Story: 6
I think the idea of music having healing properties is quite nice. As a musician myself, I absolutely love the incorporation of music into magic systems and lore, especially since that means we get to enjoy a show that puts its music front and center. Unfortunately, I feel that the story and the world Healer Girl takes place in don’t reach their full potential. At several points, the show misses the opportunity to expand or explain the musical healing process and instead chooses to pursue a more slice-of-life storyline. I think this leaves the world feeling a bit shallow in terms of lore which consequently fails to really immerse viewers. Story arcs seem to progress at a moderate pace with some minor pacing issues that lead to big, emotional moments a bit too soon for them to have their full impact. Nonetheless, later episodes have proven the show is capable of carrying out good story telling with the Aoi-san arc.
Art: 7
The art in this show is pretty good. While it’s not quite up to par with some of the other shows of 2022, it doesn’t disappoint. The characters look pretty good with only minor dips in quality from time to time. Personally, I am a fan of the art style, but I can imagine some viewers not being too impressed with this shows visuals given the state of animation in modern, high-budget anime like Komi-san and Love is War.
Sound: 9
I think it’s fair to say that a show about the healing power of music is expected to have really good music. Well, in this respect Healer Girl truly delivers! The opening and ending songs are fantastic, and the various musical numbers and other original songs throughout the show really enhance the story telling. I think the creators struck a nice balance between serious and lighthearted music and as a result the music never gets old despite nearly every episode having two or so original songs. Ultimately, the music really gives the show the extra push it needs to be something that I would genuinely recommend to music lovers. All the vocals (voice acting and singing) are done by talented musicians, several of whom are J-pop artists, so the overall quality is solid.
Characters: 7
The major characters in this show, Kana, Hibiki, and Reimi, are all students at a healing clinic studying under their mentor Ria Karasuma. The three girls get a fairly equal amount of screentime and focus throughout the show giving the sense that they all belong in the role of main character, but it is clear from the beginning that Kana is the true main character, as the story mostly centers around her growth as a healer and the various challenges she faces along the way with Hibiki and Reimi supporting her as close friends. These three main characters are a great pairing in my opinion; they all have their own faults and strengths, but when they're together, they support each other are stronger for it. However nice these characters may be, the quality of a show isn’t only defined by its main characters, but also its side characters, and unfortunately Healer Girl’s side characters don’t meet the same quality markers as Kana, Hibiki, and Reimi. Minor characters such as Sonia and Shinobu seem lacking in many respects, and I find it difficult to really care much about them in the grand scheme of things. Even when entire episodes are dedicated to them such as the school festival arc, they still come out on the other side feeling rather one-dimensional. Other minor characters aren’t very memorable and don’t seem to have a purpose at many times other than to simply provide dialogue to further the story. Luckily, this gets better as the show progresses, and by the latter half of the season we start to see some of the recurring side characters have moments that start to build them into a more fleshed out persona.
Enjoyment: 8
Despite some of its flaws, I genuinely enjoy watching this show. It delivers an interesting story with relatively good characters and great music. If you’re in the market for something light hearted and happy that doesn't require a large amount of emotional investment, then Healer Girl is something you’ll probably enjoy! However, if you desire something more impactful, I would recommend looking elsewhere.
