Review of Tsukigakirei

[ OUTDATED ] Over the past few years, Romance has felt like a lost and weakening genre in anime and in film in general. Tsuki ga Kirei, however, provides a fresh glimpse of what the genre is truly capable of, and that is connecting with the viewer on an emotional level with feelings that have been sought, but never found. It demonstrates its subject matter with pure realism, strengthened with beautiful setting and true-to-life characters, making for a compelling ride along an anxious path filled with innocence, fear, hope, and most notably, love. - Story: 7.5 - The story of Tsuki ga Kirei is often pointed out asgeneric, which is partially true. Its concept is nothing knew, and it's a more conventional way of looking at the Romance genre: two shy middle-schoolers who can't help themselves but catch a glimpse of each other's eyes. They coincidentally run into each other, and the longer they converse, the more the urge for that overwhelming question (props if you got the reference) arises.

Tsuki ga Kirei, however, adds to this concept with unmistakable realism. The growing bond between them steadily grows at a consistent pace, and the troubles that face them constantly threaten the loose thread that hold them together. This rise in tension produces a convincing narrative that almost completely compels the viewer into immersion. What starts off as serene and innocent attachment grows into constant turmoil with themselves and those around them. But eventually, all things come to and end, and this story certainly went off with a bang - a beautiful and satisfying conclusion that stays true to its predefined realism.

The main issue that I personally have with the story is its slight predictability. As I stated before, this concept is nothing knew, but Tsuki ga Kirei has executed it extremely well. However some instances, especially in the first and second quarters, felt more contrived than natural. This somewhat lessened the experience for me in the first half of the series in addition to its slow pace in the first quarter, but fortunately, I was dealt with a very strong second half with increased suspense, provoking my interest even further. I also managed to somehow guess how the story would conclude all the way from around Episode 4. Still, however, I’d be lying if I said that I wasn't captivated the ending's abundant beauty and sincerity.

- Art/Animation: 7 -

Strengthening the realism of the narrative is the realism of the setting. The background art is truly stunning at times, adding to numerous scenes with definitive depth, detail, and beauty. Although it isn't the best that I have seen, it certainly puts a smile on my face whenever it shines.

What lacks, however, is the general animation quality. For scenes involving only a few characters such as the main cast, there is an incredible amount in detail involving slight changes in movement and emotion, perfectly showcasing the "show-don't-tell" notion. Many scenes, especially in the first half, are silent, letting the characters' body language speak for themselves, effectively translating those emotions to the viewer as timidity, awkwardness, or comfort.

However, the more characters there are, the worse the animation gets. A lot of times, background characters seem slow, robotic, and unnatural, resulting with sloppy wide shots that take away from the general realism. I had hoped to see the animation quality match the art quality, but unfortunately the comparison was one-sided.

- Sound: 8 -

Tsuki ga Kirei showcases a great soundtrack, and although there are only one or two memorable tracks, many songs are fairly well-implemented into most scenes. A prime highlight, however, is when there is no music at all. Not to say that the music is bad - not at all, but its addition would have taken away from the respective scene.

As I stated earlier, there are many scenes in the first half that remain silent. The lack of music assists to build upon its current atmosphere, allowing for the emotions felt by the characters to be felt by the viewer as well. In addition, the excellent voice acting by the whole cast and a well-written script allow for convincing dialogue. Voices often crack when met with a surprise or a sudden emotion, adding even more detail to each and every scene. There were only very few instances where the voice acting felt overdone or unnatural, but for the majority, it added on to the show's sincerity.

- Character: 9 -

The story revolves around our two main characters: Akane Mizuno and Kotorou Azumi, as these two characters are what give strength to the overall narrative. Both of these characters have their share of similarities and differences, but what makes them special is their undeniable realism.

Akane, a middle-school aged girl, demonstrates the depth in her personality through her interactions with Kotorou and her various track meets. During the first few episodes, we catch various glimpses of her overwhelming inner anxiety as she plays with her little potato plushie, doing so to relieve her stress. Her personal struggles with her family constantly moving around Japan, not having a definite place to stay constantly troubles her. Eventually, this leads to her inevitable bond with Kotorou. Whenever they are together, Akane is noticeably more comfortable, still however, flinching during sudden interactions and unsettling silences. Other than the interactions between them, their inner desires are steadily revealed throughout the story. As teenagers, their somewhat irrational behaviour, especially Kotorou, reveals their desires that propel their actions in a convincing way.

Speaking of Kotorou, he resembles his similarities to Akane through his timidness and genuine awkwardness around each other's presence. Throughout the first quarter of the series, he generally allows Akane to take control of their interactions, revealing his weak conversational skills - even more so than Akane. As a prospective writer, Kotorou is often praised and encouraged by Akane, but whenever she does so, he never fails to blush and make the interaction even more awkward than it was. When Kotorou does the same to Akane, she is noticeably more confident than him, also revealing a possible desire to be like her.

These two characters' interactions is part of what makes this series feel so genuine and endearing. A sudden statement between the two causes them so flinch as respond in a realistic manner considering their age as "kids-but-not-quite-adults" phase (I made that up). It constantly reminded me of the awkwardness of being in junior high and the constant changes in my tastes, behaviour, appearance, and everything else in between. The burning curiosity of what it's like to be an adult and the ultimate reality of what stems from it is all effectively translated to the viewer, along with the joys and innocence of childhood, the confusion and instability associated with growing up, and the yearned for although awkward sensation of discovering a personal attachment with another.

There are two other characters that affect the story and its main cast as well: Chinatsu Nishio and Takumi Hira. These two provide some well-executed tension within the story for reasons that I will not mention for spoilers, but you can probably guess what it is. Well I would have preferred a little more screen time for these characters, especially Hira, I was pleased to see how the troubles that stem from these two characters truly rock the main characters' bond and relationship throughout the story, proving to test each other's faith and trust between them through well-developed tension.

- Enjoyment: 8 -

The first quarter of the series was relatively slow compared to the rest of the story. This left me ambiguous with my opinions on the show at first, but as soon as things picked up, I couldn't put it down.

For the first half of the show, I found it entertaining, but not to a great extent. It was enjoyable to see the birth of their relationship, but I was anxious to see more unfold. Thus I was met with the second half, and I was not disappointed. The tension associated with the second half was almost masterful, the strengthened bond between the main cast was powerful, and the pure realism associated with its inevitable conclusion fortified my love for the show.

- Overall: 7.9/10 -

With a narrative having its primary focus on realism, along with its convincing and in-depth characters, backed by stunning background and detailed animation, Tsuki ga Kirei proves that the Romance genre isn't gone, still having the potential to create something great. It proves that an extremely complex plot driven by morally ambiguous characters isn't needed to provide compelling and emotional experience.

Overall, I'm very glad that I managed to find an anime like Tsuki ga Kirei. While it may not be perfect, it connects to the viewer with ease, and leaving them captivated with a familiar sensation assists in reaching its status as an excellent series under the Romance genre.

It happened to become one of my personal favourite anime, and if you give it a shot, I reckon it may be the same with you.