So, in a landscape that feels barren to me, I turned on Kongming based on a friends recommendation and found that every episode just flat out filled me with joy. This anime has heart, it has good character growth, and it has a very particular quirkiness that hits the right buttons. And that was honestly all it needed to make it the most fun I've had watching anime in a long time.
Let’s talk about what the show is. At its heart, it is a lighthearted breezy music anime. If I were forced to throw it in a category with similar shows, I think I’d probably pick something like K-On. Kongming is not the main character; the main character is Eiko, an aspiring pop singer and Kongming’s chosen warlord. The show is relatively drama free. Eiko has some history that’s hinted at in the early show and then relatively forgotten about; the actual conflicts driving the show are mostly characters overcoming small character flaws by finding their motivations. That may not sound especially deep, and it isn’t, but it’s clear that the show really cares about its characters, and because of that it’s hard not to feel joy as they succeed. The show really gets by on its heart.
