'Anonymous Noise' Is Slightly Out of Tune

Anonymous Noise (also known as Fukumenkei Noizu or Fukumenkei Noise) centers on Nino Arisugawa, a girl with a captivating voice.  As a child, she experienced a heartbreaking parting with her first love, Momo Sakaki.  Soon, she became friends with Kanade “Yuzu” Yuzuriha, but he, too, had to depart.  Both boys promised that they would someday find her again through her voice; hence, she has always been singing ever since.

Years later, all three of them meet again in the same high school.  Momo is now secretly a successful professional composer, while Yuzu is a member of the masked band in NO hurry to shout.  Both of their musical careers are driven by their love for Nino and her voice as inspiration, but both also keep their true feelings to themselves.  Meanwhile, Nino is recruited to become the vocalist of in NO hurry.  She accepts in the hope that her voice will reach Momo.

Angst.  High school drama.  Professional musical acts with secret identities.  Music industry rivalries.  A knotty love triangle.  That’s what Anonymous Noise is all about.

As a shojo, it has a pretty complicated and ludicrous premise.  And I think this makes it difficult to get immersed in it.  It’s not necessarily unappealingly messy and cheesy.  But it does tend to make the storytelling convoluted and choppy rather than interesting.

I also didn’t like the J-pop rock music it centers on.  And for a girl who supposed to have an enchanting voice, her singing is honestly not that good.  There are times I feel she was out of tune.

Since it’s a music-themed teen drama anime, I initially had high hopes for Anonymous Noise.  Unfortunately, it’s not a Sound! Euphonium.  Nor a Your Lie in April.  And definitely not a Kids on the Slope (which I realized is an anime masterpiece after a few more viewings).  It doesn’t have the same offering of delightful plot, gorgeous visuals, and stirring music.

Overall, Anonymous Noise isn’t a bad anime.  Just weak and slightly pretentious.  It can be occasionally entertaining and endearing.  But it doesn’t have a lasting oomph and invitingness.  I did hope to like it in the end, but after watching all of the first season’s episodes, it really did nothing for me.

I won’t be watching the second season.