Back to Fire's Profile Fire's Profile

This season was a bit of a mixed bag in certain departments, while being pretty much perfect in others. Much like the majority of anime or media in general, rarely are there shows which are 100% perfect in all aspects, but we love the rest enough to look past it anyway. This has applied to pretty much every season of Attack on Titan so far for me, excluding maybe Season 3 Part 2 which I'd argue is the best and most even season overall. Let me go over which parts I thought were excellent and which I thought were somewhat lacking.

I'll start with what ... I didn't like – the art and animation was a noticeable step down from previous seasons. There was far too much use of CGI titans and characters during action scenes. It was distracting enough to temper my excitement of what was going on, and thus my opinion of the scene overall. I'd say it was the best during the Warhammer Titan's first appearance. Certain dialogue-heavy scenes were also under-animated and somewhat lacking in frames. Comparing this to how polished and beautiful seasons 1 and 2 were in their animation quality and art direction makes it clear how many corners have been cut since, despite the action and storytelling demanding so much more.

I will also say that I was somewhat let down by the soundtrack. Seasons 1, 2 and 3 all had at least three or four original themes that were masterpieces that I still listen to to this day. This season only had one or two that I thought stood out; I only hope this is supplemented by Season 4 Part 2's soundtrack. I didn't enjoy the music choice for Levi and Zeke's second encounter in the forest much either.

However, this is all to say that I think the storytelling and character writing has never been better for this series. The seamless transition between different perspectives, flashbacks and exposition is some of the best I've ever seen without feeling like it's dragging, too serious or too tonally dissonant. The motivations and directions some characters take is so unexpected yet satisfying that you can never really predict what will happen next, or choose whose side you're on. The storytelling does an excellent job of showing you multiple perspectives without narrative bias so you as an observer can make the choice yourself; there are no true protagonists or antagonists in Attack on Titan anymore, only who you believe in. The writing, much like the rest of the series, is highly ambiguous and clever, constantly hinting at things that may or may not be answered until much later when it becomes narratively relevant. In my opinion, the storytelling is so good that it makes the "boring" dialogue episodes better and more investing than the action-heavy ones.

If you're a fan of Attack on Titan in any way shape or form, this cour is guaranteed to blow your mind from a story perspective. However, if you're in it for the epic battles and god-tier animation/soundtrack, you may be somewhat let down by this season like I was; if it had been up to the standard presented by earlier episodes, this would've easily been a 10/10.

This review vaguely goes over themes discussed at later points in the film. Read with caution.

I've been forward to watching this movie ever since the adaptation was announced. Despite not having read the source material, the premise, while cliché, sounded less like a story that was larger-than-life and more like a passing, everyday one. And on a whole, the film started strong in that aspect but began to deflate upon itself when it took a down-to-earth story and made it more than it needed or was supposed to be.

The story is about a girl named Sakura who lives with the secret that she has a ... fatal pancreatic disease that would substantially decrease her lifespan, and an antisocial, emotionally detached boy finding out about this secret by chance when he finds her diary labeled "living with dying" (as translated in english). Sakura gains an unusual interest in this boy after he learns of this, and they begin to grow closer despite their clashing, antithetical personalities. The genius of this premise, in my opinion, is the very fact that the protagonist remains unnamed and is without a past or personality; this alludes to the fact that it could very well have been anyone to find out about Sakura's secret, and that regardless of who found her diary, she would've grown close to them and needed them in her life despite how much they wouldn't get along with her simply due to that. She finds it liberating; she can be real and open with them and not have to make excuses to avoid distancing herself from someone she cares about.

