Lost Song

My favorite part about anime is when music, specifically singing, is a main focus. Japanese voice actors work tremendously hard to deliver their lines as realistically as possible, so it's a real treat when I get to hear their characters sing on top of that. That's what I was most excited about when I happened across an anime titled Lost Song on Netflix one day while I was cooking. The narrative told by the synopsis proved to be very intriguing as it described a setting in a fantasy world where two women are blessed by the power of song in a land where war isabout to break out. Captivated by the apparent uniqueness of the story, I pressed play without hesitation. Across the twelve-episode journey, I quickly found that the anime wasn't as great as I intended it to be. Story | 2/10 Lost Song tries and fails in many aspects that are more successful in other popular anime. It plays with drama, comedy, and suspense. The problem Lost Song has with these tropes is that the story is so poorly configured that the tropes hardly work together in a seamless manner. Plot twists are tossed around from left and right in the midst of dramatic moments, each with an introduction that acts as if they're these huge, surprising discoveries that should be completely unexpected to the audience. I, however, found each plot twist to be entirely predictable due to the fact that the foreshadowing of events was less subtly hinted and more obviously thrown in your face through character interactions and expressions. For example, when I heard a line such as, "Don't ever sing the Song of Mortality," it became detectable to me that the song would be sung anyway at some point, because why mention the song and how dangerous it is if no one is going to sing it in the future, right? That kind of dialogue, while sometimes can work in favor of foreshadowing, is used a lot in this anime, making it too easy to guess what will happen later on. This is a problem I noticed as a recurrence throughout the first half of the anime, and I was extremely disappointed because being able to predict future events in a show takes away the excitement involved. It also proves that not much clever thought was put into the story as a whole. On the other hand, the various bits of comedy that were included only seemed to be added as a means of preventing a moment of awkward silence, or as a means of slowing down a scene that was becoming too dramatic. The delivery of these jokes also felt forced instead of natural, and none of them really made me laugh either. Having a character scream out, "There's food!? Where? Where's the food!?!?" ever so often when another character randomly mentions food is not funny. Having a character attempt to explain why something isn't scientifically correct while the other characters interrupt him with, "We don't care," isn't funny either. If anything, these types of lines are childish and cringy, and there's nothing funny about an adult or teenager acting like a child. Plus, I've seen these exact same jokes before, so these aren't even original. I know comedy isn't a huge focus within Lost Song, since it isn't even listed as one of the genres, but there are hundreds of other anime that EXCEL in delivering good comedy when the focus also mostly revolves around drama and suspense. The story development in general isn't the best either. Pacing fluctuates between harshly rushed to push out as much information as possible and agonizingly slow as a consequence. Rinse and repeat. On top of that, the anime takes a drastic and questionable turn at the halfway mark where the story becomes way less predictable and a LOT more confusing. I can understand that the creators of this anime wanted to inflict shock within its audience by making such a sudden change in the story, but to me this change was too much for the type of setting presented in the beginning and felt as though the same idea could be accomplished with a change that was toned down a bit. Essentially, it seems like the story presented in Lost Song is trying too hard to achieve a ground-breaking plotline. By attempting to wow its watchers with such drama, heartbreak, and unexpected events in its twelve-episode time frame, the anime ends up tripping over itself and instead showcases a chaos of ideas and characters that aren't deeply explored. A last point I would like to mention before moving on is that Lost Song tries desperately to appeal to all audiences. On the surface it looks as though the anime is aiming for a younger female demographic with its shoujo-like art style and lack of raunchy themes, but with added gore, profanity, and a female character with breasts so big they look like they're about to spill out of her clothing, it seems like the anime is also trying to bring in an older female and male audience as well. This desperation to create an anime worth watching by all was so obvious that it was infuriating and distracting to the narrative trying to be told. Character | 2/10 Throughout Lost Song, the story switches point of views between the two main characters: Rin and Finis. Besides their ability to control the elements with their songs, there's nothing about these characters