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Anime Review: Kids on the Slope
May. 24th, 2012 10:31 pmA couple of weeks ago I was chatting with somebody (*wave*) about anime. I realize I have not done an anime round-up in a while, and this will not be a round-up.
One of the newest shows to come from Japan is Kids on the Slope. This is both a slice-of-life anime about high school students and a music-based anime, all set in the 1960s. Unlike most anime series with musical theme, which currently seem to be about modern-day female idols and idol-wannabes, this show is centered on jazz.
The series begins with Kaoru, a teenager who's moved around from city to city depending on where his father's apparently-lucrative job takes him. He's starting at yet another new school, feeling lonely and shy. The class rep, Ritsuko, gives him a good introduction to the school, and he develops a crush on her pretty much instantly. However, when a classmate tells him about the tough guy who sits behind him, he gets a panic attack and heads for the roof. At the door he runs into Sentaro, a real tough guy -- who, when he sees how much Kaoru stands firm on needing access to the roof, lets him pass and shows a little of his softer side. He quickly shows some steel when Kaoru gets attacked by upperclassmen on the rooftop. Kaoru quickly finds out that Sentaro is the guy he was warned about. Amazingly enough, they become friendly. When Ritsuko invites Kaoru to her father's record shop he goes along, looking for some classical piano pieces to buy and learn, but instead finds Sentaro there, drumming in jazz style. He gets drawn into jazz, developing friends on the way in ways he never had at school before.
This show is very reality-based. There are no improbably buxom young high-school girls with wasp waists who improbably show their panties several times a show, no physics-bending martial arts or sports, no exaggerated personalities. The characters have their personality traits, but they are not defined by particular traits the way you'll find in many shows. More importantly, the people are all believable characters.
The animation on this is amazing. Whenever they animate a musical piece, they match the timing between the instrument and the sound -- when you see Sentaro drum, it's not some mash-up of hitting things and maybe it matches up. When Kaoru plays piano and they show the keys, he's hitting the actual keys to play the notes. There are no shortcuts, though sometimes they might keep the fingers hidden on the piano.
Another unusual aspect is that it moves quickly through time. Unlike, say, DragonballZ, which has hundred-episode arcs that take place over the course of a week or a month, as of episode 9 this show has done some 14-15 months of storytime. Some pieces of narrative are simply narrated, covering a month or two of social interaction.
And the music... if you like jazz in any way, you'll probably like what they play. And you'll love the way they animate it. They are willing to play music for a few minutes without anybody speaking a word, which is uncommon in anime.
This show I cannot recommend highly enough -- my words are not equal to the task. I suspect this one will only run a 12-13 episode arc, and it might not get renewed because it is a story which likely has an end-time they don't want to write past. Regardless of that, even if you don't normally watch anime, I highly suggest watching this show. It does have a few realistic depictions of violence, but to date none of the violence has been particularly strong compared to most televised violence -- except for the fact that it feels real. Go watch it, then show it to your friends. One tip: the music gets better with every episode.
One of the newest shows to come from Japan is Kids on the Slope. This is both a slice-of-life anime about high school students and a music-based anime, all set in the 1960s. Unlike most anime series with musical theme, which currently seem to be about modern-day female idols and idol-wannabes, this show is centered on jazz.
The series begins with Kaoru, a teenager who's moved around from city to city depending on where his father's apparently-lucrative job takes him. He's starting at yet another new school, feeling lonely and shy. The class rep, Ritsuko, gives him a good introduction to the school, and he develops a crush on her pretty much instantly. However, when a classmate tells him about the tough guy who sits behind him, he gets a panic attack and heads for the roof. At the door he runs into Sentaro, a real tough guy -- who, when he sees how much Kaoru stands firm on needing access to the roof, lets him pass and shows a little of his softer side. He quickly shows some steel when Kaoru gets attacked by upperclassmen on the rooftop. Kaoru quickly finds out that Sentaro is the guy he was warned about. Amazingly enough, they become friendly. When Ritsuko invites Kaoru to her father's record shop he goes along, looking for some classical piano pieces to buy and learn, but instead finds Sentaro there, drumming in jazz style. He gets drawn into jazz, developing friends on the way in ways he never had at school before.
This show is very reality-based. There are no improbably buxom young high-school girls with wasp waists who improbably show their panties several times a show, no physics-bending martial arts or sports, no exaggerated personalities. The characters have their personality traits, but they are not defined by particular traits the way you'll find in many shows. More importantly, the people are all believable characters.
The animation on this is amazing. Whenever they animate a musical piece, they match the timing between the instrument and the sound -- when you see Sentaro drum, it's not some mash-up of hitting things and maybe it matches up. When Kaoru plays piano and they show the keys, he's hitting the actual keys to play the notes. There are no shortcuts, though sometimes they might keep the fingers hidden on the piano.
Another unusual aspect is that it moves quickly through time. Unlike, say, DragonballZ, which has hundred-episode arcs that take place over the course of a week or a month, as of episode 9 this show has done some 14-15 months of storytime. Some pieces of narrative are simply narrated, covering a month or two of social interaction.
And the music... if you like jazz in any way, you'll probably like what they play. And you'll love the way they animate it. They are willing to play music for a few minutes without anybody speaking a word, which is uncommon in anime.
This show I cannot recommend highly enough -- my words are not equal to the task. I suspect this one will only run a 12-13 episode arc, and it might not get renewed because it is a story which likely has an end-time they don't want to write past. Regardless of that, even if you don't normally watch anime, I highly suggest watching this show. It does have a few realistic depictions of violence, but to date none of the violence has been particularly strong compared to most televised violence -- except for the fact that it feels real. Go watch it, then show it to your friends. One tip: the music gets better with every episode.
