Sakamichi no Apollon

[MFauli]

1254

The beginning of summer, 1966.

Because of his father's job situation, freshman high school student Kaoru Nishimi moves by himself from Yokosuka to Kyushu to live with relatives. Until then, Kaoru was an honor roll student who tended to keep to himself, but meeting notorious bad boy Sentaro Kawabuchi starts to change him. Through his devil-may-care classmate, Kaoru learns the attractions of jazz and finds the first person he can call a "friend". He also discovers how much fun it is to play music with a pal.

Other characters include Sentaro's kind childhood chum, Ritsuko, who is the daughter of a record shop owner; the mysterious upperclassman, Yurika; and Brother Jun, the much-admired leader among their peers. Set against the backdrop of a seaside town with a scent of American culture, this series is a drama about young people coming into their own, crossing each other's paths, and finding friendship, love, and music!

(Source: Official Website)

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Horrible Subs - Episode 01 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=304293)

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Ha, I´m becoming a real sucker for slice of life-anime. Anyway, this one feels really promising. Opening song reminded me of Hanasaku Iroha, and the anime itself is similarly well done.
At first, Kaoru gives the impression of this clichee "I hate the world"-kind of character, but the dynamics between him, Sentaro and Ritsuko quickly change that. I´m not particularly a fan of jazz music, but I also don´t hate it. Reeeally liked the animation during Sentaro´s drum solo. Extremely well done, maybe a mix of motion capturing and cel-shading?

Will keep watching.

[Buffalobiian]

I liked what the first episode showed. Kaoru would normally be a character who is easy to dislike, but I'm not really pissed at him at the moment. Sentaro and Ritsuko were instant wins of course.

[Ryllharu]

Wow. I really liked this.

The animation is great, the OST is awesome, and the characters are great too. What really impressed me is they actually animated them playing, something a lot of other music series shirk. Let's hope they keep it up. The character design is nice too, it feels way more like a movie than a weekly series.

I like all three characters. Kaoru has this kind of "everything sucks" attitude, but toward the end, you get a real sense that inside, he and Sentaro aren't different at all. They've already got a friendly, not-so-hostile rivalry going on. Once Sentaro called him out for being scared, Kaoru instantly fixed the problem that was plaguing him for years. He suddenly stood up against his own fear and just went with the flow. Sometimes that's all it really takes. Sentaro is obviously a win because he's so laid back, but really passionate about jazz music. Ritsuko is great too. I don't know why, but she overwhelms with this refreshing feel. We ultimately didn't see much of her personality aside from the nice girl who's childhood friends with the local delinquent, but there's definitely more to it.

The 1960s setting is great too, since it feels far more natural to be into jazz at that time than it would in more modern setting, like Nodame and classical. Like I said, the OST is awesome, like Cowboy Bebop, but more finely attuned to what's going on on-screen. I was thinking that this series was doing it better than Bebop. Which, when I looked it up, is funny, because Kanno Yoko is doing the music for this just the same as she did for Bebop.

Before I knew this series was about music at all, I was wondering what would bring Nanri Yuuka (Ritsuko) back to voicework (she left to pursue singing which she liked better). I guess that makes sense. Makes me wonder if Ritsuko sings.


Reeeally liked the animation during Sentaro´s drum solo. Extremely well done, maybe a mix of motion capturing and cel-shading?
I was thinking Rotoscope.

[shinta|hikari]

I was right in anticipating this show the most (excluding FZ, which is a sequel so it should not count anyway) for this season. It has exceeded all my expectations. The art, atmosphere, and music are all excellent.

I particularly like Kaoru and his situation. Music has always been the finder of lost souls, and him being bounced around to different schools and communities certainly has left him unhinged and isolated. The rain scene was really well done. I usually dislike emo and cliche scenarios, but this time it was used for the opposite effect. The rain freed him, and I understand because I have felt the same getting soaked by the rain. It really is a combination of the cool cleansing physical effect of the rain itself, and the emancipation caused by doing something so rebellious from society's perspective.

This theme of finding oneself while trying to obtain freedom is perfect for jazz. This is going to be awesome if the actual music pieces are as good as that drum solo.

[MFauli]

Horrible Subs - Episode 02 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=306448)

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Yeah, this anime definitely has movie-quality.

Really enjoyed this second episode, and what´s most surprising for me personally, I´m totally enjoying the music-scenes. Animation is so superb when they´re playing together.

I don´t really have an idea where this show is going story-wise, but it doesn´t matter. It´s fun letting it sink into you.

[David75]

Yeah, just go with the flow.
Some details are so nicely done, at the same time it seems so bland, when all they do really is not your average teenagers... but time really seems to be a lot shorter when watching that show!

[Ryllharu]

I'm in love with Ri-chan's voice (Nanri Yuuka). Her voice always leaves me with such a refreshed feel. The two male leads are good too, both fit their character perfectly.

I like that Kaoru is starting to develop a real rivalry with Sentaro. He doesn't want to get left behind, and he's really got absolutely no reason to feel like he's "lost" except for his own pride, that is really starting to shine through. I also really loved the scene were he would run up and down the stairs, over-analyzing the hell out of that song to see if he could play it (with his cousin peeking from the doorway), all the while still completely missing the point. He did seem to finally get it during the impromptu live session. It's not about playing the notes, it's about hitting the right feel.

Ri-chan and Sentaro being Christians is an interesting "twist." It's not something you really see in anime often. But Kaoru's surprise about it fits the period, and it adds an interesting dynamic I wasn't suspecting. Ritsuko likes Sentaro, that much is clear, so I have to wonder if both of them are Christians, or if one or the other is just tagging along. Ultimately, I don't think they'll make too much of it (though it might slip out at school), but it is interesting nevertheless.

