AniWorthAo no Orchestra
Introduction
Once a prize-winning violin prodigy, Hajime gave up on music after his father, professional violinist Ryuuji Aono, was involved in a scandal that led the media to harass his family. Now living alone with his mother and entering his final year of middle school, Hajime struggles to find a new career path. However, the sound of his classmate Ritsuko Akine playing the violin inspires Hajime to dream of a musical career once more.
With the help of Ritsuko, Hajime prepares to take the entrance exam for the prestigious Umimaku High School. But if he wishes to join Umimaku's orchestra, Hajime must overcome his past trauma and open himself up to new musical horizons.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Where to watch
- Crunchyroll - search the official catalogue. Availability varies by country.
- Netflix - search the official catalogue. Availability varies by country.
- Prime Video - search the official catalogue. Availability varies by country.
- HIDIVE - search the official catalogue. Availability varies by country.
- ADN - search the official catalogue. Availability varies by country.
Audience ratings
MyAnimeList : 7.21/10 · 20542
MyAnimeList : 71.49/100 · 1816
MyAnimeList : 70/100
Audience reviews
5 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
unseen_habitt
At first, I went into this anime with pretty high expectations. The premise was already strong—orchestral music, family trauma, a main character dealing with a heavy past. It felt like it had everything going for it.
And early on, it really did feel promising. Aono’s trauma was treated seriously, not half-baked, so I thought, “okay, this is gonna go deep.”
But the more it went on, the weirder the direction felt.
People might call it a slow burn, but this isn’t the kind that builds anticipation—it just gets exhausting. It’s constant practice, some interactions here and there, but it feels like it’s just going in circles. The character dynamics are also really awkward. Just when something starts to click, it shifts away. Then it comes back later, but by then the momentum is already gone.
The…
Read at the sourcetsuki1891
This anime feels like a cross over of "Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso" and "Hibike! Euphonium" but isn't particularly good at anything. It lacks in the drama part compared to "Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso" and in the orchestra/music part compared to "Hibike! Euphonium". A lot of parts are filled with cliche and slow story development. The characters are mostly dull with the occasional event thrown in to make the story work. For the music part they could have added more pieces rather than repeat the same piece over and over. The animation is mixed with CGI which ruins the music performance since it can't convey the intensity of the performance like "Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso", "Kono Oto Tomare!" or "Nodame Cantabile" do.
Overall it's a 5/10 for me. If it had less CGI and a more varied selection of piece…
Read at the sourceEmma_231
Now, I might be biased as I am someone who has played in orchestra throughout middle school, high school, and now in college, but I really enjoyed this anime overall. I do think some of the arcs that focused on some of the side characters were sometimes boring and felt underdeveloped. Although, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the "melodrama" involving Hajime. A musicians relationship with an instrument is not always easy, but like Hajime as soon as the conductor gives the down beat all of that melts away. My conductor says that even on days where he feels bad physically or mentally, by the end of rehearsal he feels a lot better and I feel the same. I also associate orchestra with youth so the high school orchestra setting gave me quite a bit of nostalgia. I also appreciated the care…
Read at the sourceMarinate1016
Ao no orchestra might be the most underrated anime of 2023. I mean, even licensors neglected to pick it up, which is a shame because this is such a gem of a series with an engrossing story and well written characters.
What stands out the most about Ao no orchestra is how real all the characters feel. There’s no excessive fan-service, cringe jokes or overly anime-y vibes. The kids all feel and act like normal teenagers who use music as an outlet for their stress and anxiety. The friendships that are formed over the course of the show feel very authentic. It’s one of those series where you can forget you’re watching an anime.. until the CGI comes up.
Now this is probably my biggest gripe with the show. Ao no orchestra is a musical anime, which means you’re going to have performances. The i…
Read at the sourceKANLen09
When was the very last time we actually got something close to something like a traditional orchestra portrayed in anime? If 2019's anime adaptation of Kono Oto Tomare! wasn't even enough evidence, then the closest semblance would have to be KyoAni's Hibike! Euphonium franchise series hemorraging since the 2010s, or even going back to Piano no Mori or Nodame Cantabile of the classic late 2000s.
Most certainly, no one would've expected mangaka Makoto Akui's musical coming-of-age melodrama work of Ao no Orchestra a.k.a Blue Orchestra to make a small note in modern anime, largely because this show was overlooked thanks to the fact that there's no licencing from either Crunchyroll or other Western licensors for that matter, even for a show that only premieres on NHK Educational TV, the kids c…
Read at the source