romance as the only thing going for it since one that is purely about romance is a rarity. But what if there comes a show that puts all of its strengths on romance alone? This is where Tsuki ga Kirei shines through as a simple yet memorable tale of young love.

One thing that makes this show stand out is that the romantic relationship is established midway and the rest of the episodes detail their life as a couple. Even though we had shows like Lovely Complex and Ore Monogatari in the past, Tsuki ga Kirei beats them in terms of subtleness and intimacy. It wants to be mature despite the dullness it can accumulate from stripping away so many elements that make up a typical modern school romance. It wants to show the naivety and stubbornness that first love brings and how it basically screams the laid-back yet youthful lifestyle that most of the older viewers can relate to.

Aside from the various skits presented at the end of most episodes, there is no actual comedy to be found in the show. It still maintains to be lighthearted despite that, as it never fails to leave a warm fuzzy feeling within. The chemistry between Azumi and Akane is beautiful, they are two socially awkward teenagers and it’s such a delight to see the two of them dealing with their feelings. Whenever they interact, their speech is limited but their facial expressions and body language brings up the message even clearer. There might be the occasional cliché moment here and there, but their generated reactions to such cases feel sincere enough to be not seemingly forced.

While the show brings its romance to the forefront, it still manages to provide glimpses of things outside of it. Azumi is an aspiring writer and Akane is a track-and-field member and the story details their struggles of compensating between priorities. If only the show was extended for another cour, it would be nice to see the story expound on this. It is a shortcoming that I admit prevents me from giving this show a greater score, but I still think it still sufficiently manages to explore that aspect of the story well enough.

On the more technical side of things, the animation is quite average. It can be mediocre at times, especially when crowds of CGI people are often used in the background. However, it gives more emphasis on individual movement towards relevant characters in the scene. One certain scene that stuck out the most is the one where Azumi is doing the festival dance with such eccentric animation but weirdly hypnotizing with its frequent thrusts and fluid maneuvers. The character design is quite good, nothing flashy but it’s pretty simple. The soundtrack is amazing and it helps set the mood and elevate emotional buildup at certain scenes. I can’t imagine the show without its piano-driven OST to be honest, as the show would’ve been too dull for my liking without it.

For a show that is about love, it might’ve been too optimistic. There were attempts to complicate the romance with a third party, but it got resolved swiftly. School matters were also used as a deciding factor for the couple’s relationship, but they still remained victorious in the end. It has its highs and lows and the story went ahead for a positive fulfilling conclusion. It might be too plain and basic for other people, but it feels very genuine enough to work as a compelling school romance. It might’ve been paced too slowly for anything interesting to happen every minute, but it’s that careful approach towards romance that creates a feeling of emotional tension. Maybe a straightforward story about love and its dealings like Tsuki ga Kirei can possibly save and revitalize the romance genre, that keeping things simple can be effective as long as it has a sense of direction leading to a realization that brings a profound emotional impact. Who knows, but I have still hope that romances like this will continue to exist in the future.

Spoilers ahead.

Interesting premise, interesting characters, a serious plot about teenagers having to overcome certain difficulties in life to succeed in whatever they want to succeed in. All in all, it’s a very interesting anime. It’s one of those slow paced anime titles where they go into intricate details about characters and show things instead of dumping exposition in the viewer’s face. An amazing experience to say the least or so I thought. Most of anime titles nowadays are often bloated with needless fan-service, redundant storylines and overall boilerplate characters which you’ve seen a dozen of times in other titles.

Tsuki ga Kirei stands out ... as an anime. It stands out because of the uniqueness it introduces and because you actually get to see things as they unfold. The premise is quite simple. The story is about middle school romance and social ineptitude. Boy meets girl, girl meets boy and they fall in love. There is, however, a twist to this and it’s that the boy and the girl are both socially inept meaning they have it difficult with other people.

