Chouyaku Hyakunin Isshu: Utakoi ~ lonely. no, all right. no, lonely

あの人に伝えて…寂しい…大丈夫…寂しい - 'tis a line from Porno Graffitti's 'Saudade' meaning 'tell that person - lonely... all right... lonely...' - a brilliantly fitting epigraph for 'Utakoi'. it seems to me the Japanese have always been like this - unable to decide exactly how they feel. being apart from their beloved, are they lonely or are they all right?

plot and characters

are based on the real events and people, but spiced with unusual setting. Chouyaku Hyakunin Isshu is literally translated as 'super-liberal interpretation of the Hundred Poems of Hundred Poets' which is a prominent anthology, compiling poetry of Heian period. at first I did not know that 'chouyaku' is really a word that means 'super-liberal interpretation' and thought 'tis only an invention of those who wrote the anime's description. and it proved to be truly SUPER-liberal
I think I read someone saying that the characters 'behave the same as in the 21st century'. well, 'tis partially true, because the characters indulge in reactions and expressions widespread in modern anime, they cry, shout, are surprised etc. etc. like people do nowadays

the other point that makes this anime so 'super-liberal' is the way how the story is told - with the help of numerous crazy elements like this

 or like this

or else

on the other hand, the stories shown are not funny at all. what we get is a very serious explanation of how the development could probably be when this or that poem from the anthology was being composed. we get to see exactly how, from the point of view of the authors, the people behaved and felt. for example we see several young girls in grief over their position in the society

or about them being unable to live happily with those they love, because of difference in social standing and so on

we see people falling in love, but being torn apart due to designations to some remote areas, or suffering because their beloved died at a young age. well, that is Heian for you

the message of the anime is that poetry of ancient periods is supposed to link the modern generations with people of the past, and that poetry made those who composed 'immortal'

graphics

another point which makes this a 'super-liberal interpretation'. wonderful patterns fill all the space for clothes and some objects, the nature and scenery and big objects are done with pleasant colours and some details are pure fascination

seiyuus

at first I thought like 'I will certainly praise this seiyuu' or 'that seiyuu', but there are so many of them, and they all are so good that I doubt I can list them all. let me leave it like this - a bunch of great seiyuus each leaving a certain image. the only one who really surprised me was Kobayashi-san. I would not think such a cute looking girl would utter phrases with such a low, mellow voice

music

one more point in favour of the 'super-liberal' tag. the opening is a wonderful jrock piece with ecosystem's soloist's vocal being pleasant and the background arrangement being energetic and the melody being really unusual. the ED song is a typical Japanese r'n'b, very soft and pleasant, by the background music is something I certainly will search for and download

conclusion

I have been praising this anime all along, haven't I? this is good, and that is good, too... it seems ideal already. however, it cannot even approach the top of my favourite anime list. Y?

first of all, I generally prefer something more 'consistent' rather than a compilation of short slices-of-life. a row of stories, even though got up beautifully and leaving a good impression, does not sway my heart. I was not sad when I saw something sad. I never even felt an urge to cry

secondly, this anime looks like a Captain Obvious to me. oh thanks, I already know that rank, position in the society were crucial then, or that promotion was a highly desirable thing, or that the politics was pretty complicated. I know that people used to die young because of illnesses yet incurable. and yeah, I know that in spite of all that they were the same people that we, the modern-age-livers are. on the other hand, there is nothing new under the sun. I wonder if I have any right to expect something beyond what I got
thirdly, these are not the stories of the type I like. the characters repeat without boredom or tire words about their work or reputation. they choose their 'fate' or 'duty' over their love, cry over this, and consider this enough. we see those people, despite the harshness of the era, live strongly and face the future with no fear. these tears are true, but they do not make those who shed them fall down in despair and die because

well yes, I generally mean I would not be able to live like them for two reasons - 1. I am much weaker when it comes to my wishes, and 2. I am much more stubborn
well, obviously our - my and the anime-creators-team - views of 'love' are different
oh, now I see. at least this anime taught me tolerance

p. s.
I just understood the reason behind all this. TYO Animations is a company formed by merging of 'Yumeta' and HAL. HAL was great, responsible for many superb anime series. Yumeta was responsible for merciless shoujo (reverse) harem. 'Utakoi' is the product of their merging