Review of Tsukigakirei

Tsuki ga Kirei is a romance anime series that's easy on the eyes but manages to be incredibly superficial, lacking substance outside of its barebones plot. Character development is nonexistent. A baseline is never established with this series' characters and all plot development serves only the story and not the characters. The story hits all of the typical adolescent romance plot beats, but there is little to no reason to feel invested in, or root for any of the characters. The main characters have some semblance of personal motivation, but it is not connected back to the plot nor does it experience any kind ofdevelopment, challenge, or change throughout the series. The anime successfully manages to create a calming atmosphere and mood with its sound design, sound mixing, art, animation, and deliberate editing choices, but with no substance from its characters, a lot of these moments feel abnormally empty.

Maybe I've grown out of these types of stories in anime, but its flaws still exist. On the surface, it's still a cute story about middle schoolers experiencing their first love. But any deeper than that, and you won't find much.