The message of Tsuki ga Kirei is unique, as I’ve encountered very few anime titles which actually have a message to its viewers. You have to read behind the lines to understand the story and to get the message. The message is something along the lines of “don’t give up your dreams and hopes for you have only begun your path”. Let me elaborate on this more because it’s an interesting message. It is an interesting message because of the premise. When you’re in middle school, you’re around 14-15 years old. Your life hasn’t even begun and nor are you close on reaching anything in life. You’re far from the truth and the harsh world. Adults know this and know what’s to come for you but you don’t. Your parents often set pressure on you, because they know that you’re capable of reaching anything in life; and the rest of the world also sets pressure on you, or so you think. You have to decide what you’re going to do in life when you’re only 14-15 years of age, in some cultures at least. This is a very difficult decision to make, as you’ve not experienced enough and haven’t done anything but studying and learning new things. This is exactly the case of Tsuki ga Kirei.

The main character Azumi Kotarou loves literature and aspires to become a writer in the future. He’s still a beginner in writing though and has a lot to learn. He doesn’t give up and continues to follow his dream despite being letdown by others. He’s an interesting character and we get to know him more by his actions, rather than what’s told to us about him. He’s incredibly shy and doesn’t really know how to talk with girls. He likes Mizuno Akane who goes to the same class as him and manages to overcome his shyness to confess his feelings for her. This leads to him having a weird relationship with Akane. Both of these characters are socially inept and are really shy.

Mizuno Akane is the love interest of Kotarou. She’s a sprinter and loves running more than anything else. She’s incredibly shy as well and has a hard time of telling what’s on her mind to other people. It later becomes a problem for her and she tries her best to deal with difficult situations.
There’s unfortunately not much to say about Akane, she likes sprinting and is extremely shy but tries to battle it in different ways. It isn’t really elaborated as to why Akane is Kotarou’s primary love interest and the one he wants to date.

What makes these characters interesting? They become interesting because we actually get to know them, we see how they interact with each other. We see how difficult it is between them to have their relationship as it’s not really an official one, or rather none of the parts have made it public to others. This is what is interesting about their relationship. This particular aspect raises a lot of questions, questions like why didn’t they openly admit to everyone about their relationship, what is the reasoning, and so on and so forth. I think that most of it succumbs to their shyness. They both seem to have a lot of problems in communicating with others and openly talking about their feelings. This sort of peculiar relationship is what makes this anime stand out even more and makes it unique.

I cannot say that this is a masterpiece of any kind however. Stories like these have been told since the day of dawn, some bad and some better. The problem I have with this sort of story is the fact how over serious these characters are portrayed as. They behave and act like adults despite being in middle school and being 14 to 15 years of age. They have complex relationships which any sort of teenager wouldn’t be able to understand fully. The main problem I have is how the show is subverting expectations. They introduce these characters as basically adults in a middle school setting however when something goes wrong or not in their favor, they start acting like children. These characters fail to live up to the expectations.

Kotarou is surely an interesting character but he’s also very lackluster. He aspires to be a writer and is shy. That’s his entire character summed up in one sentence. He doesn’t have any sort of charisma or anything particularly unique about him, yet he somehow manages to spark interest of several girls at the same time. He isn’t a very well established protagonist either because you cannot distinguish him from a random character in the very same show. He likes literature and often quotes famous Japanese poets which honestly comes off as pretentious.
The rest of the cast and other characters are unfortunately not so prevalent in the show. Side characters barely get any screen time and when they do, it’s only for a scene or two in the episode. I would honestly expect more development on the side characters, because they are equally important if not more given the premise.

This whole premise and the seriousness of characters would be more suitable in a high school setting where characters are finally finishing high school and have to be prepared either for the real life and what’s about to come or university. This high school setting could also potentially introduce other problems that some people experience, as in moving out from your house to study, student loans and debts, saying good bye to your friends which you’ll probably never meet again or ever have the same relationship with again. That premise is grounded in realism. That’s what Tsuki ga Kirei tries to establish itself but falls short almost immediately due to the entire premise not making much sense from the very start. In my opinion, this story would have been told a lot better if it were in a high school setting.

Another thing that is sort of not relatable in this show is the overemphasis on high school and how much of an important role high school takes in one’s life. I will have to agree to disagree. High school is definitely a shifting point of your life, you become more mature and more prepared for the real life so to speak. What I can’t understand is how they set high school as this unachievable goal which you have to strive and give everything up to make it. When in middle school it’s important to make the right decisions, the decisions you make, make you who you are. This show tries to be grounded in realism but simply can’t due to the set premise.

