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Kids on the Slope - Best Anime This Year, Watch For Free?!
Posted on Wednesday, July 11 2012 @ 15:32:02 Eastern

Kids on the Slope has just finished its 12-episode run and I highly recommend watching all of it, perhaps in one sitting if that's your style. Jazz is a central theme that brings the characters together, which is a great thing considering that this has reunited Shinichiro Watanabe and Yoko Kanno who both worked on Cowbop Bebop (an animé that does not need an introduction).

It's been a terribly long time since there's been a Japanese animation that doesn't flaunt any gimmicks and concentrates on the characters, treating them fairly and as realistically as a slice of life drama can (since Honey and Clover, for me). The relationship between the loner nerd Kaoru, (usually) unflappable tough guy Sentaro, and potential sweetheart Ritsuko reveals why they need each other.

Still, things don't work out just because it would be uplifting or poetic. Admiration usually doesn't meet its expectations. But there's always a silver lining to the resolution, and nothing speaks to this more than the ending.

Both the animation and music are incredible, with strong interpretations and improvisations of jazz classics as well as gorgeous, soft artwork that are almost Miyazaki-like in detail. There are even some scenes where you can see the hands animated on the piano keys, and they are actually playing the right ones.

The full season of Kids on the Slope can be legitly viewed on Crunchy Roll [http://www.crunchyroll.com/kids-on-the-slope]. The animation is English-subtitled... as it should be.

Comments

danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Jul 11th, 2012 at 4:06 pm
Damn Nick might actually get me to watch Anime again.

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MasterRabbi
Joined: May 2007

Posted: Jul 12th, 2012 at 11:10 am
I thought this was the one you mentioned on the podcast (have the Japanese name for my fansubs). I've been watching it, and the animation and characters are superb and keep bringing me back.

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Sourdeez
Joined: Feb 2012

Posted: Jul 15th, 2012 at 10:21 am
Ill check it out. My top 3 are, Noene To Your Other Self, (Epic thought out, real characters that never break out of there normal actions(As in no anime pop out styles, not that I don't like that in anime but this anime does a awesome job of being almost like a real movie the characters are so well done.) FLCL, (This one is so unique and special to me. People suggest crazy anime when I ask them for anime I will like but the random crazy anime transitions is only icing on the cake. FLCL manages to add love, sex, comic style, robots, guns, inter dimensional portals, and electric guitars. It manages to keep you interested, entertained, engaged, and is one of the few animes that can get away with that while also not summing up every little plot string.)

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Sourdeez
Joined: Feb 2012

Posted: Jul 15th, 2012 at 10:25 am
Its also one of the best for watching ****ed up and be entertained. Its so happy noted at times without being a overbearing pushed mood of the anime. Its still and random in ways that in other animes I would find anoying but FLCL just pulls it off. Seriel Experiments Lain, (I love Lain, Its a cerebral head**** and Ive been into PCs since I was a child so this anime was right up my "Lain". Another one of those animes I love to take loads of illegal substances and watch nonstop all the way through. I watched it when I was 11 or 12 and it really continued to peak my interest in building PCs at the time and really diving deep into the internet. Do you have any other anime you can suggest? Other anime I have seen, Texhnolyze, Darker then Black, Code Geiss, Gurren Lagann.

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Sourdeez
Joined: Feb 2012

Posted: Jul 15th, 2012 at 10:27 am
p.s. I usually only watch dubbed but awesome things like Eden of the East I had to watch before they came out with the dub. Same for Money and Soul of Possibility Control.

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