Kids on the Slope

Name(s): Kids on the Slope / Sakamichi no Apollon / Sakamichi no Aporon / Apollo on the Slope / 坂道のアポロン
Director(s): Shinichirō Watanabe
Format(s): TV series (12 22-minute episodes)
Genre(s): Coming-of-Age / Drama / Music
Studio(s): MAPPA / Tezuka Productions
Release Date(s): April 12, 2012 – June 28, 2012

Never gave my thoughts on this one back when I first finished it. A brief recap is an introvert piano player named Kaoru befriends rowdy student Sentarou over their mutual interest in jazz. Sentarou’s childhood friend Ritsuko becomes the object of affection for Kaoru, but she’s only interested in Sentarou causing a love triangle. What bothers me about Kids on the Slope is that it’s ostensibly an anime about jazz, but it really isn’t. Jazz is what kickstarts the relationship between the characters but once that relationship is solidified the characters grow through mostly typical, albeit engaging, daily summer and school life.

They hit the beach and goof around and become friends based on natural chemistry rather than a connected philosophy regarding music. I would for once like to see an anime that is actually about music rather than just having music in it. About what it’s like to write music and the meaning put behind songs by the writers. About the emotion that comes when you play what you feel and the catharsis from it. I’ve seen music anime that seem to be written from the basic perception of a fan’s appreciation for music and not an actual musician’s passion.

If you put together every moment in Kids on the Slope that was actually about discussing or playing music, you would seriously probably get about ten minutes. This is a real shame, because when the music is actually the focus of the show it’s handled rather well. The beginning is the strongest as Kaoru’s discovery of the appeal of jazz actually fits the prerequisite I mentioned above at actually talking about what the music means to people. When this introduction is over the infrequent jam sessions are still joyous highlights but somewhat shallow as the music no longer develops along with the characters, being mostly used as a tether to pull things back when the outside daily life melodrama gets too strained.

The love triangle means the characters fight a lot, and while at first I enjoyed this subplot it didn’t sustain my interest for the entire show. The characters (primarily Kaoru) make overly dramatic, sudden and irrational decisions which can be partially excused as a result of them being teenagers but this is hindered somewhat by the fact the characters are always immediately aware of the stupid decisions they’re making as made apparent by their inner monologue. It makes them less sympathetic when they admit they’re being stupid but do nothing about it.

I can’t discern Ritsuko’s character, she has no hobbies of her own unlike the boys and is merely a walking conflict for their relationship. It’s pretty lazy. Junichi is an initially very likable character but gets almost no time to establish a relationship with any of the main characters before he basically disappears, and the focus on the subplot between him and another minor character is almost totally irrelevant to the main story and characters, and so the most immature relationship in the series despite them being the oldest characters.