A relaxing experience
Joe Johnson | CA | 08/23/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Piano is a bit different from most anime. It's only 10 episodes to begin with. There is no magic, no fighting, no weapons. There are no chibi/super-deformed moments, wacky rainbow backgrounds with big letters, it's not a love comedy by any means. So what does Piano have?
Piano is the story of a girl, Miu, who found an interest in the piano at a young age, but over the years her interest in it is wavering, no thanks to her stoic piano teacher. Her father and mother are normal parents, her sister is a tour guide, and her she owns a regular black cat. Her best friend is on the track team, along with the boy that Miu likes.
Miu faces difficulties finding her inspiration and the courage to confess to the boy she likes, and this is the overall theme across the 10 episodes. The main interest in Piano is that it's a relaxing experience, since it's not extreme in any way even with the mild sense of drama, though it is very well drawn IMHO.
Piano will be released as three DVDs for the 10 episodes. I enjoyed seeing this in Japanese, but like I said, there's nothing extraordinary or exciting about it, so while it is pleasing, it's only worth 4 stars to me."
The importance of ordinary moments
TheBanshee | United States | 02/21/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Piano" brings me back to when I was a young girl, and my inner emotional landscape at that delicate age. In the quiet of the series, "ordinary" moments can be exquisitely felt through Miu, and for me, the ability of the artists to evoke those feelings is the unique charm of "Piano." It's drawn very well, and that piano score is fragile and lovely. It's not big on plot, but it's emotionally rich for those with the eyes to see and the ears to hear that richness.
"Piano" transcends its genre, imo. It's more than anime. It has a heart."