Those White Snow Notes is a story about a teenage boy named Setsu Sawamura, who loves to play the Shamisen. Setsu Sawamura is from a small village called Aomori Prefecture. He runs away following the death of his grandfather Matsugorou. The legendary shamisen master Matsugorou Sawamura told his grandchild Setsu to give up on the Shamisen if he is only going to imitate skills, instead of playing it in his own way.
What is a Shamisen?
-The Shamisen or samisen (三味線), also sangen (三絃, both meaning “three strings”), is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument. It is a long instrument dating back to the 16th century. In the western version, it is similar to Banjo.
A lost soul in the realm of music can only produce sound by imitating others. Whereas a true soul can produce a sound that can reach others.
Synopsis of Those White Snow Notes:
“Everyone in this world hungers for a place to express their sounds”Kamiki, Seiryuuu
Mashiro no Oto (Those Snow White Notes) is a Japanese Manga series that started releasing in December 2009. An Anime adaption aired in the spring of 2021. It is an amazing musical genre anime with a whimsical storyline that is both sorrowful and heartfelt. This anime has its source material coming from Shounen Magazine. The name of the Authoris Marimo Ragawa. She is quite not famous in the lines of Manga writers, but the sheer piece of art that has been delivered by her is ingenious.
Analytic View Point:
1. Story(rating-7.5/10) –
“They often say a person’s life can be heard in their sound”Sawamura, Wakana
This story is about two brothers who live in the countryside. at a place named Aoyama. The younger brother Setsu loves playing Shamisen. It was his dream to become like his grandfather and follow on in his footsteps. He is the kind of guy who likes to follow his heart, no matter what. – As time goes by, the story starts evolving and our main protagonist finds it difficult to even breathe in this era of pure competition. It is just like when a fish out of the pond has to experience the vast ocean.
2. Characters in Those White Snow Notes (rating-7/10) –
The characters of this anime are oddly yet uniquely distributed with their polished perception of life. One may insist on taking the right path in your career, but the opposite person might say it’s impossible. This is a story about a teen and his teensy-weensy problems. Setsu’s brother plays quite a supportive role, yet his mother(also his role model) is just like an expired credit card. Nonetheless, a very supportive classroom teacher who goes beyond her capabilities to help her students. In short, it’s a daydream slice of life like anime.
3. Art of Those White Snow Notes(rating-7.6/10) –
The artistic approach is interesting in this anime as it depicts the constant flow of sound into animation. In the era of the 21st century where we see fancy colors in action scenes, it has done quite an efficient job in terms of sound in its surroundings. If we look at other aspects, then the animation is just an average grade.
4. Sound (rating-9/10) –
The real reason to watch this anime is its sound. The sound of history, the sound of an instrument, the sound of the dissolving background, and the sound of sorrow. All of these sounds combine to make this anime is quite stimulating. If you are a music lover or play an instrument, then you can spot the sheer weight of each sound that they use. It is evident when our MC plays his instrument, or even when someone else plays it.
5. Overall (rating-7.7/10) –
This anime is a literal smoke bomb in comparison to all other Shounen jumps out there.
For more information, please follow: https://mashiro-no-oto.fandom.com/wiki/Mashiro_no_Oto
