Review of Sing "Yesterday" for Me

I want to start off strong. What a disappointing end for an otherwise beautifully colored anime. I'm only basing my reaction from the anime, and boy I have to tell you why I was so unsatisfied. But first, I have to be generous. Art Style 7/10: The anime is very beautiful. There are a lot of wallpaper-worth shots here, and it certainly got my enthusiasm. However, it hurts to see some wacky animation frames, even in scenes that are supposed to be dramatic! Still, it definitely improves the atmosphere so well (but it's not enough for the atrocity of the rest...). Sound Design 8/10: Very immersive, I must say.I can only criticize the last ED choice, which is ironic since it sings the anime title itself. Apart from the song choices, the background music can be quite uplifting. It does carry a good weight for the anime's mood and atmosphere.

Character 3/10:
Here is where things fell off hard. The audacity of the anime to introduce so many heartfelt characters only to butcher the developments (even the most minor of such for what could have been the best characters) and plaster a terrible and pretentious open-ended conclusion. The pacing started off with gentle steps on the side of the road then it crashed on the river beside it, only to flow so fast along the raging water. Why?! Why ruin such a good setup of characters and conflict and "resolve" it over a measly face-value approach to the reality of things?

Short breaths. Sometimes, it felt like only two characters are legitimate (even in their being stubborn). Sometimes, it felt like only two characters are reasonable. Then there were the frustrating parts where it felt like only two characters are given proper spotlight. I get it. It severely lacked a satisfying character progression for the size of cast that it showed. There was even an episodic take early on to explore the main characters further. Then the pacing, as demonstrated earlier, suddenly jumped to a mess. I felt like the anime only suffered from introducing multiple perspectives. There are strong quotes even from just the 1st episode, but it's the pacing (especially for a strongly character-centric anime and genre) that went up and down in a very disappointing way. I feel like it is a massive disservice to the characters and their reflections of actual people.

Story 3/10:
I rarely feel a strong and direct Visual Novel vibe from an anime, specifically due to the recurrence of specific points. This is not a complaint. I think it actually improved the immersion, and it could have allowed room for a smoother pace and better focus on the actual weight of the material. However, the anime managed to step on the good qualities of the anime by its sudden shift in progression. I hate to rehash previous points, but overall, I feel like the anime needed 24 episodes to be more convincing.

Notes:
Will I recommend this anime? Sure. Simply for the aesthetic. If you have an
ounce of respect for immersion with characters, please do not give this a shot. I wish I did not project so much personality to the characters that overrode the level of the actual presentation. And I will stand by this thought. It is not petty. The least amount of thing you can do for a slice-of-life and romance anime (that is serious in nature) is to be considerate of the characters and the reality of their progression. This anime broke my heart. I entered into its world without any ideas, found myself feeling affection for the developments, then ended up with a terrible conclusion. I wish no one will get this feeling of disappointment for a once beloved anime.