This review will be broken down into 3 different sections
The 2018 Winter Season.
- KoiAme aired in the Winter of 2018. And when you click on the other shows that aired in the same time, holy shit was that season a monster in every aspect.
- If you were craving Action, there's Devilman Crybaby, Nanatsu no Taizai and the sequel to the then ultra-popular Overlord.
- In the Drama department lies Citrus and ReLIFE's long awaited conclusion.
- Comedy? Takagi San and Saiki Kusuo is more than enough to sate your thirst.
- Last but not Least, Winter 2018 had some disgusting Originals. Violet Evergarden, Maquia and Yorimoi stand atop all the other anime that season with VE being one of the most popular animes of recent times.
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So why watch KoiAme when there are tons of other beasts in this season? Well, for one, I think that KoiAme is worthy of being compared to the Big Dogs. In the midst of these Monstrous Originals and Big Sequels lies a very well made adaptation that flew under the radar of many.
Wit Studios' Accomplishments with KoiAme.
Let me get this out of the way, KoiAme, if you're not aware by now, is a Drama/Romance SoL. And in case you're still unclear, Wit Studios( AOT, Owari no Seraph, Kabaneri, Vinland Saga and Magus Bride) were the animators of this. I do not know the intention behind picking up KoiAme when they are known for literally so many Big Action Animes, but boy did Wit outdo themselves with this adaptation. I am not familiar with Wit but the staff they assigned to this project were basically perfect.
Koi wa Ameagari no You ni
Story
- KoiAme has an amazing story. Story wise, straight up, episodes 1-6 were pure 10/10s. Every single moment and plot point was planned in advance and calculated to a T. Watching it blind is, simply put, one of the best experiences I've had watching anime. With that being said, its a shame that only the first 6 episodes were of that quality. While episode 7 and 8 still held up to the quality of the previous 6, episodes 9-12 completely fell flat and derailed far off what anyone was expecting and hoping for. This is not the fault of the studio but rather the source material. However, the studio managed to salvage this by having Directors so good it saved the show. I will mention this later.
Characters
- Not much to go off on other than our Main Cast, each have their own motivation and are very clear and vocal in what they want to do.
Visuals/Animation
- One of the Standouts of the Anime. The little details in the detailed backgrounds are so fucking pleasing to the eye. Absolutely beautiful.
Music
I still don't pay enough attention to OSTs but the ED for this anime was sang by Aimer (my favourite artist), so it automatically gets a pass from me.
DIRECTION
-OH BOY this is the meat of the adaptation. The direction of KoiAme is hands down the best direction I've seen in Anime, ever. Director Ayumu Watanabe is amazing. He single-handedly elevated the anime in its good moments and pulled it out of the mud in its bad moments. I cannot stress enough how impactful his direction contributes to the overall quality of the anime.
_While Watanabe is listed as the only director on Anilist, I did some more digging and found out that there was another director brought in specifically for one episode. Kaburagi Hiro directed and wrote the storyboard for episode 6 of the anime.
And these were my thoughts for ep6 : When consumed in moderation, simply fantastic. Virtually no flaws. 5 whole minutes of telling a story through almost complete silence is more than just bold. There are simple story directions, there are complicated story directions, there are bold story directions, and then there's this blend of all three. Credit to the director for pulling off so many different styles of story-telling. The whole episode felt like a fever dream - from the foreshadowing start all the way to the perfect end-cut. What Hiro has done with Episode 6 of KoiAme changed how I viewed the importance of direction in anime. Episode 6 of KoiAme, is by far one of the best standalone episodes of Anime, ever. (Similar to VE Episode 10)
Conclusion
- In the midst of the giants of Winter 2018 lies a simple anime about Love that is executed so damn well. If you have the slightest interest in a good, solid love story that only gave way in its Final Arcc, give this anime a chance.
