Mashiro no Oto (Those Snow White Notes)

Setsu Sawamura runs away from his small home village following the death of his grandfather, the legendary shamisen master Matsugorou Sawamura. On his deathbed, Matsugorou told Setsu to give up the shamisen if he was only going to imitate others instead of playing in his own way. Grieving, Setsu heads for Tokyo, hoping that the big city can inspire him to discover his own unique playing style. But Tokyo defies his expectations by drowning out all other sounds with the deafening noise of its city life.

Concerned about her son, Setsu's rich and successful mother, Umeko, waltzes back into his life and forces him to enroll in Umezono Academy. At the school, he meets Shuri Maeda, a girl who is fascinated by the Tsugaru shamisen and wishes to perform a song her grandmother once heard a long time ago. Shuri starts up a shamisen appreciation club and convinces Setsu to teach the members how to play the instrument. As he becomes more involved with the club, will Setsu be able to recover his love for the shamisen and discover the unique sound he lacks?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Adaptation:	Mashiro no Oto
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Characters & Voice Actors

Sawamura, Setsu

Main

Shimazaki, Nobunaga
Japanese

Tachiki, Yuna

Supporting

Aida, Rikako
Japanese

Sawamura, Umeko

Supporting

Honda, Takako
Japanese

Yamazato, Yui

Supporting

Kondou, Reina
Japanese

Yaguchi, Kaito

Supporting

Okamoto, Nobuhiko
Japanese

Sawamura, Wakana

Supporting

Hosoya, Yoshimasa
Japanese

Yamano, Sakura

Supporting

Taniguchi, Yuna
Japanese

Nagamori, Rai

Supporting

Suzuki, Tatsuhisa
Japanese

Kaji, Takaomi

Supporting

Kaji, Yuuki
Japanese

Tanuma, Mai

Supporting

Mikami, Shiori
Japanese

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Furukawa, Makoto

Producer

Aoi, Hiroyuki

Producer

Matsumoto, Takuya

Producer

Akagi, Hiroaki

Director

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Opening Theme

	1: "BLIZZARD" by BURNOUT SYNDROMES (eps 1-5,12)
	2: "Ginsekai (銀世界)" by BURNOUT SYNDROMES (eps 6-11)

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Ending Theme

"Kono Yume ga Sameru made feat. Yoshida Brothers (この夢が醒めるまで feat.吉田兄弟)" by Miliyah Katou

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Jun 18, 2021

Alfredo_Elric

Mixed Feelings

Mashiro no Oto is a new music anime about an culturally important instrument: the shamisen. From the first episode, the audience is drawn to Setsu, a very skilled shamisen player who has yet to find his sound, leaving his home in the countryside for Tokyo after his grandpa has passed away. Throughout Setsu’s journey, there are many forced, dramatic moments to be able to meet new characters or push the story forward. While the music is gladly the strongest point to this anime, there are many flaws that come with it. Before explaining further, some cultural context of this instrument should be known.

Kabuki is ... a very important theater within Japanese culture. There are different types of theater like Bunraku, the puppet theater, but both use the shamisen instrument as an important figure. The shamisen can either emphasize the intended emotions from the play or help with fun sound effects. Also, more so within Kabuki, the plays are known to be overdramatized to the point that the play is supposed to be seen as fake and not particularly believable. The influences from the Kabuki are impalpable and important in understanding Mashiro no Oto better.

While I do agree with the majority that Mashiro is rather melodramatic, this does not come without reason. As mentioned earlier, Kabuki is a theater play dramatized to an extent that is purposely unauthentic. For the audience, these plays are not meant to be viewed as realistic but as entertainment within its ‘fakeness’. For that reason, Mashiro no Oto is not as contrived as a normal kabuki play. Not even close. But this shows how Mashiro no Oto’s story was influenced and mixed with more modern entertainment that led to the melodrama within the show.