[Buffalobiian]

Ritsuko likes Sentaro, that much is clear

That last scene changed the potential love-circle a fair bit, and for the better IMO.

Before this episode I expected: Kaoru > Ri-chan < Sentarou

Now it's more like:

Cousin > Kaoru > Ri-chan > Sentarou =.or.> new lady (edit: perhaps even an =.or.> Jun-bro right here, considering the apparent age and maturity differences between everyone)

I could only aim for technical accuracy when I played. I never had a "music sense" as such.


I like that Kaoru is starting to develop a real rivalry with Sentaro.

I like watching it but only predominantly because I like to watch him try hard, not because I find his courage admirable so to speak. I never expect him to catch up and wonder if I enjoy him falling short actually.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 03 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=308724)

[MFauli]

oh the noez, love triangle complete.

Don´t know how I should feel about that. This show has been so fresh and nice, such a clichee plot isnt befitting of my previous impression about this anime. And, ugh, I hate love triangles. Logically, there´s just no satisfying way out of such a situation. A loves B, B loves C, C loves A. The only way out is for one of them to give up on the person they love. Which then kinda cheapens that person´s ideal of love.

At least Kaoru went through with his confession, even if it took the whole episode to get there.

[Buffalobiian]

A loves B, B loves C, C loves A. The only way out is for one of them to give up on the person they love. Which then kinda cheapens that person´s ideal of love.

Triangle? It's a potential square, if anything.

Kaoru -> Ri-chan -> Sentarou -> Yurika (-> Kaoru?)

The last bit isn't confirmed, and there's not terribly much to suggest it. Yurika seemed more interested in drums than piano, so the only thing left is that she thought Kaoru asked her out. Kaoru himself has been trying to keep a distance, so I can't see any "misunderstandings" happening as such.

Anyway, just correcting that it's got four people, so it does allow for re-pairing.

Sentarou must make for a good painting model. :p

[Ryllharu]

I got the feeling that Yurika liked someone else we haven't met yet. She was tagging along to be polite, but I got the feeling she didn't really take either of them seriously. She quickly determined that Kaoru wasn't in love with her, and was covering for Sentaro. She's as perceptive as Kaoru is. The problem was that she was just too casual about the whole thing. It felt like she was watching over three younger children rather than acting like she was on a date.

So if they're making it a progression of crushes this early, I get the feeling it is a lot more complicated than MFauli is making it out to be, which would be a good thing for him. Progressions are even worse than love triangles though, because that means starting at one point in the chain, no one is going to be truly happy.

Kaoru was smart about it though. He didn't wait, pining away from the shadows. He declared it flat out, and told Ritsuko that she didn't have to answer right away. He's hoping that she'll keep thinking about him that way, and maybe love will grow from there. That should help her confidence a bit, instead of thinking both the boys around her prefer the more glamorous types. It was pretty painful to watch her hold it together at school and elsewhere after the group date.

I loved the scene when they were walking back, and Kaoru focused on Ritsuko clutching the side of her skirt as hard as she could.

[MFauli]

Oh, I didn´t include Yurika, because she doesn´t feel as a core-member of the group, yet, imo. Therefore, love triangle instead of love square, but I guess you´re right, it´s about four people, not three.

Surely, a re-pairing is possible, but I still hate such situations because of the implications on one´s love ideals. You say you love someone, then you find out he/she loves somebody else, and so you change who you love? I mean, if we´re talking about an idealistic concept of love, then that´s just not possible OR gives an extremely poor showing of how much some person´s love is worth. It´s something that recently bugged me when watching Ano Natsu de Matteiru.

But whatever, I don´t think this anime will be ruined by it. If anything, the whole matter might resolve itself way sooner than we´re expecting. Afterall, I didn´t expect to see Kaoru´s love confession that early on.

[Buffalobiian]

I mean, if we´re talking about an idealistic concept of love, then that´s just not possible OR gives an extremely poor showing of how much some person´s love is worth. It´s something that recently bugged me when watching Ano Natsu de Matteiru.

It can tick me off usually too. I do think that love dies with time if nothing happens though.

[David75]

Oh, I didn´t include Yurika, because she doesn´t feel as a core-member of the group, yet, imo. Therefore, love triangle instead of love square, but I guess you´re right, it´s about four people, not three.

Surely, a re-pairing is possible, but I still hate such situations because of the implications on one´s love ideals. You say you love someone, then you find out he/she loves somebody else, and so you change who you love? I mean, if we´re talking about an idealistic concept of love, then that´s just not possible OR gives an extremely poor showing of how much some person´s love is worth. It´s something that recently bugged me when watching Ano Natsu de Matteiru.

But whatever, I don´t think this anime will be ruined by it. If anything, the whole matter might resolve itself way sooner than we´re expecting. Afterall, I didn´t expect to see Kaoru´s love confession that early on.

Well, it's not like you give up on your love. It's that you do not even have a choice! Even confessing isn't enough.
Then you see your love living their life as they see fit and you have to do with it... try to create some space and live your own life.
Then, years after, life being the bitch it is, you it backfires when you are engaged and all and you never really were able to end it deep inside...

Yup, life is a bitch, and then you die...

[Ryllharu]

Surely, a re-pairing is possible, but I still hate such situations because of the implications on one´s love ideals. You say you love someone, then you find out he/she loves somebody else, and so you change who you love? I mean, if we´re talking about an idealistic concept of love, then that´s just not possible OR gives an extremely poor showing of how much some person´s love is worth. It´s something that recently bugged me when watching Ano Natsu de Matteiru.
...that's a rather, grim view of love. Childhood crushes work that way, don't they? Pure-hearted 3rd Grade Elementary school swears his classmate is the only one ever for him. But time passes and feelings change. Even the idealistic bolt-from-the-blue, love-at-first-sight kind of love that Sentaro obviously suffers from isn't immune to the passage of time.

