Review of Ya Boy Kongming!

Spoiler Warning: I shouldn't have judged this anime by its cover when the trailer first came out. "Ya Boy Kongming" was unexpectedly a surprise to watch. Not only was the concept strange at first, but by some miracle, it worked out incredibly well. Not only was its premise engaging throughout watching the twelve episodes, but it also reminded me how much I love music in any media, from anime to video games, and continuing the list from there. Witnessing the first three episodes aired in the beginning motivated me to continue this series, and it's worth watching this season. With that, here are some of thethings Ya Boy Kongming did that I enjoyed the most.

The anime's plot was first about reincarnation, but more like a reverse isekai situation combined with the aspects of the singer/idol industry. At first, it was strange watching a Chinese tactician getting reborn in the modern world, but towards the second episode, it made me realize that this series is so much more than just that. As for the music concept of this anime, it feels like it's brought to life when it's animated, giving life to the music sung by the characters. In a way, it also does a good job accurately portraying the music industry, especially towards the latter half of the series. Even though I don't know much about the music industry, I feel that the anime sets realistic standards for the protagonists by not making them magically achieve everything in twelve episodes. But by showing how important hard work can be, I'm proud that the heroine was able to accomplish another big step toward her goal. With the way the anime concluded, I would be excited if they announced a season two with enough source material to animate.

The anime's story is simple to understand, Chinese tactician Kongming, getting reborn into his younger years in modern-day Japan. Along the way, he meets a woman who's trying her best to become a famous performer, so he helps her to achieve her dream. Along the way, Kongming uses many stratagems to help her succeed as she makes friends with certain people that help her become a better singer. Finally, the overall goal motivates the heroine to stand out as a singer. Overall, all of these concepts may be simple, but it gets straight to the point, and the pacing of all the events is well done. However, the story itself is just that but adds some breath-relieving moments to calm down the tension now and then. What I love most about this anime is the payoff the heroine gets when she prepares for a significant event, and it succeeds thanks to her and Kongming's efforts. As a former high school singer, I understand how much she went through to make it this far into the music world, and I could feel it through her songs.

Out of everything that intrigued me, the characters and their development were a secondary factor that motivated me to continue watching this anime and forget that the overall concept of its premise was confusing at first. I'll be honest, seeing how the anime portrayed Kongming made me somewhat curious about The Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. And it was surprisingly accurate to events during that period. Among all the characters, Eiko is my favorite, mainly because of her perseverance as a rising star, but the way she sings helps other characters with their development. With that, I believe that Eiko will become one of the candidates for "best girl" this season. As for the other characters, especially Kabetaijin and Nanami, their inclusion in this anime made it even better, with Kabe's rap battles and Nanami's backstory as a performer. This anime did an incredible job at making them key factors for Eiko to achieve her goal for the anime's remainder, as their influence also shows how Eiko develops as a character and a singer. When it comes to music genres, it portrays how each character is suited for each type of song, and they all complement the story favorably. All while revealing that everything was planned using Kongming's high intelligence, showing how important he is still to the story while working out his tactics off-screen most of the time.

Considering the previous P.A. Works anime I've watched, this didn't have as much unique animation as those works. However, that doesn't mean it's hard to watch. At times, the quality of the visuals fits the atmosphere given whenever a performance was occurring, such as the moving transition between angles when Eiko sang in episode two. The best part of P.A. Works's consistency was the expressions and choreography, mainly how it does a good job bringing the characters to life along with their voice actors. As the animation made the characters stand out, even more, as it goes well with the art direction for each location that scenes take place in, making any moment a character sings feel more magical to listen to every time. Despite not reading the manga, I feel like the coloring for the location of each performance brought even more life into the anime, making it stand out for that factor.

The music is a crucial part of this anime, as not only does it have a catchy opening and closing song, but the soundtrack throughout each episode plays an important role. For the songs with vocal singers, such as 96neko singing for Eiko, the way she sings does a great job singing whenever the music plays. Her songs, such as "Be Crazy for Me," not only demonstrate good use of English, but the appropriate usage of her singing makes each song in this series resonate within my heart, and I commend the anime for doing that. As for the rest of the soundtrack, they were phenomenal. So much so that I quietly applauded after every moment any of the characters performed. The opening song is a cover of the original version used for the anime, containing a catchy beat, which motivated me to watch this after the first three episodes already aired. As for the ending song, I love how the melody stays consistent and that it eventually continues to grow throughout each character introduction, mainly with Kabe and Nanami singing giving the music even more flare. My thoughts on most songs are a mix between energetic and bittersweet as it portrays the atmosphere of specific episodes.

Overall, "Ya Boy Kongming!" is easily a hidden gem of the Spring 2022 season, and I don't regret watching this at all. Not only was the music and animation beautiful to witness, but the characterization of the cast impressed me with how far P.A. Works went with this adaptation. I thank Honma Osamu for his stellar directing. As well as Hikota Genki for his incredible soundtrack played in each episode. Without them, this wouldn't have been special for me to watch. This adaptation is hands down one of my favorite music anime, and I'm hoping the series will get a second season in the future.