You ever go into a show and have no idea what a shamisen is and decided to watch it on a whim? Well I am glad I did, because I did not expect to fall in love with this anime. From all that it gave us from start to finish, I felt like I was caught in the middle of a storm waiting because I was so captivated by this show because of all the sound it produced. Truly a beautiful anime that deserves more recognition. Sorry if this review is a little all over the place, since I'm just typing as I go with whatever comes to my mind.
To review, I'm gonna mainly start by focusing on the beautiful OP Blizzard and will work from there on.
Blizzard returns for the final episode!!! I love that OP and I think it is the perfect opening for this anime, nothing against the second opening. Those are both great in their own respect to demonstrate where Setsu stands.
Now just to review my final thought on this show with mainly his final performance. Why Blizzard was the perfect song choice to demonstrate the beauty to this anime.
We see throughout the entire series, he was chasing after his grandpa. Chasing after the sound that is lose, it is like chasing someone through a blizzard, you can only go so far before you lose sight of their footsteps in the blizzard. We see how Setsu is lost and eventually he does get free from it which we have the second OP. Which features all his friends, because now he has found a new path before him. But with the final couple episode, reality comes crashing down again when we are met again with his mother and father. He is again caught up in the storm (which blizzard was the perfect choice for the final episode).
What a way to close off this anime and truly one of my favorite this season. With his final piece being broken into two part, the sound he was chasing and his own sound. Instead of trying to keep following a path, we must create our own path even through the storm. We can only hope for season 2 where Setsu must find his own footing and path and walk it. As his friends seem distant now and lost. Sometimes we are just caught in the midst of everything and we forget about those who are with us.
If we were to talk about the visual and art style, it is beautiful. Along with the sound created, this was a delight to the ear. How they portray the sound with nature, how beautiful the sound of the shamisen captivated me so much. It was not a show I was expecting to love but this turned out to be one of my favorite of spring 2021. Is it a masterpiece? Well that is up to you to decide, but base on my own personal enjoyment, I would give it a perfect score. Since I absolutely loved everything about it. From the art, to the sound and the characters. I was happy with the plot as well, especially since with the final result being what it was.
So now I wait here patiently hoping one day I will hear season 2 being announced and jump for joy. Until then, I will just enjoy what was presented and I love both the OP and ED. It is truly a great work of art and deserve more praise. A hidden gem of this season for sure.
