Introduction
Kenji, Asakura, and Oota are an apathetic trio of school friends, notorious for often beating up fellow delinquents without reason. Tired of the mundane fights that once provided the group with temporary adrenaline, Kenji looks for an alternative source by starting a band on a whim. Enlisting the rest of his gang, he picks up the bass, with Oota on the guitar and Asakura on the drums. Despite having no prior experience playing musical instruments, their first session far exceeds their expectations.
Ongaku is the raw depiction of three teenage boys from the moment they discover the beauty of making music to their first live performance that turns a simple cure for boredom into a fiery expression of passion.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Audience reviews
8 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
SkyBlue1012
I DIDN’T KNOW YOU COULD MAKE SUCH A SICK ANIMATION USING MICROSOFT PAINT.
THE MUSIC WAS FIRE 🔥
Hilarious anime without even trying to be funny. It’s exactly my kind of humor.
Some scenes do drag on for a little too long, though. You might want to fast-forward through those parts to keep yourself from getting bored.
Definitely worth checking out if you’re into absurd humor and rough animation. (500 character minimum limit for MAL reviews)
I'll share you the recipe on how to make boiled eggs.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Boil the water: Fill a pot with enough water to cover the eggs completely and bring it to a rolling boil.
2. Add the eggs: Take cold eggs straight from the fridge. Use a slotted spoon to lower them gently into the boiling water one by one so they do not crack.
3. Set…
Read at the sourceanen0me
the plot is Not Serious
the characters are Not That Deep
there are a whole bunch of plot points that get introduced and then just disappear with absolutely no explanation
or come out of nowhere
the rotoscoping feels scuffed as often as it feels endearing
The ending is very abrupt
but it's such an absolute riot from start to finish that i really Do Not Care
the comedic timing is perfect. The musical scenes are an acid trip
it's just a really great watch
You might not like it if you dislike waiting more than 1 or 2 seconds for something to happen on the screen, but that's not Ongaku's fault, that's your fault
Read at the sourcenot_salad
The character designs look like something drawn by a 3rd grader, but the rotoscoping and the occasional sequences of legitimately beautiful animation make this one of the most visually unique anime I've ever seen. The uncomfortably long pauses and deadpan delivery remind me of Azumanga Daioh, but the pauses are stretched out to such an excessive length that you can't help but burst out laughing at a 15-second shot of the main character's goofy-ass face. Of course, for a movie named "music", the music is fucking great. The scene transition songs are consistently groovy, and the in-universe performances are fantastic. The last performance specifically was an absolutely stunning audio-visual experience. Overall, this movie was incredibly fresh and unique, definitely a must-watch for anyone lo…
Read at the sourcePursueth
Sometimes you don't need a big budget to create a hilarious and heart-warming film. All you need is vision and a good understanding of the cinematic tools at hand (and a lot of time and dedication). This is a 71-minute film that took seven years to complete with a crowdfunded microbudget of nearly 40,000 dollars. Kenji Iwaisawa drew over 40,000 frames on his own. The minimalist art style, oddball characters, and deadpan humour grew so quickly on me that by the end I was craving for more and more. It did make me yearnful for the idyllic days of the past, even though it wasn't exactly that long ago that I was in high school, aimless but full of youthful joy without a care in the world. A world of possibilities is brought to life by the power of music. Also, the music genuinely rules, and the…
Read at the sourceHenriqueNeves
At the beginning of the film, the characters still do not have an interaction with the music. What we know about them is that delinquents are possible, and that is because of their clothing and characteristics. What surprises us most is our bald protagonist Kenji, played by Shintaro Sakamoto. The character is quite expressionless at various times. It seems that he does not necessarily have a personality or a will of his own. Even so, his choices and actions influence the other characters around him.
The anime begins with this simpler animation, which uses very static plans and frameworks, at times the characters don't even move. It gives me a very good idea of the life of the characters, which is very still. The characters and the sets are also very “two-dimensional” in that sense. We c…
Read at the sourceMrWEEBX
ON-GAKU: * spoilers *
When you thought great songs, absolute stunning animation, well-written dialogues, subtle character development couldn't be compressed in a one-hour movie...this movie is here to prove you wrong.
Taking over 7 years to make and more than 40,000 hand-drawn frames, Kenji Iwaisawa brings to us an absolute joy of a movie.
Theme:
We have 3 high school delinquents, Kenji, Ota and Asakura, living a carefree school life, playing games on a console, in their own hideout in school, picking up fights with people from other students, and having a single female friend who gave the trio the title of “three musketeers”, they just do whatever they feel like doing in the moment. And just like that one day, kenji on his way to a brawl acquires a guitar (in perhaps one of the most h…
Read at the sourcehaydenluvsanime
Ongaku is a passion project created almost single-handedly by Kenji Iwaisawa over the course of 7 years and is my pick for anime of the year.
"Beauty in simplicity" best describes the ethos of Ongaku. Every aspect from the minimalistic character designs to the blunt and incredibly straight forward script compliment each other and culminate to this strong sense of confidence in the film. That confidence in turn creates this aura of inspiration and optimism. Goes to show that you don't need a huge all-star team or deep writing to create something special. Sometimes all you need is a strong vision and tenacity.
Creating anything as a one-man army is impressive in and of itself, however, the talent at display here is truly remarkable. Rotoscoping is used prominently throughout the film for a…
Read at the sourceOddGrim
Ongaku is a pleasant surprise.
The story is very simplistic, a trio of dispassionate delinquents randomly form a band. They have no musical background and no ear for tone but they can bang away at their instruments in a, excuse the pun, one note tune. With this new found passion, the trio practice for their debut after entering into a local rock concert.
The film has a strong comedic sense, reminiscent of Wes Anderson flicks with its focus on deadpan characters and punctuations of silence that last a little too long for comfort. The characters aren’t deep but they don’t need to be in this less than theatrical length film. Just as they are for their music, the characters are the medium through which the comedy is allowed to shine.
The art is minimalistic most of the time, accentuated wi…
Read at the source