Review of Tsukigakirei

I have written and deleted my review for this show several times now, because I can't find the right words to express how incredible it is. It's a show that breaks every single trope you can think of in romance anime, cuts out all the BS that makes so many romance shows drag on and unbearable to watch, and just tells a heartwarming story of two kids in middle school. Now I know what you're thinking. Middle school romance? Surely kids at that age know nothing of love. And you'd be exactly right to think that. This show's crowning achievement is its ability to realisticallyportray a middle school relationship. All the awkwardness, all the shyness, all the innocence, all the naivety is perfectly captured in the characters' interactions with each other. Through them, we are fondly (or not fondly) reminded of the many stupid things we did in middle school to impress our crushes, and how we learned from those experiences. Tsuki ga Kirei captures these youthful moments perfectly.

I cannot stress enough how well done the interactions between the two main characters are. A healthy relationship is composed of each person empowering the other and becoming better people as a result. Fights always happen when two people are that close, but communication is always the best method of resolving them. Tsuki ga Kirei reflects this perfectly. Problems are swiftly resolved through direct communication, and by the end of the show, we see just how long the two characters have come since the beginning.

On top of witnessing the interactions between the two main characters, we also see extremely realistic interactions between the characters and their families. There are no "oh my parents are working overseas" or "my parents passed when I was young so I'm living by myself" tropes. No, instead we get to see how a family cares for each other, gets angry at each other, but ultimately make up with each other over their differences.

Tsuki ga Kirei's appeal comes from its realism. Nothing in the show feels like it couldn't have happened in real life, and despite the story being about two middle schoolers, it's able to create a heartwarming tale with just the right dosage of drama. I truly believe this show should be the standard for romance anime, and I really consider it revolutionary in its genre. Any fans of a good and realistic love story should start this immediately.