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This Week in Anime - The Rock and Roll Spirit of Those Snow White Notes




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omiya



Joined: 21 Sep 2011
Posts: 1852
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2021 9:29 am Reply with quote
For anyone who wants a slightly more rock take on music with shamisen, check out George Kamikawa and Noriko Tadano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_3qAgFHM3o

I must check out the anime...
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FilthyCasual



Joined: 01 Jun 2015
Posts: 2379
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2021 10:10 am Reply with quote
OsaMake coverage?
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moondaliah



Joined: 23 May 2021
Posts: 3
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2021 11:30 am Reply with quote
Those Snow White Notes is hidden gem of this very packed season, and it's about time that it got some love here!

I know a good portion of people dislike the drama, but I personally rave for it. There's just a certain sincerity about the drama that makes me keep watching, considering all else. Being an orchestra-choir girl myself, I understand how a lot of these characters feel. There's an inferiority complex that naturally comes when you witness Talent in the form of Setsu, a boy who simply knows music, rather than actually learning it. And while I get Nick's frustration over Setsu's skill (Like who does that! All by ear?!), I can't help but be enamored by not only his talent, but also his character. Setsu knows how to play, and play does he do, but I like that he's a mercurial spirit underneath his stoicism. Despite his talent, he's still prone to falling into himself, being a teenager and all that, but once he gets up there and shines; he really knows how to let the audience in.

The other characters may not be as complex, but I can't help but love them just as much. The club has a whole host of personalities that make them stand out on their own with or without Setsu, and the other supporting characters really help elevate the scene. Setsu's one-sided rivals really add some tension, giving the other characters something to strive for.

Most of all, I really appreciate that Those Snow White Notes takes it time to make music an emotional experience, rather than a technical one. Sure, getting into what makes a shamisen ring out would be spectacular, but music is simply a subjective experience. We all conjure different emotions and images in our head, but we all get captured by the magic of music. Sure there's a competition and pride at stake, but we (as well as the characters) can't help but get sucked in, hoping for something grander beyond the soundscape.
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ANN_Lynzee
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 02 May 2011
Posts: 3031
Location: Email for assistance only
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2021 12:02 pm Reply with quote
FilthyCasual wrote:
OsaMake coverage?


Aiming for a review with the show wraps!
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Seagloom



Joined: 04 Nov 2017
Posts: 298
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2021 12:31 pm Reply with quote
My second most disappointing series this season so far. I'm watching worse shows but my expectations for those were lower to begin with.

The performances in nearly every episode are phenomenal--particularly in the earlier episodes. Unfortunately it feels like that is all there is.

I remember Kono Oto Tomare getting ragged on repeatedly for featuring few koto performances, which was true. The difference there was that the story took its time developing the cast. When there finally were koto performances, the emotional stakes were so high it was impossible to avoid feeling swept up in everyone's struggles. I came to really care for the cast. Even two characters that initially came off like one-note villains grew into favorites.

In this show, the performances are wonderful and frequent. The vignettes that occasionally accompany them can be moving too. But nearly everything else feels so bland that it makes me wonder if I would be better off buying a soundtrack than watching the show. I don't know if it's an issue of cut content in adaptation, but character development feels so threadbare I hardly care about anyone here after nearly a cour. That's pretty sad.
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Beltane70



Joined: 07 May 2007
Posts: 3972
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2021 3:51 pm Reply with quote
I'm just the opposite, Seagloom, as I'm finding that I like the show better than expected. It just comes down to personal tastes and it certainly would be highly unrealistic that everyone should enjoy the same thing as much as others.
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kurichan69



Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 121
Location: Seattle, WA
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2021 4:59 pm Reply with quote
I have such a love/hate relationship with this show. LOVED the first episode. 2nd was OK although I (like most watchers) was smacked upside the head with Setsu being a high school student (it's revealed in the fist chapter of the manga, which I recently looked at). Still LOVE all the shamisen parts. But the rest? The side characters are bland and trope-y and I struggle to care about them (ok, let's face it, I've already given up). I couldn't even remember the names of the other club members until maybe episode 5. I can't stand the teacher and want to punch her in the face every time she's on the screen. And when Mai walked in on them all in that ridiculous "pose" (and then, smart girl, turned around and walked right back out), I literally covered my face. The drama in the show is fine; it's the contrived "comedy" that I find annoying at best, cringe-worthy at worst. Where are Yuna and Taketo? Bring them back! Yuna was in ONE episode and is still one of the most memorable characters! And more Wakana-chan and Umeko!

But the playing and the goddamn music are just so good I can't stop watching.
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3450
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2021 6:58 pm Reply with quote
I feel like this is more the anti rakugo.

I dropped Rakugo cause even though the character/story were fun I couldn't care less about the performance (and was also massively disappointed they resorted to using visual during the performance, if they truly believe Rakugo was a worthy art form they would have stick to just the character telling the story).

Snow whites notes is the opposite, I can't stand the drama and don't care for the character but the performance are great.

Can we fuse the two together to get the best of both world?
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