MASHIRO NO OTO

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA DramaMashiro no Oto
ONAMashiro no Oto Mini

REVIEWS

• 

  veemon23

  89/100
  This show took me by storm

  Sad to see this beautiful anime ended today - hoping for season 2. Will give this a rewatch in the future.

  You ever go into a show and have no idea what a shamisen is and decided to watch it on a whim? Well I am glad I did, because I did not expect to fall in love with this anime. From all that it gave us from start to finish, I felt like I was caught in the middle of a storm waiting because I was so captivated by this show because of all the sound it produced. Truly a beautiful anime that deserves more recognition. Sorry if this review is a little all over the place, since I'm just typing as I go with whatever comes to my mind.

  To review, I'm gonna mainly start by focusing on the beautiful OP Blizzard and will work from there on.

  Blizzard returns for the final episode!!! I love that OP and I think it is the perfect opening for this anime, nothing against the second opening. Those are both great in their own respect to demonstrate where Setsu stands.

  Now just to review my final thought on this show with mainly his final performance. Why Blizzard was the perfect song choice to demonstrate the beauty to this anime.

  We see throughout the entire series, he was chasing after his grandpa. Chasing after the sound that is lose, it is like chasing someone through a blizzard, you can only go so far before you lose sight of their footsteps in the blizzard. We see how Setsu is lost and eventually he does get free from it which we have the second OP. Which features all his friends, because now he has found a new path before him. But with the final couple episode, reality comes crashing down again when we are met again with his mother and father. He is again caught up in the storm (which blizzard was the perfect choice for the final episode).
  What a way to close off this anime and truly one of my favorite this season. With his final piece being broken into two part, the sound he was chasing and his own sound. Instead of trying to keep following a path, we must create our own path even through the storm. We can only hope for season 2 where Setsu must find his own footing and path and walk it. As his friends seem distant now and lost. Sometimes we are just caught in the midst of everything and we forget about those who are with us.

  If we were to talk about the visual and art style, it is beautiful. Along with the sound created, this was a delight to the ear. How they portray the sound with nature, how beautiful the sound of the shamisen captivated me so much. It was not a show I was expecting to love but this turned out to be one of my favorite of spring 2021. Is it a masterpiece? Well that is up to you to decide, but base on my own personal enjoyment, I would give it a perfect score. Since I absolutely loved everything about it. From the art, to the sound and the characters. I was happy with the plot as well, especially since with the final result being what it was.
  So now I wait here patiently hoping one day I will hear season 2 being announced and jump for joy. Until then, I will just enjoy what was presented and I love both the OP and ED. It is truly a great work of art and deserve more praise. A hidden gem of this season for sure.

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• 

  Osumansasu

  75/100
  Heavily Underrated Work, Innovative Series

  This year has seen a multitude of subjects within the medium of anime; from amazing titles including Shingeki no Kyojin and Wonder Egg Priority to more unusual and smaller works such as EX-ARM and HOME!. As the seasons transitioned in the industry from winter unto spring, the many studios were left with some massive holes to fill. While many would argue that there were only a few productions this season that were comparable to the last, they fail to realize the beauty from smaller and lesser known pieces such as Mashiro no Oto that I believe, is one of the most solid and understated works this period.

  The *OP for this work titled “Blizzard” was extremely pleasing to hear and felt well thought out. Played by the BURNOUT SYNDROMES, the music was energetic with great immersion with the listener. I thought it was creative to weave the shamisen throughout this composition as it felt playful and free. However, even though the shamisen is supposed to play a harmony in this piece, it sometimes felt extremely overpowered by the guitar.

  The ED which is named この夢が醒めるまで (Romanization is “Kono Yume ga Sameru made”) was a delight to hear. Unlike Blizzard which felt somewhat overpowering, this work felt like a perfectly even split between the lightness of the Shamisen from the Yoshida Brothers and the depth of vocals from Miliyah. I found this work very interesting as it sounded extremely contemporary.

