The premise is quite simple. It’s about this 14 year old heiress from Florence who has a passion for painting. After her father passes away, she’s been put on a road by her mother to married. Of course, Arte continuously pursues her passion even if it means leaving the house and becoming what she always wants to be: a painter. What follows her is a journey of hardship as she is a woman. At this time period, the male society dominates in her field of work. It becomes a feminist movement that she pushes to the envelope to prove herself. The first episode includes a crowd mocking Arte for her dream just because of her gender. After declaring ‘to give up being a girl’ by cutting her hair, Arte vows to change the system in this time era. It may seem like an impossible mission but for Arte, she carries a sense of self as who she is. And for that, I’m pleased to say the show sets up for quite an intriguing plot carried by its creative themes.
It’s not just her words or the haircut that matters. It’s what the actions that count. Arte may have declared herself to give up being a girl but she still has to prove her worth or eat her own words. During her journey, she meets Leo, an important character who would change her life forever. As a professional painter, he accepts Arte to his studio because she reminds him of himself. The first step to becoming a painter is no simple task as Arte must learn the fundamentals and craftsmanship of the profession. Luckily, Arte’s personality earns respect for her peers by hard work, determination, and learning from mistakes. She’s a type of relatable character that’s easily likable and in fact, some characters such as Angelo even falls for her. Despite that, Arte puts her dream as priority and forges a friendship with Angelo. She even attracts the attention of Veronica, one of the most beautiful women in Florence as the pair strikes a friendship. Likewise, Arte even manages to make friends with Catalina, a girl notorious for her stubborn personality. As every episode ventured on, Arte continuously to show an eagerness to make her dream come true.
Watching Arte doesn’t take much commitment but based on a historical setting, it can be somewhat frustrating to understand its culture. Even though the setting takes place in a European culture, it hardly felt like a society. I don’t know the exact inner style of the European ways of life but to say the least, the show’s atmosphere didn’t exactly match. Even with places like Venice introduced later in the show, it doesn’t seem to take full advantage of its world setting. So in essence, if you want the most out Arte, don’t expect the show to be about the setting. It’s about her.
Still, a question revolves around how much you can appreciate Arte as the titular character. At its core, Arte exemplifies that women can do what men are capable of. In this case, it’s about being an artisan in a field dominated by males. While this anime isn’t overly feminist, it’s hard to ignore its aspects on different occasions. Viewers may feel turned off by such themes and sometimes, I can’t help but feel sorry for Arte. That’s where reality hits and we have to realize the struggles these young women faces during that era.
Seven Arcs is a somewhat of a strange studio of choice considering their previous projects all had some form of fantasy elements. Arte contains much more realism based on a real life setting with its culture, geography, and architectures. While most of this is fairly balanced, it doesn’t truly capitalize on its world setting. Outside from what you see, there’s not much depth that went into the artistic elements of the European style architectures. Florence attracts tourism and trade although the anime plays down on the overall world building. Even places like Venice doesn’t truly spark as a unique destination with its seaports and artwork. On the other hand, I do appreciate how the anime made Arte look as fierce as she can be. After cutting her hair, she shows not only traits of masculinity but also lives by her words through sheer will. The voice acting plays an important role to show how much she wants to achieve her dream. Similarly, other relevant characters in the show such as Leo and Veronica displays characteristics well suited for their roles.
The way Arte is constructed is aimed for audience to follow her character journey. It’s not about the historical setting or its culture. Because let’s face it, Arte still has so much to learn from her experiences and as a young woman, she has to adapt with everything and everyone around her. This is a story about a character who follows her dream and to prove that anyone can do anything they put their mind into.
