When was that? And where? I only remember one thing. Just one sound A sound like soaring. Like a ray of light flashing in the Dark. Tsurune is an anime directed by Takuya Yamamura https://anilist.co/staff/126449/TakuyaYamamura which is based on a light novel of same name by Kotoko Ayanohttps://anilist.co/staff/124010/KotokoAyano with illustrations by Chinatsu Morimoto https://anilist.co/staff/124011/ChinatsuMorimoto. Anime was produced by Kyoto Animation in fall 2018. 320 https://64.media.tumblr.com/31db3d5cac195037dc1d9a245c74e5ac/4a1008660bd8f473ad/s540x810/84a07d3eeae4f71c8d0caa75467004062c83810d.jpg Plot revolves around a young man Minato Narumiya and kyd club in Kazemai high school. Our protagonist used to be in his middle schools kyd club until an incident in his last tournament caused him to quit archery. His friends Seiya Takehaya and Ryhei Yamanouchi try to rope him into rejoining the kyd club in high school which he refuses to at first. This story is about how our protagonist relearns what was it that made him attracted to kyudo with the help of a really great cast of characters. This is such an appreciable story about rehabilitation and teamwork. The presentation of story is done through really serene visuals and elegant pacing. What this anime best is representing the essence of kyd in story and characters. Motivation of protagonist towards the Archery is so pure and yet so real. https://64.media.tumblr.com/9e2252dfba0d58f45ad7403a706885ac/511c604d686c26d76d/s540x810/b1c40229ca766d677255c9be5afe7e597c3a1792.gifv Kyd is a Japanese martial art of archery. This beautiful form of sports is exhibited in one of the most beautiful ways I have seen in anime. Anime captures the true essence of art like none other I have seen before. This anime forefronts true spirit of kyd that is Shin Zen Bihttps://www.ikyf.org/shinzenbi.html rather beautifully. Where Shin: Shin means true shooting is the one with no deceit Zen: Zen is the manifestation of the ethical aspect of kyd which involves Rei courtesy and Fuso nonconfrontation requires one to always stay calm and not lose their composure. Bi: Beauty of kyd which lies in Shin and Zen. Each aspect of kyd has been touched upon rather lovingly by the anime and I truly appreciate how well it was displayed through our main protagonist. I cannot encapsulate true beauty of this anime without going into spoiler territory so from this point forward spoiler warning. One of the main aspects of the story which I really love is how the rehabilitation of character was not a physical one but instead a mental one that is target panic. This gave an in depth of what character is like and what is it that makes kyd important to him. He relearns this with the help of Shin which is true shooting without any thought in mind. https://64.media.tumblr.com/3491e11c14529a228f4f612e341625f4/c96450a1db91760e30/s540x810/35f93782649284750c50970cd50089cfab53dd65.gifv Another thing this show does greatly is Teamwork often with sports shows teamwork is not as much explored but this show goes deep with the philosophy of teamwork and how it makes a team sports much more compelling than the individual sports. Our team of boys Minato Seiya Ryhei Nanao and Kaito really make a good team they go through a perfect balance of growth in the show. Each member of team grows individually with focus on selfacceptance and also acceptance of other members of team without any prejudice. Throughout the show we see how our team grows and gradually come to accept one another. It is as Seiya says its like the tale of three arrows except its five arrows I guess. Which encapsulates perfectly how team works. Seiyas quest for his friendship with Minato Ryoheis quest for selfacceptance Nanaos quest for helping Kaito Kaitos quest on focus and acceptance of others and finally Minatos quest for Tsurune Everyone got room to grow and they did beautifully. 540https://64.media.tumblr.com/767d43becac4f8442ccd62aaaa635032/f67de79dd1c9c32e10/s540x810/c7320823da3fafc4736a33087fa82b18cd515546.gifv Our coach Masaki Takigawa is also very compelling character with his own character arc. He grows throughout the story and learns from his students. His initial motivation of revenge is changed during the course of time. I love how his character was explored. Although the car accident clichd wasnt necessary. Also whyd you cut my mans beautiful locks it should be illegal. https://64.media.tumblr.com/091bb0fdb4b0f3f113784c1af2109d4b/4d667b0e017e510d82/s540x810/a4ea623cb190e30ef2010e625ceb3b6375a9463f.gifv A thing which I thought could have made this even better was focusing on the female members of the kyd club Like Rika Seo she was one of the characters I was most interested in as she represented perfect form of Zen amongst all the members of the club. Show is definitely not without its flaws it has some of the clichs but they can overlooked easily. https://64.media.tumblr.com/008cb7c75693af8c6ddd7962fb3f119c/5193b449ec2890cacd/s540x810/5c3139bcccd84d43cf991b1a1413937f3464715a.gifv Will I recommend this show of course I will If you want to watch something healing with beautiful visuals and sound design definitely do watch this. This is not a regular fast paced sports anime and does gives you space to breathe and think about it.
94 /100
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