However, this film failed the moment when it tried to become larger than itself, larger than what it had initially intended to be. It falls into the sensationalized, romantic trap of star-crossed love and the allure of destiny and inevitability when the story wasn't actually about that at all. The story was about the peculiar normalcy of finding out a classmate is dying in the midst of a world where relationships and social perceptions seem superficial to those excluded from them, not that the meeting of a gratuitous stranger and the subsequent change in oneself as a result can be attributed to the predetermined. The story failed when it made the protagonist – a character initially unimportant to the story other than to serve as the narrator – more important than he needed to be, when all he really was was someone for Sakura to lean upon in her time of need because of the simple fact that he knew something about her that nobody else did.

That's my main gripe with this film: the narrative should've stayed truer to itself and its themes. The rest of it, in my opinion, works very well; the art direction, animation, and soundtrack is great. The film has many unexpectedly shocking moments, and an incredibly upsetting irony that underlines its core narrative. It's an emotionally powerful experience that certainly isn't lacking when it comes to gut-punches. However, for me, it lost something when it tried to reach for something that it very clearly wasn't for the sake of pointlessly obtaining an even higher level of emotional impact. To me, this film didn't need that, because the very beauty of it is the simplicity, the normality, the modest and somewhat absurd approach to death and how in the end, it really doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, or even what your name is as long as you can be what someone else needs the most.

I never quite understood what made Assassination Classroom such a popular show; was it because of the unique story? The comedy? The action? Having never seen it myself, I was in no place to make assumptions. Despite the very creative setup for the anime, it never caught my attention and thus have just now gotten around to finishing the first season. And now having seen it, I still found myself coming back to the same question: What makes Assassination Classroom so compelling? After I gave it more thought, I've now collected my thoughts on why a relatively above-average show ended up being more than the ... sum of its parts by the half-way point, and why it was truly a unique, important experience.

I'll admit, I struggled to get through the first 10 or so episodes of this show. It was a very on and off deal for me, watching small sections and then leaving it for a while before coming back. Something about the anime just didn't sit right with me; the premise was interesting but none of the characters stood out or made me want to come back for more, and the light-hearted comedic tone worked against the theme of "killing" and "assassination" making the entire underlying narrative seem disjointed and unbalanced. There wasn't focus on any one character, making it difficult to understand the events of the plot through the eyes of the students. The episodic nature of the episodes made it very difficult to watch for long periods of time because of the lack of incentive to continue. Despite my complaints, I stuck to it and kept watching, wanting to find out what really made the show special.

But I never found it. In fact, as I kept watching, I instead found myself growing more and more interested in what was going to happen next, finally understanding the motivations and backstories behind certain characters and why they were doing the things they did. I lost track of time and how many episodes I'd been through, simply clicking through to watch the next with undeniable anticipation. I realized that there wasn't just one thing that made Assassination Classroom special, but many small things that added up to a genuinely enjoyable experience filled with important life lessons about growing up and finding your place in the world. It wasn't just a dumb comedy anime about a bunch of middle school kids trying to kill a hypersonic tentacle monster, it was a show about the importance of persistence, never giving up no matter how bad your odds, and using your weaknesses to your advantage to find strength. From the very start, I'd been looking at it in the wrong way, setting my expectations at a place they never should've been. I now see how my initial disappointment was misplaced; Assassination Classroom was an unexpected slow burn of a journey and didn't grip me like many of my top rated anime did, but boy was it one-of-a-kind.

Sword Art Online has always been a bit of a mixed bag, with its awkward pacing issues, poor characterization, and lack of general plot focus. While this didn't significantly harm my enjoyment of the series, all five arcs spread amongst the series' two seasons suffered from these drawbacks, and unfortunately Ordinal Scale doesn't do much to break the mold. The way the plot is set up is no different to the storylines we've seen prior, and the execution, while initially promising, ended up falling into the same trap as its predecessors.