  *Also, the Second OP was alright I guess. Didn't really care for it as much as the other two songs though

  ---

  Mashiro no Oto follows a boy named Sawamura, Setsu throughout his journey with the Shamisen. Having originally been a run away from his hometown, he meets various different individuals to help him take gradual steps into his new life.

  When originally watching this work, I felt underwhelmed; the mundane senses and lack of intensity from the show. However, I slowly came to realize that this atmosphere was intentional. I felt it genuinely as I watched Setsu chase his late grandfather in order to try to find himself.

  This slump that he found himself was emulated through the environment that the show had provided. Dark and dull colours, and little to no action being taken were all elements that felt reflected towards me. I felt myself being dragged into a deeper and deeper hole, until everything was quiet.

  Then I saw it; a lone performer walking onto a stage. I questioned it, almost scoffing as this moment felt too cliche. But then he started playing, and I felt it. An immediate shiver went down my spine as I heard the vibrations from the Shamisen. I felt elated and energetic for some reason and I heard a variety of different sounds; “wind perhaps?”. I was filled with a deluge of emotion during this time until everything went blank. It was just me and the sound of a shamisen. Something about the playing is just so enthralling as it captured me and the audience within this show.

  This show generates its atmosphere throughout every element. It uses melancholy colours and art to portray a feeling of emptiness which intensifies that sound of the shamisen which is in contrast, full of emotion. The animation is extremely simple and shows that the show was just focusing on what was important - sound. Every aspect feels calculated to its fullest extent, emphasizing how impactful it is on the viewer.

  I implore anyone who is debating this series to at the very least give it a try, just even one episode, to experience the magic that Mashiro no Oto creates.

  SPOILERS AHEAD!!

  I really enjoyed this show in the end. Unlike others, this was realistic and left me with an empty hole at the end. It wanted me to keep hearing Setsu’s shamisen. While the ending was ugly and was bitter, I myself felt encouraged and filled with emotion even though I wasn’t even the character in the show.

  Can’t wait for another season of this beauty.

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• 

  sushiisawesome

  90/100
  Criminally underrated tale of self-discovery, clash between modernity and tradition, connection and personal passion.

  Mashiro no Oto - also known by its English name "Those Snow White Notes", and will be henceforth referred to as MnO for convenience - is a story of overcoming loss, living up to a past legacy, improvising on the past no matter how painful it may be, forming connections with people, and how to compromise traditionalism with modernity. It's a multilayered yet simple story told very effectively, with a handful of hiccups along the way that don't take away from how incredible the show is.

  MnO's strength comes at its specific focus on its central main lead in Setsu, who beyond a shadow of doubt is one of the highlights of the series. Setsu loses his entire purpose in life when his grandfather passes away, leaving behind nothing but a shamisen that his grandfather warned him not to play for risk of living in his shadow. What follows is Setsu escaping his insulated life in the countryside for a more open life in the city, albeit one where he knows absolutely no one; the series takes advantage of this to dive into the kind of person Setsu is in quite a bit of detail. Setsu's stoic demeanor betrays an overly sensitive, emotional person who absolutely loves playing the shamisen yet in spite of that is weighed down by what it means to him on a personal level. The first episode taking place in a crowded, rowdy city as Setsu stumbles across help and does a makeshift concert as he's initially mocked - before being cheered by the crowd instead - is an intentional choice, showing someone constantly alienated due to the most important thing in his life being a traditional instrument that people have largely moved past, winning back the crowd with nothing but raw talent and emotion.

