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Aug 23, 2022
Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu is a good show. Honestly, there is a certain standard one expects from KyoAni and surely this show didn't disappoint in that department.
Simply speaking, the basics of the story are similar to Free!. We are introduced to the main character named Minato (aka Haru), who abandoned his beloved archery, after developing target panic. After a faithful meeting with the coach Masaki, he nevertheless joins his school's archery team, where he is joined by his best friend Seiya (aka Tachibana), an archery rookie Ryouhei (aka Rei), cheerful Nanao (aka Nagisa) and tsundere Onogi. We are also very early on introduced to his
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childhood friend Shu (aka Rin), who competes for the rival school's team. The story, therefore, follows an already seen format towards safe waters with mixed success. The themes being touched upon, such as team spirit, not giving up and determination are presented and executed well, especially when the team of the main characters competes with the rival team. The differences in competing philosophies of the main rivals Minato and Shu are also an execution highlight. However, the story would sorely need a few more episodes to really flesh out its characters' motivations and unique personal struggles. The anime also suffers from introducing too many new characters at the same time (exact same issue as with Free!), with a few of them being demoted to basic stand-ins after a while. There should definitely be more character development, so one could really emote and start caring for these characters, however after finishing all 13 eps one was left with a general 'nice but nothing special' feeling.
Obviously, the production aspects of the show are lovely. The animation and the character design are superb and nothing to complain about. The archery scenes are very realistic and they do create tension. The sound is top-notch.
Honestly, this is a decent outing for any fans of sports anime or KyoAni. The anime is genuinely fun to watch but it leaves something to be desired, especially when compared with better sports anime, such as Haikyuu, Kuroko or Run with the Wind, which all managed to score higher in storytelling, animation and characterization departments. Since the second season of Tsurune was recently announced, maybe these shortcomings will be mended into a stronger outing for KyoAni. The sport is exciting and unique enough to deserve another season and a more polished storyline, which would complement already outstanding animation.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 10, 2021
This movie came out during COVID times and is following in the footsteps of all of the Demon Slayer movie hype around the world. As such, I think it might have not received as much recognition as it should. The movie was a wonderful, magical experience and the perfect ending to a lovely story.
Minor spoilers ahead
The art is obviously perfection. KyoAni studio is pro at what they are doing and this movie is no exception to the rule. Their love for the animation, movement, and expressions of characters, as well as overall attention to detail, produces an outstanding outcome that outshines almost all of the
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animes out there. The VA work from the titular Violet (Yui Ishikawa) and especially from Gilbert and Hodgins, who are voiced by two veteran VAs, Daisuke Namikawa, and Takehito Koyasu was top-notch. Their emotional scenes at the end of the movie again reminded me why they are considered as one of the best.
The movie basically consists of two stories. One is the story of Yurith, sick boy who wants to write letters to his loved ones before he dies (tearjerker for obvious reasons) and another is the long-awaited reunion of Violet and Gilbert, who is still fraught with memories of war and guilt over what has happened. KyoAni connects these two seemingly unrelated stories and through the usage of symbolism and beautiful imagery tells a story about how we all live with regrets, sadness, and pain but despite that, we still should allow ourselves to just be alive and LIVE. Gilbert being able to forgive himself in the end and realizing he is also worthy of love was a beautiful homage to Violet's path, who through the story gained her humanity and learned how to love and be loved as well. Them finally finding each other was a very satisfying end to both of their journeys.
The only quibble I had with the story and the reason I gave the characters the grade 9 is that I would also be interested in the faiths of all the CH Postal Company people at the end of the movie. Other than that this movie was perfection and I hope more people see this wonderful conclusion to an amazing anime series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 10, 2021
This will be my first review here on MAL but after watching this show, I absolutely had to write something. There are many different opinions on the state of the anime industry in recent years and the topics they choose to tackle. Personally, I have to say that one of the things that I have really missed is the amount of great slice-of-life animes that the beginning of the 2010s had. So, if you enjoy stories, such as Barakamon and Usagi Drop, or enjoy a heart-warming story about family, life, and relationships, you will definitely appreciate this show.
Story 8/10
The story of this show revolves around
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a man named Kakushi Goto (whose actual name is a pun on two Japanese words kakushigoto aka secret and kaku shigoto aka drawing for a living), who is a single parent working as a dirty jokes/ecchi mangaka. At the same time, he is also an overprotective, helicopter dad to his adorable little daughter Hime that absolutely cannot find out about his ‘disgraceful’ occupation. And thus, Goto often goes to great, even ridiculous lengths to hide his profession in order to protect Hime’s peace of mind and innocence.
One part of the story revolves around Goto’s work life and his relationship with his dysfunctional co-workers, which is the source of comedy, together with his ridiculous attempts to hide his true occupation. The other, more wholesome part is his family life and his relationship with Hime. There is also quite a lot of drama/tragedy at bay because of the complicated family relations in the extended Kakushi family, the mother’s fate, and the foreshadowing of a tragic future event.
There are some small quibbles that I had with the story, mainly that the last episode was a bit rushed (13 eps would have probably been perfect) and some small plot holes existed here and there. The time constraint of 12 eps also hindered the anime’s ability to properly develop all of the extended family relations. Some of the jokes also fell flat now and then but that didn’t deter me from appreciating the overall comedy. All and all, the story is a great mix of comedy and drama that sucked me in after one or two episodes.
Art and Sound 9/10
Obviously, we are talking about a SoL here, so the animation is not as ground-breaking as in some of the other animes but I have to say the art is still amazing, with beautiful vistas, flows, and lovely, as well as unique character designs. Sound is also perfect, combined with some memorable VA work, mainly from Hiroshi Kamiya, who seemingly cannot do anything wrong in my book. He is utterly convincing as a seemingly composed, doting, and loving father but in reality, being a certified mess. His ability to convincingly portray both aspects of one’s life is commendable. OP and ED are also quite good and perfectly set the mood of the anime.
Characters 9/10
The most interesting character and the focus of this series is the titular character Goto, who must juggle his work and his private life in order to raise his precocious child Hime. We get a glimpse of their loving relationship early on but through the anime, we also form an attachment to this great pair of father-daughter, which quickly became one of my favourite family portrayals in animes. Goto has his quirks, his professional life has been suffering and the sales of his last couple of mangas have been far from perfect, which has caused some serious self-esteem issues. He is also a tad eccentric and overdramatic, but he is constant in his wish of wanting to do everything in his power to provide for Hime and let her grow up safe, happy, and healthy. Their relationship is the heart of this show and plays into an interesting dichotomy of our parents being one person at home and another one in reality. Do we actually ever really know them?
Hime on the other hand is quite mature for her own age, understanding that her not having a mother makes some things different. Nevertheless, she is still a little girl in her dreams and wishes and that innocence is being protected by Goto, even though it makes us wonder if it is in Hime’s best interest, in the long run, to hide so many things from her.
Also, Tamaruin is a poster boy for an annoying and infuriating boss/superior.
Enjoyment 9/10
Kakushigoto therefore tackles an interesting premise of grown-ups leading double lives and lying to their children to protect their smiles. Anyways, I have thoroughly enjoyed this anime, got invested in its characters, and by the end also shed a tear with its emotional but wonderful conclusion. To nail the ending is always hard but this show managed to wrap up all the loose points and made it a memorable insight into parent-child relationship dynamics with a great dose of laughter and tears. I would recommend this anime as one of the better SoL outings of recent years and a highlight of 2020.
Overall rating 9/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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