By far the biggest reason why Ordinal Scale ended up being a mess by the ... finale was a result of its bad pacing issues. The beginning took far too long to get to the point, opting for a long, unnecessary set-up and introduction of new technology and how that has affected the world and the lives of our characters. While this is indeed crucial to the story, it was dragged on for the majority of the first act and ended up leaving less time for the plot to kickstart and flow well. This ended up affecting the conclusion, making it far, far too rushed with an insane amount of exposition shoved down the viewer's throat in the final 20 minutes expecting everything to make sense and fall into place. This made it difficult to comprehend the events that occurred and even though it did mostly make sense, it still felt confusing and bloated. While the pacing could've been better, the story also suffered from placing importance on the wrong things; a lot more emphasis was placed on the "show" and not "tell" of certain characters' motivations and reasons for why they did they things they did. This is particularly apparent in the villains, who as I mentioned before aren't properly elaborated on until the end and are given minimal reasoning or screentime to allow the viewer to understand their actions. Yes, the film has absolutely stellar animation and sound design on par with Ufotable's better work lending to a very visually engaging experience, but it detracted from giving the film more depth. Many action sequences, while again very beautiful, were drawn out and unnecessarily long. This is particularly true of the final battle, which was a total mess of explosions and colors with callback upon callback to past seasons of SAO with unexpected cameos in an attempt to please fans. In my opinion, while it was cool to see, it detracted from the gravitas of the climax and turned it into an entertaining sequence and not a nail-biting one.

However, while it didn't really work in the climax, Ordinal Scale did have other callbacks to the original Aincrad arc that were actually very well implemented. Pretty much all of the main storyline is in fact based on events that occurred in the first season of SAO and this made it a rewarding experience to recall these events and see how they've impacted the world in present day. This was one of the strongest points in the film for me; it added a considerable amount of pretext and depth to the Aincrad storyline and the characters that took part in it, even some who weren't originally present as main characters. It also developed the relationship of certain characters, namely the two main protagonists Kirito and Asuna, satisfyingly tying up loose ends and continuing their dynamics from season 2. There were also interesting flashback sequences to Aincrad, to scenes that actually weren't in the original series but occurred intermittently and not put to screen, greatly adding to the world and giving justification for events that otherwise occurred without this context. There was consistent juggling of themes and undertones that were all wrapped up by the conclusion that initially arose from these flashbacks, again making this film a very good addition to the world of SAO and giving it more depth as a whole.

To sum everything up, Ordinal Scale is a good time for any SAO fan; that much is guaranteed. Anyone who appreciated the Aincrad storyline, even if they didn't like what followed it, will find something to enjoy here, as it added a considerable amount of development to the characters and world. The animation, soundtrack, and sound design are stellar, better than they've ever been, making the visual and auditory experience something to marvel at even if the story doesn't quite grab you. Like the original series, it suffers many of the same issues that unfortunately kept it from being as great as it could've been. Still, any SAO fan will have already overlooked these issues and appreciates SAO not for its shortcomings, but for everything that it does well. And for those people, this film is for sure a home run; to everyone else, the many narrative and storytelling flaws keep it from being the truly great experience that the series needed.

I've heard nothing but good things about Asagao to Kase-san, ranging from its frivolous cutesy moments to pure and innocent romantic atmosphere, so I had to check it out for myself to see if it really lived up to the praise it had been receiving. To sum up my thoughts, it did certainly match what people had been saying to a tee, but yet I still left feeling strangely unsatisfied with the experience afterwards. Somehow it didn't sit right with me; maybe I'd expected too much out of a 1-hour OVA and thought it would have more substance than what there actually was, or maybe ... I felt the relationship portrayed on screen felt underdeveloped and very superficial. Now that I've given it more thought, I'm ready to share how I feel about this OVA and why I thought it struck a lot of high notes, but fumbled a bit in the process of reaching them.

