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Have you ever dreamt back to a dreamy childhood of running around playing tag? Or maybe you’ve experienced the surprising understanding in loneliness on the back porch at an hour far too late to mention? Possible you also know the heavy nostalgia a simple action can cause?

This, and much more, is what Anohana captures in a twelve episode long anime, leaving the only way to describe it as: nostalgia or a place i’ve never been to, for a life i’ve never lived. This show brings you back to your lonely hometown, making you remember all your childhood friends together with the feeling of loss from ... flying so close to one's past. anohana has with no doubt mastered the pure emotional aspect as it builds up scenes on another levels from most other anime within its genre, leaving behind a clear emotional attachment to it once it’s passed. for me, i saw the show years ago and while i struggle with remembering plot points at times, i can still feel this intense feeling of nostalgia just thinking about it.

so to put it simple, if you’ve got the time to watch one short slice of life anime this one won’t disappoint you.

I never write reviews, ever, but as soon as I started watching this anime, I knew I’d have to change that. Even with my reluctant state towards sports anime I’ve watched a fair amount of them, all from Haikyuu!! to Yuri on ice, to prince of stride to kuroko no basket, even Kyoto studios own similar show: Free! So, this clearly isn’t my first rodeo with the genre even though I’m nowhere near an expert, but still when I tell you that Tsurune is different, I wholeheartedly mean it.

Already in the first episode you can tell exactly what you’re signing up for. They pull ... you in with the classic Kyoto animation visuals, the character design of cute boys that struggle with their separate setbacks in life (big and small ones). but even though it has these KyoAni features it’s clearly a slight downgrade visually from their regular works, I’d still say it’s above average and even stunning at times, but there’s no denying the stark difference form their higher budget works such as Free! and Violet Evergarden, which itself is the reason for the lower budget as they were airing Violet Evergarden and Tsurune at the same season. But still despite that, the cinematography with the animation to the fluently, the vibrancy and just well thought out scenery for every single scene still makes it so this show is well above average in animation It leaving behind remarkable stunning scenes such as Motomuras introduction scene in the first episode. But besides that, there’s also another downside to it being a very typical KyoAni series, which is the fact that its undeniable similar to their other shows. There no denying how similar the show is to Free! with everything from the plot to the characters, it’s to the point where even before the second episode you will have a general idea of the future plot points if you’ve ever seen Free!, and it will most likely be accurate too.

While I genuinely did find all the characters enjoyable in different amount, I can still admit how typical they were for the genre with the angry hothead one (Rin, Kageyama, Yuri, etc.) together with the easy-going bubbly guy (Nagisa, Hinata, Kenjirou, etc.). but at the same time, why change a formula that’s working just fine? I did at no point mind the typical sport anime tropes with the characters as they were still different and unique in their own ways from these other characters, it being either their own personal demons or their relationship with other characters among many differences.

So, what made Tsurune different? Unlike most (keyword: most) other sport anime Tsurune is simplistic, its calm and serene. It’s not about any flash movement or advance tactics, it’s exactly what it tells you that it is. It’s in no sense or form hectic, it’s a show that succeeds incredibly well with keeping the fine balance between calm and intriguing. Even with all the earlier mentioned flaws it has you rooting for the teams, it has just smiling happily with them as you genuinely feel for the characters.

I really wish everyone who likes relaxing slice of life will give this show a genuine try, I really think there’s something in here for anyone that likes these genres.