The animation style is very light and dream-like throughout the anime, helping portray the influence of the unrealistic, mythical beauty that kabuki plays have. The music along with the animation when they display the powerful sound that a shamisen player can have is also pulling from Kabuki and Japanese theater. The shamisen is at the forefront when it comes to Japanese theater music and sounds, so it must be able to perform and portray various emotions. In fact, the whole performance relies on how skilled the player is. For a more modern day audience, not as many people have experienced these theater performances. Thus, within an anime, they must be able to deliver a compromise that shares a similar feeling to real life. Thankfully, the director/crew at Shin-Ei Animation managed to display their prowess in the animation style when it comes to the shamisen parts. Watching an animation of a kabuki play will certainly not feel the same as a play in-person but by adding visuals that compare emotions received when looking at different natural scenery to the emotions the shamisen is conveying and pair that with strong music, the reception is enhanced within the anime style performance. A point that cannot be left out is how it is sad that the overall animation does not stay consistent. I do admit that there are moments where the animation seems to decline especially in the later episodes but I did not think they were particularly obnoxious.

However, if there is one almost unbearable part of the show, it is also the most notable flaw of Mashiro no Oto and that is the comedy. To put it simply, it constantly feels out of place. One moment, the anime will have a calming atmosphere following Setsu before it suddenly changes to a randomly placed comedic moment. A brief example is how Setsu is thinking about how he's going to play a specific piece before some character interrupts him by either saying something supposedly funny, acting strangely, or Setsu running into an argument or awkward situation between two characters. Some of these comedic moments are portrayed as a necessity, especially in the beginning, when introducing its wide cast of characters who offer their unique chemistry in a rather niche setting. However, with this being a slice of life anime, one must place great care towards the flow of events to pace the audience for the climactic emotional impacts. Without any spoilers, an example of how the pacing gets lost is how certain scenes would begin to build up to a serious moment, like watching snow fall pile onto the ground into an untouched, crisp image only to have the some comedic stranger think it would be funny to reenact their earlier Dance Dance Revolution session only to leave many dense, messy footprints and forever ruining the could-have-been nice emotional landscape from before. In the slice of life genre, the biggest problem is almost always the illogically inserted comedy sprinkled about to lessen the emotional weight that they can bring. Mashiro no Oto is unfortunately no different. In the end, I believe the best way to use comedy in slice of life anime is to have it flow or not have it at all.

Mashiro no Oto is all about its music, and I can gladly say that it is the best part of this anime because this show is about a lesser known, underappreciated instrument outside of Japan: the shamisen. Even as a person who has not had much exposure to a shamisen, all the music that has a shamisen used is just impactful. Within the events of the show, the moments where either Setsu and others play, there is volume and heart to them. If the music was intended to be powerful and well played or by a character struggling, the difference is conveyed and better noticed as more episodes are seen. From this, Mashiro no Oto has succeeded in giving me a greater appreciation for the shamisen sound. Sadly, outside of the shamisen music itself, the music directing is rather bland. The many quick tone changes mean numerous changes in music. This includes many sudden tone shifts indicated by sad music. A part that needs to be pointed out is how these changes of music can ever come to overshadow the actual shamisen playing. I’m not here to listen to a sad piano bishounen when the shamisen is literally still being played on screen. It's workable music on its own but the quick changes do not flow well and should not overshadow the actual star instrument of the show.

On the other hand, the voice acting definitely deserves applause. Mashiro no Oto has kept in mind their Seiyuus and where each character comes from. There are multiple characters that live from different parts of Japan and Shin-Ei Animation did not forget to add in the accents. Even as a non-native and non-fluent speaker, I can still clearly hear the differences between the words spoken by the characters.

Concerning the characters, they are not the most in depth characters and a lot of characters that I still don’t remember the names of are all pretty flat to push the story along which may be partially influenced by the 12 episode limit constraint and not having enough time to fit everything in nicely. Beginning with Setsu, he is a character that is more of a loner with others eventually drawn to him. By trying to find a way to move on from the loss of his grandfather and seek his own sound, he is able to grow and understand himself better due to these other people. Concerning a lot of his inner dialogue, the number of times he has talked about his gramps, how he can not play the piece right, and how he can not find his sound is a chore for the audience to get through due to how repetitive his words feel. However, I can now better understand Setsu and his situation, which honestly could and should still be fleshed out more, due to his untapped potential as an authentic musician lacking both self-esteem and motivation. In the end, the last two episodes portrayed Setsu's character better, which is what I wanted from this slice of life anime.

