SPOILER FREE

takt op.Destiny did far more things wrong than it did right. The animation and character design were easily the best parts of the show, but that really doesn't mean much. The pacing ruined both the plot and the character development, and the show as a whole said very little about music as an art form despite being a music anime. Many individual elements were subpar, leading to the entire show being far from good.

The character development was done incredibly horribly. If you asked me for an example of good development, I’d point to this show and say, ”Do the exact opposite of this.” Everything was so rushed that by the end of the show, many actions felt unnatural. Though there were many moments where they were obviously trying to develop the characters, it didn’t flow with the plot, seeming out of place and forced. While there was plenty of room for good development in each of the characters, there just wasn’t enough time for it to come naturally.

The explanations of crucial elements were lacking as well. The D2s received far too little explanation, and many other important aspects did not get expounded upon—the Musicarts, the Symphonica, even the motivation behind the antagonists were all very poorly explained. It made it hard for the audience to relate to their universe and understand it, and even if the citizens of their world didn’t fully understand everything, the lack of information given to the audience made it difficult to enjoy. The show didn't explain its name, either; I think it means something like "Takt created Destiny," but I'm not even sure if that's correct since the show never elaborates on its name.

The pacing was also some of the worst I’ve ever seen. I struggle to think of an anime with worse pacing. It affected the character development and the plot; things felt rushed, forced, and unnatural. It landed somewhere between episodic and not, and I found myself checking the time every few minutes to see how much longer until the episode ended. It also took far too long to introduce the main antagonist, to the point things were dragging only a few episodes into the season. I’d like to think that some of these problems would get fixed if they had another 12 episodes, but I’m not even sure that would solve things.

The music was a huge disappointment too. While the music itself wasn’t horrible, I’m not the type to pay attention to the music unless it’s really good, and I only noticed it during fight scenes or when I was really trying to. For a music anime, that’s a little pathetic. Additionally, musical references like “feel the harmony” didn’t get much explanation (once again) and the show seemed to use music more as an awkward plot device than as a genuine force in their world. The best thing I can say about this show’s music is the concept of Musicarts, which I did find intriguing, even if they weren’t explained very well.

As for the good parts of the show, the character designs for the Musicarts were some of the most interesting designs I’ve seen in a while. The animation was also quite good. While it’s not on the same level as shows like Demon Slayer, I’ve also seen far worse. Even though the backgrounds weren’t anything outstanding, the fight scenes were animated well.

Overall, takt op.Destiny is an anime I struggle to even call “average.” It was a very disappointing show with an unsatisfying ending—an especially huge let down since both MAPPA and MADHOUSE worked on it. Due to rushed character development, minimal explanation of crucial parts of the world, and pacing that was all over the place, I have to say that takt op.Destiny is not worth the watch. Learning piano would easily be a better use of your time and an infinitely better way to appreciate music than watching this show.

*a 4.5/10 on my rating scale is "below average and unenjoyable"