Tsurune: Kazemai High School Kyudo Club

Tsurune is weird. It’s a Kyoani anime that wasn’t a cultural phenomenon, probably because it aired two weeks late and had to share the year with both Violet Evergarden and Free!, but let me say I enjoyed Tsurune the most out of all the Kyoani anime I’ve watched. Why? Because Tsurune felt real. There is drama, and there is a lot of it, it feels hectic, nothing gets solved right away and more problems pile up, and some people may have a problem with this but I like this part of Tsurune. Life is hectic, Tsurune just follows the example. Along with drama Tsurune also has a lotof character to it, even though it does seem characters go into tropes, particularly Kaito, Nanoa, and Ryohei, at the same time they don’t. Kaito “Kaachan” Onogi, is a good example because even though he’s the angry one he does self reflect on himself, albeit it’s subtle. In all honesty, these three were in a bad position since the anime really focuses on Masaki, Minato, and Seiya, but those three made the anime worth watching. Seiya and Masaki especially, the struggles they deal with connects them together through Minato, this creates an interesting dynamic. The characters do seem shallow at first, but when you start noticing aspects about their character you truly start falling in love with the anime. Tsurune also excels at atmosphere, every shot is Tsurune is dynamic and well-placed, especially in episode 10 and 12. The production is obviously top-notch, and this helps Tsurune in the sound and animation department, because every frame deserves to be placed in an art gallery and every track is full of emotion. Good examples of shots in Tsurune is episode 2, the blue moonlight mixes extraordinary well with the characters. Also, shots of them doing kyudo have dynamic camera angles, making hits feel all the more satisfying. The themes in Tsurune aren’t anything new, but the way Tsurune portrays it is different. “Are adults actually mature?” or “do you love the sport?” are simplistic questions with a wide array of answers, and Tsurune can’t fully answer them either, but the dialogue used to address the questions had a certain charm to it. The payoffs in Tsurune feel good, they take a while but when it happens, does it happen. Sometimes you might not even realise the answer, and you figure it out as the characters learn which I think is done well. Some might call Tsurune tedious, character drama is everywhere, Kaachan is a bit of an arse and annoying, or whatnot, but I think those two things are fine. Kaachan did get on my nerves sometimes, but he did change subtly and the little things really shifted my opinion on him. Overall, I’d say Tsurune is a charming show, as long as you like the characters that is, everything about the anime has a flow to it, no matter how hectic the problems get. I think it would be great if it got a second season, because Tsurune has much to expand on and I don’t think the Free! Treatment would hurt Tsurune. Anyway time to buy the novel and overpriced merch ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

'Tsurune' is the sound caused by (bow)string upon its release. Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu follows bunch of bow-wielding school boys during their daily life / archery club activities because this is a show by KyoAni and they only make one show every 10 years that isn't related to school clubs. This time we meet several students whose names are pretty much irrelevant, but they are basically downgraded version of KyoAni's other "cute boys do sports activities within club" series called 'Free' only this time around they don't have much character to show. One of them is smart and wears classes because he is smart. Another can sometimessound angry but really isn't. His character literally has nothing else going on. The real mc is a person whose entire life seems to center around this one sports, but personally I can't really say it felt genuine. For example, some melodrama has been inserted in his life, but it really doesn't seem to exist for him: only for the viewers. As for the countless insecurity-filled monologues he silently has inside his own head as some sort of "psychological battle against one's own self" or "I can't hear my tsurune and therefore I must panick and depress" seemed rather dull and not even very fitting to a show of this sort. Yet they were the driving motion for his entire story. The last 2 archery bros are incredibly fake. The first one is some sort of "friendly giant" because he is sooo nice and tall. The last character is the exact same as him except shorter, has messy hair and instead of being super friendly he is just super positive about anything and everything that ever happens. Overall the cast was bit too much; like a cake made of nothing but sugar. There are also bunch of side characters who have more important role in the series than the main ones (especially during the first half of the show), but they will be as relevant to this review as they were to the series. I.e. I won't bother talking about them. They mainly offer filler-feel and not much more. Practically all the characters despite their age, gender or role are made to appear with some type of child-like innocence to a point that it becomes pushy. As a whole, the cast was hardly worth of caring about and surely did not carry the show or its weak story. To continue with the story, it is somehow weaker than the cast. Go from this point to another point, the driving motion being success at shooting those arrows because apparently it can help with the mc's character development among other things such as not make the series feel so pointless. Even tho it still does. The sports side has practically nothing to offer. The slice of life silliness follows the same pushy nature, but at least some of the interactions between main and side cast were pretty fun at times. The light drama is bound to seem like copy-paste to those who have seen more than 3 KyoAni shows. Basically anyone could have given birth to this storyline. That's pretty much it. The production has KyoAni written all over it from art and animation department. However, money is being saved whenever possible as the series contains tons of still, barely animated sequences which hold almost no movement whatsoever. I also have to point out that the character design is seriously poor. There were times when opponent archery team members were present and I could only tell them apart thanks to their different colored clothing. Some of the boys look so similar to each others it's just ridiculous and also cheap. On the other hand, I really liked the overly tomboyish character design for teenage girls. Unfortunately the girls don't otherwise have any meaningful roles in the series, but I hope to see more of that in the future from KyoAni~ The voice acting is in every way the same as well. The music stands out, occasionally because sad piano is too try-hard and other times because the more energizing OST's play so well during the sports and SOL moments. Still, even the good pieces started to get pretty old towards the end since there are so few songs in the OST that they end up repeating the same ones over and over and over. Enjoyment-wise, it is safe to say this is the least popular KyoAni show to this date. It sounds uninteresting, it has no wild mainstream appeal to offer and most of all, it is so incredibly spirit-less shell it's hard to hold any strong feelings ('perspective', if you will) towards it either way. Perhaps there is a niche audience who is really into this sort of "light"/"lighthearted" slice of life of boyzz and can get great deal solely out of its atmosphere alone, but I didn't find anything to truly hang onto.