For the other characters, the important ones like Setsu’s friends, and some later side characters get like two to five minute long for backstories. For Setsu’s brother, Wakana, he’s the acceptable ‘helicopter older brother’. I do wish that they could have made more time for the audience to understand the other characters better. To sum it up, a lot of these characters are placed and have desires just to directly or indirectly help Setsu with his journey of sound, even if it causes the show to feel less believable.

[Slight Spoilers in Upcoming Paragraph]

Two characters that follow that description the most are the teacher, Keiko, and a fellow classmate, Shuri. Keiko acts like a teenager and is always excited to go help the shamisen club. She also is able to reach out to more well-known people easily and it is explained through how Setsu is apparently known by certain people in the shamisen community. Does that mean she just gives out Setsu’s information to people in hope of them reading her emails? For a well-known alumni, Seiryuu, Keiko was able to reach out to him so easily. Would previous alumni be so willing to meet anyone who is going to their old school? Most likely not. And then we have Shuri, who is one of the first people Setsu met at his school. She was interested in the shamisen due to her Grandma wanting to hear a shamisen song that Setsu’s grandpa played in the past so she got Setsu to play again by convincing him to try to play it and basically establish the shamisen club. After the first half of the anime, she becomes more of a side character to tell Setsu what he should hear at a specific moment as well as still being around to show a beginner's struggle of playing the shamisen, timing. Her struggle is lame in comparison and could have been done better when compared to the others in the group. During the competition, two of the group members, Kaito and Rai, were able to play effectively and well despite being beginners and the new style being told to them by Setsu moments before going on stage while Shuri is still struggling with timing. “Wa” indeed Shuri.

[End of Slight Spoilers]

In the end, if you don’t like how the shamisen sounds or are not interested in Kabuki influences, then I would not recommend it. I admit that I enjoyed the music and visual style, more than the actual plot and characters. This anime will not be able to perfectly replicate the feel of a Kabuki play but if you are willing to see an anime that does embrace parts of its cultural theater roots with strong music, I would tell you to give this anime a try.

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Jun 18, 2021

Luubie

Recommended

Learning about Japan's artistic cultures is always a wonderful experience. How many times do we come across anime and manga that use themes that are unusual in the Western, but that produce an essential meaning in this very rich country? This season, eyes were definitely on the most popular animes and that overshadowed some titles that could deliver much more than just 12 Episodes. Mashiro no Oto is one of those hidden and silent animes within the huge catalog of titles. That's bad for the show's visibility, but definitely its relevance, even if filtered by the few people who appreciate that kind of culture, is ... more than pleasing, it's surprising.

Mashiro no Oto is basically a show involving an instrument and a melancholy story of Setsu, the protagonist. He lost his inspiration and his reason for existence, his grandfather. A gentleman known to everyone within the lovers of Shamisen, a stringed instrument. In Japan, Shamisen is like a guitar, however, if we go into the deeper culture of the country, it is possible to find records of the development and popularity of Shamisen as a very rich cultural artifact. Like any other instrument, Shamisen causes impact, emotion, sadness and freedom. In Mashiro no Oto, Setsu is the main catalyst and emitter of these varied emotions. He is young and having lost his grandfather recently shook him, so much so that he decided to flee to Tokyo, where his new life begins, in search of a "new sound", as the "sound" of a loved one disappeared before his eyes. eyes. At first, Mashiro no Oto honestly doesn't bring many predictions about what he really wants to tell. In fact, the anime deceives the audience. Until the first episode, you could see Setsu getting involved with Yuna, a girl who worked at an adult agency, but that's not exactly what happens. Of course, Yuna has her importance in Setsu's plot and development, she becomes a decisive factor in his resumption with Shamisen.

