Review of Ya Boy Kongming!
There is nothing more important than your dreams. That is what Paripi Koumei tells us about. Paripi Koumei is a brilliant story of one eccentric Chinese strategist reincarnated into modern day Japan. Meeting the brilliant Eiko, he uses his military prowess to share the world of EIKO around Japan. The story is an odd story, not alike another fantasy. But it's not a fantasy, it's a "reverse-isekai" of brilliant proportions. Going from being unknown to a massive sensation is something that is another basic trope, but the execution here is fun and exciting. There's so much excitement following Eiko, as well as the run-ins of Kabetaijin andAzalea along the way, with Kongming basically being the ultimate hypeman/advisor/mastermind.
This anime is so beatutiful. The artwork is so pretty, and everything you see just looks amazing watching it. It's amazing how good the artwork in this anime is, and coupled with a brilliant story and its amazing characters, it brings out everything and everyone on screen.
As a music anime, of course it has excellent music. The score of modern-day intertwined with traditional Chinese music makes this brilliant fantasy story feel surreal yet amazing. And the music itself, with the singing of the angelic EIKO, the rapping of Kabetaijin, and the voices of Azalea and Nanami are just something that is done extremely well. This truly is 11/10 music material. Plus, the opening and ending themes go super hard.
The characters of this anime is amazing. Kongming is a brilliant OP character who somehow is both funny but not ridiculous (well maybe sometimes). Kongming's personality and his intelligence doesn't just make him great, but the fact that he isn't over the top means that he isn't some lame annoying character, but a character that feels like both a background and a main character, since he is able to bring out the real stars of the show, Eiko. Eiko is the shining light of youth, and her determination to go from nothing to going huge, with Kongming's advice is nothing short of amazing. She is the real star, but it's also clear that they are a very dynamic duo. Kabetaijin, Nanami, the owner, and many others are also so important, and they don't feel like they've been shoe-horned in, but instead feel like they've always been there as a proper part of the world.
This series was just so great to watch. From the excitement of the music, to the twists in the story, it's nothing short of brilliant how enjoyable it was. The artwork and the music and the plot and the characters all work so well, and none of it overpowers each other, but rather enhances it as a whole.
Overall, Paripi Koumei is not just another music anime, but a music anime that somehow doesn't take itself seriously, but also takes itself seriously. It's a very cohesive anime about finding dreams, and is truly inspiring to watch Eiko Tsukimi follow her dreams (and trust a guy from the Three Kingdoms period in China) become the star that is EIKO.