Let's start with what I liked about this anime. First of all, the art and animation is fantastic, pretty much the dictionary definition of eye-candy and adorableness. Though I will say that the character designs were pretty uninspired, definitely not anything we haven't seen before. The cute moments between our main couple Yamada and Kase definitely lived up to and surpassed what I had expected going in, leaving you feeling like you've had your daily sugar intake tripled. Their chemistry and relationship is nothing short of beautiful, and I think it's the prime example of how romance should be portrayed in a light and fluffy manner. The soundtrack is also excellent and worked very well throughout the short runtime of this OVA, choosing a more subtle and serene path initially and slowly working its way up to intensify the dramatic moments. The plane motif which is frequently referenced visually works very well with the core message of the story; that the sun always shines above the clouds, no matter how bad the weather gets below.

However, I also believe that the anime's focus on the "cute" moments between our main characters worked against it just as much as it did in its favor. While I understand that this isn't meant to be a deep story and that many liberties needed to be taken to adapt the story into a 1-hour OVA, the entire runtime of this anime pretty much boils down to a compilation of all the cute moments Yamada and Kase share until the eventual climax. Again, that is exactly the appeal of anime like this, but without the proper development of these characters it fell flat when you're supposed to be getting excited over the relationship of two girls you know basically nothing about, including how they got together in the first place. This is the limitation of having a manga adapted into a short hour-long special, but I do believe that they managed to include the elements of the story that mattered. However I can't help but feel like despite it being a worthwhile experience, it could've been a lot better had it been even an hour longer, or perhaps a full 12 episode long series. With the screentime they got, none of the characters were compelling in any way; all of them were generic cardboard archetypes thrown in with some good romantic chemistry added and then blended up. This is particularly true of Yamada's best friend/generic wingwoman character whom isn't even listed on the MAL page because her role was so insignificant in the narrative.

This anime is meant to appeal to a certain demographic, and that much is obvious. It isn't trying to be a deep story with compelling character arcs or a significant message. It's supposed to be a cute love story between two girls and the challenges they face in their relationship, nothing more. And this anime exceeds with flying colors when it's regarded as that and ONLY that. So, don't be like me and go into this expecting anything else, because the short runtime and aforementioned clear intentions are guaranteed to constrain this anime to what it presents itself to be and thus leave you disappointed like I was. So if you want a very clear and straightforward fluffy romantic story between two fumbling tyros that certainly isn't lacking in the diabetes department, then by all means you will love this anime. But if you want it to rise above that and perhaps be more than what it initially appears to be, you might be in the wrong business.

For me, Classroom of the Elite was kind of a "sleeper-hit" anime. I didn't really know what to expect going into it, the synopsis gave me a vague idea which got me interested enough to watch it. Even after watching the first few episodes I wasn't massively blown away, it seemed like it was trying to be something much bigger than it was capable of by introducing and setting up a system that could easily collapse in on itself if handled poorly. However, as I watched, I gradually began to realize the hidden genius behind the seemingly mundane and generic drama that stung the plot ... together, much of which came together in the final episode. In fact, it redefined the way I looked at the rest of the show, something which I find to be incredibly rare in a 1-cour anime that clearly isn't a finished story. This season of Classroom of the Elite seemed to only be a prologue to a much deeper story that would follow, but did its job as an introduction with incredible attention to detail, foresight, and consideration.

For me, most of the genius behind this anime derives from the main character Kiyotaka Ayanokoji. He is, by all indications, completely apathetic. A blank slate without any emotions, hobbies, favorite things, or motivations. However, despite this, he helps his classmates with various problems by lending his keen intellect to solve their issues from behind the scenes, only to pass the credit for his actions on to others. While this has been done before (namely in OreGairu's protagonist Hikigaya Hachiman), Ayanokoji does indeed have motivations for his actions which are revealed in the very last episode, only being hinted at prior. This final revelation gives a reason to every single one of his actions and redefines his character, making you wish there was more to see afterwards following this reveal. This is one of the reasons why I call this first season of Classroom of the Elite a "prologue", because it's only after that that the viewer understands why Ayanokoji does what he does and gives his actions more weight. It's a slow burn that ultimately pays off by the end, because most of the plot revolves around how Ayanokoji helps his classmates through various situations alongside a follow classmate Suzune Horikita whom he grows close to, and the shift in the balance of power due to that. The anime builds upon the idea of hierarchy and everyone fighting tooth and nail to reach the top, and every plot point in this anime relates to this. It's very much a psychological battle as classes try to constantly one-up each other in order to climb to the top, making it incredibly gratifying to watch as plans are put into place and how they unfold. This is by far the best part about this anime; seeing the extent students go to to reach the top, and how our seemingly passive protagonist becomes involved while pulling the strings from the shadows.