However, if we're going to define one that awakens Setsu at its peak, it's certainly his school's Club. Maeda is an inexperienced girl from the Club and was the only one until Setsu's arrival. Even though she doesn't have great ambitions, what led her to continue with the Club is a song sung by her grandmother, but without the use of instruments. Along with Maeda, Kaito and two other members. In the beginning, their composition was not so positive. Setsu needs to develop and avoid his selfishness to harmonize with the rest of the team; Maeda has a "mental block" at times and this prevents her from advancing in songs and performances. Kaito is the most explosive of the group, and most of the discussions come from him, but this is due to frustration in football and family pressure on his future. The whole group somehow has some insecurity and it is well supported throughout the show, no matter if it's in a Championship or a show for just one person (as it was with Maeda's grandmother), everyone was building a bond of some kind. way with Shamisen.

Even Setsu's relatives. Umeko, his mother, is a deprived woman and somehow doesn't deserve to be called the "mother" of a talented instrumentalist. The lack of it in Setsu's life is not felt at first sight, being often pushed aside to continue the show. But the very actions of Umeko that created a break with his children, causes a lot of trouble for them. The contrast between them is visible and sharp. Wakana, for example, occupies even more the role of Setsu's father, even though he is an older brother, something that is more demonstrated with the development of the protagonist, who starts shy, rigid and impulsive, but who starts to become aware and understand which is not unique in the music world, especially in the world of group competitions.

This competence is also transmitted among the characters enshrined in the anime, such as Shouichi, Mai and Kamiki. The three have an engaging relationship with Setsu and his group over time and feed them positively with each new episode.
But you can't just give merit to the anime. Mashiro no Oto is one of the shows that I most visualize the capacity of a production, from the creation of a story to its final execution. It is evident the work of the show staff, which was done by the Shin-Ei studio. Yes, the same Shin-Ei studio that made animes like "Takagi-san" and "Tonari no Seki-kun", but which today has been constantly questioned for its weak and disappointing work. It is the example of "Hachi-nan tte". Incorporating a show like Mashiro no Oto was practically a miracle. Much was said about the quality that the anime would deliver over time, but expectations were really exceeded. Congratulations to the whole show staff, I look forward to another new production, with the same quality and dedication.

Also worth mentioning the amazing songwriting. For those who know and love Haikyuu, Burnout Syndromes is the band that best suits the show, both for the musicality and the lyrics of each song, in addition to its very engaging choruses. Mashiro no Oto was no different. Each episode was redefined with the openings and the band's work was the best possible to convey the sensations that the anime is. I should also mention Shamisen's own musical structures. All the melodies combined and made Mashiro no Oto a cultural grandeur. I think few people who saw this show really knew what this instrument was. I myself was completely unaware of its importance and its way of playing. Now I'm really happy to have absorbed some of this and I'm looking forward to more and more anime themed. It's been a while since we had musical animes either. It's something that had its peaks like Beck and Shigatsu wa Kimi in Uso, but lately it's been getting rarer. There are still some more unpopular works about music, but it is necessary to have a more adequate attention with the whole audience, it is a theme that can bring more history than we imagine.

Finally, Mashiro no Oto is an essential show that changed my expectations with the year 2021. Many shows did not deliver a good story, nor were they even able to innovate. But this show is just the opposite. All the episodes are really good and the settings combined with the sentimentality of their own makes Mashiro no Oto an exclusive show. It's an anime that I wish it had a sequel, it was so worth every minute with this anime.

If you don't know it, give it a try, it's a show that can interest even those who don't like music. It's an eclecticism in anime form. The wind blows in Mashiro no Oto, and this time it's to bring welcome.

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Jun 18, 2021

Stark700

Recommended

Life is full of opportunities and the teenage years is no exception as the time to experience growth. What does that tell you about Setsu Sawamura? Is he an opportunist seeking glory or trying to find his own purpose in life? You see, if there's anything in life that's difficult, it's to live in it.

Chances are that if you're the average anime viewer following only a few shows every year, this slipped under ther radar. It didn't achieve mainstream popularity even in its own genre. And let's be honest here, judging on the premise itself gives the impression of a niche type of show. Indeed, ... Mahiro no Oto (Those Snow White Notes) packages together a variety of characteristics and genres that mixes music, drama, and most importantly, character growth. With that mind, it's time to take a deep dive into what you're about to see.