Arranged marriages are never founded on love, but a large number of them work out. Lovestruck high-school sweetheart romances occasionally end in divorce. Love is something that grows and withers. It is anything but absolute.

[shinta|hikari]

I totally agree with Ryll on this one. Just because you find someone else does not make the previous feeling fake or insubstantial. It is a matter of perspective. Maybe the connection with the next person is that much more stronger than the previous. If it were not, then even a one-sided love would be better than trying to keep a facade of one.

It is like buying item B because you realized it was better than item A you have been saving up for. The fact that item B was actually sold out was just an opportunity to check out the competition.

[MFauli]

Horrible Subs - Episode 04 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=311077)

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A love - ..... quintuple?

:/

I´m greatly enjoying this anime, but damn, if they aren´t risking ruining it all thanks to that apparently ridiculous love-thematic. Now all we need is for Jun-niisama to be gay for Kaoru and the circle of life would be perfect...

And lol, d´awwww, happy racist was adorable.

[Ryllharu]

Hey, you can't blame Yurika for falling head over heels for Jun. Same way that Sentaro fell for her. Jun is one hell of a cool dude. Kickass trumpeter, fluent in English (or at least memorized that song and his intro), and he's got this real laid back attitude. Plus he was all gentlemanly to her outside. She's a proper, refined, Boheme kinda lady. Of course she'd fall for Jun. He's as worldly as she wants herself to be.

As for Sentaro, I always his hair was dyed or something. Guess not. Pretty harsh life, but Kaoru's really isn't that much better, just the opposite end of the spectrum. Sentaro is hated for his patronage and apparent murder of his grandmother (how the fuck did they not figure out that it was clearly TB or similar?), but Kaoru is just used and abused by his relatives. His aunt doesn't respect him one bit, and his cousin isn't any better. I'd almost say Sentaro had it better, at least it wasn't this condescending, stifling, stagnant hatred that resides just beneath the surface, it was out in the open.

Still, they make a really good pair. They're friendly rivals, the best kind of friendship imo. I loved the way Kaoru provoked Sentaro into loosening up during the live.

Lastly, bold move by Kaoru, even if it made Ri-chan cry. I'm honestly still floored he's moving so fast. I guess I'm just used to crappy romance-comedies, where we're lucky if a pair kissed in the second to last episode. It's clear she still loved Sentaro, which is why she cried in the first place, but I can't help but be a little annoyed at her for not recognizing that there's someone out there who cherishes her more than anyone else, even if it's not who she had hoped it would be. Kaoru's wrong though, his feeling for Ritsuko aren't shallow.

[MFauli]

About the kiss:

"Merry Christmas". Seriously? That kinda ruined the mood imo. It made it all sound like some kind of excuse. "Here´s a kiss - oh, I didn´t mean it, just my way to hand out christmas presents."

Also, if it wasn´t for the bold kiss, I´d call Kaoru a pussy. Honestly, it would KILL me if I had told a girl that I love her, and she keeps me in the dark about what´s going to happen from now an. Even moreso when said girl starts acting all normal as if nothing ever happened. "Hey, girl, I told you I love you. H-hello?"

As I mentioned before, I hope all this potential love drama remains "potential". I don´t want this fantasic anime to devolve into some stereotypical, chlichee relationship drama crap.

Aaand it has to be said again: Love the animation during their jazz plays. Absolutely gorgeous.

[Buffalobiian]

Lastly, bold move by Kaoru, even if it made Ri-chan cry. I'm honestly still floored he's moving so fast. I guess I'm just used to crappy romance-comedies, where we're lucky if a pair kissed in the second to last episode. It's clear she still loved Sentaro, which is why she cried in the first place, but I can't help but be a little annoyed at her for not recognizing that there's someone out there who cherishes her more than anyone else, even if it's not who she had hoped it would be. Kaoru's wrong though, his feeling for Ritsuko aren't shallow.

Same, amazed at his speed and.. "boldness", if you want to call it that. Maybe I'm all anal about consent and shit, but that kiss rubbed me the wrong way. It's not as invasive as say, screwing her, followed by a "Merry Christmas", but the same principle applies. Maybe she wanted her first kiss to be with Sentarou?

I would have said that Jun would surely hook up with Yurika because there's no one else to hook up with.. but I can see this turning out with him leaving for America or something and ending it all somehow.

Sentarou lost some points here by leaving the stage. I had always looked at the extremely passionate musicians with some mystic admiration (since I'm the total opposite) such that I had forgotten the backlash that can happen when their "mood" gets upset.

[animus]

I liked this series a lot more when I thought it was going to be a lot more generic Slice of Life/focused on music instead of all this romantic drama bull shit.

It's still rather enjoyable, and I'll still watch it but I preferred it without all the drama.

[Buffalobiian]

Sakamichi no Apollon Original Soundtrack [320k] (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=308313) | [FLAC] (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=311971)

[Ryllharu]

[HorribleSubs] Sakamichi no Apollon - 05 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=313112)



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I gotta admit, the stifling atmosphere of the first third of the episode really got to me. So familiar that it hit a little too close to home. I've been there, it's awkward as hell, uncomfortable. Too soon too say if Ritsuko has gotten over it or not, or at least willing to put it aside. The part with Kaoru and Sentaro's sister was cute, as was Sentaro failing to press his sister for additional info.

I was also glad that Sentaro pushed Kaoru so hard about meeting his mother again. Takes someone who doesn't have it to force the person who refuses to appreciate it to act. Kaoru's mother was right, they do compliment each other nicely. Kaoru keeps Sentaro challenged, yet grounded, and Sentaro challenges Kaoru to leave his comfort zone.

