It's ashame this anime didn't get the clout it deserved it is a master piece. I did research about the company and stuff they just couldn't afford to keep making episodes it just never got the eyes of others sadly.
I think the soundtrack is amazin' but I had a terribly hard time connecting to the characters and overall couldn't understand the behaviors of some of the characters, and I found that for all the emotional strife the anime puts you through to end it with such a realistic ending, it sort of just didn't resonate with me in a positive way and left me with a bad taste in my mouth, which is a shame because god the music is so damn good. Just an unfortunate case of a story that wasn't meant to be told to an audience member like myself, and I think a lot of people felt similarly leading to the small fanbase it has now.
@@navels553 I completely agree with you I feel the felling a of the characters were very mono tone and someone gets mad or sad but I agree with you about the ending it is ashamed that it never received the glory or amount of glory it should have gotten.
@@riftin9767 I disagree about the characters, to me they all seemed memorable and realistically flawed. But I completely agree about the ending, it felt like a season 2 was perfectly set up, the time skip just didn't seem to fit or have enough closure, and many questions were left unanswered.
I highly recommend watching Cowboy Bebop. It has the same composer of this anime (Yoko Kanno) so of course the soundtrack in really jazz. It's also in my opinion one of the few anime that's perfect from start to finish. Kids On The Slope also fits into that category as well.
As a jazz drummer who has never seen an anime before, I was intrigued by this and finally decided to watch it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am extremely happy I watched it, despite it kind of being sad
As a classically trained piano player who dropped his classical teacher to go play jazz I started watching this anime and I absolutely love it. It's crazy to see that I went through the same exact stuff as Koaru did when he was first trying to learn Moanin'. It's super cool to see!
Was looking for a slice of life anime, seemed ok, and then when I saw it was about music, and that music was jazz, no less, I instantly fell in love with this anime. Too bad it's only 12 episodes long. I have finished watching the last episode a few moments ago and I am now feeling rather empty.
***** That's true, eventhough I didn't like a lot Samurai Shamploo (the mix medieval Japon and Rap wasn't good for me). Hmmm so I don't have any other anime with a scenario based on music in mind, but there's still good anime with good ost. Let's say Parasyte or Psycho-pass if you're not afraid of metal and dubstep (and piano), Shingeki no kyojin's ost is very good too (but I'm a snk fanboy, so that's a very biased judgment :p). Mushishi is very into folk music, and a kinda remember Shinsekai Iori having a good ost. The best way to get rid of an ending serie blues is to watch another one :D
Yeah, It's always like this after watching an anime that seems like it could never get any better. But I assure you, there are plenty more amazing shows out there; you just need to find them ;)
+Jovan Roland I would recommend reading the manga's volume 9 (the last volume) and extra chapters after. Vol 9 is pretty much an expanded version of episode 12 with more detailed events (like what Kaoru did during the timeskip), as well as having a more 'resolute' ending. The extra chapters after are icing on the cake. These really helped fill up my void after watching the anime, i think it would also make you appreciate what they added in the last episode.
@dem1g0d1 That's because its secret. If you hold the page up toward a light, you will see a mechanism in between the pages that, if jangled in the right way, will begin to start playing some funky jazz music.
I have just finished watching Kids on the Slope and I want to cry!!! I love the whole series, it is so warm in the feeling. I miss my friends, and it made me feel a longing for some friends that I never had. I miss the characters now, Kaoru, Sentarou, and Ritsuko. I want to be part of their unique solid friendship. The series is a masterpiece, it is a must-watch series. It has a very touching storyline. Not to forget to mention, the jazz music resonates sweetly in your soul. The array of the warm spectrum about love, friendship, family, and bromance... It gave me the same post feeling, the preoccupied feeling that I got after watching the movie 5 centimeters per second. It has a lot of moral stories, about forgiveness, trust, having courage in life, and brotherly kindness. So good, very moving, and captivating. Now, I feel empty and at the same time whole... and I can't get over with it. It's just wonderful! very incredible anime. Please do watch and make sure to listen to their opening and ending songs so nostalgic, and their jazz soundtract.. love it!
Literally anything Yoko Kanno touches, is instant magic. She is an absolutely extraordinary and legendary composer. She is the only composer that if I see that she did all the music for an anime series, (such as she did, this one), I will literally watch that series just because of that. I'm not even joking either. She's been at it for 3+ decades, and I swear she has never once failed me.
