The first thing I noticed about this show is the animation. It caught my eye because I couldn't figure out if they were using 2D or 3D animation. I think it is a blend, but it is hard to tell even when they are using 2D animation because of this thing that they do when the characters and standing in the sunlight. They use a very distinct white hi-light on the characters that almost acts as an outline, and mimics the look of 3D animation.
Comments on the theme song:
If I could describe the theme song in one sentence, it would be: Cherry blossom petals raining from the sky! Almost all of the theme song is seen through this veil of cherry blossom petals. The background hi-lights scenes and settings that are important to the story (at least I'm assuming they are important). A fun touch they added at the end were scenes that preview what is going to happen in the upcoming episode.
Some of the theme song includes live-action film, except it is slightly blurred and distorted. I didn't like it as much and thought that it felt a bit out of place.
First Episode Info:
Your two main characters, a guy and a girl, are entering their third year of middle school. The guy's name is Kotaro and the girl's name is Akane. Something I noticed was that Akane seems to struggle with some form of anxiety. She has a little stress ball that she carries around and relies on to help calm her nerves. Despite that, she is outgoing and is a valuable member of the track team. Kotaro, on the other hand, spends his club time in an independent writing club.
After school one day Akane's family decides to go out for supper. Interestingly, they end up sitting in a booth across from Kotaro's family. Maybe it's just me, but in middle school, when I would see someone I don't know particularly well in public it was kind of awkward. Akane and Kotaro both notice and recognize the other person. To make matters worse, their parents find out they know each other and introduce themselves. As they are leaving the restaurant after supper, Akane asks Kotaro if he wouldn't mention to anyone at school that they met. Kotaro is a bit confused, but agrees.
Later that week both Kotaro and Akane get put on the equipment team to prepare for the school sports festival (aka field day). To keep up to date about the upcoming event, they share their LINE contact information. This we assume, is the start of what will become a romantic relationship between the two.
Other Stuff:
LINE - LINE is a type of social media that is popular in Asia. One of the reasons this anime caught my eye was because, I have LINE myself. It allows for free texting with internet and lets me keep my phone bill down. I think it will be interesting to see how the two character's relationship grows through their use of LINE, but also if that becomes a hinderance to them interacting in real life.
Angst Levels? - Both middle school/high school settings (especially in the shojo genre) seem to generate a lot of drama and angst. We'll have to wait and see how much of a factor this becomes.
Music! - I have noted before that I don't really tend to pay attention to music in a show. This time, it actually stuck out to me, so I am looking forward to see how music is used through the rest of the show.
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