Yurika, already completely obsessed with Jun? Heh. I'm surprised Sentaro didn't notice Kaoru shoving her letters into Jun's mail. That reminds me, nice to see another show take the less-traveled path and have them actually drink underaged rather than get drunk off juice. Sad that it takes the realistic shows to actually accomplish that.

[MFauli]

I agree, the first third hit too close to home :/ I´m still not over someone ... And it´s a truly sucky situation. On one hand, Ri-chan didn´t do anything wrong. She doesn´t like Kaoru in a romantic way, so should she force herself to it? Of course, not. But then again, Kaoru truly liked her. How can you just go on like nothing ever happend? Like your heart didn´t get crushed? To be honest, they concluded the whole problem a little too easily for my liking. But maybe I´m just a more bitter person than Kaoru, who cannot let go of someone you loved, but were denied by.

One scene I disliked was when Sentaro, Yurika and Jun were sitting next to each other in the exercise room, and the camera moved form right to left, showing how Sentaro quietly admires Yurika, then how Yurika quietly admires Jun. A bit too comical for this anime.

On a final note, regarding all the romancing: It´s a mess. Unless half or more of the current protagonists don´t value "love" much, there is no way that all of this won´t end in a lot of drama. Worst of all, I have a feeling that Kaoru´s going to be the one being left out at the end (unless Jun reveals that he has a woman he loves already). Will see.

The visiting-the-mother-in-Tokyo was very enjoyable, mostly because Sentaro saved the mood. Big difference to Kaoru´s stuck up living place. Hope this wasn´t the last we saw of his mum.

[Buffalobiian]

I had a little bit of trouble following this episode's timeline. For example, did Jun's "one month" start around the same time Yurika met him at the practice room or was it longer?

Exactly how long had Jun been ignoring Ritsuko up until that 2nd-floor-infiltration scene, and how long after that was the trip that happened during the winter break?

If they blazed over it perhaps the writer didn't think it was important, but it would help me to gauge how long Kaoru had been ignoring and thinking about all this. This episode made it seem more like 3 days total.

[Buffalobiian]

[Single] YUKI – プレイボール/坂道のメロディ Play Ball/Sakamichi no Melody (FLAC) (http://rula.us/3651.html)
[Nipponsei] Sakamichi no Apollon OP Single - Play Ball [YUKI].zip (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20Sakamichi%20no%20Apollon%20OP%20 Single%20-%20Play%20Ball%20%5BYUKI%5D.zip.torrent)

[MFauli]

Horrible Subs - Episode 06 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=314945)

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"I wished everybody would just stop falling in love." Yeah, well ...

It´s happening what I posted about earlier: Due to everybody loving somebody else, but not each other, we´re now arriving at a point where someone´s feelings HAVE TO change to induce any sort of progression. Resulting in a bit of a cheapening of that person´s value for love. There were moments in this episode where I thought that Ri-chan was warming up to Kaoru. And I didn´t like it. It felt as if Ri-chan was "losing", giving up on her true feelings for Sentaro.

Don´t know how I should feel about Kaoru sacrificing his feelings altogether for the sake of his friends. On one hand, it´s "nice", on the other hand, that´s exactly what he sounded like: A stupid nice guy. But realistically, what could he do? He knows Ri-chan likes Sentaro, he´s best friends with Sentaro ... what are his options - without ruining one relationship or another?

And lastly, that new (gay?) guy who´s supposedly good at singing. At first, I thought he was going to become a new member of Sentaro´s and Kaorus Jazz-group, kinda replacing Jun, who´s a of an older generation. But I guess that´s not happenings, as he got this "villain"-aura towards the end of the episode.

Weirdest scene for me was when Kaoru stayed in the art room with Yurika. Why? Kinda made me imagine the out-of-left-field prediction of them becoming a couple, now the Jun seems to be in a relationship with a whole other girl already.

[Ryllharu]

Don´t know how I should feel about Kaoru sacrificing his feelings altogether for the sake of his friends. On one hand, it´s "nice", on the other hand, that´s exactly what he sounded like: A stupid nice guy. But realistically, what could he do? He knows Ri-chan likes Sentaro, he´s best friends with Sentaro ... what are his options - without ruining one relationship or another?

And lastly, that new (gay?) guy who´s supposedly good at singing. At first, I thought he was going to become a new member of Sentaro´s and Kaorus Jazz-group, kinda replacing Jun, who´s a of an older generation. But I guess that´s not happenings, as he got this "villain"-aura towards the end of the episode.Yeah, and look how it worked out for Kaoru. Things are a bigger mess than before. Sentaro isn't making any progress, and if anything, Ri-chan is torn more than before. Frankly, it's glorious. Things are a huge mess, just like they should be. Even if Kaoru is trying the old, "stand aside for ____'s happiness" routine that we see in so many romantic comedies, it's not working out at all. Ritsuko is starting to turn her affections toward him a bit, and it's getting stronger because she's obviously noticing that Kaoru, despite his confession, is giving her as many opportunities with Sentaro as possible.

I love that it's a huge mess, just like it should be given the conditions. It's not going to work out cleanly. Someone is going to get hurt (some already have).

At first, I was willing to give the new guy the benefit of the doubt. That he really just wanted to be popular, like his idols (The Beatles). He seemed like he had a good idea of how to go about it, he had an eye for skill and talent (who else would know the train otaku could play guitar?), and he had the same kind of drive for pop music and the 60s Beach Party (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_party) life style that the others have for Jazz.