The drawbacks of this anime come in the form of an underdeveloped supporting cast and lack of focus on the real plot. The supporting cast is interesting enough to watch but hardly any receive character development, and almost all rely on tired archetypes. There is also an overabundance of pointless fanservice that was in no way a necessary addition for a show of this kind, even going so far as to have an entire episode of fanservice were hardly anything of importance happens. While I found the plot engaging, there seemed to lack a general sense of direction in the events that occurred due to their spontaneous nature. None of it really related to the progression of the main story and by the end, not much had changed in terms of that which was set up in the beginning. Again, due to this I attribute the word "prologue" to this first cour of Classroom of the Elite which will hopefully be followed by another.

Don't watch this anime with the expectation of finding a wholly unique and thought-provoking experience, because while Classroom of the Elite does have some genuinely brilliant moments of intellect and social interplay, it isn't an anime that will redefine genres or be regarded as a true masterpiece. The highest point of this show, for me, was the incredibly interesting protagonist and how he handles the situations that are thrown at him, while side-characters act as cardboard cutouts for him to snake around. There is incredible attention to small details which come together and make sense in the end and it is very gratifying to watch things be pieced together in such a fashion. Classroom of the Elite does tired tropes correctly but falls flat in the grand scheme of a story that is much larger than what could be supported by only 12 episodes, with a highly compelling protagonist and entertaining drama that could've been elevated by having more episodes to flesh out its characters, world, and shifting power dynamic.

Ao Haru Ride does something that most shoujo anime adaptations fail to do, and that is allowing itself to be honest and mature, denying superficiality in the way it handles its core themes. It does so with grace and precision, allowing the viewer to observe and understand the reasons for a character acting a certain way and then letting them reflect upon it. This provides it with significant emotional horsepower that propels the characters and the plot forward in an incredibly satisfying fashion. As a whole, this isn't so much a love story as it is a story about grief, friendship, and allowing oneself to ... grow as a person by acknowledging and accepting your past, no matter how dark it may be; not every relationship is about attraction and frivolous personality traits, some are built on hardship and the strength required to overcome it. Ao Haru Ride exemplifies this in a way most shoujo do not, while still undeniably remaining a "shoujo" anime.

This development is primarily seen in the male protagonist Mabuchi Kou, a mysterious soft-spoken boy who moved away from his middle school due to unknown reasons. Now in high school, the main female protagonist Yoshioka Futaba, whom once liked Kou, meets him again and attempts to find out what caused him to become almost the antithesis to his former self in his personality and affinity to those around him. That's the main plot in a nutshell, and while yes, there is romance involved, it's not the anime's primary focus, particularly as by the end that story thread is left inconclusive. It is primarily focused on Kou's past and how he is a very damaged person incapable of opening up, and how he grows to become someone who can do so fearlessly through the help of Futaba. While this is the case, the anime is shown from her perspective and how she also deals with anxiety and doubt, particularly struggling to find friends she can truly bond with who understand her insecurities. This becomes a major theme in the show, particularly in the beginning, and interweaves with the show's main focus in a very satisfyingly elegant way. These two protagonists have brilliant chemistry and you can't help but root for them from the very beginning of the first episode. While Ao Haru Ride excels in what it wants to say and get across, it also has a very attractive but conventional shoujo artstyle and coloring along with a very good soundtrack that places similar musical motifs throughout effectively.

