Sakamichi no Apollon

[ImTakes]

Title: Sakamichi no Apollon~Kids on the Slope
Type: TV
Episodes: 11
Airing: Apr 12, 2012 (noitaminA)
Producers: Tezuka Productions, MAPPA

Characters & Voice Actors:
Kawabuchi, Sentarou : Hosoya, Yoshimasa
Mukae, Ritsuko : Nanri, Yuuka
Nishimi, Kaoru : Kimura, Ryohei
Maruo : Murase, Ayumu

Staff:
Watanabe, Shinichiro
Director
Kakihara, Yuuko
Script
Yuuki, Nobuteru
Character Design
Kanno, Yoko
Music

Synopsis:
Nishimi Kaoru has moved from city to city and school to school because of his father's job. So the first day at his new school was just routine for him. Being intellectual and the new transfer student, he has always been seen as an outcast and all Kaoru had to do was bear it until the next time he moved. But things were slightly different this time. First, he started to get close to the class president, Mukae Ritsuko, and, secondly, unlikely as it seemed, grew closer to Kawabuchi Sentaro. Sentaro was infamous for getting into fights, skipping class and was an overall bad boy. Strangely enough, the three of them find common ground in music, namely jazz, and Kaoru finds himself actually enjoying the new town.
(Information taken from MAL, ANN)

PV can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe...d&v=nzY6Y-AHEaw

My thoughts:
To be able to watch the great director that is Shinchiro Watanabe again and with his famous co-hort in tow, Kanno, Yoko, I am really looking forward to this one that in my opinion, may prove to be a classic. Being a fan of Samurai Champloo and soon, Cowboy Bebop, Shinchiro can do no wrong. The music is going to be just great, too...can't wait.

 

[Ausdoerrt]

Other than this looking like more or less typical slice-of-life, an anime about Japanese high school kids who like jazz is a rather odd premise :/

 

[Kaeru-P]

Kinda like K-ON? instead with jazz and mixed casts (In terms of gender

)

Either Im watching this since Jazz is one of my Favorite Genre. (or at least try to with a busy sched all and that, to which I have to catch up the last season.)

 

[Killer_Ossi]

Even though Jazz is not really my thing its pretty good for BGMs in my eyes, but I totally dont know how that music-genre fits into a normal japanese highschool.

 

[nijlandp]

QUOTE (Killer_Ossi @ Mar 05 2012, 05:39 PM)Even though Jazz is not really my thing its pretty good for BGMs in my eyes, but I totally dont know how that  music-genre fits into a normal japanese highschool.

Remember K-on? It had a jazz club in school

. As i liked K-on i am going to watch this series. However i do hope it can also get the romance going. K-on didn't have anything on that part.

 

[ImTakes]

A wonderful story! Growing up, dreaming and loving Jazz? Just my type and the musical score with Shinchiro as the the driving force behind it is gonna force me to hit the Jazz Club scene again.

The fifties and sixties as portrayed...a great time for discovering Jazz while still falling in love while still in High School. Gonna be a great watch.

Out now at your local TT store.

 

[julez]

Yep, I'm definitely looking forward to the debut of this and the other noitaminA show... I have a feeling with Watanabe Shinichiro behind this production I won't be disappointed.

 

[nijlandp]

So first episode and it didn't disappoint. It was somewhat generic with the introduction part but the rest gave of a pretty good feeling. Mariko was a bit annoying. Hopefully she gets better later on. However it did make a nice piano piece. And of course the drums were good. The only problem i have with this series may be the animation. Still the music is more important for this series so it ain't too bad. However i can't help compare it with K-on (first series that is) and it just doesn't reach the fun i had with watching that series (yet...?).

 

[ImTakes]

^ Yeah, a rich, spoiled brat was how Mariko-chan came across and over-the-top whiny too...poor Kaoru-san, a beautiful shounen with a knack for the piano while Sentaro-kun is way hot playing the drums. Loved the feel of the record shop with that "secret room" downstairs...looks sound proof too. Caught sight of a Miles Davis album cover in the background...next, I will look for Stan Getz, Chet Baker.

Another fine anime winner...

P.S.
And here you all go!
Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Moanin'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKXsnDvILmI

 

[senpai-kun]

It was a pretty solid beginning episode all the way around. I would though have to disagree that this anime is anything like K-ON; I just didn't get that vibe at all. This didn't seem anywhere close to light and fluffy after school tea time and play a few musical instruments ever so often.