In terms of sports anime, I would say that Tsurune is probably the most realistic of the bunch. That is to say, there isn't any super powers, or randomly shouting out the name of their secret techniques. It's all about the real struggles that people who practice archery, or any sport, have to experience and overcome. Overall, I would say that it did a great job at depicting this, but it certainly isn't going to provide you with much hype. If you're not into atmospheric slice of life type anime, then this entry, most likely isn't for you. As previously the mentioned, the narrative that ispresented is one that takes the more realistic aspect of sports and converts it into anime form. It then turns into a coming of age story where our main character interacts with, and learns from his fellow team mates and sensei, to overcome his fears. It is most certainly an inspiring story, but the pacing is rather slow, which is what the director most likely intended for this series. This is a good one to just kick back and relax to. Of course, there are some dramatic events, but they're not overly dramatic and unrealistic, which again adds a sense of realism to the narrative. Perhaps some viewers may find themselves being able to directly relate with the characters, which is certainly a good thing for any anime to have. Production-wise, this anime is a KyoAni anime, so there isn't much to critique. The art style is definitely interesting and non-generic, while the V.A. and OST's were fine. Nothing to write home about though. I personally felt that the characters were a tad bit generic, as in, that one guy with the red hair who's a hot head, and the cute guy who all the girls love, then you have the cold and calm leader, and of course the underdog protagonist who develops into a better person by the end of the show. I will agree that these characters were used effectively, sadly, I'm definitely not going to be able to remember any of them after finishing the show. There are just some characters in anime that you'll remember for the rest of your life. Sadly, for me, this anime doesn't have any character like that. Perhaps it's simply because this type of anime isn't what I'm into, but I didn't enjoy it very much. The pacing is just too painstakingly slow for my taste. However, I'm not saying that this anime is bad. It does have its good qualities here and there, but I don't think it's going to be a favorite for the majority of people. If it does, however, sound like just the kind of anime you're looking for, then by all means, give it a go. If not, then I'd recommend watching something else. Thank you for reading this review!

I'm not really one for sports shows personally. There's just something about them that I feel makes them so formulaic and by extension less interesting to watch. Sure, Kyoto Animation as the tacked on production company for this work is one for interest, but given their track record with Free! and the following that show has accrued, I wasn't really sure fully what to expect with Tsurune. Story: A budding archery prodigy in middle school, a bad tournament crushed by expectations and nerves catalyzed by his mother's passing has inflicted Minato Narumiya with 'Target Panic', making him unable to properly shoot a bow well enough to hiteven the edge of the targets. Now transferred to Kazemai High School, he is dragged back into Kyudo in the Kazemai Kyudo Club in hopes of reminding him why he started firing a bow in the first place; to hear the 'Tsurune'. A lot of what this show is about can be boiled down to the tried and true themes of 'friendship', 'comradely', and 'teamwork', as the majority of the series is focused primarily on the team of five boys the show is focused on as they prepare and get better at the sport that they all (mostly) love. In addition to that, the show provides special attention for Minato, Seiya, and Masaki in various parts of the show to help explore their characters, regrets, and aspirations a bit in order to flesh out their characters. The end result of that choice however comes off less spectacular as what was probably originally intended, because particularly for the latter two, their backstories and respective character moments feel tacked on rather than a natural integration for the show. Both Seiya and Masaki have issues that are hinted at in the beginning, but considering how hard the series delves into their stories, the transitions don't feel smooth enough for me to validate them going that direction. That being said, the show does still shine with Minato as its forefront. His character arc feels naturally integrated into the narrative, and a lot of what makes the show worth watching goes back to his character and his slow progression towards going back to the sport he loves. It's also the only part of the show's highest points that feels worth it, and a part of me really wishes everyone else got the same level of attention he had, or alternatively, just make it all his story instead of trying to shove in other characters' problems into the narrative to create conflict and potentially drive the plot forward. Characters: Minato's defining characteristic lies in his nerves and growing defiance to overcome the target panic that plagues him. He starts off as a much meeker version of himself that over time with more exposure (and practice) grows to become a character really worth watching. This is greatly capitalized by the forward facing shots the show almost exclusively for Minato as he's firing his bow, letting off a satisfying sound to emphasize growth and change for him. My only complaint is that I really wish the show was JUST about him. I feel like the whole 'team' aspect to show how important friends are is just padding for characters and easy conflict since 'teams are only as strong as their weakest link' and all that. And that leads me into why Seiya is by far the worst character in the show. And that's after considering the token male tsundere that in stories like these act all brash and like a dick when in