IMHO. 'kokuhaku jikkou iinkai' series ~ let's learn more Japanese language and important concepts of Japanese culture

If you haven't ever seen a school romance anime and want something short to get acquainted with the genre, this could be the right thing. Several couples, maybe it's better to call them couples-to-be, illustrate several patterns found in the Japanese cinema and anime and manga industry from ancient times (let me leave it like that, ancient times, yes).

I don't know, maybe the shortness of each story was the key problem in fact? But the way it is, I can only see it as an educational movie for people wanting to learn more about Japanese standards in school romance.

Two students obviously like each other, but when some doubts appear in the mind of them, they get...

だめ, or ダメ, or 駄目

'dame' - no good

No time to explain, she's just no good.

Though not for long. Being 'no good' lasts until the first talk among them girls.

Finally we have the explanation! She doesn't want him to hate her - for just any possible problem in the world, including imaginary ones.

嫌われる

'kirawareru' - to be disliked

 3 lines later

She was down for a while, yes, but we have no time to show how she grew to accept herself and their relationship.

After successfully solving both her and his problem in a rather short talk, the relationship seems to be properly established, oops, it's not. He's gone to America, and taking into account it's a fresh anime of 2017 we can be misled into thinking that planes, satellites and wired and wireless internet will make connection between lovers easier, but nope, this is not the case.

WHAT?

ずっと

'zutto' - always, forever, can be used to describe both past and future depending on the verb past or present form

I guess perception of time is a bit different in Japan...

Well obviously you'd have lost your virginity much earlier a tangible boyfriend all these years instead of DVDs.

So, when they finally meet...

You see? This is the core problem, Japan. You won't get your birthrate any higher while your young folk think that before 'taking thee as my wedded wife' they should accomplish something really big on their own. Not only marriage, even keeping in contact was out of question until success under the pretext of 'I won't be able to let you go if I hold your hand now'! Oh come on...
But I know, I know. Lonely girls, waiting for their beloved ones to show up, make the economics of Japan rotate faster by investing their money in the industries of printing - posters with handsome actors and josei manga, recording - romantic audio dramas, to say nothing of anime and you know, one more industry we won't mention.

By the way, this is what a proper romance heroine should be like - shy, but cute and clever. Yes, who could guess that watercolour depends on water? Certainly not members of art club 15 years old.

 And! she has to cry a lot. And blame herself for it, and cry more.

As you can see, I didn't like this heroine very much. Not the type I can admire or at least sympathise with. I cheered more for her friend, a loud, sparkling girl, which at least can count as a compensation for her possible weak points. Though I must confess I cheered for her primarily because she looked like a mix of Kaoru and Norie from 'Tamayura'. At least she wasn't so passive and depressed, like Mio. Her story also had at least an attempt to create some comedy, which I consider essential.

 But then, after a funny start, the characters start to spill mediocrities one by one.

僕は…させません
'boku wa ... sasemasen' - I wouldn't ... you (make you sad, hurt you like this, let you make such a face, etc.), a phrase which shows just how good the second guy is and how tragic it is that she won't choose him over the first guy even now
The deepness of human's soul is revealed to us viewers through small details, like they usually do in Japan. Hear a night owl calling for homesickness, or raindrops falling, reminding you of your last meeting with a dear friend... See tension of love in a pencil lead.

And by the way, this trick could go pretty well if the rest of the story were not so primitive.
Then! When the crucial moment comes, her message doesn't come across.

Well maybe because you didn't tell him it isn't???
Moreover, she starts to list her shortcomings too. This is a good moment, you've just confessed, how about not ruining the atmosphere right now? As if he ever blamed you for anything...

Now what's this? You waited to ascertain this girl's feelings for so long and this is all you can spill out?

よろしくお願いします
'yoroshiku onegai shimasu' - please treat me well, an extremely emotional phrase used exclusively by couples to express their unique love and personal feelings for each other
Just kidding. I wanted to say that after all these anguishes of unspoken love that were supposed to have happened (remember the tragic pencil lead), it would be great if characters showed a bit more personalised reaction in the end.
Well, the third friend of this company was not in the focus very much so as to let me establish a firm opinion about her, except for one important fact: she can cook.