Was Mariko the the main female character? Did you mean to say Ritsuko by any chance or am I just confused? Well anyways I didn't really find Ritsuko to be an annoying character or anything like that. I'll give her props for being pretty upfront with her opinions on Kaoru; no shy damsel in distress here which is a good thing. Plus Kaoru seemed to be interested which had me breath a sigh of relief. I had thought that Kaoru and Sentaro might be engaging in a somewhat dangerous relationship at the beginning idk just got a weird vibe. Lots of chasing each other around and getting drenched together in the rain & sharing a moment

lol but ultimately that didn't seem to be the case as the rest of the episode played out. So it'll be interesting to see where the story will go in just eleven episodes. Will the guys try and make a band or jazz out in that secret room (sounds kinda shady when worded like that) everyday? Will they end up in some kind of love triangle fighting over Ritsuko? Though why am I listing a bunch of questions now.... should just end my post right here...

 

[ImTakes]

QUOTE I would though have to disagree that this anime is anything like K-ON; I just didn't get that vibe at all. This didn't seem anywhere close to light and fluffy after school tea time and play a few musical instruments ever so often.
Jazz is serious stuff...no way in hell, would Sentaro-kun or Kaoru-kun be caught dead playing footsie or teasing a guitar...never bothered with the moe-blob that was K-ON so I cannot even begin to get any vibes but just in case, NOPE.

QUOTE Was Mariko the the main female character?
Nope...she was the whiny spoiled girl asking K-kun to play the piano when the sourpuss mom shows up only to bad mouth K-kun's family. He gets in trouble for playing the piano all thanks to that stupid girl.

I like Ritsuko-chan...pretty and smart and her daddi runs a record shop! Lucky! Plus, she is friends with two hotties...the stud muffin, Sentaro-kun and softly spoken but smokin, Kaoru-kun. Lucky!

 

[franzoir]

Watched episode 1. A strong start to the series. Overall, I genuinely enjoyed it, but some scenes they should have left out.

I found myself laughing at quite a few occasions. I just love the scene where Nishimi is prostrating himself before Kaoru father, who in return is just looking right through him.

Sentaro is also a bit of a weirdo but in a good way.

Now as for Nishimi wanting to learn jazz is going to be quite tricky. Jazz requires a raw unbridled passionate play style as oppose to classical which values technique more than anything.

As cliched and myopic as it sounds if they get dont a saxophone player I will be disappointed.

 

[ImTakes]

QUOTE (franzoir @ Apr 13 2012, 07:04 AM) Watched episode 1. A strong start to the series. Overall, I genuinely enjoyed it
Now as for Nishimi wanting to learn jazz is going to be quite tricky. Jazz requires a raw unbridled passionate play style as oppose to classical which values technique more than anything.
As cliched and myopic as it sounds if they get dont a saxophone player I will be disappointed.
I too, am hopeful for a Jazz saxophone a'la Stan Getz or better yet, Paul Desmond...I would die in front of the pc screen if they just went into a full head on jam session of:
Dave Brubeck - Take Five - 1966
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faJE92phKzI&feature=related
One of the most beautifully written pieces for the Jazz genre...heck, already can picture Sentaro looking way cool on the drums while Kaoru looks cooler at the piano.

 

[julez]

Did anyone else notice the similarities between the two noitaminA shows airing this spring? Both feature main characters that are transfer students that have gone through the process of transferring many times in the past and they both suffer from panic attacks because of social anxiety. I felt a sense of deja vu watching this one after Tsuritama. The main characters were also cured of their panic attacks (perhaps temporarily?) by getting hit with some water.... one in the rain and the other from a mysterious water gun (contents unknown but highly suspicious)

QUOTE (senpai-kun @ Apr 13 2012, 12:31 AM)Plus Kaoru seemed to be interested which had me breath a sigh of relief. I had thought that Kaoru and Sentaro might be engaging in a somewhat dangerous relationship at the beginning idk just got a weird vibe. Lots of chasing each other around and getting drenched together in the rain & sharing a moment  lol but ultimately that didn't seem to be the case as the rest of the episode played out.
LOLOL. It was funny, during those scenes I was thinking that it may make a lot of guys uncomfortable. Especially the scene where they first meet and Sentaro is holding onto Kaoru's hand

I'm kidding. The series is not listed as shounen-ai or anything of the sort and I highly doubt it will be going in that direction. I'm actually thinking it might head into love triangle territory with charming record girl Ritsuko being the object of both of their affections.

