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Light spoilers below. Studio Feel will make you feel.

Despite that Tsuki ga Kirei originally seemed destined for obscurity, its rating's recent ascension to an 8.3+ speaks volumes about Studio Feel's ability to enthrall viewers in a fairly simple story about young love. Put simply, Tsuki ga Kirei is one of those hidden gems whose first few episodes belie its true potential and excellence. I hope you will decide to give it a chance.

Despite its slow start, Tsuki ga Kirei flourishes alongside our two main protagonists, Akane and Koutarou, as they progress through the familiar struggles of junior high school: exams, clubs, friendships, and ... difficult new experiences. Although they are not the most expressive pair, we learn about them through their decisions and conversations as they discover each other.

Due to their distinct hobbies, personalities, and friend groups, both Akane and Koutarou exist beyond their mutual relationship- allowing the audience to grow closer to each individual while simultaneously investing in them as a couple. The characters, in general, are actually one of the show's strongest points because they are realistic and believable. The common romance tropes are left behind completely; there are no accidental boob grabs or simple misunderstandings which balloon to nuclear heights. The characters have problems and they talk to one another. This unique aspect propelled this show from good to great in my eyes because it made the drama more than just believable, it made the drama relatable. We root for the characters because we see ourselves in them and recognize their mistakes and struggles as our own. We empathize with them even as we bang our heads against the wall because we know that it is truly impossible to have your shit together at the age of 15.

Overall, the plot is realistic and developed. To my surprise, I found that little was left unaddressed or wanting by the end. Perhaps my greatest regret is that the show ended so conclusively that hopes for a second season or continuation are inconceivable.

Art

Although I do not believe that the art was the apex of Tsuki ga Kirei's excellence, I found the character designs to be appealing and distinguishable. Be warned, there is occasionally some unfortunate use of cgi to accentuate the backgrounds, but what I once considered an annoyance and an eye-sore quickly was overshadowed by crisp, colorful, and beautiful backgrounds and environments. As the show progressed, my opinion of the art dramatically increased from just okay to often impressive.

Sound

The soundtrack for this anime was on point. Both the OP and ED matched the tone and theme of the show and encapsulated the intimate feel that the story espouses. The OST was also rather extraordinary and consisted of several songs which accurately conveyed the scene's emotions and impact.

Enjoyment

Out of all this last season's anime, I looked forward to the release of Tsuki ga Kirei more than any other. I highly enjoyed its ability to bring me back to my freshman year of high school and the challenges of puberty and first loves. I would definitely recommend it.

As stated before, one of this anime's greatest achievements is that it was able to avoid the downfall of so many other romances- contrived drama. The characters, even when they are wrong, act realistically. Their relationships are authentic and have weight. Mix in some solid artwork, a fantastic ost, and enjoyable characters, and you get Tsuki ga Kirei- a 9/10 anime that is a gift to those who enjoy anime romances.

I would also HIGHLY recommend sticking around through the entire ED because many episodes include some shorts. I would gladly watch an entire show of shorts like these. They are 10/10.

Having just completed the thrilling anime Kyoukai no Kanata, you can imagine my surprise to find that there were two movies related to the series, Kako-hen, the recap movie, and Mirai-hen, the direct sequel. This review will obviously pertain to the former.

Please note that this is not a movie for newcomers who are unaccustomed to the plot of KnK (so for the love of Gilgamesh if this is you, don't watch this).

Despite the original anime's prevalent flaws, my prior enjoyment made me believe that this movie could stand alone or be (dare I say) better than the original if it cut ... some of the fan service and irrelevant side arcs. However, I could not have been more wrong. While there is not doubt that Kako-hen is visually appealing (having taken its scenes directly from the original anime), no amount of pretty art/animation can make up for the disaster that occurred when Kyoani compressed a 12 episode anime into a measly 120 minutes.

Right off the bat, I was thrown off when the movie opened by spoiling a reveal that was central to the plot (revealed at the end of the anime). I'll admit that this provided an interesting perspective to the film, but it also removed any of the mystery that was a fundamental part of the original anime's appeal.

By squeezing the original series into 120 minutes, numerous important and informative scenes were altogether cut from this movie, including side character introductions and critical conversations between our two protagonists, Mirai and Akkey. This has resulted in a hodge-podge of events occurring one after another in quick succession, sometimes dropping the viewer in the middle of a scene or conversation or even immediately after an event occurred that had direct implications for the plot (looking at you, Hollow Shadow). Even with my prior knowledge of the story, I felt lost in a whirlwind of events whose impact had been cheapened. It is one thing to cut superfluous dialogue, but when you remove a scene which was the impetus for a subsequent critical conversation or revelation, all the impact and character development is lost.

In terms of the film's sound/OST, I really enjoyed the OP/ED and felt that the effects were crisp and clear. However, much of the film was not accompanied by music and at one point they even added in some jarring screeches for dramatic effect which I found unnecessary and tedious.

Overall, I really like the plot to Kyoukai no Kanata and this movie could have been a really nice addition to the series by cutting out some of the original's moe and cheesy comedy in exchange for a more serious focus on our main couple. However, that opportunity was utterly squandered by the decision to make the movie so short. Therefore, what we are left with is a shell of an otherwise compelling story which was unable to enthrall me past titillating my eyeballs with nice visuals. I would not recommend this film to anyone, especially not a first time viewer of this show. 3/10