that really stands out. Rin is optimistic and kind-hearted, and Finis is a naïve damsel in distress. For the two characters that are supposed to carry the whole story on their backs, the types of personalities they were given are ones that are extremely overused and boring. The goals they have are also entirely lackluster, and they give off the impression that the only reason these motives exist is only to advance the story. Rin's character in particular wants to find her true purpose in the world, which isn't a goal that encourages character development. Thus, Rin doesn't really develop at all due to the fact that she's already a "good guy" who has almost no reason to change or redeem herself. Finis, on the other hand, goes through a rapid development once her goal is hindered by the enemy of the anime. If done correctly, I might have thoroughly enjoyed Finis's sudden change in character considering it was probably the most interesting thing that happened. Unfortunately, with Finis's development came the unsatisfactory warping of the plot. The added confusion alongside her change really made it hard for me to appreciate the only piece of character development that was delivered. As for the abundance of supporting characters, it was easy to see not much thought was put into them either. This part of the cast is one full of stereotypes; the glasses character is the smart guy, the knight is the savior, the ugly guy is the villain, etc. so there's not really anything interesting about them. Over half of these characters are added with zero purpose to fulfil the plot other than using them to make conversation when things slowed down. All of these useless characters could have been cut from the anime entirely, and their screen time could have been replaced with scenes that explained the plot better or improved the pacing. Some anime do a great job managing a large cast of characters, but this isn't one of them. Art | 2/10 I really hate judging an anime for its art, especially the older ones, but the art presented in Lost Song is utterly amateurish for the era of its release. It's 2018. Earlier this year we saw Violet Evergarden, and only a few weeks after Lost Song ended came Banana Fish. Compared to those two, the art style and animation of Lost Song looks as though it was released in the early 2000s. Multiple times throughout the anime, the movement of the characters felt really choppy and the least bit smooth. This was especially a problem when the characters were walking. It's clear to see that the animation budget was almost entirely spent on the animation of the characters singing, because it was only during those moments where it felt like the animation was somewhat up to par with other 2018 anime. It hurts me to say this, but I also didn't like how the character designs looked at all. Besides the villain being purposely made unsightly, I didn't find the rest of the cast to be pleasing to look at either. Sound | 2/10 The music within this anime was what I was most excited for and most disappointed with. Lost Song features several insert songs that each represent their own power. There's a song of fire, water, Earth, wind, healing, and mortality. Some songs were more catchy than others, but none of them really stood out to me as exceptional compositions. Though the characters looked like they were having a blast singing their songs, I couldn't say I felt the same way while watching them. Rin's voice was tolerable since her character is a bit younger, so it makes sense for her voice to be higher pitched, but I wasn't particularly a fan of Finis's voice. Her singing was extremely nasally, and it was clear to see that she was trying to hide the fact that she couldn't really hit the high notes by making her voice go softer. The softness in her voice also takes away from the power of the song, which is incredibly unfortunate considering Finis is the one who sings the most powerful song in the anime. Moreover, when both Rin and Finis sing together, their high-pitched voices tend to blend in with one another instead of being distinctive. I really think that they should have cast a VA with a bit of a deeper voice for Finis, like Saori Hayami (VA for Yunhua in the anime Kanata no Astra, she also sings in this anime on two occasions) for example, not only because she could probably hit the notes better and make the songs more powerful, but her voice sounds a lot more mature for someone like Finis. Either way, for being the selling point of the show, the songs in this anime failed miserably at meeting my expectations. Enjoyment | 1/10 This was not a fun anime to watch. The plotline and characters are packed full of generalizations and stereotypes, and the whole premise of the story just jumps all over the place. Honestly, if someone told me that a child wrote the script, I would believe it. As a female approaching my 20s, I saw no appeal for this anime beyond what I read in the synopsis. So much could have been done to improve everything we were given, but with the evident low budget this anime seems to have, I can see why it turned out this way. Lost Song was a one-and-done for me, so I have no plans of ever coming back to it.

