Tsuki no Waltz

I'll keep this review short and sweet. The music was great, the animation absolutely beautiful and charming, and the story a surreal trip through stunningly designed backdrops. I'd say give it a watch for yourself, it's about 4 min 45 sec. For me, the strongest points are definitely the art and music, whereas the characters and story, I feel are lacking somewhat. It's not a bad thing, but it's harder to understand the story since it's more abstract and left to viewer interpretation, which makes the characters feel a slight bit less interesting for me because they feel a part of the backdrops rather than ... their own people. Still not knocking them or the story since a 7 for me is still very decent, but when compared with everything else, it's the visuals and music that win me over most.

Hey there

Before I start I just want to ask you to read this while playing the song in the background. Look it up "Tsuki No Waltz"

it's only five minutes long, you have little to lose but a great song to gain!


Count the beats!
one two three one two three one two three one two three one two three one two three
quick-quick-slow quick-quick-slow quick-quick-slow quick-quick-slow
...

Now, onto the review
A very pretty song by Mio Isayama and animated by Madhouse.

A very traditional styles waltz with a fun rhythm that had that medieval vibe that you'd expect in a fantasy ball.

The art is of a great hand-drawn style that really fits the beauty and he magic of the song.
Only downside is that dolls creep me out X(

quick-quick-slow quick-quick-slow quick-quick-slow quick-quick-slow

Esta review también está en español.

Tsuki no Waltz, or in english, The Waltz of the Moon, is a song by Mio Isayama, with a video directed by Atsuko Ishizuka (Madhouse), and originally aired in the program Minna no Uta.

In a dark alley with only one street lamp, a red-eyed young girl is admiring a music box. When the music starts, the imaginary (or not?) adventure of our protagonist begins, who will tour dark caves and starry skies, first running and later flying, to finally reach the Palace of the Moon (named Chandra Mahal in the song), where time flows in a different way...

So that's (part ... of) the story. As for the characters, there are other two, besides our young adventurer: a giant anthropomorphic rabbit with a bored face that will not do much, until he remembers that HE'S the palace (moon and rabbits are closely related in the japanese folklore), and the owner of the music box, an old man with a somewhat scary face that will be the guide of the heroine in the second part of the video, riding a flying crescent moon.

For being Miss Ishizawa's first work, I must say that the result is remarkable. The animation is flawless, very fluid and dynamic. The characters look nice, although a bit simple, with a loosely Ghibli's vibe. And the scenarios are the best part, where the visuals truly shines, presenting a really cool and colorful style: the initial alley, the cave, the palace, and specially the ginormous watch that appears at the end, they all look amazing.

So, the video is pretty.... but what about the song? I must say I found it beautiful. Slow and calm, yet soulful and passionate, Isayama's performance is impeccable.

And the most important part, both music and video work good together. Picture and sound are perfectly synchronized, and the lyrics and the images are related (which is always a plus n_n).

So, Tsuki no Waltz is a great video, both in sound and visuals. I recommend it to those who want to hear a nice song, and be enveloped in a video with fairy tales touches.
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Tsuki no Waltz, o en español, El Vals de la Luna, es una canción de Mio Isayama, animado por Atsuko Ishizuka (Madhouse) y originalmente emitido en el programa Minna no Uta.

La historia de este video nos muestra un callejón poco iluminado, en el que una niña pequeña de ojos rojos esta admirando una caja musical. Cuando la música empieza a sonar, comienza la aventura imaginaria (o no?) de nuestra joven protagonista, que recorrerá cavernas oscuras y cielos estrellados, corriendo y luego volando, para finalmente llegar al palacio de la luna (o Chandra Mahal, como lo nombran en la canción), donde el tiempo transcurre de forma distinta...

Aparte de la niña, los otros dos personajes que aparecen en este video son un conejo antromórfico gigante que, hará no mucho más que estar sentado con cara de aburrido hasta recordar que él es el dichoso palacio (la luna y los conejos están muy relacionados en el folclore japonés, como Dragon Ball y Sailor Moon nos enseñaron a los occidentales hace años), y el anciano dueño de la caja de música, que, montado en su medialuna mágica, guiara a la niña en la segunda parte del video n_n.

Para ser el primer trabajo de la señorita Ishizawa, hay que decir que el resultado es notable. La animación es impecable, muy fluida y dinámica. Los personajes se ven bien, aunque algo simples y con un estilo que recuerda levemente al de Ghibli. Es en los escenarios donde este video brilla, presentando un estilo y un colorido sorprendente: tanto el callejón inicial, la caverna, el tallo gigante, el palacio, la luna, y muy especialmente el relojazo que aparece sobre el final, todo se ve increíble.

Así que el video es bonito... pero y la canción? Tengo que decir que la encontré hermosa. Una canción lenta, tranquila, llena de sentimiento e impecablemente interpretada. Y lo más importante de todo: el video y la música combinan. Imagen y sonido se sincronizan de forma impecable, además de que la letra y el video están relacionados, lo que siempre es un plus.

Así que, Tsuki no Waltz es un gran video a nivel audiovisual, y lo recomiendo a los que quieran escuchar una canción hermosa, y dejarse envolver por un video con toques de cuentos de hadas.