reality they're just a softy with a really, really, really hard exterior. It just feels like Seiya does nothing aside from act bitter and a bit angsty. His character focuses on expressing regret about something relating to Minato, hence Seiya's decision to switch to a different school as well. The problem with this is that the whole time the episodes run by, he does virtually nothing to even insinuate what happens until a single episode happens and we get the whole story. It's not unusual to see a massive infodump like that in a character-focused episode, but given the slow burn of progress that the show has had up until that point, I feel like what ended up happening was a character arc that didn't feel satisfying to watch and really wasn't up to the quality that the show's potential had. Masaki suffers a similar problem with the infodump department, but that's mostly because his backstory just felt like it was thrown in there at points instead of just being revealed slowly as well. And the rest of the Tsurune club is just there for fodder and/or to provide the 'friendship'. Truthfully, Kaito, Nanao, and Ryohei have very little to do with any of the show's character focuses. True, the duo of Kaito and Nanao do get a bit of their characters explored later on, but it's small potatoes compared to the big character moments that Minato has. Kaito is supposed to be the antithesis to Minato by chastising the poor guy at every turn, Nanao is the popular guy who acts like a floozy, and Ryohei is just happy to be there and gets no mention of anything tragic ever happening to him. And the problem of lacking impact extends to the rest of the cast, especially towards the female members of the Kazemai Kyudo Club and the series rivals, the Kisaragi Kyudo Club. The girls just feel like lost potential, like there was truthfully no reason for them to even be there in the first place considering they offer nothing for the series narrative-wise given their usage is purely for plot purposes only. Kisaragi functions the same, posing as the 'elite' club with such good and eccentric members that they alone can hit three bulls-eyes in a row with their eyes closed. (Warning, might not be accurate information.) It just feels like there was no effort put into actually making these characters interesting apart from posing as an obstacle for our protagonists, which is a shame given the potential that could've arisen from their involvement. Aesthetics: Tsurune is a pretty show. Muted, but still pretty, which isn't surprising Kyoto Animation's track record in the last few years. It's kind of like the 'poor man's Free' in terms of animation quality since you definitely get the Kyoto Animation style, but for the most part you're getting the slightly cheaper version of their potential since it didn't seem like they cared THAT much to make it stand a cut above the rest. A real shame given how one of their more recent projects, 'Violet Evergarden', had them flex on everyone else in the season for just how pretty they could make anime. That is however not to say the beauty of some select shots. Ordinarily, Tsurune truthfully is not amazingly pretty to look at, as we've come to expect from KyoAni. Until you watch them pull back that string. Accompanied by a score of light vocals and piano chords, what you get is the show's most picturesque moments, the parts of the show that really stand a cut above the rest. Close up angles of the boys pulling their bow back with the satisfying release of the string—the sound of the arrow whistling through the air—and the resounding thud of the target. It's here where the narrative culminates in a single moment, and for a brief moment, there's a gentle atmosphere when watching. While the score speaks softly with a light piano, the OP and ED of the show speak a different tone. "Naru" by Luck Life is a rock song that to me recalls the comradely that the five boys share with each other. Honestly, I don't find this song all that interesting. Especially compared to the ost's main theme for the show, it just doesn't resonate with me. Choucho's "Orange Iro" on the other hand is the thing that I expected more for a song relating to Tsurune. Her voice coupled with a softer song helps hammer in those more quiet, somber moments that the show has regarding Minato and similar moments like it, so that to me is a plus compared to the comparatively louder OP that we got. Personal Enjoyment: My opinion of Tsurune changes depending on what exactly you're talking about. In this case, the whole is most certainly not equal to the sum of its parts. Had it not been for Minato's character arc culminating in what is quite literally a few single shots, I don't think I would've found anything remotely amazing about this show. This problem of narrative extends to the rest of the cast as no one is nearly interesting enough to stand out as either their own characters, or do anything significant enough to warrant any focus or attention without Minato acting as a guise in the back. That being said, a lot of this is still made up during the moments that the characters show. As an audience, I could definitely feel the emotional impact and satisfaction that the characters got when firing their arrows and managing to hit the target. If there's anything I can really give Kyoto Animation credit for, it's the fact that they really managed to nail the 'Kyudo' part of Tsurune, really making the sport matter at the highest points in the story with such a beautiful theme to go along with it as the characters are having their internal monologues about overcoming their adversity. As such, I would give Tsurune my recommendation if only to witness the parts of the animation where you can see the frame count rise significantly for a few seconds until the arrow his the target. A lot of the show however doesn't feel like it validates such beautiful moments, but given just how well framed and crafted the shooting scenes are, I find literally no other reason to say that the show isn't worth it if not only for that.