When i found this anime, i looked its trailer and i was instantly captivated by it so i decided to watch it. And it was a good choice! I loved the art style and the story in this anime a lot. It was different in story wise that i usually watch but i found it enjoyable and interesting. About mid-way they put in a plot twist that was best i have seen so far and it just made me want to watch this to the end. There was little confusion in the last few episodes that could have been put a little better but still thestory was clear and the ending was kinda sad but hopeful. I love this anime and i will rewatch it defo.

This is a spoiler-free review! Lost Song has to be one of the best anime I have watched in a long while. It started off slow and, unfortunately, I dropped it in the middle of the third episode. I did, however, decide to pick it up the day before the final episode aired and I'm glad that I went back to it. First off, as I said, the anime started off slow. If you're thinking of watching it, hang in there until episode 7. If you finish 7 and still think it's not worth your time, then go ahead and drop it. With episodes 7 and8 your understanding of how things were happening is turned on its head. For that alone I loved it and, in the end, I decided to give the story a 10. It's not super unique, but unique enough that I think it stands out and I highly recommend it, even to people who aren't anime fans. The art is 9/10 for me. The animation is very clean for the most part, but there's small inconsistencies from time to time. The character designs are rather simple, but I think that it helps add charm to the anime in its own way. The lighting is done well and the 3D that is here and there meshes very well with the 2D The backgrounds are beautiful and the animation for the opening and ending songs are great. The ending even has subtle changes in it if you pay close attention! For the sound I give this anime a solid 10. This anime isn't a "musical" exactly, but it does have singing tied into it, obviously. There's a song sung about once or twice per episode, but nothing too overwhelming. The music and singing in this anime are top-notch-- even the minor characters that only join in on singing a few times have nice voices! If we manage to get the boxed set of Lost Song overseas with the OST, I'm more than willing to spring for it. Characters I give a 9/10. They do typical tropes very well, but Finis was a great character and she's stuck with me as being rather unique. Some of the minor characters are even fun-- like an old man inventor with a parrot in a cage on his large backpack and a croissant on his walking cane that he randomly takes a bite off of while sitting in on a conversation. Enjoyment of this anime and overall, my score is definitely 10/10. I loved this anime so much and I hope that it gains popularity in the West so that we can see it released on BD/DVD. Everything meshes together so well and the plot twist that I didn't expect made me glad that I decided to go back and pick up the anime rather than dropping it altogether. TLDR: Give Lost Song a chance! Try to stick it through until the end of episode 7 and you'll be rewarded!

My note : 10/10 : masterpiece. It is difficult for me to understand why Lost Song have a so much low notation on MAL. The anime have several flaw, but it is filled with good idea, with good songs and with love. For me, it is sufficient to have a 10/10. Lost song is, imho, very well writen, with many surprise and switch in the scenario (like in Steins;Gate or Madoka Magica for example) but more importantly every little details in the firsts episodes have a signification or are a metaphor, and after rewatching the anime I realized how well writen it is in its very littledetails, down to the choice of the title. It is very surprising because Junpei to Morita (which seems to be a men duo of director) have not done a lot of thing in their career. Moreover, apart from the writing, it is important to note the genius inspiration that they had in the choice of the actors : The seiyuus chosen here are not really voice actress, but rather singers known for great songs in a lot of animes openings etc. The choice to construct the scenario and all the anime around those two women, are a great idea. The result is some of the most beautiful song of the animation, embedded in the hearth of the anime scenario. Great ! Despite all this good points, the anime have some flaws : for example, there is some « naivité » in the beginning that could be repulsing and seems amateur, but truly, it is not. One other problem is that, like in Steins Gate, the beginning of the anime is more or less designed to be « classic » to enhance the contrast with the second part. So, by design, it could be difficult to watch in the beginning of the anime. But well, the very good points of the anime, from writing to songs are widely sufficient to put this away. I strongly recommend to watch Lost Song, it is a masterpiece.

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