“She was my first love. I knew nothing. I was so nervous.”
The Spring 2017 anime season has delivered again, this time with Tsuki ga Kirei, otherwise known as As the Moon, So Beautiful, a true gem among the romance genre. Tsuki ga Kirei tells the story of the shy and poetic Azumi Kotarou and the popular track star Mizuno Akane, two third year middle school students, and their experience with first love.
Truly, the only downfall to this anime that I consider large enough to be worth mentioning would be the opening. The music doesn’t leave a lasting impression and even if I were to hear it now, only a day after finishing the title, I probably wouldn’t be able to say which anime the song belonged to. However, the use of sound and music (or rather the lack thereof) throughout the rest of the show did wonders to bring out the emotions and atmospheres that were created by the characters themselves.
As for atmosphere, I think the best way to describe this anime would be awkward. But truly, isn’t that what first love is all about? Going back to the music, the lack of ambiance serves to further the tension between our two protagonists even more than Azumi’s stuttering or Mizuno’s silence could achieve on their own.
Tsuki ga Kirei was able to portray a realistic middle school love story, a considerable feat when you take into account that most people equate realism in anime with being dull or boring. Instead of keeping the viewer interested with the typical over the top anime theatrics, this show kept its audience by keeping them as close to the main characters’ emotions as possible. You feel Azumi’s embarrassment when he is left out of a club activity, Mizuno’s anxiety about improving herself through track, and the giddiness of both of them as they experience several of their firsts together.
This anime portrayed a beautiful love story in an unconventional way, and is sure to remind its audience of their own first loves. If it weren’t for the opening, this would receive a full 10/10 from me, but just because it’s resting at 9/10 doesn’t mean it won’t be one of my favorite titles to come from this season.
