Review of Arte

Enjoyment: Let me start off by saying Arte is very much a shoujo anime. It's not seinen and I wouldn't call it a romance either. That being said, it's very cute and I found it extremely easy to watch. I binged the whole thing in a day without getting bored and I liked it a lot (obviously). :) Story: I will concede that this might not be for everyone. The main focus of the show is essentially "Arte wants to be a painter, but men are sexist, so she tries really hard and proves them all wrong." It's basic, but I don't think that's a bad thing. Ifthat sort of storyline bothers you, I wouldn't watch this show. There are other themes, but the main focus is on feminism and accepting your upbringing/background. Also keep in mind that this is all approached in a very "shoujo" way. The lessons are presented in relatively simple way with simple solutions and nothing especially bad happens. It's not without nuance, but it can feel like a kids show at times. It's very bright and cheerful. As for pacing, the show has two halves, and I felt that the second moved a bit too quickly although that didn't significantly damper my enjoyment.

Character:

I enjoyed Arte's character development. She feels like a mix of Shirayuki from Snow White with the Red Hair and Tohru from Fruits Basket. None of the other character's arcs were as satisfying/fleshed out compared to hers but both Leo and Katarina developed as well. I think the problem as far as character development goes is that Arte had the whole season to grow, but Leo isn't really in the second half and Katarina isn't in the first half of episodes.

Art/Sound:

The art and sound match the bright, cheerful nature of the show. It's all very cute and modern looking. They match the tone of the show, but not necessarily the time period. It's a very idealized version of the Renaissance. It's very pretty, but honestly I wasn't super impressed by Arte or Leo's artwork. They're supposed to be amazingly talented but none of the actual artwork in the show stood out to me.

Overview:

This is my first review, so I don't know how helpful it will be (if at all). Overall I liked Arte a lot, but I can recognize that the emphasis on feminism could be seen as too basic or repetitive for some? If you like shoujo about the (somewhat generic) determined female protagonist, you'll probably like this. I wouldn't actually call Arte generic; she definitely has a unique personality that enjoyed, but she is similar enough to other shoujo MCs that you know what you're getting into even before you finish the first episode.