 

[nijlandp]

Now this is very good indeed

. Episode 2 really gave a nice little gig and some real romance to boot. Kaoru has the hots for Ritsuko and now even Sentaro seems to got a bit of love himself. It looks like we're in for a lot of romantic problems as Ritsuko has not shown anything about her liking Kaoru as he hopes she would. That new girl will probably also needs to like Sentaro as well. A new question also emerged about the cross: why does Sentaro need to wear it?
A very enjoyable series until now

 

[ImTakes]

Those damn bullies are the worst...cowards all of them. Glad stud muffin Sentaro showed them who's boss. Ri-chan was brave too and poor Kaoru..."caught with his pants down." Romance and jazz and an earnest desire to be accepted and loved...all dreamy in my book.

The improvised jam session was so sweet...Brother Jun is hot as is Sen-bro...when playing that sweet sound that jazz is and papa was cool while playing the sweet sound of the bass.
Shinchiro-kun, you did us all proud with that piece.

That is no cross but a rosary he wears around his neck. I spotted that rosary first time in watching this fine series...as they were in Mass and praying...my Sen-bro is a Catholic boy or in the process of becoming one...Ri-chan is a sweet Catholic girl who alone knows why he wears that rosary.

I have a hunch that maybe he is special for a certain reason but now that he has fallen...well, a wrench has been tossed in way big. I am looking forward as to how that wrench will be played out.

 

[franzoir]

A great episode. Sentaro's quip about Ri being flat made me laugh. Given the cultural stereotypes I wouldnt of thought eastern boys acted like that. But I guess hormonal boyish behaviour escapes continental boundaries.

Now we got Brother Jun. The urban cosmopolitan who is wearing sunglasses in doors before it was cool/douchery. A smooth talking city slicker who plays a silky trumpet. I might not get my saxophone wish but with Jun on trumpet duty, I can dig it!

 

[Killer_Ossi]

You know while watching the first ep I thought Im watching a Yaoi or at least Shonen-ai show. Had to get back to the internet to see if that was listet as a genre. It wasnt so I kept going.

Animationwise Im disappointed while the animationstyle is good the quality is quite cheap mostly because a lot of details are missing, be it in the background or up front. Still Ritsuko would be quite the beauty if she had another hairstyle. So for now the only beauty is Marikas mother, but Im sure there will be more along the way.

What I dont really get is that this show is about jazz but the op & ed are normal lousy pop-pieces -.-
And the way Sentaro played the drums was more metal than jazz. Ok I dont know much about jazz but still Im sure that that wasnt jazz.

 

[ImTakes]

QUOTE (Killer_Ossi @ Apr 20 2012, 10:05 AM) And the way Sentaro played the drums was more metal than jazz. Ok I dont know much about jazz but still Im sure that that wasnt jazz.
WAH!!!

No way was that metal, Ossi-san and yeah, you best believe that Sentaro-kun was playing jazz and then some. I will ask that you listen to the great Jazz drummer of all time...the great and immortal, Buddy Rich...he rolled over in his grave when he read what you posted about Sentaro-kun's drum playing metal and your comment, "I'm sure that that wasn't jazz."

BUDDY RICH IMPOSSIBLE DRUM SOLO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9esWG6A6g-k
Give Sentaro-kun a few more years and he will be up there with the great Buddy Rich @ 53 years of age....timeless Master if ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53cxGeeGFAU...re=like-suggest

 

[franzoir]

QUOTE (Killer_Ossi @ Apr 20 2012, 11:05 AM)What I dont really get is that this show is about jazz but the op & ed are normal lousy pop-pieces -.-
And the way Sentaro played the drums was more metal than jazz. Ok I dont know much about jazz but still Im sure that that wasnt jazz.
Jazz as a music scene is about diversity. It's legacy and influence is pretty much ubiquitous to all forms of contemporary music. So it would not be uncommon to listen to jazz and identify elements of modern rock, hip hop etc. Would rock/pop even exist without the blues?

When I listen to Death Metal or maybe punk is more my thing, rather than using the the pop conventions established by the Beatles (which was in turn influenced by the repetitive nature of the blues), the song usually transforms and evolves as it goes a long. So the intro may sound radically different to the outro and that improvisational element I would attribute as a direct influence of the Jazz age. So the inflections you would hear in a death metal song are usually spiritually influenced by jazz.

That's why when Nishimini was struggling, Sentaro just said play how you feel because it is more about passion than technicality. I think the foo fighter recorded their latest album using tapes because Dave Grohl wanted to hear the mistakes in the song as that what gives the music its nuances and soul. Another influence of jazz IMO.

Long story short Jazz is a cultural melting pot, expect to see the origins of contemporary music within jazz.