Review of Tsukigakirei

I had keenly anticipated As the moon, so beautiful, to feed my desire for heartfelt romance anime. And while this anime reduced me to tears on occasion, it could have been so much more. While an enjoyable watch, it was not an anime that would etch itself upon my heart and attach itself to my soul. It’ll be interesting to review this again in 12 months’ time, after the initial emotional imprint has left my mind. The pacing is laconic, like a brook slowly rambling through a forest, with nowhere in particular to be and nowhere in particular to go. Does that make it a badwatch? No. It is somewhat relaxing in its approach. We get a peek into the slowly developing and deepening relationship between Akane and Kotarou. But while it does show the developing relationship, to me it was almost too slow and too painful to watch. The awkwardness between the two main characters continued for far too long and had me wondering time and time again why they were persisting with the relationship. It just didn’t seem to be developing quickly enough and with enough mutual attraction.

I was also pained by the lack of chemistry between Akane and Kotarou – the lack of flirting. The relationship does progress. We get handholding, then kissing and hugging, but it seemed forced. Like the two had been forced to conform to societal norms for a relationship and they were exploring human contact for the sake of that exploration. I get they are young middle schoolers and this is all a first for them, but conversely – this is a first for them! They are experiencing love for the first time – so lets have a little more emotional investment from them both. I get not everyone experiences love in the same way, particularly romantic love, but there should at least be some elation and utter dejection. While there was an attempt to introduce some of this drama, the two seemed ultimately unemotional about themselves as a couple.

While I did actually enjoy watching the relationship develop, I never felt that deep emotional bond that I wanted to feel. I wanted the characters to be kids, to focus on their world and all that it entailed, to embrace the moment and thrill to the new experiences and feelings. And draw me into that world and those experiences. However, there is very little of this. I was also frustrated the characters were rarely able to show or say what they felt – rarely providing us a glimpse into their inner psyche, wants and desires. Yes, I know the focus should be on the show, rather than them declaring their desires, but there should have been some semblance of both. But again – I got very little and it left me flat.

It was interesting to see that romantic love was not the only focus point – and I enjoyed the familial love portrayed, particularly with Kotarou’s mother and to a lesser extent father. Most of the other relationships were superficial. We did get a nod to friendship love, and unrequired love, but ultimately they were underplayed and didn’t develop depth. While I did enjoy the parental love on display, I did baulk at Kotarou’s mother’s reactions, which burst into flame, only to die just as rapidly. The friends never really got their own story, and the hinted romance between Ryouko and Roman was never deeply explored or resolved. The other characters were as you would expect - to add some drama and turmoil in the main couples’ life, without developing a life of their own.

Overall it is an enjoyable watch, one that will pull at the heart strings, but ultimately won’t stand among the cream of the crop in this genre.