Tsuki ga Kirei

The love story of two middle schoolers.

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A simple tale, elevated by incredible execution. Symptoms of attraction conveyed not through exposition or dialogue, but through nuance of movement and expression. Well-rounded characters with grounded, believable development rooted in elegant plot progression. Not to mention the adorable awkwardness inherent in teenage romance. I could write a thesis about it.

I'm also not going to deny that this has been hitting it very close to home.

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I'm not even caught up yet— still at episode 3. But wow, this has firmly cemented itself as the best airing show of Spring 2017. There is of course the confession (oh my god, the entire episode was building up to it and it was perfect) but I'd also like to pay attention to the other bits of particularly great writing in this show. For instance, how the characters are actually living out their lives outside of the central love story, like Akane's friend who seems to be nursing a bud of an inferiority complex. And— look, just go watch it.

Some things, words cannot convey.

edited 28th Apr '17 9:30:32 AM by fillerdude

Episode 4: An answer beneath a passing shower.

Watching this to unwind then it turns out to be the most stressful thing so far in my week, hahaha.

Episode 5: They've just started dating and they're hitting all the snags like some gosh-darned middle schoolers. Oh shit, wait. On the bright side that also means we get to see the really cute fluff. Just look at how giddy they are when texting! Awwwwww. And they do find a secret date spot so it all works out in the end. AWWWWWW. When they eventually go and hold hands I just might spontaneously combust. OH WAIT THERE IT IS! <explodes> Oh god the awkward way the guy reached out for her hand, that sorta slow fumbling of fingers as they try to find their purchase... that's authenticity right there.

Chinatsu is a really nice girl and it's unfortunate that she ended up falling for Azumi. It's gonna suck. Maybe they can spill the beans to just her, but I doubt it. Protect your man, Akane! Please.

Between Akane and Megumi this has been an excellent cour for ponytail aficionados.

On the omakes: Daichi Osagawara the bane of middle school girls, Inaba learns there is no correct answer when it comes to girls, and Ayane's boyfriend is surprisingly proper.

Episode 6: Cut her off! Don't let her confess!

Our couple is getting more comfortable with each other. Soothing.

I'd like to discuss this more with you, but I decided to watch the dub instead. It's a few episodes behind as you can tell.

No problem! Just post whenever. And oh my god someone else in this thread What episode is the dub on?

edited 16th May '17 7:17:06 AM by fillerdude

Only episode 2, and that was released 4 days ago. So yeah, it's not exactly gonna catch up to the sub.

Man, that is far behind. On the bright side, episode 2 is high on d'awwwwwwwwws

Just want to add this regarding episode 6: Chinatsu sure did took a huge bite out of Akane's ice cream without waiting for Akane's permission

Also Akane sharing the same name with another Akane just seems funnier given the situation

"If music be the food of love, PLAY ON" - William Shakespeare

Burn the witch! She better not get any ideas.

Hi guys, I just caught up. Too bad we got a clip show this week instead.

I just skip clip shows on principle.

We all know that the only good clip show was in Kill la Kill.

Did you just pun

OH GOD WHY AM I A CAR!? - Forzare

Ah, episode seven was so magical. I mean, the show's been charming up to now, but does anyone else think this felt like the best one yet? I've hardly ever seen a show that felt so naturalistic with its characters and dialog. That amusement park was a fantastic location, with some really great background and CG work. If they just fix the CG extras on the Blu Ray I'm sure it will look perfect.

What do you guys think of those shorts at the end of each episode? It's a funny choice for an anime original, since it's very manga-feeling. Didn't this episode have more than usual?

edited 25th May '17 9:31:02 PM by TheBigBopper

Magical but heartbreaking for Chinatsu.

With all due respect, while I share some sympathy for Chinatsu's cause, her scheming kind of dampens it. Confessing to Azumi is okay and something I can let pass, but trying to outright use Hira to get Akane away from Azumi? Too far.

All I can say about this episode aren't even technically words, just a string of emotional squeaks. This IS the best one yet. Hot damn, Azumi in alpha mode making clear what's what and shutting down all challengers. He even used a deeper manlier voice to call out to Akane. Freaking incredible. Romance protagonist of the year. I adore their amusement park date so much.

I'll also say it again: this is one of if not the most natural and organic romances in the entirety of fiction. . Re: shorts I think they give us a neat peek into the goings on of the minor characters, which lends itself to the feeling of a lived-in world. They're also definitely used to pad out runtime, so the episodes can end at whatever time the studio feels it should end. The skits themselves as with any omake are hit and miss, but it's been leaning towards hits for me, at least.

EDIT: In fact can I swoon a bit more? Let's talk about that interrupted kiss. Usually something predictable and in the worse cases aggravating, but here it was still cute and fun. Why? For starters, they just laugh it off afterwards. And the actual important part is that they wanted to kiss. It's a development rather than an obstruction to their romance.

I'm grinning so widely right now

edited 26th May '17 8:57:09 AM by fillerdude

yes, Chinatsu's scheming was borderline dishonest, but it seemed clear to me she was desparate for Azumi to even get to notice her, so I can sort of forgive her for it. When it's clear from the start that your crush is in love with somebody else, you can do strange things and her scheming didn't make the scene in which she finally lost all hope no less brutal.

I really liked how that was followed-up as well, when Chinatsu came back to the group, her friends notice something is wrong, put two and two together and comfort her.

Most anime love triangles are just wish fulfilment with little to no emotional weight to them, but here we do have somebody get hurt in the resolution, through nobody's fault.

It really depends on your threshold for that sort of thing. Of course, we should keep in mind that Chinatsu is a middle schooler and might not have the knowledge nor experience to make wise decisions; but if I was her friend or confidante or whatever I would have told her off.

The follow up really was neat, and it's again another display of how natural and human these characters act.

Another cool bit: When Hira asked the group if Akane really had a boyfriend, it could have easily led to a situation where they say "no way" and Hira would then misunderstand that Akane was being forced somehow. Then Roman casually speaks up for the shy couple.

I'll have to look into making a works page for this series.

edited 28th May '17 4:45:09 AM by fillerdude

Azumi confirmed for Alpha and Roman for his best bro. Also nice to see Akane's friends go against stereotype immediately understanding and comforting Chinatsu. Hopefully they will be supportive of Akane

"If music be the food of love, PLAY ON" - William Shakespeare

Episode 8: Between this and SaeKano, on the same day, my sugar levels are going through the roof.

I'm not even going to break down the episode in this post; too much feels to form any worthwhile piece. It's great and I was so happy watching it. AHHHH THEY KISSED! WHY AM I SO GIDDY

This happiness is terrifying. Whatever conflict comes next will probably shatter my heart.

P.S. Kaneko is one slick sonuvagun.

edited 2nd Jun '17 7:40:50 AM by fillerdude

Finally an uninterrupted kiss. Good job Azumi and Akane too for taking an initiative as well. I also noted the difference between her responses to her friends before and after the date

The end shorts were good too. Smooth moves, a thirsty teacher and a comrade in the friendzone. Then the parents short, I like the difference in opinion and that the mom does read his novels. She's not fully against I hope

"If music be the food of love, PLAY ON" - William Shakespeare

Another nice thing about the short with Kotarou's parents is that the mom gets to show her non-stern side.

I looked up the episode names and found some of the novels and poetry they're named after, but the ones I didn't add to the work page were ones that didn't produce any hits on Google.

Started the show and just finished the first episode. Are the after-credits scenes available only in legal streams, or do they not start until the second episode onwards?