The show begins by introducing us to the pensive teenager Kaoru Nishimi, who by an unexpected turn of events ends up befriending the school-wide feared delinquent Sentarou Kawabuchi. Kaoru soon comes to see that Sentarou is a far softer guy than others would think, and discovers that Sen is also an avid jazz drum player. As Kaoru warily joins in their little band - meeting Junichi, Ritsuko, and Tsutomu in the process - and they begin playing music together, many of the twists and turns that come with growing up interrupt his previously apathetic life.
So how does the show fare? Is Sakamichi no Apollon a brilliant character study, or does it fall flat in its ambitious journey? While the show certainly does succeed in many areas, particularly the audial and visual portions, there’s a good chunk of issues that lie in the story. Sakamichi no Apollon follows the somewhat common Josei-drama style wherein said drama seems to take precedence over all in a fairly unrealistic manner. The way the story progresses feels contrived. Rather than the characters and their life situations driving the story in a way that comes off as logical, most major plot points are clearly designed and break the immersion. Characters seem to just walk into each other whenever it’s convenient for the plot. On occasion characters within the show will act completely irrationally and out of character simply to create conflict and keep the story moving, though half the time this conflict doesn’t really go anywhere. I would have much preferred keeping the focus on these characters when they’re together rather than when they’re being forced apart as the cast does have a nice dynamic. Despite the irritating contrivance of it all, I still found myself invested simply due to caring for the characters.
By far, however, my greatest issue lies in the shows ending, or the lack thereof. After a rather unexpected turn of events, there is a time skip that is covered within a single episode. No epilogue or anything of the sort, it just sort of ends. It barely explains anything and comes of as very unsatisfying. All it really needed was one more episode, even an OVA, and I think the ending would have come off a lot better. Given that it didn’t though, I’d recommend simply reading the last chapter of the manga, as it does fix a lot of problems I had with the show’s ending.
So sure, the story isn’t perfect, but the music and animation come pretty close. While I’ve seen complaints towards the lack of importance that the time period plays in the series, I appreciate it as it gives a nice visual change of pace. We’ve seen the same settings time and again. The ‘60s is a much less common setting for anime in particular, and the art definitely makes it feel real.
From a technical perspective, the animation is downright fantastic. The way characters move is accurate, consistent, and incredibly smooth. Most impressively for me, this show really seems to nail that feeling of weight that is so hard to do properly. As if this weren’t enough, the musical sequences step this up to the jaw dropping level. It’s not all in technicality though, the perspective from which everything is portrayed really does make you feel at home in this world and with these characters. These places become familiar and comfortable, from the slope to the record shop.
In this case, I’ve made special note to leave the best for last. That is, the music. The soundtrack makes for a big part of why the show is as effective as it is. If Samamichi no Apollon were about something else I wonder if it’d even be able to be considered “good”. The show’s musical focus is on that of jazz, and I personally have great respect and perhaps a fair bit of bias towards it as it essentially got me into the genre. You really don’t need to be a jazz fan to enjoy this show, in fact I’m inclined to recommend it especially to people who don’t know about jazz and would like to see what the genre can offer. For the more experienced jazz fans, however, there are little tidbits here and there that are nice to see, such as Sen’s pet pigeon being named Sarah Vaughan.
Aside from its genre, just as music it’s fantastic. The portions of the OST that are for background all serve their purpose effectively. Each piece has a sense of individual flair and memorability, accentuating the scenes they accompany. The compositions for the in-show music performances, much like the animation, take it up a notch. It’s hard to discern whether or not this was intentional, but it legitimately feels like the musicians playing had a deep understanding of the characters they portray. The way the music is played and developed feels unbelievably authentic to the events going on in the story with the characters and their changes. In particular, there is a musical sequence in episode seven where our two main characters perform a medley consisting of three songs previously highlighted. The style of the piece and transitions between songs shows just how much these characters have developed. This scene serves as a highlight to the series and despite not being inherently sad is emotionally provocative. Listening to the piece alone does the job well enough, as it is a brilliant interpretation, but listening to the piece and knowing these characters and their struggles makes it far more powerful.
As a whole, Sakamichi no Apollon is not a particularly strong show. It bears plenty of faults in it’s story and characters, to the point that one could justifiably argue that it is “overrated”. However, there is a reason Sakamichi no Apollon is loved by a fair few. It uses music in a brilliant manner. Many other shows, even those that claim to be focused around music use it merely as a driving point for the story. The music isn’t what makes the show, in fact it could easily be replaced with any other story element that can bring our characters together towards one goal. However, with Sakamichi no Apollon the use of music feels far more sincere. Music seems to course through everything within the show as a truly integral part. That’s what makes this show special. It isn’t perfect, no it’s far from it, but it has those moments of brilliance. It has those scenes that make think “wow”, that touch you to your core. And personally, I think shows that can do that are worth noting, regardless of their flaws.
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