Review of Sing "Yesterday" for Me

Realism. If I could only have one word to describe this show's biggest strength, that would be it. It's a show aimed for an audience of adults, and it treats you as such. It understands its targeted demographic, and doesn't do almost any hand-holding. There's a lot to be found in the more nuanced details of the show, whether it be dialogue, body language, or even a detail as small as a hand trembling while pulling out a cigarette. If you're not receptive to it or just not paying attention, it can go unnoticed. I think this plays a large part in the frequency of complaints aboutit being slow, boring, or characters making decisions the viewers don't understand the motivation behind.

The characters often make terrible decisions, they do and say things that make you ask "why are you being such an idiot?", and it's all very intentionally written into the show.
There is nothing in this world that can cause us to become more fickle, stubborn, and stupid than love can, and Sing Yesterday for Me does a wonderful job of reflecting that.
This show tackles that concept head-on, but not unrealistically. They lie to each other, they lie to themselves, they get jealous, they make brash and impulsive decisions, they fail to keep their promises, and convince themselves that they (do, or don't) feel things that deep down they know is the opposite.
If you were to sit in front of a TV and watch yourself doing all the stupid things you've done because of love or infatuation, you'd probably want to yell at the screen or even step through it just to slap some sense into yourself.

Everyone, at some point in their lives, in one regard or another, has no idea where they're going, what they're doing, or what they really want. This is another of such topics that Yesterday wo Utatte doesn't shy away from.
Some people are unsure of their choice of occupation or schooling, some are just pursuing the things that their peers told them they should, some are damaged and fearful yet can't help but take chances that might result in a repeated cycle, and some people endlessly search for the thing that will make them content, even when it's been right in front of them for far too long.
We all face one or many of these things at some point in our lives, and so do the characters this show revolves around. Just like our protagonists throughout the show, over time we grow and adapt, occasionally going in the wrong directions first.

This show gets a lot of hate for being "too slow", "too frustrating", or having characters that are "too indecisive and whiny". It's my belief that the majority of the people that feel this way have either forgotten, or (maybe fortunately) have yet to experience how slow and frustrating complicated relationships can be, and just how indecisive and whiny they can make you. Or, perhaps they were simply hoping for something more lighthearted and not as realistic.

A show that so directly addresses such things is prone to be disliked by people who have yet to experience them, or don't want to ruminate on (or have yet to realize) such bleak parts of the human experience.
These concepts aren't portrayed "just because they happen". A lot of the show focuses on the growth we can gain by coming to terms with such things, and the beauty that can come out of it in the long-run. A flower needs rain in order to bloom.

Closing thoughts:
Is it a perfect show? No, it has its weaknesses, but so do we. Sure, the plot isn't groundbreaking, but I wouldn't call it a painful cliche.
There are a few parts of the manga's side stories that are drastically shortened or completely cut out, but that's to be expected from a 12 episode show.
My own biggest gripe is with the timeline. The entirety of the show takes place roughly over the course of a year, and there are moments where the show will jump a couple days, weeks, or even months without explicitly saying so. That being said, it's usually pretty easy to catch these jumps from dialogue, clothing, or scenery.

Personally, I think the show is visually beautiful. I'm a huge fan of styles that give the feeling of hand-drawn, and I think it's executed quite well. There's a lot of attention to detail where other shows might leave said detail out.
The soundtrack is very fitting, utilized when it should be but quiet when it needs to be, and it never feels like any track is overused. It's refreshing to hear individual theme tracks for each main character as well.
There was barely any comedy, and I seriously preferred it that way.

This was the first romance anime I've watched, and the "frustratingly" realistic outlook of the show combined with the mature themes and settings have spoiled my expectations for almost every other that I've attempted to enjoy.

Who this show is for:

If you're looking for a mature show that dives head-first into the reality of how stupid, varying, and difficult things such as love, infatuation, and jealousy can be, this is definitely a show for you.

If you're looking for a lighthearted or upbeat romance, you're probably not going to enjoy it very much.