Oct 1, 2022
I almost always skip anime intro and outro songs, but I never skipped these. Every kind of art in this anime is stunning, fresh, and eye-catching, yet laid-back. Attention is paid to detail. The music, the colors and visuals, the direction/cinematography, the characters. They all pull you in and make you feel something.
I looked forward to every episode - each one drew me in and I couldn't get enough of that mood -- romanticizing the night, especially the calm stillness of urban night. It even inspired me to take some walks at night myself lol. Night time can take mundane things and cast them in
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a new light, making them seem special and different -- and romance can as well. The art mirrors and amplifies this shared trait of night time and romance, helping the viewer experience the night the way the characters do. Through its interpretation of this trait of the night, the art also casts night itself in a new light for the viewer to feel and appreciate.
It's a romance, but it's neither a drama nor a romcom. It's a slice of life romance, I'd say, and the romance is usually subtle. The anime explores the idea of romance by living through it: doing enjoyable things together at a slow, chill pace, like a walk down a quiet street at night with a partner. I'd say the chill, fresh mood reflects the general night experiences that the characters have in the show. With the main character skipping middle school, it also touches on themes like identity, individuality, resolve, friends, perspective, societal expectation, and rules and norms, engaging with these deep topics without being too overbearing or intense. One question it asks is what you will find when you live adjacent to, but detached from, the operation of mundane, normal society, like the night is, like romance is, and like vampires are.
Most episodes were over before I knew it. It was harder for me to wait a week for each episode for this anime than for others -- if I'd known it would be like that, I would have waited for the season to finish before starting it. It's not a 10 only because 1 or 2 episodes felt filler-y, and there were a couple plot points that were mentioned once and then never touched on again or resolved - possibly forgotten about, but maybe just awaiting resolution in later seasons.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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