Are you into classical music and don't mind slow story progress? Then this might be for you.
tl;dr
Story: 8/10
Characters: 7/10
Art: 10/10
Music: 1,000,000/10
It left me touched and very depressed and with new music on my playlist. This shows how cruel and agonizing life can be.
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The story is very slow paced and has some holes here and there but I did not mind. The music in this series along with the setting and plot together grasped my soul and tore it apart and is what made me continue watching.
I am not the one for romance and relationships in real life and therefore I generally snort when people recommend such anime. But this is not your average romance where development leads to confession. Its unique approach is very beautiful.
The artstyle is beautiful with rich scenery and details and the characters' filled mouths adds a more realistic detail unlike the traditional lines.
The music... Is breathtaking for someone who adores composing using classical instruments. Many of the pieces are incredibly depressing and deep and because that is my nature it caught me in a trance and I had to rewind to actually watch the anime instead of closing my eyes and enjoying. Because the music plays such a big part I can understand why some people don't like this anime that much. An example of this outstanding music is "Again", but don't listen to it until you've watched the anime as it plays during a major point. Few pieces make me shed tears and nothing besides music does, so it's very dear to me.
I think the development of the protagonist Kousei was well executed, however I feel Kaori didn't shine as much until it was too late but the ending made up for that. What I found a bit annoying was the overuse of repeating character dialogue which did not serve much purpose.
As someone who have been on my own and have never had to lean on people and rarely feel anything I am very touched by this anime and it left me very depressed but at the same time a bit happy. Life is unfair and this shows how cruel and agonizing times can be.
