DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA DramaAo no Orchestra
TV SHORT ComedyAo no Orchestra 5-bu de Tanoshii Kurashikku
ANIME DramaAo no Orchestra 2nd Season

REVIEWS

• 

  8manYeager

  78/100
  Lowkey brilliant; flawed but valued.

  The reason that I came to watch Blue Orchestra was because of its theme, which is about orchestral and classical music. Ever since I had the chance to finish watching Your Lie in April, classical music has been a type of music that I have always been aware of. Besides that, coming of age is another element that’s a good accompaniment to the music genre of anime, making it more interesting by depicting the story of youths dealing with their struggles and chasing their dreams. In my perspective, the anime does have some flaws in terms of animation, but the story telling was somehow beyond average, and let’s talk about it later.

  The story begins by introducing the protagonist, Aono, who has an in-depth background and has suffered from family issues. Aono, who used to be a pro violinist when he was a child, has not played the violin for a long time due to his broken family. Not just Aono; the other characters from various backgrounds are also facing their own dilemmas. With that, the anime needs to be able to depict the emotion of each scene, and Blue Orchestra has done it quite well, in my opinion. The stability and consistency of delivering what is supposed to be received by the watcher are just fine and it keeps improving throughout the series. From a personal watching experience, the show does have an adequate capacity for the every drama of the show, and most of them are well arranged so that you will not feel as if the show has any missing parts. On the whole of the story, I can't tell it's good or not but honestly, it's bearable for me Other than that, Blue Orchestra also has its own decent moments that somehow gives me goosebumps. For example, Aono ultimately picked up playing “Canon” with violin at the riverside in episode 2, or during the audition that surprised everyone in episode 12. In all these scenes, the music plays a crucial role in enhancing the watching experience. As the show often displays the characters practicing their performances' pieces, the music has resonated frequently enough to make you remember it. For instance, the “New World Symphony” by Dvorak. Likewise, the OST was relaxing that it fits well with the tone and mood of each scene. Source:https://blog.goo.ne.jp/kerop23/e/a9c0b70e46aa5db43e0e065863a0205a It can’t be denied that the animation has some flaws; the character’s expression was off-model, but it’s slowly getting better, especially after the hiatus. The improvement has further enhanced the overall presentation of the plot. If you have noticed that there are some imaginary scenes being portrayed while a song has been played as if the characters are indulging in the music score. Besides, the background setting is rather attractive, which shows a lot of what a daily neighbourhood and street look like for a high school student in Japan to come across. Many of them are real-life locations in some parts of Japan, and it's just amazing to see a real location appear in anime that hopefully someday you could pay a visit. _Familiar place in anime, Umimaku High School, but it’s called Chiba Prefectural Makuhari Sohgoh High School in real life._ Putting the 3D animation aside, Blue Orchestra has been an awesome adaptation. Obstacles, collisions, growth within individuals, and friendship are what make this show good. As someone who used to play musical instruments and has a music background, the characters of the Blue Orchestra are shining in my eyes. I wasn't the one who always put 100% commitment into practices, and the achievement and spirit of the orchestra members are something I envy yet respect. It just reminds us that success will eventually come to fruition if we never give up. Blue Orchestra could be merely a mid-adaptation, however, it was a wonderful memory with the orchestra club. until next time in Season 2.
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• 

  clovislabritannia

  75/100
  A must-watch for violin players

  This is my first time writing a review so I apologise that it probably won't be professional or anything, I just want to get my thoughts out about this anime and hopefully influence more people to watch it. I'll separate each paragraph into sections, e.g. characters, plot, etc.

  Plot

  I won't describe it in detail as the plot has already been written in the description on AniList, but basically a teenage violin prodigy called Hajime Aono quit the violin because it reminded him of his pro-violinist dad who caused a lot of trouble for his mum - until he meets Akine Ritsuko, a girl who wants him to teach her violin. Then they enroll into a high school with a big orchestra club and the story kinda begins there. We meet new characters, and there's a lot of plot twists and drama that happen very suddenly.

  While watching I thought the plot was quite basic since there's a load of anime-esque flashbacks and also the fact it's literally just about some kids playing in an orchestra, but then I realised orchestra anime is actually so rare; we needed a show like this. Even if it's not the most creative thing ever, there are anime fans in the world that play in an orchestra or strings ensemble (me :D) that want encouragement from their favourite form of media. I'll continue talking about how inspirational it is in the next section.

  Characters

  Something I loved about Ao no Orchestra is that it's not just focused on the two main characters, but rather, nearly everyone in the orchestra has their own personality and different episodes focus on different people.

  For me, Akine Ritsuko was so relatable. I started playing when I was ~14 and she started playing when she was ~15. I just joined my first strings ensemble and she's just joined her first orchestra. Also, we have the same hair colour and gender so therefore, she's literally me!

  The reason I'm writing this is because perhaps part of the reason I kept watching was because I related to her so much and she motivated me to practice every day. So I feel like if you don't have a personal connection to these characters (i.e. you don't play an instrument) it would be less enjoyable. Like if you replaced the orchestra in this anime with a sports club, I would not be interested at all but sports players would be really hyped about it.

  THAT SAID, if you really don't like the violin but want to try a different new hobby and are too scared, I think Akine's character could still be motivating. Even Aono actually, I'm not a violin prodigy but I thought the idea of him working hard even with his own personal problems can be motivating for anyone no matter what your interests are. And since, as I mentioned before, there are many characters with unique struggles and personalities, there are a lot of characters you can relate to.

  A flaw with the characters in this anime, though, is that there were quite a few anime cliches. I won't say any spoilers but a lot of the characters' backstories I'd definitely seen before. Some people are alright with that, but personally it made me enjoy the show a bit less.

  Sound

  I don't really know how to judge voice acting but there wasn't anything wrong with it from what I could tell. (Sidenote: Jotaro's VA is in this anime btw!) I liked the opening and ending too. Nothing amazing, but still something I'd listen to in my free time.

  As for the music, of course there'd be some classical bangers in this anime. It had some Vivaldi, Dvorak, Bizet, etc. As an orchestral instrument beginner I actually learned a lot about classical music from this as they gave a backstory to some famous classical pieces in an interesting visual way. Again, it was very anime when the characters were describing how the music makes them feel but I thought that was cute haha

  Animation

  This is the thing that I disliked most about this show. None of it is CGI other than when they are playing instruments. I get that it was probably low budget and it takes longer to 2D animate an entire orchestra, but I'm judging the animation based on how good it looks and I did not like how it looked at all. I thought the violin playing looked kinda weird sometimes but maybe they were just doing a technique I've never heard of before, who knows. Either way, I was not a fan of the CGl.

  The rest of the animation was alright, not the best but I wasn't expecting much.

  Conclusion

  Overall, I think that every anime fan who plays violin should watch this as it's relatable and motivating. I also think that anyone who wants motivation for any hobby should give it a go, but I can see why someone wouldn't want to finish it because of the CGI animation and anime cliches. If you can get past that, you will find yourself routing for characters and wanting to stay with them until the summer concert.

  Hope this review was helpful.

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