A Beautiful Symphony
Story: 7/10 B-
Animation/Art: 8/10 B+
Sound: 12/10 S+
Characters: 9/10 A-
Acting (subbed): 8/10 B
Enjoyment: 10/10 A+
Overall: 9/10 A-
Story:
The weakest part of the show, the story is too predictable so the plot twists don't hit as hard as they could. The thought processing behind it is seen and a lot of work was undoubtedly put into it but predictability is still a problem despite that. A big problem with it though is the pacing as in the early episodes it is rather slow-moving and boring. As a concept, it is heartbreaking and beautiful and could very easily become one of the greatest stories ever told. Overall this show is executed fine, it's not terribly done in fact it's mostly good, however, it is only above average rather than being truly "good".
Animation/Art:
It's good. It's nothing special but it certainly is beautiful and in certain scenes. I was originally gonna rank it a bit lower to just slightly above average but they animated the piano correctly when it was played so it will be moved up a point. They do got weird mouths though (just my opinion).
Sound:
Here we go. It's an anime that focuses on music as its main plot device so you would hope that the music had better deliver. It does. It does it very well. Each song dramatically matches the moment for maximum emotional impact. Each song is totally unique, identifiable, and memorable. The openings and endings are both great. The opening especially has made a strong positive impact on me, I freaking love it. I'm just gonna have to end it here because I just don't have the thinking power to actually tell someone how good it is.
Characters:
This gonna be a long one, y? bc it easy to talk about this one. In a romance, characters play are larger part than in other anime. It completely delivers here. The characters are well developed and seeing the main characters' (Arima) development throughout the series is one of the best times I've ever had watching a show. There are four total main characters, who are pretty much the only ones that matter in this category. Kousei is the protagonist and best-developed character out of all of them. He goes through the barriers he has set up for himself and becomes a new person because he was inspired by someone with a strange playing style. Kaori is his love interest and the person who inspires him to continue. She is the creator of the only non-foreseeable lie in the show and while she develops the second least, still has some development throughout the show turning her into a more mature person as she nears her existential threat (you'll learn wat i mean). Tsubaki is the childhood friend of Kousei and the reason Kousei meets Kaori. She develops feelings for one character on the show (not saying who) and seeing her grapple with these new emotions for someone she previously felt no romantic feelings for is one of the most relatable things I have seen. Ryouta is cool, he don't do much, don't develop much, but he do be funny sometimes so...
Acting (subbed):
I would certainly classify this level of acting as good. The actors are always realistic and don't sound overly dramatic or undersell the emotional weight of the moment they are in. A solid score for that.
Enjoyment and Overall:
A great show that deserves to be considered one of the best romances ever made. While it doesn't match up to those at the top of the genre, such as Kaguya Sama, It is certainly still a show that others should try harder to emulate.
also lol forgot to change the score from 50 the first time. ppl gonna hate me for that.
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