Harmonie

Harmonie is an anime made ​​by the "mirai project" animated by Studio Rikka is a 25-minute short film which show that each head is a world and among the 34 students in a class there are all kinds. The anime is a metaphor, Makina Juri the female lead shows that being different can make misunderstood by friends , parents, people in general, its called "dream" is something that torments him so decides to change and leave everything behind , and also in part the dream shows what will become , something like a robot waiting for someone finds it, while the male lead Honjou Akio always livein your comfort zone , talking about anime with friends, making music , while hiding his desire talking with Makina , while that which stands out from the rest (a good musical ear) is what makes the 2 characters are connected. How many of us hide what we are , to not feel alone or also locked ourselves in our world, but in the end if we show our dreams perhaps we are not so alone The animation is very good, comparable with some studies even more experience is fluid and part of the dream of Makina is very well detailed. The characters are well-drawn and you feel an empathy towards the 2 protagonists and supporting characters personalities to contribute their narrative forward. in general is a good story which I would like to see more.

Harmonie is a fantastic metaphor for the duality between individualism and collective conscious. Each of the students are remarkable individuals, who share an interest in one way or another. I don't find it a coincidence that Akio's friends start the short film by talking about their shared interest in anime before their individual qualities are portrayed. Akio has an ear for music and an interest in art. Now what's more important is the message conveyed about stifling individual creativity. Juri, the female lead, is constantly embarrassed for the ridicule she has undergone for her dreams and her musical compositions. For along time, I was the same way. I used to compose music and play the piano, for my own sake. I felt extreme insult when my sister or mother would tell me to stop. I was being "too loud" for them to stay in their comfort zone and watch their TV talk shows in the other room. I was "too repetitive" because I had to practice, and they ridiculed me for that as if I had to know a song as soon as I read it. I didn't play what THEY wanted me to play. And so for 8 years I quit the piano completely. My creativity was stifled, but I had dreams, and still, I would hear the music in my head. I had to hide it. Juri opens up to Akio and it took a lot of courage. This short film is about all of that. Individuals are unique, but still connect and bond beyond the shallow premise of conformity. Also let me add that Harmonie is part of the Anime Mirai Project (for the year 2014) and there are other great short films released under the Project. However, almost every stream site that isnt specifically a fansub group will have Harmonie listed as "Anime Mirai" by title.

Individuality is something every person has, but can be judged harshly. When growing up, people are classified by groups and "norms" which are typical things everyone does, but when people step out of it they get frowned upon and ridiculed. This OVA shows a realistic point of view of how something like that can affect a person and make them into a puppet of the norm and be someone they don't wish to be. This 25 short minute film packs all emotion, story and theme in a way I have never seen before. It shows that everyone has their own personality and is unique to their self.Everyone has a world that they live in. You see each character having their own likes and dislikes while also seeing a barrier between the differences in everyone. This film presents you a song that a girl named Juri made. She heard the song in a dream and tried to spread it to everyone, but it backfired making people call her a liar. She goes through the pain of it all and decides to leave the song and her dream of it in the past. It does a really great job portraying the emotions that she felt and how it's like a block in the road for her to continue. The film starts off with Akio and his friends talking about an anime they all like and he pulls out his phone to play a piece he heard during a show, but stops due to someone complaining. It plays the show in a way as if you're actually there and experiencing everything as it all lays out. The anime shows a realistic view of the downsides of an interest we may like, but does a good job showing that there are people who can accept it and make friends off it. You see everyone of similar interests together and enjoying it. The show can be interpreted in many ways and leaves the viewer with an open minded thought at the end of it. How you view it and perceive it as is based upon ourselves.

There's a silly idea that people get in their heads that being different, or producing something outside of the norm, is considered 'weird' and consequently met with flak. What's so bad about being different? Being a dreamer? Being creative? Being yourself? There should be nothing wrong with these values, but yet there seems to be. People are quick to judge and uphold prejudices against those who inspire the unfamiliar. People dislike change. People dislike different. People dislike a lot of things, but that shouldn't mean one should stop pursuing their dreams in order to conform to the majority. Despite being a mere twenty-five minute movie, Harmoniesurprisingly felt as if it lasted the entirety of a full film. There's a lot crammed into this short animated movie, but it still did a great job in retaining my interest and holding a solid pace. Something that boggles my mind is why two of the genres that are tagged for Harmonie say 'Fantasy' and 'Supernatural'; Harmonie is, for the most part, neither of these and so this is confusing to me. What they should be classified as instead are: Slice of Life and Drama. In a realistic setting of a high school environment Harmonie depicts the social structure of what it means to be in high school. You have many cliques, all of which do their own thing and have different interests, but Harmonie focuses on two in particular. The first group is a normal, unpopular trio of guys who like anime, games, girls, etc. and the second group is a visibly more popular, good-looking clique. Harmonie showcases that these two groups are leagues apart in terms of social standing, and the way character interactions are done reflect it well. The social hierarchy in high school, as many people may know first-hand, can be cruel and quite sinister. For a place that should be promoting students to follow their aspirations, it's ironic that it often does the exact opposite. Harmonie illustrates the concept of putting on a facade, in order to be socially acceptable, very well. I'm sure we all can relate to this from personal experience as viewers, and that sense of realism is astounding. You don't see this somber, depressing truth in anime all too often. On a more positive note, Harmonie also portrays that there is always a certain someone, or people, out there who will understand you and sympathize with your crazy delusions. Although Harmonie presents this message in more of a ‘destiny’ type of fashion than realism, the message doesn't fall on deaf ears. The characters in Harmonie are high school students, and the main focus is on the main character, Akio, along with his interactions with Juri and her clique. Akio and Juri live in completely separate social worlds, and despite knowing that Akio wants to get to know Juri anyway. What starts off as simply a crush develops into something more. An unforeseen, common interest leads to the unexpected and depicts that sometimes you might find an unanticipated friend that simply gets you. Every character in Harmonie is characterized well and you're able to understand the basic personalities of each character despite how short the movie is; they are personified with convincing personalities and seem realistic. However, the short length of the movie also is the biggest negative aspect about Harmonie as well. There really isn't much development in characters that isn't plot driven, and because of this it's difficult to feel any lasting emotional or mental attachment. Something I really enjoyed about Harmonie is the fact that there is no sugarcoating applied on the outside nor inside of the movie. Characters are designed to look believable and realistic versus the cute girl pandering often seen in countless school life anime. You can see the normality and mediocrity of Akio’s appearance, and this does a substantial amount in portraying the difference(s) between the popular versus the unpopular. The animation itself is fluid and it's what you'd expect from an anime movie rather than an episode of regular anime. Overall, the art and animation are visually pleasing. Sound-wise, Harmonie is pretty good. Background music fits well and doesn't feel out of place. I have no complaints, but there is nothing so fantastic that I would boast about it. The ED is calming and relaxing, which was a nice touch in closing out the short movie. Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing wrong with being perceived as different. Different is valuable. Different is interesting. Different is a fresh color in a world where things are often black and white with little in-between.

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