By Shanel Kamara

Finally, it’s here! I’ve been waiting for more than a year for the release of the anime adaption of Fukumenkei Noise, and it’s finally here. Naturally, I had certain expectations for the show that is an adaption of a fairly popular and ongoing drama romance manga. However, before I delve into whether episode 1 met, partially met, or exceeded my expectations, I’ll briefly explain what Fukumenkei Noise’s plot is about.

Fukumenkei Noise tells the story of Nino, a girl who yearns to reunite with her childhood friend and first love, Momo. In his absence, Nino encounters a boy called Yuzuriha Kanade (Yuzu for short) who composes music and reignites her love for singing shortly after she vows in her heart to ensure that her voice reaches Momo. Nino and Yuzu quickly bond over their love for music; Nino sings the songs and Yuzu writes them. Yuzu and Nino regularly meet once a week for several weeks, but their meetings come to an abrupt end when Yuzu suddenly stops showing up. He leaves Nino with one last incomplete song that she discovers later and continues to sing until the day that she meets him again. A decade or so later, Nino is still singing when she begins high school, and it is there where she encounters Yuzu again after the light music club performs in No hurry to shout’s song called “high school.” 

Episode 1 remains faithful to the manga and beautifully depicts Nino and Yuzu’s heartfelt reunion. I had no idea what to expect of the music but was happily surprised to discover how suitable it was; Nino’s voice and in No hurry to shout’s music was exactly how I imagined it would be, raw, wild, and powerful. My only criticism is that I thought the three-dimensional animated scenes during the music performance were unnecessary, other than that I thought that episode 1 was a great start to a potentially great anime.

Score: 4/5

Fukumenkei Noise E.01