But then he said this, "All I have to do is set him free from what's tying him down, and then everything should work out the way I want it to." There was no question he meant Kaoru. He had planned from the start to do the exact thing Kaoru had always been afraid of, others taking his friends away. I wouldn't have minded if the guy just wanted Sentaro for his drummer. But he actively meant to sever their friendship for his own means. Given Sentaro's response, he wouldn't have even needed to go that far, but it is the simple fact that that was the first and only means he wanted to use to achieve his goals.

Yeah, he's super cliché as far as villain characters go, but there really are scumbags like that out there.

[MFauli]

Makes me wonder if him being poor was a calculated lie then to get into Sentaro´s soft spot. Assuming the guy knew about Sentaro´s family circumstances.

[Buffalobiian]

Who put Justin Bieber in this show? >_>




Weirdest scene for me was when Kaoru stayed in the art room with Yurika. Why? Kinda made me imagine the out-of-left-field prediction of them becoming a couple, now the Jun seems to be in a relationship with a whole other girl already.

He was clarifying her intentions, like if she felt that strongly towards Jun and all.


Makes me wonder if him being poor was a calculated lie then to get into Sentaro´s soft spot. Assuming the guy knew about Sentaro´s family circumstances.

Assuming that was his house when they showed him auditioning the nerd guy, he looks well off enough to me.

[Ryllharu]

[HorribleSubs] Sakamichi no Apollon - 07 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=torrentinfo&tid=316927)


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It figures that the only way they'd be able to make up is to play together, in their usual, one-up each other style. Cliché as it may be, it only makes sense. Sentaro was too proud to admit to Kaoru that it was just a temporary gig and he only wants to play with his rival/friend, and Kaoru is exactly the same, but also too proud to admit that he was wrong to flip out at him at the beach. Kaoru and Ritsuko also seem to have gotten past the awkward stage. She was super cute this episode.

So Yurika was lonely enough to go for Sentaro, but when she told Kaoru this, I don't think he understood what she was really saying, even though he's the only one who knows who she really likes the most. Really makes me wonder what the hell happened to Jun to make him breakdown. Drugs?

I guess I'll give the flashy guy the benefit of the doubt again. He really seemed into it, even if his methods to get what he needed were underhanded. The girls liked it, so he'll probably do alright in the long run. But passion is what his band lacked, and Sentaro's and Kaoru's is at their peak when they're playing jazz. If the guy gets other bandmates as enthused about pop music as Sen and Kaoru like jazz, he wouldn't be too far behind. He knew what the girls wanted out the the style and choreography.

[MFauli]

God, do I love the animation of this anime. So good.

I give it to the 60´s setting, but the scene where THE WHOLE SCHOOL starts running towards the gym hall, just because two guys are playing music, felt really unrealistic. Well, mabe not back then. But I doubt two guys playing piano and drums at a school today wouldn´t earn as much attention.

The almost-kiss scene was really weird. We go into that scene knowing that Yurika likes Jun. Then Sentaro has a sudden spark of pushiness, almost had something of a to-be rape-scene, seriously, wtf. And then Yurika gives in and responds the attempted kiss ... wat. The fact that she said herself "she betrayed Sentaro in the worst way" probably implies that she didn´t really mean to give him hope for more, but it´s still rather shitty behavior. Come on, don´t kiss a guy if you don´t mean it.

Seeing Jun in this run-down attire, though, was refreshing, since it shattered his image of a knight in shining armor, the perfect gentlemen. I wonder if Yurika realized that, too, and if it changed her picture of him. Or, even moreso, was the scene there to imply that Jun is all talk, or was he really just having a bad day/time? Also, what for exactly did Sentaro punch him? Simply for interrupting the kiss?

No idea what to make of the gay singer guy. The fancy room wasn´t his, so he probably IS poor. His behavior this episode was also that of an honest-to-good guy, someone who isn´t self-centered and jealous, but cares about music and can admire the skills of others. Mhm...I hate that he´s obsessed with rock music, since I´d really have liked him to join the Jazz group as a singer. Oh well.

Oh, almost forgot that scene in the beginning, where the girls think Ri-chan and Kaoru are dating each other and Kaoru explains the situation. Ugh, I´d lose respect for Ri-chan, if she suddenly grew to feel more for Kaoru, now that other girls are showing interest. Please don´t be that stereotypical. But nice to see Kaoru interact with others that are not part of his core group of friends.

[shinta|hikari]

Yurika "betrayed" Jun, not Sentaro. Rethink.

Sentaro punched him because he was too insensitive. It was obvious (even to the dense Sen) that Yurika liked him.

Ricchan won't like Kaoru because he is popular. She is growing to like him because he is a freaking nice guy.

[MFauli]

Yurika "betrayed" Jun, not Sentaro. Rethink.

I rewatched the scene. Appears to me that she meant Sentaro. "Things are awkward between Sentaro and me now. I betrayed him in the worst way." I interpreted it as she betrayed Sentaro by giving him false hope, when all the reason for the almost-kiss was her snapping out of it for a moment.

Also, damn, shinta, your avatar. BOOOOOOOBS.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 08 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=319028)

[MFauli]

Ugh, this is bound to get reaaally annoying. Kaoru accepted Ri-chan´s decline, Ri-chan is now starting to develop feelings for Kaoru, and just now, too, Sentaro realizes that Ri-chan had feelings for him (up to the recent past). Ugh ugh ugh.

Yurika and Jun have entered my dislike-list. Jun is just acting like a giant douche, while Yurika seems to lack any sort of self-respect. Even for the 60s, the way her character is depicted appears misogynistic to me. "Go on, rape me if you want", seriously? Then further devoting herself to him by cutting her hair and quickly starting a relationship with him?