The best way to describe the story of the show is to divide it into two parts. The first part of the show establishes the characters and builds up relationships between said characters. It is where Kotarou decides he likes Akane and wants to date her. Akane likes Kotarou. They eventually end up together but have difficulties communicating with each other. Their shyness problem creates a lot of issues and ends up burning bridges between certain characters. Many of the mishaps could have been avoided by simply telling your close friends what’s on your mind. It is not that difficult and you don’t end up in a weird situation with your close friends, they are your friends after all. Communication is key in many situations but two socially inept people do not seem to understand that.

Most of the conflicts essentially boil down miscommunication and misunderstandings. There isn’t anything advanced and this goes on for the first half of the show which is quite disappointing because there was much more potential in the show.

The second part of the show is where Kotarou and Akane finally start dating and getting closer to each other. Many quintessential parts of their relationship are skipped. In one episode they can’t even talk to each other and in the next it feels like they’ve been dating for more than ten years. This sort of inconsistency and no development feels lazy and could have been done a lot better.
Because this is an anime about middle-school romance, there will be drama. That was exactly what I was looking for in Tsuki ga Kirei but I understood that I was wrong. There was barely any drama in the show and when there was, it amounted to nothing. It honestly felt pointless to even have it in the show, because nothing was changed and no lesson was learnt. The characters are exactly as they were before the incident happened as they are after the incident. This doesn’t leave any room for character development or growth which is exactly what you’d want to see in a show about making decisions that have impact on one’s life. You want to see how characters constantly grow, develop and learn from their previous mistakes.

This show lacks comedy which is a shame. There is absolutely no comedy, jokes or anything remotely humorous happening in 12 episodes. It is truly a shame because comedy could have made the viewer feel a bit more relieved and at least have a laugh. The over serious tone this anime sets doesn’t feel genuine, it feels forced and unnatural many times.
The pacing is too slow and the show quickly becomes boring and unwatchable at times. I started skipping certain parts of episodes because of how slow the show was but managed to still fully understand the story. It’s because there is very little substance to the plot and most of things happening are very predictable.

The production value of this show is another hot topic as I’d like to point out that the animation isn’t perfect. The usage of CG in this show is utterly horrendous and made want to drop the show on several occasions. They’ve used CG to populate certain scenes with people and make them feel more realistic, which is quite a shame to be honest. Not all places have to be crowded and with the given budget, they should have probably not wasted any time or effort on doing what they did. The animation is decent when there isn’t more than 2 or 3 people in the scene. The sprinting animation was splendid though and I have no complaints about that. I wouldn’t say it’s unwatchable due to the animation or anything like that, you just have to get used to the really weird art-style and budget of this show. I only got used to it after 3 or so episodes.

The music wasn’t anything special. Nothing memorable. It was as generic as it could get.

I didn’t really enjoy the show. It was lackluster, it was boring and it was honestly a waste of time. Watching 12 episodes of this felt like spending 10 years of my life in agonizing pain. I really do appreciate the message but ultimately it amounted to nothing. As everything else to be frank. Characters didn’t grow. The story wasn’t there. The animation was most of the times utterly horrendous due to the usage of CG. The art-style was an insult. It felt like they used the same template for Akane as they did for Kotarou. They look absolutely identical, except for the minor changes to the body parts and hairstyle. I feel like this show lacked proper execution and some clear direction. These two things are unfortunately difficult to achieve, especially when your show has a low budget. What could have been an interesting premise turned into complete and utter dog shit.

To wrap it all up, if you have a lot of time on your hands and want to watch a show that ultimately amounts to nothing with a magical happy ending, watch Tsuki ga Kirei. This show isn’t for everybody. It isn’t completely terrible and isn’t amazing by any means. I’d say this show falls under the “watchable” category. Watchable as in, it is possible to watch but you wouldn’t feel satisfied. Similar stories in other titles have been told a lot better. You have to be a masochist to watch this show from start to end.