I find that the anime's main weakness is in that of the supporting cast. In fact, that name suits these relatively one-dimensional characters all-too-well; they are there only to support the main characters and not much else. While there are exceptions, most of them go through little character development over the course of the show and only appear when it is convenient for the plot. While not a large negative and pretty much a mainstay of most if not all anime and other general media, it can get distracting at times. Again, the way Ao Haru Ride handles them is nowhere near as bad as other anime, so I didn't find it to be something that brought it down as a whole. I would also find fault in the general creativity of the anime. If I had to describe it in one way, I'd say that Ao Haru Ride is the quintessential shoujo anime because it's a very generic depiction of what shoujo "should be" but done in an outstanding way. While other shoujo anime/manga like Orange have creative aspects to them, Ao Haru Ride doesn't and thus may deter certain viewers for being exactly "too generic".

I truly respect Ao Haru Ride, both the adaptation and the source material, for being very honest and mature work considering the genre it's placed under. It deals with some heavy topics such as depression, social anxiety, and how grief can make someone change themselves in a self-destructive way. However, it directly combats these darker themes with lighter ones such as forgiveness and acceptance, making it a perfect and rewarding blend of uplifting and serious. It can be deeply realistic and relatable at certain points to those who have experienced similar trauma to that of the characters, and that is to be commended. I can comfortably say that Ao Haru Ride is my favorite shoujo anime because of the beauty and elegance of its presentation, allowing one to feel and understand the guilt, trauma, and eventual absolution that its characters go through while providing a rewarding, respectful payoff.

While not a wholly original story, Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora accomplishes something unique in its succinct but powerful execution of tired tear-jerking themes. Although short at 6 episodes, it manages to tell a surprisingly deep and somber story about romance with a caveat, backed up by a very small but entertaining cast of characters that help to give the story more meaning and provide the unique execution that this anime presents.

However, I come away from watching this in a strange "half-satisfied half-disappointed" state. While the anime does manage to tell its entire story with 6 episodes with good development of character and relatively ... decent progression of events, the pacing suffered due to it length, particularly in the last episode when it was wrapping up. While nigh-tearjerking, it felt cut off before it could really finish what it wanted to say, tying up the themes and core impact on the world of the show. What I mean by this is that we didn't get to see the aftermath of certain events and how characters reacted to them, we are told this through a very short montage overlaid by the credits. It presented a simple narrative that slowly built up, but the ending didn't really offer the payoff to the buildup that was being made. Also, while this may be obvious, certain characters received very little to no development, but that was clearly to be expected of an anime of this length that wanted to tell a story and was set on doing just that and nothing else.

That doesn't stop this short anime from being very good, however. Character interactions were done in a satisfying and entertaining way and as we learn more about them, we come to understand their prior actions that seemingly weren't justified. I think this is a tremendous feat for having a very constrained time limit to present these characters and the situation they're in. I don't want to spoil the story, but it felt like every event had a purpose when you really thought about it and there was no unnecessary side-elements to pad the already very short runtime if it didn't have a reason to be there. This includes the drama, which are present in very satisfying and understandable amounts that aren't left going on for way too long and thus souring the rest of the story. Our two leads, Yuuichi and Rika, had excellent chemistry and had understandable emotional reactions to events in the plot despite it not initially seeming so.

If you're a fan of love stories that are clear on the kind of story they want to tell and don't stray away from that, which treat their few important characters with the quality of development they deserve, you should definitely give this one a shot. Any fan of the genre will find something to enjoy here, whether it be the heartwarming moments between the two protagonists or the healthy and deserved amount of drama woven into the narrative. At 6 episodes, it's an easy yet heavy watch when you come to a realization about how certain things will inevitably end, or begin.