Actually, the way the Yurika-Jun events played out, I´m now thinking that a future Yurika-Sentaro pairing has become more likely. Yurika will realize at some point was she was about to sacrifice for some barely known guy, which will end her Jun-fandom. That will open the door for Sentaro.
The big question mark is now, if that would simply allow for Kaoru to jump into Ri-chan´s arms, OR if the story gets even more complicated. I could imagine that it becomes even more effed up by Yurika starting to like Kaoru (from how she interacted with Kaoru and Sentaro, there really wasn´t a clear preference for Sen imo), while Sentaro now goes after Ri-chan, who, adding to the effed up situation, is chasing after Kaoru at this point.
The outcome of basically everything will hinge on how Kaoru chooses: Stay with Yurika or go with his initial love interest. I can´t say which one is more likely. Sen and Ri, and Kaoru and Yurika would be the "safe route", as I´d like to call it. Sen and Ri have this whole childhood friends background and their innocent marriage promise. And Kaoru and Yurika both come from rich, harsh families, which gives them a lot of thoughts to share, both in how to deal with their situation and how to go about a hypothetical break out of their golden cage.
Personally, I´d prefer Karou and Ri-chan, and Sentaro and Yurika. It´d be nice for the main character to get his true love interest, and it´d be more interesting to see people from very different backgrounds get together.

[Buffalobiian]

I would have thought that Yurika and Jun are pretty much sealed now. The only way it'd fall through is if Jun died or something.

Kaoru-Ri-Sen will turn into the more familiar love-triangle. Sen pretty much admitted defeat here. He could have gone up against anyone but Jun-nii.

Going back on the "I betrayed him" thing, I do think Yurika was talking about Sen. She betrayed Sen's feelings by accepting his advances when he's still only 2nd preference at most.

[MFauli]

But if you think that Yurika-Jun is set in stone, how do you feel about Yurika at this point? I really got the impression that she thinks to less of herself, maybe some self-esteem issues, despite the tough outer appearance.

[Buffalobiian]

But if you think that Yurika-Jun is set in stone, how do you feel about Yurika at this point? I really got the impression that she thinks to less of herself, maybe some self-esteem issues, despite the tough outer appearance.

I'm not sure if she's feeling any self-esteem issues at all. She's willing to change for him (or at least show that determination), but if you see it as a sign of lacking self respect instead.....

I can't say how Yurika would have felt after it all had Jun really raped her, but I gather she was calling out the bluff (to shake Jun) just as much as Jun was calling a bluff to drive Yurika way from him. She was scared until she knew Jun wasn't the predatory man he was pretending to be.


Even for the 60s, the way her character is depicted appears misogynistic to me.

Misogynistic? Being able to sacrifice anything for the person you love, sure.. but I can't see any misogyny.

edit: alright.. well it could be interpreted as such.. The definition of misogyny seems to be less clear-cut than I first thought.

[David75]

Jun being a communist, we're in the sixties and all...

Well guys, just find yourself a big house and live all together in Peace and Love, creating all kinds of complicated relationships :D
No way? Well, sure.

Yurika? Even if Jun disappears from the region (dead, or alive) she'd probably need years to recover. So she's probably out of the
love polygons... except she almost let herself sink into Sen's love... It's a bit of a remote solution. The only advantage would be
to have a situation where devastated Yurika tries to find confort in Sen's arms and he knows it but just can't help himself, just when he gave new hopes to Ri-chan who herself was about to fall for Kaoru and he knows it.

Love polygons all the way :D

[Ryllharu]

Sorry, Mfauli, Yurika and Jun just fit. A psuedorevolutionary (who obviously wasn't really all that into it and is now traumatized) who would rather be playing music and being a classy dude, and a young lady who is essentially a beatnik (recall Kaoru's reaction to her painting).

It's not misogynistic at all, if anything, she's close the leading edge of female empowerment of the era(disobeying her parents to do what she wants and live the way she pleases), cutting her hair into a functional style (since he died recently and it was all over the news, it's very much like Vidal Sassoon's "wash and wear" styles (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18017636) that had a huge impact on that time period), etc. Yurika is a modern classy lady.

[MFauli]

Well, I must have missed something then, because my point is that there simply isn´t enough history between Yurika and Jun, to justify her level of devotion to him. If they had "something" going on for many months, better years, then it´d all make a lot more sense. But they basically met 2-3 times per coincidence, didn´t interact all that much, and then we see her be "do whatever you want with me" in this episode. Just paints her as very self-sacrificing, weak-willed.

Would have been interesting to see her reaction if Jun had done "it", but of course that´d have been to strong of a theme for this anime, I guess.

[Ryllharu]

Uh...Sentaro fell in love with her the moment he saw her. He had never crossed paths with her at school before. He was even taken aback that she went to the same school as them. He was willing to do pretty much anything just to spend time with her.

It's only fair that she should be allowed to fall in love with someone else the same way.

[MFauli]

I don´t think Sentaro did anything on the level of "rape me" that Yurika did.

[shinta|hikari]

Yeah, he did the reverse "I'll rape you" bit with the practically forced kiss.

[Buffalobiian]

Yeah, he did the reverse "I'll rape you" bit with the practically forced kiss".

I call that "resist me if you can". xD

[Xelbair]

why not 'tender love'? sounds way more nice :>

[Buffalobiian]

Just paints her as very self-sacrificing, weak-willed.

It just occurred to me that MFauli complained about Yurika being "weak-willed" here, while he would have otherwise been saying "her love was shallow" or something had she given up on him and went with Sen... :p

HorribleSubs - Episode 09 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=321072)

[MFauli]

Weeell, that´s kinda the problem here: Her love for Jun WAS shallow, or at least extremely naive and superficial. "Oh, this guy is so cool and charming, I love him". Okay, girl. She then went from this shallow love to "do whatever you like to me". Which paints her as weak-willed AND shallow.

