Sakamichi no Apollon Review

     

Amongst the horde of cliched anime that airs every season, there is always one that manages to shine. Such is the case with Sakamichi no Apollon. Taking place in Japan 1966, Sakamichi no Apollon brings us the daily lives of Kaoru, Ritsuko, and Sentaoru. Kaoru is your typical bookworm who has recently moved from Tokyo to a suburban city god knows where. Because of his wealthy status he has never been able to properly make friends and has had to move a lot during his childhood. He sticks to playing piano and develops a social anxiety that prompts him to leave in nerving situations. This begins to change when he meets the class hooligan, Sentaoru. Like all good hooligans, Sentaoru has a reputation all over the school, and even in other schools. He is your typical brawler with a good heart that looks out for those he cares about. The person closest to Sentaouru, and the person Kaouru befriends first is Ritsuko. Ritsuko is Sentaoru’s childhood friend and stick together most of the time. Ritsuko’s family owns and operates a record store. Beneath that store there is a basement with musical instruments. Sentaoru has a strong love for Jazz, which quickly rubs on Kaoru. Together, they begin to play music and develop a friendship that will take them to unexpected roads in life.

This is basically a slice of life. The story itself isn’t groundbreaking nor the epitome of originality. Regardless, the way it was presented, the way it developed the characters, the plot twists, the unexpected turns the story took, that, is what made this series amazing. Oh, and the marvelous Jazz music is another thing that adds to this amazing story. Were there cliches in this anime? Sure. But the entertainment value is just too high that it overshadows any early assumptions the viewer develops. Granted, the final episode is both a hit and miss, and the manga’s ending is much much better in contrast, but I haven’t seen such an entertaining anime since watching Chihayafuru. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for something different among the sea of cliched anime that airs every season!

Score - 9.5/10