  There are layers and nuances to Setsu's character arc and I'm honestly not entirely sure I can cover all of them; he's empathetic to the struggles other have while also being self-centered, a character flaw he does his best to overcome when made leader of his school's shamisen club. He gradually opens up with his feelings to others and tries to connect with his clubmates, awkward as those attempts may be; this attempt at connection extends to the point where his playing style shifts from outward confrontation with his clubmates to attempting to compromise when playing together. This extends to his attempts to no longer live under his grandfather's shadow; he increasingly moves back and forth between moving beyond his death and trying to have a style of his own, being told at one point that no two people will ever have the same playstyle, and that shamisen - despite the instrument's traditionalism - is no different from any other style of music, with modernity and traditionalism at once coexisting and at others outwardly confronting each other. Setsu's main obstacle in the story, as a result, is him increasingly both modernizing his playstyle and finding ways to become more expressive, while being pressured (by rather toxic guardian figures) to instead follow his grandfather's path. It's a compelling as hell character arc and beyond a shadow of doubt the series utilizes it to the fullest extent, having Setsu be a dynamic character who constantly changes both as a reaction to outside forces and while being introspective over himself and his grandfather, and I can't wait to read the manga to see where it goes beyond this.

  The side characters are a largely likable bunch with a few outliers; Setsu's mom is a hatesink, being an abusive bitch who wants nothing more than to drag Setsu to living even deeper under his grandfather's shadow, and is the de facto closest thing the series has to an antagonist, culminating in a memorable and incredibly emotional last episode where...well, watch the show and see it for yourself. Taketo, the musician in the first episode who threatens to beat Setsu for spending time with his girlfriend, is a similar hatesink whose characterization strikes as rather shallow, being at one moment an irredeemable sack of human garbage and the next being a mild jerk who shares an apartment with him and even attends one of his performances later into the series. These are outliers to the rule, but it's worth mentioning them since their characterization left much to be desired and did get in the way of enjoying the show at times.

  Thankfully, the rest of the cast are a fairly straightforward and likable bunch; Shuri and Yui doing their best to play the shamisen, both growing more confident outwardly, was a joy to see, with Yui having several standout character-driven moments late into the series that had me emotionally invested. Rai is the least developed of the bunch but his more flamboyant personality dragged a chuckle out of my humorless heart, particularly when teasing either Setsu or Kaito. Speaking of which, Kaito acts as a damn good foil to Setsu, similarly being someone who lost what he was best at and similarly pressured by a rather abusive family into diving into law, rather than him being into football. So far, I'd say he's my favorite of the club after Setsu, especially considering his more impassioned and emotional outbursts when cheering the team as opposed to Setsu's quieter demeanor. The group had a nice chemistry going on, and their interactions were pretty fun. Other characters I can similarly praise for decent characterization - Mai and her more tomboyish personality betraying an inferiority complex towards Setsu being an easily memorable example.

  Artwork is detailed and rather pleasant to look at, with character designs being somewhat simplistic but having decent coloring, particularly during concert scenes and noteworthy flashbacks or Setsu's introspections. Animation is fluid from start to finish, with concert scenes looking absolutely stunning, facial expressions being dynamic and insanely fun to look at, and often neat visual cues and gags involving background occurrences that were pretty neat little touches to the overall feel of the series, at one point lighthearted and at other points somber. On backgrounds, they're absolutely stunning and add much to the series' visual style, with explosive presentation emphasizing the mood of given characters or even something as basic as characters walking through various locations, which are similarly lovingly detailed.

  The most memorable thing about the series - Setsu's character arc aside - is the absolutely astounding sound design, ranging from the voiceacting, sound effects, transitions and ESPECIALLY the concert music, which all sounds absolutely amazing. Everything from the detailed animation of finger strokes, introspective monologues and consistency between how characters perceive the music against how it actually sounds is handled insanely well, with several noteworthy concerts being prominent examples of this scattered throughout the series.

  The series, unfortunately, does come with another problem; it's incomplete as of the time of this writing, leaving us with an introduction to what I doubtlessly think is a well-written and expansive story down the line. Kodansha starting a proper translation of the manga is worthy of praise considering how underrated the series is, however, and here's to hoping for a season 2 down the line.

  Thank you very much for reading, any and all feedback would be appreciated.

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