[7.5/10]
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Behold first love. A first kiss. A tender touch. Without it, we would cease to grow. A metaphoric stomping on roots. Painted through cliche, breathing through understatements. Each veteran, wandering eye gazing down at innocence and wishing to relive moments missed. Missed through longing or melancholy. A bittersweet visage of young love remarked dismissively by jaded tongues. If only my own wasn't so jaded.

These moments, mandatory, yet romanticized. It's in the genre, after all. Yet that's so often the failure. Perfection is wanted, but only through shallow wishes. Wanting perfection in a relationship is like wanting world peace. An empty claim that flirts with ignorance ... more so than profundity. It's hollow, and maybe that's the point. The more hollow something is, the easier we can attach and fill that shell with our own viscous desire for something which we unconsciously know will never be experienced. It's a fleeting world of returned passion and beleaguered, yet gleaming puppy love.

That's the world which Azumi and Mizuno inhabit. Two last-year middle schoolers swept up by one another's awkward glances and burning blushes. Where handholding is first base and meeting lips may as well warrant contraceptive. Where their world veers right where many anime tend to drive forward is in the presentation of the setting. Where romance anime often pulls back on verisimilitude to create melodrama, Tsuki Ga Kirei attempts to create a bond through experience. Walking along an empty street, something as innocuous as eating lunch with one another, yet painted with a thick enough brush to be seen as romance.

These scenes border on Iyashekei, as they hold no value to anyone who doesn't want to spend time with these characters. In those moments, the moments in which we look to a budding relationship, not through admittance or confession, but through the experience of human emotion, are the series at its peak. Its ability to let these characters and their stories breath in a short twelve-episode runtime shines brightest once the final credits roll. While not devoid of melodrama, as the all-consuming love-triangle looms heavy over this lovable romp, it is dealt with so relaxed, with such an incredibly small pool of tears, that it ceases to even feel as abrasive as it actually may be.

If action anime can often be conflated with B-movies, shlock entertainment, and pulp, then romance anime would fall under the equally divisive umbrella of soap opera and cable-access drama. Something that generally feels vapid and empty, banking more on the attractiveness of the leads than the narrative or characters. This approach may be assumptive and, to a certain extent, overly amalgamating an entire medium and genre into one pigeonholed view, it does, however, hold some truth to it. This may be based on the small pool I've consumed, but these elements within anime are so abundantly clear to anyone who's watched an expansive amount of any kind of entertainment, that I feel like it is difficult to argue against.

With that notion established, you are left to your own devices. They must be used to determine whether or not this kind of entertainment truly appeals to you. Do you revel in the shlock? The pulp? The medium which can easily become trite and redundant if you look just past the surface? Or will your critical lens prevent you from doing that? Perhaps the answer is more complicated. Taste, after all, is multi-faceted and you can appreciate many different forms of entertainment, different genres and even subgenres presented in unique ways. I, like many others, have exactly that outlook on my own taste.

For example, action anime rarely does anything for me. I have a very specific outlook and belief in the way I understand and enjoy action sequences. Whether it be the nail-biting thrill of a bank-robbery to the fist-clapping bravado in an action spectacle like Pacific Rim or Fury Road. There's an exact understanding of what makes my dopamine rush and unfortunately, that "something" isn't prevalent in the action anime I consume. The over-the-top nature of so many series' that I watch quickly becomes a bore when I'm regularly forced to witness such below-average presentation.

The same can be said about romance. A genre which I'm most critical of simply by being something which I harbor little interest in. The outcomes fostered by generic romance writing are continuously so banal that the entire genre has fallen into a kind of malaise which I'm not even attempting to break free from. This malaise, of course, is my own mea culpa. Now that's not to say romance can't be done well. However, add anime's tendency to focus on abrasive melodrama and over-the-top cloying emotionality and my interest in the genre is borderline non-existent.

Thus Tsuki Ga Kerei decided to seemingly be the antithesis of what I've come to expect from romance anime. While the usual, outlined elements are there. Specifically, the too-good-to-be-true moments which romance enjoys basking in. There is a very distinct approach to go against the grain in a surprisingly effective way. The focus on experience over melodrama does so much to establish characters which would otherwise have little to no personality to actually connect with. It's so refreshing to see an anime where I can't pinpoint the otaku-driven character archetypes.

