I adore sad anime. Most that are considered sad, however, don't really make me sad. They are just depressing and usually boring. This one though, this was sad. Extremely sad. I wouldn't dare put it in the same league as Clannad, but I cried on and off for most of the second half of the anime. You know what's coming pretty much the entirety of the show, yet, somehow, it still hurt so much when it happened. It was beautiful and serene and wonderful and I'm going to gush about it my entire review so sorry in advance.
Story:
It's a simple premise really. This is a high school (JR High?) drama revolving around Kousei, a pianist who's rise to stardom when he was a child haunts him due to his mother's harsh way of raising/disciplining him, and her death. Because of this, he is now unable to hear the music when he plays. He then meets Kaori, a free spirited violinist with a sad secret. From there, we get a musical anime with a ton of heart and a ton of awesome music. Yes, there are a lot of obstacles we overcome along the way. Everything his mother did was terrible and, though we feel for her, we can't actually forgive her. However, the thought is there, as it is with Kousei. Yes, there is a love triangle with him, Kaori and his best friend who has been in love with him for a long time. Yes it is cliche, but did I mind? Not even a little bit because they did it right. There was no whiny backstabbing shit, no needy boo-hooing over who gets to be with who. It was fluid throughout the story and, though I favored Kaori, I was genuinely sad for Tsubaki. Not gonna lie, when I started the show, I was a bit bored, though once I got a few eps in, it started to go somewhere for me. I think it was episode 10 (maybe) when the concert happened and Kousei plays while thinking about his mother...yea, that episode hit me hard and from there, I was on and off crying the rest of the show.
Animation:
Absolutely gorgeous. I'm not kidding. The characters were beautiful. The animation during the music was beautiful. I can't even fault it a little bit. The entire thing was a cinematographer's dream to watch. This is a music anime and the music is brought to life with emotion portrayed in vivid colors and scenery. It is probably one of the most stunning anime I've watched.
Sound:
Again, 10/10. As I said, this is a music anime and it is the epitome of music anime. The OP theme(s) were gorgeous, though I will say the first was the highlight of the two, and the Ed theme "Orange" was and still is one of my favorites ever. Then there is the in-anime music. It is all classical music, some with a twist, but mostly classics that you would know. All of which are played gorgeously and all of which have significance to the story. The voice actors are perfection as well especially Kousei's VA who also does the voice of my bae Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul. The emotional impact was especially heartbreaking because of the sound.
Characters:
What can I say? Kousei was an amazing protagonist. He was dealing with a lot of shit and you could feel his emotions the entire watch. Kaori and Tsubaki as well. Both girls had issues they were dealing with and they made you feel it. I felt Kaori's sadness and her inability to tell anyone about what was going on because she was afraid. I felt Tsubaki's angst and how she loves Kaori, but wished for her to not want Kousei. There were some funny parts weaved into this anime too, but for the most part, these were broken characters. They were only in high school (JR High?) but they dealt with problems everyone deals with which makes them relatable and likable.
Overall:
I was a mess after this one. Probably my fav sad anime since Clannad and one of the best to come out of last years' batch of new anime. Mostly due to the music itself, along with the visual serenity of every piece performed. The final performance done by Kousei was one of the most beautifully heartbreaking things I've seen in any anime and there's a part when the commercial break screen pops up after the piece is over and Kousei says "Sayonara"...and just...his voice and the silence around it...my God. Sorry for gushing over it again and honestly, I could say it was definitely not perfect, but I am a person who sides with emotion over anything else and I totally felt this one.
9.5/10
Watched Subbed.
