Review of Tsukigakirei

Tsuki ga Kirei is an anime that is constantly trying desperately to be more than the sum of its parts. It coasts through every school romance cliche with a melancholy mood that could be an absolute masterpiece if I could muster up a shred of care for the main couple. The two main characters are, to put it mildly, dull. Their interests are explored only at a shallow level and their conversations constantly feel like small talk. They lack any sort of chemistry and I'm constantly left feeling like they're in love with being in love rather than actually in love with each other. Atthe end of each episode, several shorts about the rest of the cast play, and I find myself wishing I could spend more time with them and less with the protagonists.

The result is an anime that I can't understand the hype over. To me, Tsuki ga Kirei feels like it's constantly coasting by on as little effort to the writing as possible, borrowing elements from other series that are more enjoyable than it. It feels less like a full-fledged series and more like a template for a potential one.