Parents, not only being present but being major players within a romance? An emphasis on legitimate, non-sexual awkwardness? It would seem as though this series traveled through the nether. From a dimension similar to ours but where romance anime actually gets a chance to explore non-market-demanded characters in situations that aren't simply made to pluck at whatever heartstrings aren't calloused over from the suffocating saccharine nature of this genre, and, to a certain extent, the medium.

Unfortunately, Tsuki Ga Kirei can't escape every cliche that one would associate with the medium. The series' biggest fault is its production. It doesn't look good. The shots are often flatter than intended and even some of the better framed moments that clearly had care put into them are unfortunately marred by low production values. There is no need to even mention the horrific CG crowds which seem to have become a common staple of rushed anime. I still have to give Studio Feel. credit for focusing on some genuinely impressive character animation, at times, that gave a lot of needed exposition about some hobbies our protagonists may have. For example, our lead Azumi is clearly a fan of boxing. We see that not only from his poster above his bed but also how he treats a hanging lamp-switch like a boxing bag. Yet this isn't ever mentioned through dialogue.

There is still a reliance on some cloying and cliche elements here and there, and it stands out all the more when the rest of the series is oriented around a more relaxed and realistic approach to the romance. Some moments tend to drag when the focus is on spurned love, particularly in the side characters which form the love rectangle which the middle-half of the series does well to not shine an obnoxious amount of light on. Even the frustrating monologuing which so much romance anime seems to heavily indulge in is included, yet not to an extreme and the pseudo-philosophical comments on love by a character who is in middle-school are well-explained by his fascination with reading. The majority of Azumi's monologued quotes come from the beautiful pen of Osamu Dazai.

The resolution feels right, without feeling wholly realistic. To return back to the initial thesis about romance anime, the prevailing feeling of "fakeness" is still present. The situations here, while given a more satisfyingly realistic platform to bounce off of, are still not "real" enough to be truly relatable to anyone who isn't living the perfect life of a kid. Perhaps that is something which I will never see eye-to-eye with in this genre. These kids, each one having problems, from a struggling passion for writing which unfortunately goes a bit unexplored, to a lingering attraction to the freedom of competitive field and track. These problems are genuinely resolved painlessly, though. While there are thankfully realistically bittersweet moments within the series, they are often back-ended by a reassuring touch from the hands of the writer, nudging you to believe that everything is still perfect.

Behold first love, as eyes meet from across a barren dancefloor. A first kiss, in the girl's bathroom, followed by a timid apology. A tender touch, which leads to immediate recoil and guilt. Without it, I would've ceased to grow. A metaphoric stomping on my own roots. Painted through reality, breathing through experience. Each veteran, wandering eye gazing down at the loss of innocence and wishing to relive moments missed. Missed through longing or melancholy. A bittersweet visage of young love remarked dismissively by jaded tongues. Maybe that's just me, though.

School life romance is quite popular in the Japanese anime industry. Kimi ni Todoke, Clannad, Shigatsu and even the acclaimed Kimi no Na wa is about school romance. Despite the fact that the popularity of anime school romance is sky-high like the Eiffel tower. As an affirmed still-a-virgin individual, I could proudly confirm you one thing : "I never get bored of this cycle, and I most likely never will as long as I remain a virgin."

Tsuki ga Kirei ( The Moon is Beautiful, As the Moon, So Beautiful ) is an anime that exploits the factors of school life romance beyond the boundaries. ... In spite of the fact that the story of the anime is solely about a boy and a girl falling in love with one another. Mmm..How can I explain this. Alright, envision you have a bowl of ramen in front of you. It’s already good. However, you can add more flavor into it until it suits your taste. Tsuki ga Kirei is exactly like that. For a better example. Let’s just say that Tsuki ga Kirei has a staggeringly well-developed story and characters. Despite the fact that the concept of the anime is pretty much just about two students falling in love.

