This show wrecked me (and that's a compliment)!
Now, is this show 'perfect'? Not quite-- there are admittedly some pretty unrealistic parts at times that do require viewers' suspension of disbelief to be in good healthy working order, LOL, and I wasn't fond of the spinny camerawork that's used (thankfully only just) a couple of times, either-- however, the characterization and relationships and emotion and just plain love that is woven throughout this are all quite powerful, and the overall production, music, and acting are at a quality level so insanely high that it's almost unreal (especially after finding out that whenever you can see the characters playing instruments, the actors were truly actually playing-- and had practiced incredibly hard for over a full year each before filming to be able to do so!), so I couldn't help but give it a full 10 overall even without complete-'perfection,' because this really is a masterpiece of labor and love.
Every actor was perfectly cast, but Takeru Satoh in particular (who also was actually the producer for this series!) was downright *incandescent* as the eccentric yet guileless and (usually) softly-caring musical savant who is the core that both the entire story as well as all the other characters revolve around-- he embodied that character so utterly that not only did I literally not even recognize him as the same actor who played Kenshin until I actually looked it up, but it was like the character didn't even exist and he just truly lived and breathed his soul (which is no surprise if you know about his supreme dedication to his roles-- to the point where he even *did his own stunts* in the Kenshin movies, which is just a flat-out *crazy* level of commitment in a work with that much {and that kind of} action!). And Keita Machida (who plays guitarist Sho), and Masaki Suda (who plays Toya, the leader of the band OVER CHROME), are also standout highlights in this already stellar cast.
As for the music, given its absolute importance for a work of this type, you'd fully expect it to be fantastic, and it truly is-- both the official TENBLANK tracks (which were released as an actual album in real life, and I'm really glad they did, because they're plenty great enough to want to listen to even on their own!) as well as all the various composing/jam sessions, collabs, piano playing, and even just background music throughout are all so darn good it's insane. I was alternately rocking out, getting goosebumps, holding back tears, and just plain stunned by its beauty in turns. This show's music is magic (and I have not stopped listening to it on loop since I watched it!).
As for the story: At first you'll think that it's going to be about the female lead character getting her dream back, then you'll think it's going to be about the male lead character forming a super-band and the typical story arc that sort of thing would take... however, it turns out that it's not really about any of that at all-- it's more about the beauty of music itself; and what a tangled web of affection and attachment can do to and for all the people wrapped within it; and what can make a person feel like living again; and finally fulfilling what one was born to do; and living each day to the fullest because there is no telling when it will end; and loving those around you purely, even if it hurts. And yes, sometimes the plot itself takes some extra-dramatic turns; however, even the parts that require suspension of disbelief somehow still worked here, because the themes are more important.
Now, to address some rather odd complaints that I've seen around here saying that the romance in this supposedly 'came out of nowhere' 'late in the show': Please be serious, guys... if you really didn't already fully assume that there was going to be a romance AFTER THE VERY OPENING SEQUENCE OF EPISODE 1 (where the FL and ML practically intertwined souls or somesuch through their music, LOL), then I'm sorry but I think you need to read some more shoujo manga to get a lock on the tropes, LOL, because it was honestly super obvious that they were going to be a thing right from the very start (and even *more* so when it was made perfectly clear that Sakamoto was a tsundere in episode 2 already-- because, again, knowing the tropes, it was also obvious that he'd of course then be the doomed secondary love interest, placing the ML as the definite endgame for the FL. BY EPISODE 2). And the romantic themes were plenty woven into the show in even more ways, as well, from a number of the ML's own comments and song lyrics to the fact that practically every character in the entire show (other than Mr. Tsundere Boy, obviously, plus of course the Overchrome bandmembers, who {along with a completely different connection to the ML that I won't spoil} have their own thing going on...), regardless of gender even, are either obsessed with the ML and/or his talent, or are just straight-(and not-so-straight-)up in love with him, or both! (Which, I mean, is perfectly understandable, LOL; as my viewing partner aptly put it, the ML truly is mesmerizing.) So yeah, it certainly didn't come out of nowhere; it was literally there the entire time.
Anyway, all that said: Given some of my hints about the themes mentioned before, you can probably guess that this is not a typical happy-ending type of show. And it wouldn't have been anyway, even if it hadn't had an open ending. Now, I usually hate open-style endings the most (I'd much rather have proper closure in a story instead, even if that means it's sad, though I do of course prefer happy endings over all other options); however, given the way the story goes, this was actually the very first time in my almost-four-decades of consuming media that a work ended with an open ending and I was actually glad it did-- because it really does end at the best possible place it could to still have a positive feeling of catharsis (even if there is also still a heartwrenching feeling underneath), and also make you continue thinking about the show for a long time afterwards. I felt wrecked at the end (in a good way)-- I believe my exact comments to my viewing partner were, "I am devastated. But it was so good!" And I actually immediately wanted to rewatch the whole show again!
