White Album 2 is, to me, the epitome of human romance in anime.
What do I mean by this? Well, I mean it's a perfect mix of irrational love taking over imperfect human beings and dictating their own actions to a point where those aren't their own anymore, spiced with artistic expression such is music, and with passionately written script.
There are a few flaws in the package of course, like the imprecision (borderline laziness I'd say sometimes) in the graphic department (at some scene, a guitar is being played by itself, without fingers to help create the notes), or some proportion errors in a few scenes, but you're not really looking for perfection in that department when watching a romance/drama anime, from my humble opinion. Still, it affected the overall score accordingly, just not my personal choice of calling this 13 episode long show my favourite anime.
Story: 9
It certainly isn't an out of the norm plot, romantic triangles are quite abundant in the current romance anime meta, specially when based around a school setting. Still, the way it develops is close to no other, the storyline doesn't feel rushed at all, yet it manages to keep you attached to the screen and to the characters (specially the female ones) up until the last, heartbreaking scene. You may cry in despair, you might be angry at some points, even outraged. You might even laugh, or feel deeply happy at some stages of the story, but in the end the story feels truly human, and it manages to touch you in a rare way that you'll want to cherish forever, and you'll certainly be able to relate to the situations presented on this anime as long as you keep your heart open to it.
Art: 7
It has its moments, as I stated above, but overall the art (which is inspired in the visual novel this anime is adaptation of) is great. It doesn't have extremely outstanding visuals, it's rather austere, nothing like Byousuku 5 Centimeter and other shows with a much higher artistic budget, but it certainly does its job well. The character designs are fitting, and some scenes are truly precious and unforgettable. My wallpaper is one of those scenes, I'll let you guess which one if you're interested~
Sound: 10
This. This right here is the brightest star of the anime. The soundtrack level is worthy of Clannad: After Story and the likes. Madoka Yonezawa (Setsuna's seiyuu, relevant to the whole story) and Uehara Rena give voice to some of the most touching melodies ever composed. I honestly believe the music gives the story the extra push it needed to reach the highest place in my favourites list, and even now months after finishing the story I still keep the whole OST in my mp3, and upload entries of it to my blog rather frequently. Just listening some of these songs brings tears to my eyes. They say music is the language the heart speaks, and these songs speak directly to heart of the listener. It doesn't even matter if you don't understand the lyrics at first, they will touch even the remotest corners of your soul with barely a few chords and tones. You can feel their struggles within their melodic landscape. A masterpiece of a soundtrack. 10/10.
Characters: 9
I could say a lot of things about the characters, and it would be okay. But I think their most important trait is... they are human. Their actions, their thoughts... they are mirrors of the human nature. You can relate to their suffering and joy, you can feel it's not some kind of fairytale story but rather something that could be happening anywhere else in the world at the moment you're watching it. And that, to me, is one of the most important traits a character can have, specially in a romance/drama story. Being able to identify your own psyche in them... is a priceless feeling, and increases the overall value of the story to a point you start thinking it's a real incident what's through the screen. And certainly a heartfelt one.
The main male character is the weak spot of this segment, but I'll let you judge by yourself about this, since I might be a tad biased after I finished the story.
Enjoyment: 10
I actually got all emotional while writing this review, what can I say? It struck right to my heart, and while it might leave you hanging for a few hours or days, I call that enjoyment. It's an unforgettable anime, much like the love stories most of us have gone through. If you only like "happy-go-lucky" anime, well, you won't enjoy this, but if you appreciate a story that will leave you thinking for days about attachment, infatuation and how puppet-like we are under the effect of them... look no further. This will make you angry, sad, happy... but overall, it'll make you feel alive.
Overall: 9
Eventhough it's my favourite anime...by no means do I think this is the ultimate anime, or that it's perfect in every way. It's certainly imperfect. Just like us, humans.
And I think that's one extra charm added to it.
I hope you enjoyed my first review, but I wish you'll enjoy the anime as much as I did.
Cheers, Sona.