I found this anime around the time when I began watching Violet Evergarden. My first impression after I saw the anime's cover was "Aw shucks. Probably a CG-only anime. I'd probably never watch it in my entire life. Ugh. I'll include it in my PTW anyways.". After time passes, I turn out to become more intrigued about the anime. Why is the rating so high? Why are the reviews so positive? Is it really all-CG? was the three main questions I asked myself each time I scroll up and down my PTW list to find an anime to watch.

After more than half a year of persistence to watch this anime. I finally gathered my courage and began watching. And well. Fuck. The anime was unexpectedly decent. I continuously watched the episodes. Rarely stopping due to how addictive the anime was, and cried my ass off several times around the 3-2 final episodes.. I have accidently judged something by its cover again..

On account of the perfectly developed story and characters. As well as excellent art style and quality. And furthermore the catchy OP, ed and exquisite ambient music as well as sound effects. This anime has turned into my number one school romance anime. With no negative feedback at all because I can't think of one (It's already impeccable in my point of view ).

Tsuki ga Kirei is a MASTERPIECE! I won't say it twice since I don't have a clue whether my feelings towards this anime will gradually fall like the others. Anyways. I recommend this anime to y’all out there who loves romance anime. This is a must watch. That is all. Thank you for reading my review.

Tsuki ga Kirei was an anime that I overlooked back in 2017, and I regret doing that. The show is unique and does the opposite of what most romance anime currently airing do.

Most current romance anime consist of large drama and romantic rivals that create a complex love web that the main character has to fight in to declare his love. They normally have these difficult situations the characters have to band together to get over. Sure there were some situations for the characters to get over, but they were all very real and there weren’t as many. The show uses simpler techniques to get ... an emotion out of you. They use changes in the characters' way of speaking with each other, changes in voice acting, amazing background music, and the lack of music in scenes create a mood to make you understand and get attached to the characters and story.

The story of Tsuki ga Kirei is a simple one. It follows both protagonists, Azumi and Akane, and their journey to do what they love while holding up a relationship and falling in love. They both struggle with maintaining both and having a clear mindset. Their mindsets are also shown with quotes from “Osamu Dazai,” a legendary novelist from the early to mid-1900s. There is no big drama or other things to really distract you from the romance plot. This further highlights the amazingly presented story and lets the show have 12 episodes while making you extremely invested in the characters.

The pacing was really good. As stated earlier, this is mainly due to the straightforward storytelling and lack of drama from outside of the relationship. It felt like 12 episodes were all they needed and they used them effectively. Back to Dazai’s quotes, they also use this to show where they are in their relationship. I may be jumping now, but during the ed, you see a moon that slowly becomes a full moon, representing the growth of their relationship.

The show focuses on Azumi and Akane. Azumi is someone who wants to be a writer. It’s his dream, and you see him constantly reading works and practicing often to try to improve. He is shown to grow throughout the story and mature at the pace he’s supposed to. He’s going into high school and is trying to get a new grasp on the world. They present this amazingly, by not including extra unnecessary information about his character, so you can grow attached and understand the principle of his character.

Akane is a smart and athletic girl who is running on the track team. She is someone that has to deal with constantly moving around due to her dad’s job, so she can’t fully build relationships with people. She also struggles with constant failures on the track, even though you see her put so much time and effort into improving her time and having success when not in an actual competition. She deals with anxiety and has this potato plush that she squishes whenever she gets nervous.

Both of these characters feel very much like actual children and enhance each other as they grow together. These realistic characters allow you to enjoy the 12 episodes you spend with them. You won’t get annoyed at them since they are young, real children that were created to be efficient and not have much outside of what’s necessary.
The side characters were also really good. They helped provide some substance for the small situations, and even some for the larger (not really that large) ones. The parents were some of the more important of the supporting characters, which is rare. They supported or went against the main characters’ wishes. They acted like their kids were what they wanted, but also supported them, just like what a real parent should and could be.

The art style in Tsuki ga Kirei was beautiful. It had white outlines for the character, with great colour palettes. It was simple yet beautiful. The animation on the other hand suffered a bit. It was kinda eh. There were a lot of CGI crowds and other things that took you out of the moment.

