Review of Tsukigakirei

I don't know if I've ever watched a show that I simultaneously loved and hated as much as Tsuki ga Kirei. Even though this show is 4 years old, I only just now watched it, and it left me with so many opinions that I had to write them out here. There were so many relatable moments, but that was both a blessing and a curse. I can't really explain it apart from breaking down the normal components. Story: 9 The plot was one of the strong points, which may sound odd for a simple, middle school romance. It was really enjoyable to watch these two sociallyawkward kids fall in love. With that, the story drew me in and made me care about the little developments like Akane's running, Kotarou's writing, their entrance exams, and their families. The one thing I could not stand about the plot was the love triangle dramas that they both experienced, but I consider that more a flaw in the characters than the plot itself, so I'll get to that. For now, I'll just say that the plot is simple, but beautifully written. Especially the first few and last few episodes. The middle got bogged down by the that drama I mentioned.

Art: 7
Much like the anime as a whole, I ended up torn on whether I liked or hated the animation a lot of the time. I think by the end I liked it, but maybe it says something that it took me so long to warm up to it. The random moments of background CGI were strange. And the normal animation looked like it was trying something fancy and ended up looking like a prototype. It never looked finished even though it seemed like it was supposed to be outstanding. I will say that Kotarou and Akane always looked very good, but a lot of the background stuff was just oddly animated. It's like they were trying to make all that stuff look plain/unfinished to emphasize the main characters.

Sound: 10
Perfect. There's little to say, which is a shame since this was definitely the best point of the show. The OP was amazing. Instantly added the song to my spotify playlist when I heard it. The ED was also very nice. OST music fit the moods for the scenes in such noticeably pungent ways. Just perfection all around. The voice acting was also very nice. Nothing particularly stood out in that regard, but certainly it didn't take away from the show ever.

Character: 6
Here we go. In the first 3 episodes, I thought that all of the characters were great. Kotarou and Akane were cute together, and I liked their social awkwardness. Chinatsu and Hira both appeared to be well-written side characters, and though we knew Hira was interested in Akane, it looked like it was going to be handled well. Then episode 4-8.5 happened. I'll be honest, by halfway into episode 9, I was fed up with every character except Kotarou, who just seemed to be in the middle of everyone around him being terrible people. Okay, maybe not Hira. Both of the guys, honestly, were kind of just in crappy situations caused by Akane and Chinatsu sucking. Especially Chinatsu...I really liked her early on. She was a supportive friend to Akane and helped Kotarou break out of his shell a bit. Then she decided to go full THOT mode and intentionally meddle in their relationship repeatedly, telling Akane all about it. Meanwhile Akane proceeded to take her frustration about that not on Chinatsu, but on Kotarou. Like what? He didn't even know Chinatsu liked him, but Akane kept being upset about it. Then she had the audacity to lead on Hira due to her own lack of awareness of his feelings. I get making the mistake of leading Hira on, but how could she do that while also being upset at Kotarou for doing literally less? I just grew so frustrated with Akane. Finally, halfway through episode 9 I started enjoying myself again...thanks to Kotarou being a man and setting things straight. But man, I almost wanted him to give up on Akane for a bit there. The rest of the show I managed to enjoy Akane and Kotarou, but Chinatsu and Hira both annoyed me still. Like seriously, Akane needed to stop hanging out with both of them. I digress. Point being, characters made this show what it was, which made it something in the first place and also took away so much of what it could have been.

Enjoyment: 8
Like I said before, episodes 1-3 were great, and I thought this show would easily contend for a 9/10 overall. Then 4-8.5 honestly just sort of sucked. Then 9-12 carried the show back to the realm of enjoyment for me. I would score those 3 different arcs a 9, 5, and 8 respectively. Overall I enjoyed the show at about a 8. There was always at least part of an episode that I really liked, if not the whole thing so much.

Overall: 7
My profile says that a 7 means "Good. Fun, enjoyable shows that I would consider recommending to a friend. However, there are obvious issues that cannot be ignored. However, the show is worth watching nonetheless." While part of me wanted to rate this show higher, that description perfectly encapsulates my feelings, so I give it a 7. It's worth watching, and there are some great things in it, but don't expect perfection.