Nov 23, 2021
I want to preface this review by stating that I want to be as fair as possible to this show; to give it credit where credit is due, and to say that there was clear talent and effort put into it, on to the review.
Art & Animation 8/10
Starting with the obvious, and probably the biggest reason anyone watched this show, the animation. It's no surprise that an anime made in collaboration with MAPPA and Madhouse would look this good; the animation is phenomenal and the art direction is on the right track... but that's about it, its a pretty show, but the fights are painfully
...
dull, with little strategy, or stakes for that matter. During the entire duration of this show, there wasn't a single fight I saw that pulled me in and dangled me at the edge of my seat, they're insanely predictable and almost telegraphed in their execution, if it weren't for the animation I doubt anyone would've really given them a chance.
p.s. the monster designs feel very uninspired, they're basically just animals but bigger, and with an alien-esc color palette.
Sound 6/10
For an anime based around using music to fight off an alien threat, the music was kind of dull. There's been no standout tracks, no amazing scores or memorable pieces, it just feels like there's nothing really there. This is made all the more painful when I realized they didn't even used any classical music in this, I swear to god they had the perfect opportunity to use flight of the Valkyries yet somehow didn't, great. I will say however that when the main character Takt, plays the piano it's actually good, but only in the moment, plus the sound effects quality is remarkably good.
Characters 4/10
If you're looking for a show with deep or engaging characters, go watch something else, as this shows cast is skin deep at best. From the very beginning we're introduced to the our main ensemble, Takt Asahina, Destiny/Cossette, and Anna, their roles and dynamics where essentially set in stone from there onward. Takt is a music piano obsessed loner, Destiny was and emotionless kudere obsessed with food, and Anna was the straight woman who had to haul around the two idiots across the united states all the way to New York. This is the show, to be fair I feel that Destiny was the only character who got something resembling development, I don't know what it was but O actually liked her. Takt was kind off just... I don't know, there? I'd say he was mostly apathetic, he was more concerned with finding a piano, telling people how much he wants to play the piano, playing the piano, and reminding is how much he needs to play the piano, it got very annoying very quick.
Anna was also much more bearable, though again, she was mostly just there, and I'm surprised how nonchalant she was about the who thing that happened to Cossette; She played her role as a straight man the whole way through, and that's kind of it. I can't say more about the side characters, they were there, much like the main cast, but they were even more paper thin than the main trio which was worse.
Story 4/10
I wasn't expecting much seeing as this was a mixed media project, the studio couldn't write a complete story because then the gatcha game wouldn't really have anything to tell. Knowing this I came in with low expectations, but Jesus Christ did they somehow still disappoint. The story was sort of advertised as a road trip, that's what we got, but that's it, each episode was episodic in nature, the main trio finds a town, they have some trouble with D2's, Takt sometimes plays the piano, they fight the monsters, and they call it a day. Now of course there are episodes where the formula is bent a little, but its practically unnoticeable, bar like one exception.
Don't even get me started on the inconspicuous asshole that got introduced like 5 episodes in, then surprise surprise, he's the villain, definitely didn't see that coming from a mile away.
Overall 4/10
This show was just mediocre, it had so much going for it, I swear if they had not only more episodes but a better writing team, this could've been one of my anime of the season, but sadly, that's just not how things went. I know MAPPA and Madhouse are capable of making great works, they've done it before and even continue to do it, it's just that every so often, we get shows like this, and even the pretty animation can't save them for me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
