The first 12 episodes of this series were some of the coziest I’ve seen in all of the years I’ve been an Anime fan. They also began with a somewhat troubling premise that immediately became wholesome and the two lead characters grew fast on me. Until the series is complete, I won’t be reviewing the entirety of it but instead will be writing about my thoughts on the new credits and how they compare to the originals. Welcome to my second A-Side.
(Source - HiDIVE Official Promotional Art)
First Opening
“Shayō” - Yorushika
The moment I heard Suis’ voice and N-Buna’s guitar strumming, I was on board. Yorushika has been one of my favorite Indie J-Rock acts for going on four years now. I’m glad they are getting used for more Anime soundtracks.
This opening reminded me heavily of the opening for After the Rain with how much of it felt like a fairy tale. One core difference was how both showed the main character’s depression. In this one, it was more up front with how Ichikawa’s entire world was a mess of dark clouds and destroyed landscapes; there was also a scene of him falling and being caught by Yamada’s hair. Her being kind to him and spending time with him was something that he wasn’t used to but his growth as a character because he wanted to change was where this was less of a fairy tale romance for me.
Second Opening
“Boku wa...” - Attrayo
This was almost a better opening for me than the first one was. It had a similar vibe to the music but also showed Yamada’s own depression with Ichikawa being the one that was happier this time. The visuals were less fantastical and more grounded in the reality of the series instead. It also was very dynamic with quick cuts between scenes of them as individuals apart from each other making the moment the piano picked up and their mad search for each other that much more powerful. Then the 3D dance number happened. I enjoyed it the first time and saw exactly what they were going for but it felt so out of place with the rest of what the opening was doing. It also didn’t feel synced well enough with the music, making it somewhat distracting for me.
First Ending
“Sū Sentimental” - Kohana Lam
A common complaint that I saw amongst my internet anime group was how almost overly-sexualized this ending was in the first half. Yamada was not her current self but an older looking, almost ethereal version. I think that was intentional and was a brave choice by the animation studio. She was shown to be torn between two different worlds in the series proper: a magazine and television celebrity and then the awkward, somewhat clumsy and always hungry her. I loved how much of this ending showed what average people saw her as versus what her close friends and Ichikawa were shown. That's a key distinction which I hope gets addressed in a more serious light later on. I can relate to that sentiment (not as a pretty girl but as a man who shows one side of himself for work and another side for his companions). The music was also very pleasant and somewhat mirrored the opening. If one were to play both tracks together at the same time, I’d bet they’d become something new and wonderful.
Second Ending
“I Can Even Love My Loving Self” - Kohana Lam
Now, this ending was something special and the core reason I decided to write this entire post. Rarely in Anime or any other media do they show the history of the couple before they get together in the style they presented here. They then showed the differences their relationship brought upon their lives.
Instead of having a recap of the first cour, Karte 13 just continued from where Karte 12 ended. I was a bit concerned about that. Rarely do split-cour series like this show the restraint to not exposition dump or do a “Previously on…” bit. Instead, they saved that for the second half of this ending. Color me intrigued. This ending mirrored the general presentation of the first one and brought back the same musical artist but now showed maturity and growth in the studio along with the characters themselves. I loved this ending much more for how simple the direction was changed from the first one without it being jarring.
The watercolor memories in the first half brought upon a trance in me. The moment Yamada and Ichikawa moved towards each other set in motion a passion in my heart and seemed to bring both characters back to life after being trapped in their memories. At least that was my interpretation (as someone who hadn’t seen beyond Karte 13 at the time of this writing). This was no fantasy. This was a future in which they both were hand in hand heading towards with only tomorrow in sight; they were still children after all and reality arrived after the end credits rolled for me.
My Closing Thoughts
All four openings and endings felt like a complete package, complimenting each other and telling a unified story. I don’t see this very often. The last two Anime that did something similar for me were Anohana: the Flower We Saw That Day (in relation to the compilation film and original series) and Your Lie in April. Both of these series were not happy ones. That somewhat scares me now with where this series could go by the end. Please let this end happily or at least in a satisfying way.
What were your thoughts on this cour’s opening and ending compared to the first two? Leave your comments below, reblog, vote and share if you enjoyed this content. Thank you for your time and have a wonderful night.