Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudou-bu

"Tsurune"—It's the sound made by the bowstring when an arrow is released, and the sound that inspired Minato Narumiya to learn kyudo, a modern Japanese martial art focusing on archery. However, an incident during his last middle school tournament caused him to quit the sport.

But soon, many factors conspire to make Minato take up the bow once again: the start of a new kyudo club in his high school, a chance encounter with a mysterious archer, and the support of his childhood friends, Seiya Takehaya and Ryouhei Yamanouchi. Together with his childhood friends and his new teammates, Kaito Onogi and Nanao Kisaragi, Minato rekindles his love for kyudo and works with his team toward their aim of winning the prefectural tournament.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Takehaya, Seiya Main

Ichikawa, Aoi Japanese

Takigawa, Masaki Main

Asanuma, Shintaro Japanese

Narumiya, Minato Main

Uemura, Yuuto Japanese

Yamanouchi, Ryouhei Main

Suzuki, Ryouta Japanese

Onogi, Kaito Main

Ishikawa, Kaito Japanese

Kisaragi, Nanao Main

Yano, Shougo Japanese

Fujiwara, Shuu Supporting

Ono, Kensho Japanese

Shiragiku, Noa Supporting

Nanase, Ayaka Japanese

Sugawara, Mangi Supporting

Amasaki, Kouhei Japanese

Sugawara, Senichi Supporting

Kobayashi, Yuusuke Japanese

Takemoto, Yasuhiro Producer, Episode Director, Storyboard, Series Composition

Nakamura, Shinichi Producer

Suzuki, Megumi Producer

Usukura, Ryuutarou Assistant Producer

Reviews

Jan 20, 2019

Stark700

Recommended

Close your eyes and picture a moment in your life that really affected you. It could be anything like made you into the person you are today. As humans, we are bound to change in some ways or another throughout our lives. Especially in our teenage years, we can be easily influenced by others and events around us. I can safely say that without a shadow of a doubt, we have all experienced change in our lives some way or another. It’s called growing up.

Like most sports shows, competitors experiment with themselves to be the best they can be. Tsurune lives as an example ... of a rare form of sport not seen too often these days in the anime medium. In fact, what exactly is Tsurune? The term itself refers to the sound of a bowstring made when an arrow is fired. As you should expect, that relates to archery when a bow fires an arrow. Adapted by studio Kyoto Animation, Tsurune feels like an anime that could raise a bar. In 2018, there were several sports shows that made a noticeable presence so where does Tsurune really hit the mark?

To be fair, understanding Tsurune as a sports show isn’t difficult despite not being a very popular sport. Be honest, when was the last time you’ve watched a competition in real life or TV about archery? The only time I remember is during the Olympics on an international scale. As a competitive sport, it deals with individuals and teams trying to shoot their arrows to land the center of the target as close as possible. That’s the base of the rules and scoring applies to the performance of the archers. There’s time limit, signals to be followed, and styles that each archer adapts to perform their best. Even the equipment plays an important factor on the result. However, don't be too alarmed. Archery isn’t really hard to understand and this show is more of a character driven story.

If you’ve seen the promotional poster and trailers, then you’ll easily recognize how producers made the cast. Characters are built with a bishounen features to attract audiences and most of them look young and healthy for competition. Deep down though, characters faces inner problems that runs deep in the veins of their past. The most prominent example is Minato Narumiya, the main male protagonist and first year at Kazemai High School. Despite being an experienced archer, he lacks confidence in the present timeline due to a tragic event of the past. Remember what I said about how humans can be changed especially when we were young? Well, here you have it. Minato battles his personal demons throughout the show and we see how he feels detached from himself. The story explores his past regarding his relationship with parents and how events influenced his character. It’s a type of self-discovery where the main character has to accept his past and move on to build a better future for themselves.

Luckily for Minato, he has friends and supporters. His childhood friends Seiya and Ryohei brings him to join their school’s archery club. After encountering the mysterious Masaki in the forest one night, Minato became fascinated by archery again despite having forsaken his bow. Now obviously, the idea isn’t easy as it sounds. Being part of the archery club also means that Minato has to deal with his past. Despite this, he experiences change in his character thanks to the positive influence of Masaki. With the club, Minato’s emotional scar begins to heal. You’re probably wondering at this point if the show will maintain this sort of melodrama throughout the rest of the duration. Make no mistake that while this show can be quite moody, there are still much room for fun and entertainment. Because at the heart of the show, we have the archery club that is growing alongside Minato. The show offers competition, character relationship building, and even a training camp for the team to grow together. While the anime advertised itself as a cast with a male dominant cast, there are even girls joining too. This doesn’t change the general tone of the anime though as the story is still built around the main characters. The more I watched this anime, the more I felt compelled to understand them. Even after half the show, there are moments where I wonder how these characters became who they are in the present. So in a sense, this show has a feeling of mystery. After seeing a good deal of Minato’s past, I think people may feel sympathy for him. Or maybe not. Maybe you want him to be a man and deal with it like a mature adult. Either way, the show does a fairly consistent job at building Minato as a character.

