Sakamichi no Apollon *NEW YEAR!*

What's up, people?
It's Dramanator with another anime review, obviously.
I didn't make a holiday special...well, it wasn't because I was busy, so that's out...um...I was lazy. That's all I've got. But that's no excuse for not writing a little later than the general "hump day" of the Holiday season: Christmas. Fortunately, this holiday season and winter break has brought great fortune to the Love household. This great fortune happens to be a new anime!

Now onto the good stuff:

Of all of the surprises in the anime world, Sakamichi no Apollon just about takes the cake in my book. I'd seen this anime in my favorite anime YouTubers' Top 10s (including Misty Chronexia and Acnologia) that it blew my mind. But, in spite of amazing reviews of it, definitely put off this anime simply because I couldn't help but think the character design seemed a bit...off. Finally, after about 6 months of procrastinating, literally just two nights ago, I decided, "You know what, I'm just gonna watch the first episode and see how it goes. What's the harm?"

I'm telling you now, that's not what happened.

Of course, I intended to watch the very first episode of 12. That didn't happen.
Because I blew through the entire anime in less than 24 hours.
When Acnologia said "...it's the type of anime you'd want to marathon in one go," I didn't think he was that serious.
Now this is definitely one to save for a rainy weekend or one of those hot summer days...or your winter break when all you want to do is stay indoors and do nothing. Don't do nothing. Watch Sakamichi no Apollon

Just saying, folks. It was pretty awesome.

Summary:
Apparently set in summer, 1966 (which I didn't know until after I saw the anime), bespectacled classical pianist and studious high school freshman Kouru Nishimi moves to Kyushu alone to live with relatives. At his new school, Kaoru is exposed to a whole new lifestyle after meeting the notorious school bad boy, Sentaro, who Kaoru is surprised to find is a drummer with a taste for jazz music. Sentaro and his childhood friend Ritsuko, the daughter of a record store owner, show him the ropes of their sea-side town as he begins to play jazz piano in their music group. Through his new friends, Kaoru finds a new appreciation for friendship, love, belonging, and let's not forget jazz.

INFO:

Title- Sakamichi no Apollon  (Kids on the Slope)...?
Genres- Drama, Josei, Music, Romance, School
Director- Shinichiro Watanabe
Creator- Yuki Kodama
Character Design- Nobuteru Yuki
*Music*- Yoko Kanno
Animation Studio- MAPPA / Tezuka Productions
Network- Fuji TV (...I think)
Language of Origin- Japanese
Episodes- 12
Cast- (Japanese / English)


Ryohei Kimura  /  Chris Patton as Kaoru Nishimi

Yosimasa Hosoya  /  Andrew Love as Sentaro Kawabuchi

Yuuka Nanri  /  Rebekah Stevens as Ritsuko Mukae

Aya Endo  /  Maggie Flecknoe as Yurika Fukahori

Nobuhiko Okamoto   /  Blake Shepard as Seiji Matsuoka



Reasons to Watch:

• A New and Amazing Art Style

Sakamichi no Apollon has a pretty obviously different art style than your average, everyday anime. Though it may be slightly more square-ish and at times a bit boxy when it comes to character design, it does not (much to my surprise) distract from the anime as a whole. Aside from that, the graphic aspects are wonderful and very realistic and the instruments featured are detailed and accurate. All in all, very solid and enjoyable art.

• The Drama & Relationships

When I went into this anime, the focus I expected was music. Little did I know, the drama and relationships of the story were probably the most developed things about this series. That's right—more than the characters. Hints of love triangles are dropped subtly throughout the series, but are never really brought up seeing as it focuses mainly on the guys of the series and their feelings rather than the female and minor characters. The romance alone in this anime is not exactly what drives it in the right direction. It happens to be the drama in relation to the romance and the main characters that really set it apart and definitely pulls you in. Kaoru and Sentaro (as well as some other, less main characters) develop a sort of "mess up, forgive, and repeat" friendship that, well, obviously, with a gentle, nerdy guy as the lead and the rough-around-the-edges bad boy as what can be interpreted as his burly sidekick, their relationship doesn't seem unpredictable or able to last long. But just try telling that to them then or even 8 years later.

• A Refreshing & Jazzy Sountrack

I know I always say that everyone's soundtrack is amazing, but I quickly forgot about pretty much everything else after I saw even the first episode of this anime. I was expecting some well-known jazz favorites and a pretty cool opening song for a music anime, but I had no idea it would be so refreshing. I recognized at least half of the songs featured in the anime, but only after distinct listening because the way it's arranged was so unique, it was hard to pick up on at a first listen. Yoko Kanno doesn't miss a beat with this music anime and the songs are nearly impossible to resist air-drumming or bobbing your head to. *Applauds*.


Overall, Sakamichi no Apollon is definitely going straight into my personal top 10 and it was a great way to end the year on a fantastic note. So with that being said, if you haven't seen it, it's sooooo worth it. Go ahead...don't be shy... click here to watch on KissAnime

RATING:

4.99 STARS

Anyway...

That's all for today. Hope to see you soon!
Love,
The Dramanator.


(P.S.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!)