The premise may seem uninteresting for some audiences, yet Nitaboh's strength lies in exactly that: a down to earth tale of man, which was based on a real story. With that the anime sets itself apart from other works inspired from the Meiji period, also known as the Japanese revolution, which is a pleasant change to the often seen samurai struggles. This is basically a coming of age story, with its main focus on music. There are naturally issues tied to learning an instrument, especially when the apprentice is blind, and the profession itself was mainly meant to be played by either woman or monks. There is some drama present, yet was never the main focus of this piece; there is romance as well, which in fact felt rather unnatural.
The struggles that Nitaro experienced during his journey where naturally difficult, yet where very easily solved, which in turn may leave viewers disappointed. However, because the anime never emphasised on these aspects, it didn't feel too unsatisfying. In fact, in return, audiences were rewarded with a pleasant journey with both the struggles and joy of life, matched with some great music solo's, further enhancing the overall atmosphere of the anime. It must be mentioned that the flow of events could either be a bit unnatural at times, with here and there some basic dialogues.
The cast of characters in Nitaboh are small, yet sufficient to convey the story. Nitaro himself is in fact a passive person in the whole story, ocassionally undertaking some actons, yet overall rather dissapointing. This problem is further magnified when his problems are solved by others, rather than him undertaking it. Nevertheless, he is well fleshed out, as well as having some character development which was satisfying enough for its short duration.
The same could be said about the supporting cast, with some interesting people such as Kikunosuke, a young man in the chase after his dream, or Tamana and her mother, the journeying artist. As for some of the antagonists, these were mainly "vessels" of the traditional times such as monks, who were opposed to the main protagonist's way of playing music; these ultimately served to display the problems that came with the influx of western culture, as well as showcasing Nitaroh's skills.
Concerning the animation of the anime, it was as a whole average, yet satisfying enough to convey the story. Character designs were basic, yet distinguishable from each other and were consistent throughout the movie. The same could be said about the background, it is exactly as how anyone would portray the 19th century of Japan: dirt roads, wood houses, rice fields, you name it. The soundtrack of the movie was befitting, with naturally a prevalent use of the shamisen, which had great solo's, only heightening the experience the movie has to offer. There are however some unfitting uses of some of its compositions: at times the anime has some comedic scenes which were introduced with out-of-place music, which broke a bit with the immersion. The voice actors performed their roles well, each character seemingly having fitting voice for each role.
All in all, Nitaboh was a highly enjoyable anime with a great premise and journey, yet experienced shortcomings in the character department. Regardless of these issues, the music itself, which was the main focus, was very well executed with the magnificent solo's offered for the unfamiliar instrument, which if I may add, is a joy to listen to. I would recommend anyone with an interest in either music or historical genre to check this piece out, as it is one overlooked title which was very satisfying on a personal level.
Thank you for reading.