Also if you guys are into jazz and wanna get into different types of jazz, check out this underated anime film called "Metropolis". You will year mostly dixieland,southern jazz throughout the film as well as some swing style tracks. Check it out.
+JoMomma239 Well, my impression is that it's a good vintage madhouse anime from 2001. Very underatted. Music is far from boring. Plot and atmosphere really unique.
Gotta say that this and the My Favorite Things/Someday My Prince Will Come/Moanin mashup are my two favorites. Absolutely beautiful modern twists to classic jazz pieces.
+gearsofawesome476 if you read the ending of Sakamichi no Apollon and Sakamichi no Apollon Bonus Track the manga, it will give you a more positive ending.
Some say it's monotone. It's not monotone, it's realistic in my opinion. That's how people are. The characters aren't monotone anymore once you know them. Their backstories, their talents, and their personality made each of them unique. That's how human really is, we are colorfull in many ways. The characters are flawed and never been perfect even though they seems they are from the beginning. They are unpredictable just like how our heart change our mind in matter of seconds. Jazz is chaoticly beautifull most of the time, just like us humans. You just never know what's coming next.
I grew out of my anime phase a while back, kind of realized the art form has been cliched to a point where some shows feel the same (this happens with western TV and film too, don't get me wrong, but I feel it's much more prevalent in Japanese TV and film), but this show's writing and direction was genius. The pacing, the character development, the ending, all of it was incredible and it makes me sad I can't watch it for the first time again!
Never seen the show I’m just here because this is just a really good version of moanin’, hats off to the players here (& the engineers too, sounds great)
Kids on the slope was really really good sadly it lasted for only 12 eps but I think it would be better if the anime focused more on the friendship between the two boys instead of love affairs
It also made us, the jazz enthusiasts, beam with happiness. I kept fanning that they played all the songs my dad had on his stereo system every night when I was younger.
2:01 is when this really starts to come into its own. From then on I can't even do anything but sit back and listen and try not to split my head in 2 from smiling so wide.
I randomly picked out this show cause I wanted to give anime a shot as an adult now, I'd never heard of it or anything and figured it must be some slice of life show with romantic themes sprinkled in, but good god I was wrong. This is just a phenomenal show about friendships being made and using jazz as a catalyst to help tell the story of two friends forming an intense bond. It only occasionally uses romance to help build character and present challenges to overcome for the cast. To be completely honest I marathoned the whole thing because of how well done this was pulled off. Glad I picked it up when I did.
+Wael Khaleb You got Kids on the Slope "these days," and there are plenty of other fantastic series being released. Shirobako and Ping Pong the Animation are two series that have aired within the last year that will probably be true classics when people look back to this era. People who say no good anime is getting made today just aren't watching the good stuff.
I finished the anime this morning...I feel so empty without it in my life..I NEED MORE ANIME. With character development, perfect artistic style, a decent story, and some damn soul. I like romance, slice of life, adventure, all of it. But something that can take me into its world and make me love its characters and world.
I saw a clip of this anime years ago. Thought it was cool but didn't really watch the series. Then recently I remembered it and thought that i'd give it a go. BRUH. I fell in love with this almost immediately. Not to sound obsessed but i've watched it 3x over in the span of 2 days...This anime made me appreciate Jazz more.
***** He's doing something called Walking bass. Check it out and learn it, it's not about a particular line. Generations of jazz bass and double bass players used it. :3
Same my dude. I was listening to blues in c sharp minor by teddy wilson, and youtube gave me a mix. The art blakey version of this song was on it, and the comments were all about this anime
I was so impressed this anime and this performance!! I found out Takashi Matsunaga played this. I imagined if I could play the piano so well when I was a high school student....
Yoko Kanno public says she doesn't like Jazz that much, which shows her insane talent to still perfectly capture the genre. Her dislike isn't stemmed from ignorance.
The non-verbal exchanges during sessions are handled so well in this anime. Reminds me of the jazz story "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin, where - like this anime - the jazz bands instrumentation forms a dialogue between the members. Both the story and this anime prove that music is definitely a form of communication.
+Asante Bonner Tbh i watched Beck right after finishing Kids on the Slope and just cause they're both music animes doesn't mean they're similar shows. Which is the reason i assume you are recommending it like a lot of other people have.