I sometimes have a preference for completed series because I think spreading out episodes weekly can sometimes dilute the impact of the storyline or direction. Regardless, sometimes I pick up on a series which I like and notice it’s still ongoing, and therefore I’m forced into that situation anyways. True Tears was one of those series, and it made me realize that there’s a positive side to ongoing series as well, which is that it’s kind of fun to discuss and go over individual episodes on the net. Especially when you have a series that lends itself to disagreements and differing interpretations like this one.

To be honest, I didn’t really expect to like this series because of a few things, the most important reason being that it seemed to be a “harem title based on a game” and I’ve never really been fond of these kind of shows because the ones I’ve seen have all been associated with very poor writing, pointless fanservice, etc. True Tears, in a literal sense, is a harem title but it is certainly better than the kind of show commonly associated with that genre.  The characters are fairly likable and developed to a reasonable extent.  Of course, there’s a problem with these kind of relationship triangle shows, which is that a lot of people tend to become attached heavily to one character who might end up not being the favoured character at the end. Even though I could see that a certain character ending was being implied, I favoured another character just because I preferred their development and personality. I won’t pretend I’m not a bit unhappy that they were given the short end of the stick, but it would be unfair of me to say I dislike the show for that reason. After all, other people might not have that same attachment to that same character.

On the technical side, the artwork was very nice and the animation was fluid, especially the dance scene in episode 12. I thought the overhead shots of people walking were a bit stiff as they seemed to be computer generated, but apart from that, I can’t really think of any complaints. The background music was pleasant and contributed the necessary audio backdrop to certain scenes, but it wasn’t really memorable enough for me to go and find the soundtrack.

There are some interesting bits to True Tears, such as the extended metaphors with birds (though this may cause the more cynical to roll their eyes), but overall I don’t think it did anything that made it stand out as a triangle-romance story.  The characters are likable but not extremely memorable (with one having basically no real purpose except to act as a third interest) and in the end it’s a series that I can see a lot of people enjoying without making a permanent impact on them.  Not nearly as vapid/empty as School Days, but not as meaningful as Honey and Clover.  If you like high school love triangles, it’s certainly one of the better ones in that cataegory.  

Probably the best scene, I think….
Now, as for the show, although I personally thought a Noe ending would have been consistent with the show as well, and that it made more sense considering the relative development of the plot and characters, that isn’t what we got in this final episode. Regardless, the episode doesn’t really play into any camp’s hands. It wasn’t a Noe ending, and yet the final scene between the two certainly had a lot of depth, with Shin admitting her impact on his development or growth (the drawing, the dancing). I’d say that comparatively, the relationship with Hiromi is somewhat static and seems to be based more on familiarity and reliance from that single childhood memory and being “casual friends”. In other words, the writers made us know that this was how Shin “really felt” and kept telling us this but didn’t really provide adequate depth or basis for it. Which is why I predicted a Hiromi ending from a mile away but still preferred the other choice. Still, the show is over and dwelling on this doesn’t have much purpose, as Shin made his choice.

I’ll post a full review of the series sometime soon, for now my immediate thoughts are that it was a good show but it could have been better. I like, for example, the connection made in the final scene between the current generation and the past generation of relationships, and the problems each had. I still think some of the development of Shin’s mom could have been done better, especially her change of heart midway through the series. I liked that the writers themselves dismissed the idea that Shin never felt anything for Noe, just that it was a “deal”. I liked that he has to force himself to not”waver” on his choice. It’s a very realistic portrayal and I applaud the writers for taking that route.

A neutral ending for Jun….
As a Noe fan, what can I say? It wasn’t really a sad ending, and Noe gets her tears in the end and looks happy. Furthermore, some of us were right all along when we said that Noe really did have a great impact on Shin’s growth through the series. He even says he drew because of her, danced because of her….those are fairly strong statements considering that was the “losing” pair. In fact, it just reinforces the contrast between the two pairings, but again, not much point in debating that anymore. I liked the simple shot at the end when she goes to the chicken coop and then looks at the old declaration written out in rocks, with the (kind of) still shot as the credits roll. True Tears is over, and I have to say, it’s been a good ride.

