Kono Oto Tomare! Review Episode 7

Is This Actually Meant To Move The Audience?

Kono Oto Tomare - What were you thinking?

Episode 7

Teen melodrama abounds in Kono Oto Tomare this week.

First we get a touching backstory for Hozuki and the raising of the question, once again, as to why anime parents are so terrible. Seeing the destruction of Hozuki’s relationship with her mother framed by the current reality of Hozuki living on her own and fevered with Chika, in his own way, looking out for her, is pretty heart-wrenching even as it is melodramatic and contrived.

However, I do have to give the episode points for having Chika play an old recording of Hozuki performing because that was pretty fantastic to listen to and perfectly complimented the raw emotion she was trying to convey. Nice job with that.

Unfortunately, from the moment the fever is broken we turn our full focus to utterly contrived drama with Hiro forcing a confrontation between Hozuki and the other members of the club and then realising that she’s failed. The club’s bonds aren’t going to break even if Hozuki explains the truth and Hiro is the one forced to flee.

That brings me though to the other high light of the episode which was Takezou stepping up as the leader of the club and confronting Hiro. He got hit over the back of the head with a bag for his efforts but it was a rare moment for him taking charge without hesitation and he even tried a second time, though this anime seems determined to have his own efforts go to nothing except to serve as the inspiration to others (poor Takezou).

Hozuki overhears Takezou’s attempt to talk with Hiro and so confronts the girl herself and then everything just kind of works itself out.

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I do wish they’d given Hiro a slightly better reason for her actions but one group of friends ditching her one time seems like a really lame motive, and while I’ll accept that some people might delight in the misery of others, it really doesn’t make for an interesting character here, and certainly not one that I care whether they get a redemption at the end or not.

konooto7d — Hozuki also needs to remember to use small words when explaining things to the rest of her club.

So Kono Oto Tomare continues to be that anime that has a lot of good things going for it but overall in terms of its plot and how its dealing with characters is fast falling down my list when I think of anime I’m enjoying this season.