There's a popular saying that floats around the anime community, "Don't judge an anime by its first episode!". Kono Oto Tomare! definitely necessitates this philosophy with its pilot's admittedly clumsy pacing. This is evidently a result of the large amount of backstory revealed in the shows first 24 minutes (which, in my opinion, hurts the series's storytelling a bit) topped with minor character friction that feels somewhat contrived. However, upon completing Kono Oto Tomare! I realize how vital this "stick with it!" mantra really is in the grand scheme of things. This anime is certainly standard slice of life fare but, if you choose to invest the time in it, it also proves itself to be a heart-gripping coming-of-age drama focusing on the troubled students of a high school koto club.

Once you conquer the hill of the first episode the story begins to blossom into something that is ultimately much better than what is initially set up. With each episode the viewer is introduced to new characters, each of them injecting their own personal issues into the narrative which effectively builds the story's foundation. This first season is essentially about synthesizing each of the main character's positive change arcs. To be honest, I think the strongest part of this series is the character writing. I particularly enjoyed how each character was confronted by a suitable opposing character, ultimately leading to eventual development and actualized moral change. I think the show summed this concept up best in its own words, at its heart the Koto Club is "...a group of people with seemingly no common ground supporting each other by compensating for what the others lacked."

With this in mind, Kono Oto Tomare!'s best character is undoubtedly Kudo Chika who, despite his delinquent facade, proves himself to be the Koto Club's heart time and time again. As a viewer I found my fondness growing for him as he became more emotionally intelligent and observant of the people surrounding him. The real draw here is that Kudo personally seeks out his own reformation and often in spite of all of the other character's initial doubts of him. This applies heavily to Houzuki Satowa who proves to be an effective rival and potential love interest to Kudo, though she is definitely more than just that.

One thing to keep in mind though is that the show's animation is definitely on the rudimentary side. In some of the key sequences there is an emphasis on special effects and stills rather than on actual animation. You can tell this anime has its roots in manga, a medium that's invested in still images, despite it focusing heavily on the playing of instruments and how skilled the characters are with their hands. At the same time, this anime is also a really good comedy with its visual gags relying on a simplified, chibi art style. This not only works well as an offset to the main drama but it also serves as a cushion for the overall animation in the long run.

Overall I honestly really enjoyed seeing this season through to its end. Though I will stress that these 13 episodes serve mostly as a prelude. The final episode promises further growth on behalf of the characters more than capping off the entire season. I think this show deserves recognition with regard to character intrigue more than anything else. Needless to say, I'm excited for what's next and will be seeing the story through into its second season. It deserves that much.