Piano

3 reviews - 7.5 total score (Explanation of the rating system)
avg. score: (2.5)

Director - Norihiko Sudo
Character Designer - Kousuke Fujishima

3. Neko Tsukimi

Sadly, the only redeeming quality of Piano was the music which was beautiful through and through. Otherwise, Piano is somewhat a coming-of-age story staring Miu, a young girl who loves to play the piano but becomes unsure of herself as the series progresses. The pace of the show was very annoying. It was slow and life just seemed too dull.

But the music was wonderful. It's sad that that's really all this show has to offer besides beautiful visuals.

2. Qian Wan

A definite crapper. The opening song is a piano piece that I have memorized back in freshman year of High School that I swore will never want to hear again. Despite that, this series does have some good piano pieces (1-2 at best) that prevents the series from going into the total garbage abyss of 2/5. The art of this series is done nicely. It is similar to Ah! My Goddess and the rosy colors of the anime and the pleasant designs of the characters does good to my eyes, but it is not enough to compensate for the pathetic plot.

The story revolves around a girl named Miu. Miu goes to school. Miu likes to play the piano and she gets good grades in schoool. Miu has a cat named Mew. Mew likes food and ditching Miu whenever dinner is ready. In one episode Mew gets lost and Miu is sad... you get my drift. It is a story about family and the personal life of Miu. There are of course "problems" Miu encounters and usually, like a good soap opera, it gets solved by the end of the episode, leaving no cliff hangers, not to mention most don't serve as a good predicate to what this series attempts to focus on - high school crush. There really isn't anything I can sympathize with our main character, leaving the storyline pretty blank and the me feeling left out.

But like most anime, the plot does seem to do its trick on some people. A nice simple story with a girl and her friend Yuki who shares a deep and intimate friendship and tackles their way through difficulties does have its moments (the series isn't as dramatic as my sentence). A very dull piano teacher who seem to know the 'soul meaning' of playing the piano and teaching it doesn't quite convey the message to me that he has to exist. Towards the end of the series Miu gets frustrated over her crush and playing the piano at a recital (oh please, us high school seniors know what getting frustrated REALLY means). The series' supposedly intended you to sympathize with Miu, get to know her friends and live with her perfectly normal (very rare in an anime!) family. But if you don't have that extra space in your heart and the patience to sit through a soap-opera like plot just to be disappointed in the end, it is best to stay away from this title.

But of course if you are a girl who knows how to play the piano, gets good grade, has an annoying cat who does jackdonkey to help when you try to hold it, and has a boy trouble, please by all means do try this title.

Why I have it: Miu voiced by Kawasumi Ayako (Mahoro in Mahoromatic).
High: Miu has a cool hairstyle. Nice artwork, Miu's friend Yuki looks cute.
Low: Crappy ending, too realistic making the anime story-deprived.
Final word: An anime with a crappy plot and little redeeming qualities.

1. Tempy

Piano is very much a slice-of-life and coming-of-age show. Miu is a young girl with a talent for playing the piano. She's a little bit on the timid side, with some small worries. Her best friend Yuuki is good at sports and they both depend on each other for moral support. Miu likes Takahashi but is a little bit hesitant to show her feelings. The problem with Piano is that everything from the emotions to the conflicts are too subdued. It's also neither happy or sad, nor cute or serious. You won't find any hyperactive or angsty characters, but Piano takes things beyond realism and into the realm of boredom. Miu's piano teacher's methods of teaching is staring out of the window while she plays. He's so unresponsive and expressionless, even the corpses in Ninja Scroll have more life in them.

While the designs by Kousuke "Oh My Goddess" Fujishima are pleasant enough to look at, the production qualities of Piano in general are strictly average. There isn't much to animate, and while there are some nice piano tunes, more often than not the background music consists of the usual synthesizer fare.

One of the things I missed in Piano are the little moments where the characters enjoy the simple pleasure of life. There are plenty of those moments in similarly "slow" shows such as Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou and Kokoro Toshokan, and those two sport beautiful art and music, making them favorites of mine. Piano is not without a certain charm, but you'll have to be very patient and accepting to enjoy it.