TL;DR: Was it 'perfect'? No. But it's still a masterpiece. And for me that's what earns an overall rating of 10/10.
Every actor was perfectly cast, but Takeru Satoh in particular (who also was actually the producer for this series!) was downright *incandescent* as the eccentric yet guileless and (usually) softly-caring musical savant who is the core that both the entire story as well as all the other characters revolve around-- he embodied that character so utterly that not only did I literally not even recognize him as the same actor who played Kenshin until I actually looked it up, but it was like the character didn't even exist and he just truly lived and breathed his soul (which is no surprise if you know about his supreme dedication to his roles-- to the point where he even *did his own stunts* in the Kenshin movies, which is just a flat-out *crazy* level of commitment in a work with that much {and that kind of} action!). And Keita Machida (who plays guitarist Sho), and Masaki Suda (who plays Toya, the leader of the band OVER CHROME), are also standout highlights in this already stellar cast.
As for the music, given its absolute importance for a work of this type, you'd fully expect it to be fantastic, and it truly is-- both the official TENBLANK tracks (which were released as an actual album in real life, and I'm really glad they did, because they're plenty great enough to want to listen to even on their own!) as well as all the various composing/jam sessions, collabs, piano playing, and even just background music throughout are all so darn good it's insane. I was alternately rocking out, getting goosebumps, holding back tears, and just plain stunned by its beauty in turns. This show's music is magic (and I have not stopped listening to it on loop since I watched it!).
As for the story: At first you'll think that it's going to be about the female lead character getting her dream back, then you'll think it's going to be about the male lead character forming a super-band and the typical story arc that sort of thing would take... however, it turns out that it's not really about any of that at all-- it's more about the beauty of music itself; and what a tangled web of affection and attachment can do to and for all the people wrapped within it; and what can make a person feel like living again; and finally fulfilling what one was born to do; and living each day to the fullest because there is no telling when it will end; and loving those around you purely, even if it hurts. And yes, sometimes the plot itself takes some extra-dramatic turns; however, even the parts that require suspension of disbelief somehow still worked here, because the themes are more important.
Now, to address some rather odd complaints that I've seen around here saying that the romance in this supposedly 'came out of nowhere' 'late in the show': Please be serious, guys... if you really didn't already fully assume that there was going to be a romance AFTER THE VERY OPENING SEQUENCE OF EPISODE 1 (where the FL and ML practically intertwined souls or somesuch through their music, LOL), then I'm sorry but I think you need to read some more shoujo manga to get a lock on the tropes, LOL, because it was honestly super obvious that they were going to be a thing right from the very start (and even *more* so when it was made perfectly clear that Sakamoto was a tsundere in episode 2 already-- because, again, knowing the tropes, it was also obvious that he'd of course then be the doomed secondary love interest, placing the ML as the definite endgame for the FL. BY EPISODE 2). And the romantic themes were plenty woven into the show in even more ways, as well, from a number of the ML's own comments and song lyrics to the fact that practically every character in the entire show (other than Mr. Tsundere Boy, obviously, plus of course the Overchrome bandmembers, who {along with a completely different connection to the ML that I won't spoil} have their own thing going on...), regardless of gender even, are either obsessed with the ML and/or his talent, or are just straight-(and not-so-straight-)up in love with him, or both! (Which, I mean, is perfectly understandable, LOL; as my viewing partner aptly put it, the ML truly is mesmerizing.) So yeah, it certainly didn't come out of nowhere; it was literally there the entire time.
Anyway, all that said: Given some of my hints about the themes mentioned before, you can probably guess that this is not a typical happy-ending type of show. And it wouldn't have been anyway, even if it hadn't had an open ending. Now, I usually hate open-style endings the most (I'd much rather have proper closure in a story instead, even if that means it's sad, though I do of course prefer happy endings over all other options); however, given the way the story goes, this was actually the very first time in my almost-four-decades of consuming media that a work ended with an open ending and I was actually glad it did-- because it really does end at the best possible place it could to still have a positive feeling of catharsis (even if there is also still a heartwrenching feeling underneath), and also make you continue thinking about the show for a long time afterwards. I felt wrecked at the end (in a good way)-- I believe my exact comments to my viewing partner were, "I am devastated. But it was so good!" And I actually immediately wanted to rewatch the whole show again!
TL;DR: Was it 'perfect'? No. But it's still a masterpiece. And for me that's what earns an overall rating of 10/10.
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