手作り弁当
'tezukuri bentou' - hand-made lunch, an object of desire of every healthy Japanese schoolboy. Apparently, a woman's charm still lies in her cooking, no matter what they say about emancipation.
By the way,
健全な男子高校生
'kenzen na danshi koukousei' - a healthy high school boy, a phrase important when explaining a sudden manifestation of earthly desires
As for the last girl, I couldn't care less for her, until the very end I couldn't find a single interesting trait in her to follow. One important thing to learn from her story is that though you can chase and threat your fellow classmate, you cannot do it to a senior student, even if you are only 2 years apart.

先輩
'sempai' - not simply an upperclassman, but a person who is much wiser and has a much bigger life experience than you, and who is therefore to be respected and addressed politely, even in case he saw your panties
By the way, this is not the first time I am amazed by the speed of change in a girl's feelings. They think a lot, cry a lot, get depressed a lot before they decide to confess and start a relationship or to end it, doesn't matter. But they don't cry or get depressed after. Just wipe their tears and move on.
順番間違ってない？
'jumban machigatte nai?' - are you sure this is the right order?
Just a rhetorical question from me.
As for the boys - well, there was an attempt to make them individuals with personalities rather than cardboard figures, but in case of Haruki it was on the way to success, in case of Yuu it was attempted, in case of other boys it slipped because no time for explanation we have the schedule!
But don't misunderstand me, they are attractive. See?

I'm not sure if they are cool, though...
Well at least there is one person who is seriously cool.

The 'background' division made its work in time, though. No need to worry about schedule in this case.

I wondered if this was exactly what Yasuo Otsuka spoke about? 'They would draw handsome faces with big eyes and long lashes' he said 'but I'd make them rough, just enough for creating an image'. And yes, they did. I myself prefer this kind of smooth design with rounded lines more than simplistic one of Mr. Otsuka, but what to do when this design gets in the way of a-ni-ma-tion, and makes the characters make jerky movements instead of realistic walking, running, waving hands or getting surprised...
And this beautiful town scenery doesn't heal me at all when the story is so boring I end up reading articles in Wikipedia on overtones in music.
大塚康生
'Ootsuka Yasuo' - a prominent Japanese animator
The seiyuus did their job well too, I guess. I can merely guess because I didn't find much 'job' there. In fact, I shall now confess, I came to listen to Suzumura, and as for him, I can say it was something between the overly-confident-and-positive Tora from 'Maid-sama' and his usual manner of speaking. This is the only conclusion I could draw.
The same goes for music in this anime. I guess there was some, and it might as well be good and highlight every scene of this series, if there were something to highlight. OPEDs and theme songs are just one nightmare of pink and sugar, so I'll just forget them.
Now this sounds almost as if 'Kokuhaku jikkou' is the worst anime I have ever seen, but it's actually not. It's just that I'm rather tired after watching it, just like a simple sweet cake makes you unwilling to eat more sweets, even though it wasn't that very dessert you wanted.

IMHO. 'Ballroom e youkoso' ~ let's learn Japanese language and culture with 'Ballroom e youkoso'

The year of 2018 is coming closer, soon the first two decades of the new century, even of the new millennium will be over, but Japan still cultivates its favourite - your average Japanese schoolboy trying to reach the unreachable perfection in the process which is called art. Doesn't matter that ballroom and Latin dances are from the West. The Japanese will always be able to find a way to turn Western inventions into Japanese aesthetics.

美

'bi' - aesthetics

First, our AJS (average Japanese schoolboy) decides to find a big dream. It doesn't start if he has no big dream, such as to defeat an evil dragon and restore peace to a far planet in another galaxy. Or to begin ballroom dance and become a pro.

逃げちゃダメだ
'nigecha dame da' - I mustn't run away

In pursuing this kind of aesthetics he follows the traditional path of an arts craftsman. He doesn't wait for words, because he's naturally talented enough to pick it up himself by looking at his sensei.

Instead, he trains as much as he can, because perfection just doesn't fall down from the sky randomly, it falls down on those who try hard.

He couldn't be, because it's physically impossible!
But, who cares.
努力
'doryoku' - effort, striving

There are times when he may face obstacles, but this only makes him stronger. While in the beginning of the anime the pace wall well-balanced, the further into the series - the more rise-and-falls, sometimes as much as twice or thrice in one episode. By the end of the series, there was a tiny feeling in me that I got tired of all those 'oh no what am I doing?' changed by 'oh now I see what I am doing'

The Japanese value positive thinking and strong spirit, I'm not even sure if not more than people in other countries, because it helps to maintain social balance. So,
諦めない
'akiramenai' - I won't give up
and
頑張ります
'ganbarimasu' - I'll do my best

But he wouldn't be picked up by so many outstanding people and wouldn't be able to meet so many wonderful people if he were not a nice guy. There are not nice people in this story, but they move forward traditionally, while our AJS is special. 'cause he's a nice guy.

