They say mean words cut deeper than a knife...do you believe in that? Well, for the record, I've been cut with those for a lot of times, and they really are scarring. You probably wondering why I'm prattling about mean words now, and of 'course that's because of the anime I watched yesterday. For days I totally abstained from watching any anime because of the upcoming tests I needed to focus on and yesterday was supposedly the day of one of our major tests. However, fortunately, it got postponed, and since I woke up early and couldn't sleep anymore, so I decided to just watch a movie that's been sitting for ages on my to-watch list.
So enough with that, be with me again as we take a brief peek at the story of heartbreak and healing in the movie: The Anthem of the Heart.
About the Anime
The Anthem of the Heart (Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterunda) aired on September 19, 2015. Its genres are romance and drama and its themes are predominantly performing arts and school. This original anime movie was animated by A-1 Pictures, and later on it had a live-action adaptation that aired July 22, 2017.
So it all started when Jun, a certified chatterbox, saw her father and another woman coming out from "a castle". Since she's naive and too deluded with fairytales, she thinks that it is just normal. And not long after, she unknowingly shared her father's infidelity with her mother and with that, the bond of their family crumbled. After being blamed by his father, she was filled with remorse and guilt to the point it manifested into a magical talking egg, which later sealed shut her mouth so that she could no longer use it to hurt people.
For years, she was able to live her life without speaking, however, a certain experience is bound to change that. Chosen to be one of the committees for an outreach event, she was forced then force to cooperate. She was really against the idea of being on the committee but after hearing her classmate, Takumi Sakagami, sing—something inside her stirred. Even though she still can't speak without having an upset stomach, she still tried to do the best she could to contribute, and along the way, she discovered something. Her curse doesn't affect her when she sings!
But can she now express the unsaid feelings that have been pent up within her? Or will she still choose them to be sealed inside that magic egg forever?
So I was expecting a lot from it because it started interestingly. The story immediately took off the moment the MC was introduced, which was a nice start because it immediately hooked me up. Although I couldn't relate to the conflict, I still felt the emotions that they wanted to convey. However, for me, it failed to sustain my attention for the whole time. There are times when the dialogue is too bland and conventional. It's not that I'm looking for totally deep talks, but I was just expecting something more.
Also, what tipped me off further is how the romance went. I somehow anticipated that it would be the typical high school romance with a love polygon and such, but still, I was expecting a twist. And they did give the twist, though I find it half-baked and uninteresting. The end part with romance felt so off, and although I like their ship, I didn't expect that they would resort to that quite cliche denouement. Yes, there are already hints along the way, but still, I expected something (I badly want to share it, but I don't want to spoil so...), which was a bad move because the more you expect something to happen the higher the chance you'll not get it.
Moving on from that, its art style was cute—it's not very stylistic nor detailed, but I guess its simplicity added to its charm. The animation was not that outstanding, but it was decent enough to convey their feelings—especially Jun's. Also, one of the things that I find creative is how they portrayed her guilt as a talking egg. I really find it brilliant because they're able to maximize the use of that symbolism up to the end. And as for its soundtrack, it's nice to hear some familiar tunes in it. The way they incorporated the made-up lyrics and those pre-existing tunes was lovely, and unlike its romance, this one didn't disappoint me. Most of them are melancholic and heartwarming and they match well with the mood of the movie.
All in all, I rate this anime 7.5/10 because it somehow fell short in sustaining the hype I felt for it at the start. It wasn't that entirely bad, but I guess that particular scene ruined most of the good things I've felt for this movie. I think the story would have gone better if the romance was left out. The subtle hints would just go well or perhaps a nicer portrayal of it, but anyway I still enjoyed most of it—especially those brief scenes with Sakagami's friends. So if you're up for a decent romantic drama movie with interesting music, then you need to try watching The Anthem of the Heart.
Before I end this review, I'll share with you its trailer, so—
Have you watched this movie already? Or you haven't yet? If you have something to share feel free to comment them down. And that's all for today, minna-san! I hope you enjoyed reading my review.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne~
The pictures that didn't have source were screenshots from the movie while the last picture was edited in Canva.