In a sports competitive environment, there are rivals and a name like Shu Fujiwara is no pushover. As a prodigy, he and Kirisaki High School stands as a challenge that the Kazemai archery club must take on to prove themselves. Not only that, the club also faces the pressure of competing in the regional tournament. It all feels too real when we see the emotions and look on the characters’ faces. Then again, competition pushes everyone to be their best so it’s assumed that pressure is a common experience. The bottom line is, the competition itself feels like you’re there with them. Every second, every minute, every moment counts.

From the start, it’s no surprise the anime is produced with sheer amount of visual quality. Kyoto Animation is recognized for their high quality production so naturally, a show like Tsurune would get a similar treatment like Free. Now, I don’t want to compare the show but it’s easy to make comparisons with some of the character designs. Tsurune does have less man service as the visual performance lies in the photographic scenery of camera angles. It draws the audience to see how archery is treated in the anime medium and to be quite honest, I feel like the producers hit the mark. (that’s not a pun by the way). Similarly, the soundtrack plays on a serene tone from the start and shifts between melancholic and dramatic depending on circumstances. I’m not too familiar with the director but they got the point across to the viewers in the safest way possible.

Watching Tsurune reminds me how people can change but often times, it’s a difficult journey. For Minato, he had to realize the truth and accept it. There’s a lot to say about his overall growth process but definitely watch this how to really understand his character. To me, Tsurune made itself as a show that emphasized on human feelings and change. Maybe once you’ve experienced this anime, you can realize it too.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Stark700 (710)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Jan 20, 2019

PyraXadon

Mixed Feelings

I'm not really one for sports shows personally.  There's just something about them that I feel makes them so formulaic and by extension less interesting to watch.  Sure, Kyoto Animation as the tacked on production company for this work is one for interest, but given their track record with Free! and the following that show has accrued, I wasn't really sure fully what to expect with Tsurune.

Story:

A budding archery prodigy in middle school, a bad tournament crushed by expectations and nerves catalyzed by his mother's passing has inflicted Minato Narumiya with 'Target Panic', making him unable to properly shoot a bow well enough to hit ... even the edge of the targets.  Now transferred to Kazemai High School, he is dragged back into Kyudo in the Kazemai Kyudo Club in hopes of reminding him why he started firing a bow in the first place; to hear the 'Tsurune'.

A lot of what this show is about can be boiled down to the tried and true themes of 'friendship', 'comradely', and 'teamwork', as the majority of the series is focused primarily on the team of five boys the show is focused on as they prepare and get better at the sport that they all (mostly) love.  In addition to that, the show provides special attention for Minato, Seiya, and Masaki in various parts of the show to help explore their characters, regrets, and aspirations a bit in order to flesh out their characters.  The end result of that choice however comes off less spectacular as what was probably originally intended, because particularly for the latter two, their backstories and respective character moments feel tacked on rather than a natural integration for the show.  Both Seiya and Masaki have issues that are hinted at in the beginning, but considering how hard the series delves into their stories, the transitions don't feel smooth enough for me to validate them going that direction.

That being said, the show does still shine with Minato as its forefront.  His character arc feels naturally integrated into the narrative, and a lot of what makes the show worth watching goes back to his character and his slow progression towards going back to the sport he loves.  It's also the only part of the show's highest points that feels worth it, and a part of me really wishes everyone else got the same level of attention he had, or alternatively, just make it all his story instead of trying to shove in other characters' problems into the narrative to create conflict and potentially drive the plot forward.

Characters:

Minato's defining characteristic lies in his nerves and growing defiance to overcome the target panic that plagues him.  He starts off as a much meeker version of himself that over time with more exposure (and practice) grows to become a character really worth watching.  This is greatly capitalized by the forward facing shots the show almost exclusively for Minato as he's firing his bow, letting off a satisfying sound to emphasize growth and change for him.  My only complaint is that I really wish the show was JUST about him.  I feel like the whole 'team' aspect to show how important friends are is just padding for characters and easy conflict since 'teams are only as strong as their weakest link' and all that.

And that leads me into why Seiya is by far the worst character in the show.  And that's after considering the token male tsundere that in stories like these act all brash and like a dick when in reality they're just a softy with a really, really, really hard exterior.  It just feels like Seiya does nothing aside from act bitter and a bit angsty.  His character focuses on expressing regret about something relating to Minato, hence Seiya's decision to switch to a different school as well.  The problem with this is that the whole time the episodes run by, he does virtually nothing to even insinuate what happens until a single episode happens and we get the whole story.  It's not unusual to see a massive infodump like that in a character-focused episode, but given the slow burn of progress that the show has had up until that point, I feel like what ended up happening was a character arc that didn't feel satisfying to watch and really wasn't up to the quality that the show's potential had.  Masaki suffers a similar problem with the infodump department, but that's mostly because his backstory just felt like it was thrown in there at points instead of just being revealed slowly as well.