The sound design in Tsuki ga Kirei was immaculate. The voice acting was extremely believable. The characters sounded young and their age. They portrayed so much emotion in their lines and it really brought out their characters. In each episode, the characters’ speech changed a little bit when they talked to each other. From the start with their awkwardness around each other to the end where you can hear the cries in their voices.

The OST was also amazing. It contained extremely well-composed music, with an occasional vocal insert every now and then. They really had some emotional music that complemented the scenes extremely well, which makes the OST very memorable for me.

The op was pretty emotional, especially as you go on throughout the show. You feel the beat-drop more and more as the episodes pass.

The ed was better than the op in my opinion. It was beautifully presented, showing the relationship between Akane and Azumi grow throughout the story, and I can never forget that last episode.

Overall, this show provides you with a simple story and characters, built with depth, as realistic and efficient as possible. It provided immaculate sound design, soundtracks, voice acting, and emotional moments. The only flaw is a small budget that couldn’t provide the animation needed to heighten the emotion.

“People exist for love and revolution.” - Osamu Dazai

🥇 9/10
At first glance, Tsuki ga Kirei might look like a simple love story of middle-school students, but this show has something more than just a romance story to offer to audiences. Watching Tsuki ga Kirei is like becoming a middle-schooler once again, but this time in Japan, giving audiences a chance to experience such a beautiful culture of Japan.

🎬 Story - 7/10
The story is mainly about a relationship between a shy novelist introverted boy and an athlete girl, set place in Japan, mostly in middle school. The story is simple, not being too plain. Unlike ... many other shows, the story of this show seems to be based on reality, trying to be most realistic as possible. By doing that, the story risks being too plain, however, it actually went well. Despite having calm and slow storytelling, it was not boring at all. I love how small details are being focused, the story is also being spiced up by Japanese culture, erasing almost all of its plainness. Throughout the story, there might be some irritating moments, but they ended well, so I did not mind. As for the ending, I am pretty satisfied, however, it somewhat left a story hole there.

🎨 Animation - 8/10
Tsuki ga Kirei has a watercolor art style, which is nice, matching the calm mood and tone of the show. Overall pretty high quality, but the 3D model usage on background characters is being obviously noticeable, terribly ruining the rest of the art in some scenes.

🔈 Sound - 10/10
Simply amazing and stunning. The opening and ending suit the overall mood and tone of the show, as well as insert songs, having an impact on audiences. Soundtracks are also done very well.

🕶 Characters - 10/10
According to the story, the concept is trying to be as realistic as possible. Let’s start with the character design, characters are designed to be simple, almost plain, without fancy hairstyles or colors (except Roman, probably intentional hair dyeing), which follows the concept as being realistic. Despite being plain, I find almost no character confusion.

Character personalities are understandable, as there is no reaction exaggerating. Happiness, shyness, nervousness, anger, sadness, all seem real. Some people may dislike how shy and quiet characters are, saying that boring and would not work in a relationship, but that is what I liked. It seems real, getting to see how that would actually work out.

Character development is surprisingly good. Despite having a slow storytelling, character development is greatly recognized. The relationship between characters is getting developed throughout the series without rushing. Furthermore, not only the school and romance side of characters are being told, but also their family, activities, interests, basically their personal life.

Lastly, supporting characters are also not being too bland, at the end of each episode, also in Tsuki ga Kirei Special, comedic shorts about supporting characters are included, giving a feeling that they are not being left out.

🎉 Enjoyment - 9/10
I enjoy literally almost every moment of the show. Even though there were some irritating moments, but they later were followed by somewhat satisfying ones. Things I enjoyed the most were art style, insert songs, Japanese culture, and how realistic the show is. What I did not enjoy were some cheap-made 3D character models and a hole at the ending. However, those flaws were almost nothing compared to the things that this show has to offer.

📌 Recommendations
Since this show contains many obvious characteristics of Japan and Japanese culture, it is recommended to at least understand some of the Japanese cultures prior to watching this show, especially about love, or the show may leave you confused. Lastly, if you are looking for a non-comedic romance anime, then I recommend this anime. Enjoy!