Ranking 12 Times Dvorak’s New World Symphony was Used in Anime

New World Symphony is a hype piece. Many people know it for the slow and pastoral Second Movement, "Goin' Home," but when I think of it, I think of the bits that remind me of exploding battleships. And when I heard it on the radio last weekend, I finally reflected on why: it's because I've…

[Highlights] Piano no Mori 12 (End): That’s It?

I know, it's only the end of the season and not the entire series, but man, this has gotta be one of the weakest episodes in the anime. Not even that many screenshots this time. It's mostly Kai playing piano, and the animation, though without major blunders, is fairly lackluster. Be yourself, Kai, be yourself.…

[Highlights] Piano no Mori 10 + 11: New Characters

Cool new characters are introduced on after another, though most of them are surely going to be eliminated just as quickly. I enjoyed the tension of the last two episodes and was on the edge of my seat with Sophie's and Shuuhei's performances. It's a pity the piano pieces get cut way to short due…

[Highlights] Piano no Mori 07-09: People Grow Up!!

I'm super behind schedule on this. To be honest, I seriously considered dropping this series just because of how busy I've become, and because by episode 6, it no longer appealed to me as much as its opening episode did. Now that characters have grown up and are playing lots of Chopin... I'm happy about…

[Highlights] Piano no Mori 06: Forest’s Edge

Kai's career as a pianist is about to kick off. He surprised me by choosing to stay in his home, Forest's Edge. The piano gets struck by lightening. Interesting how the random Forest Edge girl cares more about the piano than Kai, who forgets about the piano until he sees it burning. Perhaps it symbolizes…

[Highlights] Piano no Mori 04: “You’ll Always be the Best!”

I had a few more issues with this episode than with previous ones, but it was still reasonably enjoyable. Aside from the atrocious CGI, this episode made me question the extent to which art is objective in this show. Thanks to Re: Zero, my brain automatically substituted "legs" with "brain." I felt for tiny Takako on the…

[Highlights] Piano no Mori 03: Mozart’s Questionable Presence

This episode of Piano no Mori is consistent with the previous ones: motivation -> tension -> realization ->> competition type of thing. I continue to enjoy it a good deal. Kai learns that there are different styles in piano-playing. I still can't completely buy into how he's trying to find his own style when he only just got…

[Highlights] Piano no Mori 01 + 02: Chopin x Shounen

Just to clarify, "Chopin x shounen" does not indicate a ship. That'd be a bit creepy. Ep. 1 The episode starts with Kai as an adult at the International Chopin Competition. Then it goes back and introduces us to Kai and his new friend, the transfer student Shuuhei. Kai and Shuuhei make up the ultimate…

Spring 2018 Anime: Drop, Watch, or Review?

I had a taste of 10 first episodes from this season, and here are my very brief thoughts on everything. I had the audacity to rank them all in order of enjoyment after just one episode. Enjoy. *Verdicts subject to change 10. Nil Admirari no Tenbin: Teito Genwaku Kitan Verdict: Drop Did not know it was…