Essentially, this episode seems to revolve around the old saying, “You don’t realize the value of something until it’s gone”. The series has been building up to the dance performed by Shin. When it happens, he is thinking about Noe and to Hiromi’s surprise, Noe is the one he is gazing at. And at the end, he is running off towards her. A lot of negative things have been piling up on Noe for the past while, and all of it reminds me of KGNE. Does that mean the writers are going to follow the trend and have a sad-but-not-tragic “parting of the ways” in the final episode? Well, I don’t know. I’m not going to pretend that I”m not biased towards Noe because she’s probably one of my favourite characters in a long while. Still, I’m not the type to make predictions or get too heavily attached to a certain “ending”. Based on the usual trends that these kind of shows take, I would guess it will be a “Hiromi” ending. I don’t have much to say on this episode, but the ending was very cruel…

With two episodes left to go, I suppose we can see the trajectory that the plotline will take over the remainder of the series. “True Tears” is a much more conventional series than some of the ones I call my favorites, but at the same time, I do find that I have developed a sort of attachment to some of the characters. What I’m trying to say is that I’m disappointed that it looks like there will be a “bad” ending for Noe. Now, we don’t know it for sure, but taking into account the general tone of this episode, and taking into account the statement she makes after leaving the chicken coop (The one in Shinichi’s heart is…etc..), that’s the direction I believe the writers are taking us. I think that episode 12 will be the formal and climactic ending of their relationship and then things will probably wind down in episode 13 with the “Hiromi ending”.

The series still goes for the easy route of “misunderstandings”, though. There were a significant moment of tension that was essentially rooted in a simple misunderstanding and could have been easily corrected. I’m referring to the incident involving Jun and his anger at the opposing players during Hiromi’s basketball game. Rumours spread around and Shin hears them, and yet when he asks Hiromi about it, she prefers to change the subject then leave the room. I suppose it’s an akward topic, but it also seems like she could have easily dispelled any doubt quite easily. I thought the big “kiss” moment was kind of strange in how anticlimactic it was….generally that sort of scene would be left for the final episode so I’m wondering if it may be an indication that perhaps the conclusion of the story may not be as definite after all.

If there was one more thing that I didn’t like very much, it’s Hiromi’s hesitance when she has to tell Shin that Noe is missing. Yes, I understand that there is a sense of unease regarding the whole thing but when someone is missing, I would think their safety should override all other priorities….She showed surprisingly little remorse considering she is indirectly involved in the case of her disappearance….not that I’m blaming her, but I think some compassion would been warranted. In fact I’m surprised that she showed very little thought towards Noe considering she knew what was occurring between her and Shin prior to this point and didn’t know what the situation between them was currently. And to go back to the past, there was that scene where all four main characters were at the chicken coop, and I felt that her behavior towards Noe was very cold. I just can’t get myself to appreciate her character at all because of these sort of things.

Oh, and I did like the scene at Aiko’s shop…at least there’s one happy ending I can appreciate!

Upon a friend’s recommendation, I’ve watched a few episodes of a new show called “True Tears”. I have to admit I was hesitant at first because it sounded like a generic harem title based on an dating sim game (which I dislike – a lot), but after a few episodes, it’s not quite that bad. Generally, there’s a few tests I apply to any slice-of-life/romance/drama anime. My first basic and simple law of anime is that “As the instances of pointless fanservice in an anime increase, the chances of said anime being one worth watching approaches zero”. In this regard, “True Tears” isn’t awful but it still succumbs to that tendency every now and then. The next is the H&C comparison test. Honey and Clover has, for better or for worse, raised my expectations of anime series in this genre. I have yet to really find a match for that series (outside of Ghibli anime), except, perhaps, for Nodame Cantabile which I enjoyed as well. “True Tears” is no H&C. Sure, it’s true that Honey and Clover had the usual relationship triangles and unrequited love but the way they were handled and directed seemed so….above…the usual fare. H&C felt like a real situation with real characters rather then just an anime. “True Tears” doesn’t really have that same feel, but I suppose I will watch the whole series before making a final judgment.