Before I start I want to say that I haven't seen the two prequel movies that preceded this series, which have a more general focus on characters that appear in this anime. This series in particular focuses mainly on one of the couples that appear in the two films, and it isn't necessary to watch them before proceeding with this series. With that, I'd like to come out and say that I think this anime has been slept on considerably; it's a cute little romance story that would definitely be appreciated by a lot of people who need their romance fix when they've run out ... of things to watch. It's a very straightforward shoujo-like plot that doesn't do much new, but goes through the usual conventions in a very beautiful and enjoyable way.

One of the main reasons why I like this show is because it does exactly what people want to see out of a drama-romance anime; with it's short length (only 6 episodes), it forces the story forward without much in the way of pointless filler or storylines that don't correlate with the main narrative. This gives it great pacing in my opinion with the constraints given. However this was also a negative for me; the main story they chose to focus on was one about a character who was connected to both protagonists and impacted them personally in some way. This left it feeling like the anime wasn't about the main couple but rather about this character and how they deal with revelations about them that leave them wrapped up in doubt and frustration. And with the short amount of episodes, the anime couldn't further explore the couple's story beyond that.

That being said, the anime does have a conclusive ending that was the one everyone was waiting to see, and it felt very gratifying. It also has superb animation and attractive character designs that are incredibly pleasing to look at, as well as a top-tier soundtrack. For a show that felt more like an OVA than a full series, it was a pleasant surprise. The two main characters, Haruki and Miou, were both likeable and had unique traits about them which made them stand out from usual romance protagonists as well as being very cute with each other. The anime also focuses on two side couples which are also likeable and enjoyable to see develop and eventually receive a conclusion.

Itsudatte Bokura no Koi wa 10 cm Datta is a short and sweet little romance series that I think a lot of people have missed, and I think it's exactly what lovers of romance/shoujo anime are looking for. It does all the usual conventions of a love drama in a visually appealing and entertaining fashion but doesn't have much in the way of content, as it remains only 6 episodes long. While it is a cute love story that I overall recommend, in the end it did leave a little more to be desired.

I don't think I've ever seen an anime as realistic in its portrayal of first love than Tsuki ga Kirei. It absolutely nails it on the head in all the right ways, ranging from the awkward texting, even more awkward "post-confession" day, and steady growth of trust and comfort between the two parties. The way it handles character interaction and character growth are pretty much unrivaled when it comes to anime similar to it. How does it do these things so well? Well, it starts by knowing what it is and sticking exactly to that the entire time. It doesn't try to be anything more ... than a simple love story between two tyros who've never been with someone who loved them back. This makes it truly effective at relaying exactly what it wants to say and how it wants to say it.

However, it's not flawless. While deliberately and precisely executed in its narrative, the art and supporting cast suffer in that they are both underdeveloped. In the art department, it's very clear to anyone who's seen quality animation that many corners were cut to save on cost; for example, extensive use of CG character models for background characters (and sometimes even foreground characters, believe it or not) is absolutely rampant throughout this anime and almost no measures were taken to make it look more convincing than what it is. Also, the scenery, while stylized, is clearly not hand-drawn or in high resolution. It comes out blotchy and blurry at times, particularly when it needed to be layered in order for characters to pass through the middle ground. The supporting cast is there at times for the protagonists to lean on but don't develop much as individuals at all. The character designs themselves aren't particularly interesting either, but this isn't a negative as this was clearly the intention to add to the already substantial realism.

Tsuki ga Kirei excels at exactly what it wants to, and that's crafting a simple yet beautiful and innocent love story that's presented and develops in a believable and highly realistic way. It does this through minimal spoken dialogue and scarce use of background music, particularly during normal conversation scenes. It gives the anime a sense of visceral unpredictability which runs parallel with reality. It does what it sets out to do and that's exactly why it succeeds so well, because it doesn't focus on making the story bigger or more interesting by throwing curveballs to keep the audience's attention. While it may seem mundane and boring to some, Tsuki ga Kirei is undeniably realistic and relatable in every sense in its portrayals of developing feelings and first time romance.