But, tbh, the problem I had with Yurika was that her initial appearance had me think differntly of her. She was this elegant, "cold", classy lady-like girl. Then, however, she turned into something similar to Haruno Sakura and became Jun´s fangirl.

Aaanyway, on to ep 9 ...

EDIT:

Just watched ep 9.
I still feel like I must have missed something important. The way it played out, Yurika and Jun are truly in love with each other. But WHEN did this love develop?!

Other than that, BOY I´m glad that the Sen-Richan-idea got resolved that quickly. And luckly, Sen seemed to have no romantic feelings for Ri-chan anyway, so her "We´re like family" wasn´t as brutal as it would have been otherwise, haha.

Though I wonder what the remaining 4 (?) episodes will be about. If the pacing doesn´t change, Kaoru and Ri-chan becoming a couple shouldn´t take more than one episode. Some unexpected event maybe? Kaoru having to move to another town? Some big, violent event? (Don´t know about the historical circumstances, but they kept talking about those student protests)

[Buffalobiian]

Yurika and Jun are truly in love with each other. But WHEN did this love develop?!

Yurika liked him ever since they first met, but everything sealed itself during the time that Yurika cut her hair (give or take 15 minutes or whatever). Jun was still the man Yurika thought he was (after calling the rape bluff), and Jun had someone who cared for him despite where he's gotten himself into, and what's in front of him (nothing much, as far as glamour and job prospects go).

I'm glad they found the only way out of a love-polygon:

Screw. Everything. Else.

Sen/Kaouru/Ritsuko played out nicely too. I have to fully agree with Ritsuko here about the timing. Sen responding to Ritsuko's feelings for him helped to push her forward now (instead of walling her off if she was rejected while she still liked him more). It only worked though because Ritsuko managed to move on at least partially in that time. Some people actually need to be told outright (and even then it might not help them).

It's strange. I liked Sen a lot at the beginning of the show, but now I don't really feel for him that he's the one left out of all the romance. Maybe it's because he's always been strong (on the exterior) while the other guys got underdog points.. or because he almost "deserved" it because he is the least observing of the bunch in this whole affair (and therefore got left behind).

Thankfully the Ritsuko/Yurika talk by the bins wasn't a one-sided counselling session since neither of them were really in a position to be doing so.

[MFauli]

Btw. what is the title of the song/melody that Kaoru keeps playing? The one that Sentaro played in ep1, then Kaoru corrected him, then Sentaro said "you´re lacking mood" or whatever. I´m trying to play this melody on the piano, but I cannot get a certain part right, so I´d like to search for the melody´s notes.

[Ryllharu]

Ri-chan's dad names it at the end of the episode, noting the intro is the only thing Sentaro can play (20:06).

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - "Moanin'"
Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKXsnDvILmI)
Them playing it live. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2je_TvW549E)

[shinta|hikari]

@Mfauli - They mentioned the title numerous times.

I love Ri-chan, which is amazing since I hate freckled girls. This is a first. The voice and accent own.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 10 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=322950)

[Ryllharu]

It's hard for me to take an episode seriously that features the infamous Japanese Fever, that lays low any man or woman to the point where they can barely move.

I feel melodrama creeping in where it isn't really needed...

[shinta|hikari]

I've had such fevers before, but that is because I live in the Philippines where bacteria and viruses flourish due to the tropical weather and generally unsanitary conditions. I have a very strong immune system, but that hardly matters when the bug is bad.

The good thing about it is it immunizes you from so many illnesses. Swine flu was treated just like an ordinary fever. People never even knew they had it.

[Ryllharu]

It's one thing when you catch a nasty bug going around, catch something from a major storm flood/typhoon spreading contaminated water, or get bit by a mosquito.

It's entirely another when they are out of commission for a week because they got rained on, or ran home after getting out of the bath and not drying their hair.

Japan doesn't even get Dengue fever.

[shinta|hikari]

Thing is, people in the Philippines actually do get sick when they get rained on and are not dried/warmed up soon enough. I think the idea was that the cold lowers the body temperature and decreases resistance against illnesses. Pair that up with the humid environment that is good for breeding bacteria and people get sick.

I am not sure why that should apply to Japan though, since the place is really clean with very few pests and the like.

[Buffalobiian]

I liked the episode. The mitten-protection scene was nicely done. Kaoru was being unlikable but that's him...

As for whole cold thing.. the general cold outbreak happens after a monsoon or wet/rainy season, and this usually coincides with the cooling of weather. The wet weather keeps people in close proximity and enables easier spreading of the bug, which then starts to kick in after a short incubation period.

There was a theory where the cold stabilises the virus so that it lasts longer in the environment as it tries to make its way from one person to another, but I haven't heard much about that one.

I do remember one time where I lent my coat to someone when it was cold and raining, only to have myself come down with a fever really badly for a week a day or two afterwards.. but that in itself doesn't prove causality.

[MFauli]

I see, Kaoru´s cold is the big topic this week :P Had to lol at him almost tripping when he walked towards Ri-chan. "ugh ... i´m ... dying ..." lol

Another topic: I didn´t like that it seemed that a lengthy amount of time passed between Kaoru´s second confession and the next meeting at Ri-chan´s place. All we get is Kaoru saying "I made no progression with her, damn", but ... WHY? I´d figure that once the confession went over successfully, the hardest part would be done. You love her, she loves you, now you just kiss and cuddle and have a good time - what´s the problem? It felt like a cop out to just say "no progression". made no sense.

