Review of Tsukigakirei

Short and sweet review. Do you know what to expect from romance anime and are tired of people pointing out the "genre stereotypes" and then judging the anime only around that? Just want to know the important stuff and if you should watch it? I've got you covered. This show is my new standard for good romance anime. I literally can not heap enough praise onto this show, and that is a major surprise because it is set in middle school. Tsuki ga Kirei is one of those rare romance animes that hit all the right spots and stick the landing every time. Not only is thepacing epic, especially for a 13 episode show, but the characters are realistic and enticing, the story-line is dramatic without being unrealistic, and the main character's romance actually progresses in a natural way thanks to them being humans instead of weird Japanese romance trope robots who do nothing but blush. I will address each of these things in order below.

The pacing of this show is great. There is no boring episodes, or filler story, or superfluous exposition. Every episode has a complete beginning, middle, and ending arc but is part of the overall 13 episode story. Every time the credits hit, you will be scrambling to start the next episode. The entire pacing of the show hinges on the romance and not some other stupid school-related story or side character or random plot point like so many other romances NEED in order to fill out a season.

The characters are what make this show how great it is. They are middle-school aged, so the first episode they can barely look at each other. Sounds familiar right? Except they will surprise you at EVERY turn. Not because their reactions or interactions are crazy or outlandish, but because they ARE NOT. Their reactions are so human. And their reactions to what others say and do are believable and well thought out. They will also change right before your eyes in the best ways possible. The male lead CONSTANTLY grows a pair at the best moments, "manning up" in situations where characters in other anime would wimp out, run away, or take another half-season to even consider doing something. The female lead does the same thing, not wimping out or failing to speak their mind at key moments, not running away, etc. It was SO refreshing to see a romance take shape so quickly, yet still so naturally. The side characters are all well thought out and have their role to play, but don't become the center of attention at any point nor do they have any unnecessary development that isn't required for their part. They are there as a foil and as soon as they play their part they are not important anymore and have less scenes.

Rather than avoiding the normal romance anime pitfalls, Tsuki ga Kirei just plows right through them. Awkward moments? One of the characters mans up. Side-character confesses? Barely even 1 episode total spent dealing with it. Missed opportunity for a kiss/hug/etc? Happens anyway moments later or the next episode. Every time this show will surprise you with where it goes, because we've all been so conditioned by anime like Kimi ni Todoke or Toradora to think that romance developments can only happen if they are painfully slow paced, and only when the main characters have been oblivious/shy/stupid when it comes to the romance for at least 50% of the show.

And oh my god the feels in this show. I found myself pausing several times to just take a breath, and for once it wasn't because I was frustrated. Usually it was because I was generally happy or I was sad about something that had just happened. Your heartstrings will be yanked on dozens of times throughout this show and only in the best ways. There were more genuinely HAPPY moments in this show than most other anime I have watched, along with several moments that made me jump out of my seat and cheer out loud.

Watch this show. If you love romance anime, watch it. If you hate romance anime, watch it. If you used to love romance anime, definitely watch it. You will not be disappointed.

THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ANYONE WHO LIKES HAPPY ENDINGS IN THEIR ROMANCE ANIME (VERY MILD SPOILER WARNING AHEAD):

THIS SHOW HAS A HAPPY ENDING! However, you won't know that it does unless you watch the credits of the last episode. The way the episode ends before the credits you may think it either ended badly or in the traditional "That PROBABLY happened but we won't know because it's the end!" kinda way. But that's not the case! Be sure to be ready to PAUSE playback, as the ending is mostly a slideshow of moments in the future that occur after the story in the last episode ends. You'll be reading LINE messages between characters from future events for the most part, so be sure to watch and read everything. The final shot before the end of the credits will give you all the closure you need :) Great ending, despite my desire for more.

HIGHLIGHTS: The male character has a set of balls, the female character isn't stupid, the characters actually EVOLVE within the beginning of the show as well as the end, the music is great, the animation is unique (even though it's been done similarly before), your heartstrings will be tugged in legitimate ways, and the ending is HAPPY!

DISAPPOINTMENTS: It wasn't longer, "epilogue" is just still images/chat messages from milestones in their lives after middle-school, there is no sequel at all (not even an OVA)

Note: I re-wrote this review to match the quality of my more recent ones on 9/13/2018. Originally posted 8/13/208.