優しい
'yasashii' - kind

Finally, he reaches the level of general recognition, which is usually shown in the face of an artist. Skills are important, too, but it seems the Japanese can read it on the face, first and foremost.

…の顔になる
'... no kao ni naru' - to have a face of ...

All this accompanied by the usual explanation of the situation and the Hero's techniques by other people, just like any decent shounen would do.

With some background information for those who still don't get it, 'cause it's a professional work with respect to the real sport.

技
'waza' - technique

And the main side of a sport anime... the art.

Wonderful. So many muscles on the screen, so many organs gripped and stretched by so many people. I kind of feel uncomfortable. Plus, I've seen real ballroom dance competition with my friend participating. It's supposed to be beautiful, you know?

It's supposed to be beautiful!

Moreover, the director of the series was responsible for key animation in such graphically wonderful masterpieces as 'Wolf's Rain', 'Kaze Tachinu' and 'Paprika'.
It took me several episodes to adjust to this style of showing human body. At last I understood that this is just a hyperbolisation of this sport, so I have to accept it as it is. And you know, sometimes they managed to create something really proportional, stylish and wonderful.

And we must accept it as it is, too, that the budget is not indefinite, so they had to sacrifice some movements for the sake of beautiful stills.

Despite all these shortcomings, I have watched it through and I don't regret. No, this is not enough... I liked it. I loved it, yes! The more I think about this anime, the more I understand I found that rare gem that will shine in my memory for years.
First, the characters were given enough depth to love them, including even the average, ordinary, 100-times-seen-already main character. Now he behaves like a shounen-hero, next moment he is a normal human being who starts to jump like a kindergartener when he receives a phone call from his favourite teacher.
Second, this is the humour for me. I like people who can think of two kids creating a dance while looking into each other's eyes and making a saying on the sand with their movements.

 And third - the music, the music!

This is the second song in my life I cannot sing myself because when I start I feel so overwhelmed that my voice doesn't come out, and even when it does I choke with tears because the music is so beautiful. The first one is 'sayonara solitia', if you care.
I've never heard about this composer before, Yuuki Hayashi, but when I checked his works list I felt almost ashamed he wrote osts for mainstream anime like 'haikyuu' and my hate-list #1 'Diabolik lovers'. Wait, was there any music in it?
When I think about the modern Russian music industry, I feel it's a great problem that we don't have good composers, even though good singers do exist. In Japan I guess there is no problem with composers, be it a composer who uses a full symphonic orchestra or a DJ experimenting with digital sound. Even if this anime were completely no good and useless, I'd give a gold medal to the composer.
What a shame he didn't compose the OPEDs too. While background music industry in Japan will never fade, good solo singers and groups seem to be absent. Both Unison Square Garden and Komatsu Mikako may have tried to create something suitable, by giving their respective songs rhythms of two ballroom dances, but as songs those both failed. Not a minute more I would listen to them than it takes to view the opening or ending one time.
But I daresay I have good, discerning ears.
Was it me?
Am I still so weak in listening comprehension that I cannot understand all words as soon as I hear the line?
Or was it the voice actors' level of ability?
It swear it's the latter. It's like the new generation of voice actors have not passed their exams in their voice acting school, at least not the articulation​ class, even though emotionally they were all very good at breathing life into their characters. And I must confess, even my favourite, my lovely, my dear Okamo-san was pronouncing his lines too lazily. Sometimes I had to stop and rewind and to listen to their lines again to finally hear all the words. Sometimes I couldn't do it even after several times, and gave up. I consider articulation as good when all words are pronounced so clearly that I can hear all of them even if I don't know some. Here I failed to understand the lines not so much because there were new words, but because of the strange manner of speaking.
So, this is not an anime to learn Japanese by listening. But this is an anime to learn about Japanese language and culture, ballroom dance world, but before that - about several people with their interesting lifestyles, principles, dreams and adventures, all of them worthy of admiration and respect.
They are cool

 but kind inside

and hot

 right?

Oh my god yes I will...