And the rest of the Tsurune club is just there for fodder and/or to provide the 'friendship'.  Truthfully, Kaito, Nanao, and Ryohei have very little to do with any of the show's character focuses.  True, the duo of Kaito and Nanao do get a bit of their characters explored later on, but it's small potatoes compared to the big character moments that Minato has.  Kaito is supposed to be the antithesis to Minato by chastising the poor guy at every turn, Nanao is the popular guy who acts like a floozy, and Ryohei is just happy to be there and gets no mention of anything tragic ever happening to him.

And the problem of lacking impact extends to the rest of the cast, especially towards the female members of the Kazemai Kyudo Club and the series rivals, the Kisaragi Kyudo Club.  The girls just feel like lost potential, like there was truthfully no reason for them to even be there in the first place considering they offer nothing for the series narrative-wise given their usage is purely for plot purposes only.  Kisaragi functions the same, posing as the 'elite' club with such good and eccentric members that they alone can hit three bulls-eyes in a row with their eyes closed.  (Warning, might not be accurate information.)  It just feels like there was no effort put into actually making these characters interesting apart from posing as an obstacle for our protagonists, which is a shame given the potential that could've arisen from their involvement.

Aesthetics:

Tsurune is a pretty show.  Muted, but still pretty, which isn't surprising Kyoto Animation's track record in the last few years.  It's kind of like the 'poor man's Free' in terms of animation quality since you definitely get the Kyoto Animation style, but for the most part you're getting the slightly cheaper version of their potential since it didn't seem like they cared THAT much to make it stand a cut above the rest.  A real shame given how one of their more recent projects, 'Violet Evergarden', had them flex on everyone else in the season for just how pretty they could make anime.

That is however not to say the beauty of some select shots.  Ordinarily, Tsurune truthfully is not amazingly pretty to look at, as we've come to expect from KyoAni.  Until you watch them pull back that string.  Accompanied by a score of light vocals and piano chords, what you get is the show's most picturesque moments, the parts of the show that really stand a cut above the rest.  Close up angles of the boys pulling their bow back with the satisfying release of the string—the sound of the arrow whistling through the air—and the resounding thud of the target.  It's here where the narrative culminates in a single moment, and for a brief moment, there's a gentle atmosphere when watching.

While the score speaks softly with a light piano, the OP and ED of the show speak a different tone.  "Naru" by Luck Life is a rock song that to me recalls the comradely that the five boys share with each other.  Honestly, I don't find this song all that interesting.  Especially compared to the ost's main theme for the show, it just doesn't resonate with me.  Choucho's "Orange Iro" on the other hand is the thing that I expected more for a song relating to Tsurune.  Her voice coupled with a softer song helps hammer in those more quiet, somber moments that the show has regarding Minato and similar moments like it, so that to me is a plus compared to the comparatively louder OP that we got.

Personal Enjoyment:

My opinion of Tsurune changes depending on what exactly you're talking about.  In this case, the whole is most certainly not equal to the sum of its parts.  Had it not been for Minato's character arc culminating in what is quite literally a few single shots, I don't think I would've found anything remotely amazing about this show.  This problem of narrative extends to the rest of the cast as no one is nearly interesting enough to stand out as either their own characters, or do anything significant enough to warrant any focus or attention without Minato acting as a guise in the back.

That being said, a lot of this is still made up during the moments that the characters show.  As an audience, I could definitely feel the emotional impact and satisfaction that the characters got when firing their arrows and managing to hit the target.  If there's anything I can really give Kyoto Animation credit for, it's the fact that they really managed to nail the 'Kyudo' part of Tsurune, really making the sport matter at the highest points in the story with such a beautiful theme to go along with it as the characters are having their internal monologues about overcoming their adversity.

As such, I would give Tsurune my recommendation if only to witness the parts of the animation where you can see the frame count rise significantly for a few seconds until the arrow his the target.  A lot of the show however doesn't feel like it validates such beautiful moments, but given just how well framed and crafted the shooting scenes are, I find literally no other reason to say that the show isn't worth it if not only for that.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by PyraXadon (381)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Jan 20, 2019

Karhu

Not Recommended

'Tsurune' is the sound caused by (bow)string upon its release.

Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu follows bunch of bow-wielding school boys during their daily life / archery club activities because this is a show by KyoAni and they only make one show every 10 years that isn't related to school clubs.