And it sucks, because now we´re about to enter the final phase of the anime with Sentaro´s drama. I feel like it would have been perfect if we had seen Kaoru and Ri-chan as a proper couple prior to Sentaro´s secret leave. Ya know, the classic "they´re so happy, they don´t need me anymore. Wish you both the best. Bye."
Now we´ll have his drama and the couple-plot is on hold again. siiigh

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 11 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=324750)

[MFauli]

The scene where Kaoru finds out that it´s Sa-chan and not Sentaro who´s seriously injured was handled poorly. Awkward. "Oh, so it´s not Sentaro? Yay!" standing next to the devastated parents.

Other than that ... tbh, I´d run away, too, if I was in his position. He intended to run away before his dad returned. Now, his dad will likely hate him on a whole new level.

[Buffalobiian]

The scene where Kaoru finds out that it´s Sa-chan and not Sentaro who´s seriously injured was handled poorly. Awkward. "Oh, so it´s not Sentaro? Yay!" standing next to the devastated parents.

Yeah.. I've never been in that situation before, but I was thinking "Is that normal?"

[Ryllharu]

You two are blowing it out of proportion. Sure, he's relieved to find out his close friend isn't the one in the coma, and while it looks like he doesn't care about Sachiko, at the same time, consider this:
Sentaro allowed her to be on the bike, and he got out of the accident unscathed. Don't you think he feels guilty as hell? With the rest of the family too worried about Sachiko, who else would be able to provide a little comfort and sympathy to Sentaro for allowing her to get involved in the first place, while he walks away with only a few scratches?

Someone has to allow Sentaro a chance to let some of it out. Better that it isn't family, who would be too busy putting all their hopes on Sachiko's recovery. That's what real friends are for.

He ran away because the ONE time he relented and let her ride the bike with him, she got seriously wounded. Who wouldn't want to run away?


The forced drama aside, I knew from the start there was a reason they had cast Nanri Yuuka as Ritsuko. She left VA work to devote herself to singing years ago. It takes someone talented to pretend that they suck for a short time. As well as her voice seems to fit the gentle nature of Ritsuko, there was no way they weren't going to have her sing.

[Buffalobiian]

The forced drama aside, I knew from the start there was a reason they had cast Nanri Yuuka as Ritsuko. She left VA work to devote herself to singing years ago. It takes someone talented to pretend that they suck for a short time. As well as her voice seems to fit the gentle nature of Ritsuko, there was no way they weren't going to have her sing.

Listening to the soundtrack ruined any surprised that it might have had for me, but there might not have been any anyway..

I just hope they make up for it with uniforms or something.


He ran away because the ONE time he relented and let her ride the bike with him, she got seriously wounded. Who wouldn't want to run away?

We're not so much blaming him for running away, but mostly surprised at how Kaoru simply left straight afterwards without any words for Sachi. It's not that he left for Sen, it's the how.

[David75]

The accident was obviously coming the very moment Kaoru left. The light, camera and scene setting was really obvious.
It's just they added some twist and it was just a plot device to bring us elsewhere.

Nicely written show.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 12 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=326753)

[Ryllharu]

Well...that was kind of a shitty ending for all involved. Of the primary cast, only Yurika really ended up happy for those eight years.

[shinta|hikari]

Life is not short enough that 8 years would waste it. Now they are back together, stable and at marriageable age (Ricchan wasn't wearing a ring, and they have a priest right there!). This seems like a happy ending for all involved.

[Buffalobiian]

I certainly feel happy that they all met again, but I wasn't too sure about how "natural" it is that they're all friendly still after seemingly no attempt to contact each other for 8 years. I certainly feel awkward when stuff like that happens. I'm glad, in a way.. but it's more shallow.

[MFauli]

The ending felt like a cop-out to me. In itself, it was a nice happy end, I guess. But it felt like there was at least one episode missing in-between 11 and 12. Something that shows us the climax of Kaoru´s feelings and his following reactions. All we got was an abrupt time skip, resulting in a sudden reunion, the end.
If I hadn´t enjoyed this anime as much as I did, I´d just shrug and go on - but I got 11 wonderful episodes of quality drama, animation and music, and this wasn´t an ending befitting of such greatness.

[Uchiha Barles]

Well this was a gem. Watched it all in one sitting. I felt kind of bad when things fell apart the way they did, but things didn't end up with bad blood between anyone. It just seemed like everyone did what they had to do for themselves. Kaoru turning down Tokyo-U to stay with Ritsuko seems like a questionable decision, no matter how well things were going. Sentaro clearly felt out of place for years and did what any one with balls should do; he went out to find his place. I'm gonna assume Ritsuko became a school teacher, I do feel cheated not knowing what she's been up to over the last 8 years. Definitely wish I knew a little more of what happened to Yurika and Jun as well.

I love those characters so much I just wish there was one more episode showing how they're going to be getting along from now on :(.

[Buffalobiian]

The final message to me was something like "Good things happen in life, but shitty stuff happens too. In any case, time moves on.. and you'll just looked back at it all and smile at the good parts."

I wasn't at all surprised at the style of the ending when I learned that this was a josei manga adaptation.

[shinta|hikari]

For those who want to see what happens after the anime ending, read this. (http://mangafox.me/manga/sakamichi_no_apollon/v10/c050/1.html)

[Buffalobiian]

Nice epilogue closure. Even though there's no audible music, the manga panels convey the atmosphere well enough that the scene doesn't feel insufficient.

I still prefer long-haired Ritsuko.

[Uchiha Barles]

Well that was nice to see. Couldn't have asked for a better ending, although some part of me feels like Sen got shafted in the romance department. I'm sure I'm just looking at things the wrong way.

[MFauli]

agreed, nice closure.

Ya know, I´d like to watch an open-ended drama anime sometime. We always get open-ended shounen-series, never drama ones.