From day one, it should come to no surprise that Setsu Sawamura is talented but also a self-disciplined person. He has a music background and protrayed as a gifted shamisen player. But on the personality side, he's not easy to get along with. In fact, Setsu has the mentality of a perfectionist but not in the way you think. He strives to discover himself and deep down wants to reignite his passion of music. Thanks to his flameboyant mother Umeko, he's given an opportunity, the opportunity of a lifetime as he enters Umezono Academy. It's from there where his true journey begins.

I'm not going to try and convince you to like Setsu or not but on the general surface, he is a relatable character. You ever recall a time in your life where you wanted to discover something new in life? A hobby? Achieving a dream goal? Picture yourself as Setsu and you may realize how realistic his character is. However, on the outside, he is a closed shell. He doesn't open up to people easily and acts mostly with indifference towards his peers. There's an understandable reason too given his past with his grandfather. It isn't until he meets Shuri Maeda and other students at his academy that he truly begins to embrace music again. It's rather ironic as well since she started a music club with similar reasons as Setsu. Both characters wants to discover a certain piece of music with a sense of purpose. Otherwise, Shuri's personality is a sharp contrast with her bright and friendly personality. This brings some trouble in the beginning as Setsu has a dead mind set on shamisen. It seems to be the only purpose in life to rediscover himself and to be quite honest, living a life like that sounds almost abysmal.

Now, the shamisen club in this show isn't exactly a group drafted like some NBA team with a collective purpose. Every character is there for a reason but the range in diversity of their personalities is almost laughable. You'd have to be the judge for yourself but let's just say that the shamisen club isn't exactly built for teamwork. In the world of shamisen, every character has to also rely on themselves and not hold back. Setsu knows this from the very beginning so he had that one single minded purpose. It really isn't until he understands why the club is together that he begins to feel a passion of music again. And truth to be told. watching the shamisen club shows that every character needs to improve, whether it's their technical skills or people skills. For the latter, I'm looking at you Setsu.

Looking at this show from a story perspective, you're going to have to embrace yourself for a slate of melodrama. This isn't some happy goofy storyteller trying to make you laugh. Sure, it has its lighthearted moments here and there. However, this is a show made up for drama that appeals to emotions. To be more precise, it appeals to human emotions. Yes, Mashiro no Oto appeals to the inner human emotions that we all experience in every day of our lives. Setsu dealing with the aftermath of his grandfather's death is a prominent example. When watching this anime as a drama, it draws you in by showing what the characters goes through. It's watching how their lives unfold that you can truly enjoy the show together. Likewise, you may also find the witty dialogues and character personalities entertaining. Characters such as Yui, Umeko, Kaito, and Mai all make memorable impressions. Among them, Umeko especially stands out as a commanding woman who displays the 'no nonsense' attitude. Can we just give her a medal with her character debut?

Like most shows with music and competition, there's definitely talent when the characters steps onto the stage. Rivalries even exist at some levels such as Mai's desire to prove herself to everyone, especially Setsu. Others such as Kaji contains the level of determination to go beyond their limits. In one particular episode, he plays despite having a broken instrument to show that anything can be done when they put their heart into their work. That brings back to the topic of Setsu. After joining the club, it seems his heart opens up more with a love for shamisen again. It doesn't happen just over night but little by little, he doesn't let his past hold him back. It's this type of character journey that is worth watching for and if you came here for that, then Mashiro no Oto will be a sweet treat.

Given a show about music, we can see and hear the talent of the cast. Artistically, the performance scenes has an unique vibrant style of showcasing the production quality. Every one of the shamisen performance scenes stands out above its typial animation quality. It feels surreal, magical, and grabs you into to your seat. Even if you're not a music fanatic, those scenes are captivating like a magical spell. Now, I'm not an expert on shamisen but even I can see why this show wants those performances to look more elegant than any others. It's to showcase the important of shamisen and its culture, not just as a competition but a way of life. t's a the heart and soul of the show that gives our characters a purpose after all.

It may be somewhat of a niche show but don't let that hold you back from watching Mashiro no Oto. It's not just a show about music but about personal discovery. Looking at it from a realistic perspective, life itself has limitless possibilities and the cast in this show wants to take opportunities to discover themselves. And if you came into this anime with a similar reason, to perhaps discover something to take away from this show to remember, then you're in the right place.

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