This time we meet several students whose names are pretty much irrelevant, but they are basically downgraded version of KyoAni's other "cute boys do sports activities within club" series called 'Free' only this time around they don't have much character to show. One of them is smart and wears classes because he is smart. Another can sometimes ... sound angry but really isn't. His character literally has nothing else going on. The real mc is a person whose entire life seems to center around this one sports, but personally I can't really say it felt genuine. For example, some melodrama has been inserted in his life, but it really doesn't seem to exist for him: only for the viewers. As for the countless insecurity-filled monologues he silently has inside his own head as some sort of "psychological battle against one's own self" or "I can't hear my tsurune and therefore I must panick and depress" seemed rather dull and not even very fitting to a show of this sort. Yet they were the driving motion for his entire story.

The last 2 archery bros are incredibly fake. The first one is some sort of "friendly giant" because he is sooo nice and tall. The last character is the exact same as him except shorter, has messy hair and instead of being super friendly he is just super positive about anything and everything that ever happens. Overall the cast was bit too much; like a cake made of nothing but sugar. There are also bunch of side characters who have more important role in the series than the main ones (especially during the first half of the show), but they will be as relevant to this review as they were to the series. I.e. I won't bother talking about them. They mainly offer filler-feel and not much more. Practically all the characters despite their age, gender or role are made to appear with some type of child-like innocence to a point that it becomes pushy. As a whole, the cast was hardly worth of caring about and surely did not carry the show or its weak story.

To continue with the story, it is somehow weaker than the cast. Go from this point to another point, the driving motion being success at shooting those arrows because apparently it can help with the mc's character development among other things such as not make the series feel so pointless. Even tho it still does. The sports side has practically nothing to offer. The slice of life silliness follows the same pushy nature, but at least some of the interactions between main and side cast were pretty fun at times. The light drama is bound to seem like copy-paste to those who have seen more than 3 KyoAni shows. Basically anyone could have given birth to this storyline. That's pretty much it.

The production has KyoAni written all over it from art and animation department. However, money is being saved whenever possible as the series contains tons of still, barely animated sequences which hold almost no movement whatsoever. I also have to point out that the character design is seriously poor. There were times when opponent archery team members were present and I could only tell them apart thanks to their different colored clothing. Some of the boys look so similar to each others it's just ridiculous and also cheap. On the other hand, I really liked the overly tomboyish character design for teenage girls. Unfortunately the girls don't otherwise have any meaningful roles in the series, but I hope to see more of that in the future from KyoAni~ The voice acting is in every way the same as well. The music stands out, occasionally because sad piano is too try-hard and other times because the more energizing OST's play so well during the sports and SOL moments. Still, even the good pieces started to get pretty old towards the end since there are so few songs in the OST that they end up repeating the same ones over and over and over.

Enjoyment-wise, it is safe to say this is the least popular KyoAni show to this date. It sounds uninteresting, it has no wild mainstream appeal to offer and most of all, it is so incredibly spirit-less shell it's hard to hold any strong feelings ('perspective', if you will) towards it either way. Perhaps there is a niche audience who is really into this sort of "light"/"lighthearted" slice of life of boyzz and can get great deal solely out of its atmosphere alone, but I didn't find anything to truly hang onto.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Karhu (240)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

2018 anime

by lara2058

36 Entries · 1 Restacks

SportsBall

by Fluffalov

38 Entries · 1 Restacks

ENFP male characters in anime

by QueCarajillos

50 Entries · 6 Restacks

'Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu' Gets Second Season for Winter 2023

The stage greeting for the Tsurune Movie: Hajimari no Issha (Tsurune Movie: The First Shoot) anime movie announced a second season on Friday. The new season, subtitl...read more

Aug 18, 2022 10:26 PM by Vindstot | Discuss (17 comments)

'Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu' Anime Film in Production

Kyoto Animation announced an anime film for the Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu (Tsurune: Kazemai High School Archery Club) anime series on Thursday, revealing a t...read more

Oct 22, 2020 2:20 AM by Vindstot | Discuss (15 comments)

	Poll: Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu Episode 3 Discussion Stark700 - Nov 4, 2018	48 replies	by NillyPC »» Oct 28, 7:07 AM
	Poll: Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Oct 28, 2018	76 replies	by NillyPC »» Oct 28, 6:42 AM
	Poll: Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Oct 21, 2018	103 replies	by NillyPC »» Oct 24, 2:25 PM
	Poll: Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jan 20, 2019	92 replies	by Letizia_Lento »» Aug 9, 9:23 AM
	Poll: Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu Episode 11 Discussion Stark700 - Jan 6, 2019	47 replies	by Mirorin »» Jun 8, 8:50 PM

What Kyoto Animation Means to Us

In loving memory of those who lost their lives.

by Shymander

148,314 views

Spoiler