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Since nobody has written a review for this yet, I’ll be the first. I tried to watch it a long time ago but could not find a version with English subtitles (Even with my VPN, the official version is not subbed) so I forgot about it for a while. I decided to give it another go and found a version with Google translate English subtitles, which was a bit hard to understand at times but I could at least get an idea of what was happening. It’s a shame that it’s not licensed outside of Korea, since it’s a good series.

The show is very down ... to earth and real, kind of like Aoi Hana. There’s no exaggeration, no dramatic music, and the characters feel like real people. It’s cute and wholesome and I think like it does a spectacular job of portraying what it’s like to be wlw in an environment where that sort of thing isn’t really accepted. The show also portrays loneliness and dissatisfaction in a painfully relatable way, I could really feel what the main characters were going through because they don’t spend much time telling you what’s going on, they show you instead. I think the producers did an amazing job at creating art that imitates reality so closely, and it’s kind of refreshing, even if [spoiler]the ending was disappointing (but that only brings it closer to reality, we don’t always get happy endings)[/spoiler]

The art is spectacular and so is the voice acting. The visual aesthetic they were going for kind of reminds me of violet evergarden, and the voice acting was mellow and soothing, without the soap opera-esque crying you normally find in these sorts of shows.

It’s a solid piece. 8/10

I started watching this expecting something like a combination of K-on and Girls’ Last Tour, but got something that was less like the aforementioned series and more like a cross between Violet Evergarden and Yuru camp. It started off very slowly, so slowly as to be almost frustrating at times and to the point where I almost dropped it. I’m glad I didn’t, though, as the finale was impactful, satisfying and quite the tearjerker. Definitely worth sitting through the first 10 episodes.

My take on it is this: it is far from perfect. It spends ten out of twelve episodes moving at a very slow pace, ... and while that slow pace was good for fleshing out the characters and world-building, the sudden change of pace during the final two episodes, while welcome, is a little confusing and feels out-of-place. If the tone shift had been more gradual I might have given it another star. The characters (save for Noel and to a lesser extent Filicia) are also not very unique, but their interactions are enjoyable and fun to watch. There were also some needlessly sexualized moments (especially in the opening sequence) that felt out of place and a bit uncomfortable, and this is coming from someone who enjoys ecchi (at least to an extent).

However, it grows on you. Slowly but surely as you get to know the characters and setting little by little you start to love them, and their stories start to impact you more and more as you learn about their circumstances. You start to feel little bubbles of happiness rise within you every time Kanata gets better at playing the bugle, or when you see Noel smile. You start to really appreciate the beautiful art, music and crafty world building that form the essence of this show. And then in the finale you see everything come to a climax, and you’re left with a feeling of, “that was quite nice.”

Here’s my advice. For the first 10 episodes it’d be hard to watch more than one in a day. Try watching one before bed every night, they’re very relaxing and have helped me fall asleep more than once. Then, watch the final two episodes back to back.

My original rating for this was a 6, but it’s been bumped up to a 7. I’d say it’s pretty good.