Common Name: Fuuka
Score: 6/10, 3/5
Length: 12 Episodes
Genre: Drama, Musical, Romance
Summary: What starts as a chance encounter and a grave misunderstanding with the boisterous Akitsuki Fuuka quickly turns into a journey of growth for Haruna Yuu. Now he can fulfill an old promise to his childhood friend turned renowned vocalist, Hinashi Koyuki, as he and Akitsuki form a band that could, one day, rival the rock band all three of them grew up on, HEDGEHOGS.
Review: Go download the soundtrack for this show if you're a fan of the usual J-Rock and melancholic idol genres, then just go read the manga. While this might sound a tad overcritical, the soundtrack is pretty much the only thing that'll be worth your time when it comes to the anime. As I understand it, the manga is something infinitely more complicated and tragic than its anime counterpart which reduced the source material to little more than a cutesy, generic rock music anime. How so, you might be asking? There's a guy who is an utter nobody who gets suddenly pulled into the world of rock n' roll, preferably against his will. The idea begins to grow on him because there's a cute girl involved in some way. Suddenly, the band is taken under the wing of some old pro(s) and it's realized that they have the potential to make it to the top of the charts. It all comes crashing down when love complicates things and one of the character's baggage drives them to rock bottom. The band gets back together through one member's unwavering determination, and love blossoms anew for the big finale. If memory serves, that was the plot of the classic BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad as well, but BECK had the benefit of representing the grungy nature and crippling depression that comes with a more realistic rock 'n roll music career. So, how does Fuuka compare to that grungy classic that is BECK?
A legend huh? You've only had three small-scale shows before now.
In case my rant wasn't enough of a clue for you, it doesn't really do anything well aside from the music. Where BECK was realistic and dramatic to the point of being painful, the Fuuka anime is...bland at best and outright insulting at worst. That synopsis of the genre I read off is the show's plot, almost verbatim. Our nobody main character, Haruna Yuu, is a high school boy who has recently moved to a busy city and is utterly detached from the real world. Rather than socializing or getting adjusted to his new home (which he moved into voluntarily), he only really exists on Twitter. So, it comes as a bit of a shock when he gets bowled over by a girl who then smashes his phone because she's certain he was trying to take a picture of her panties. What a stunning and heart-grabbing intro to the driving force of this show, Mr. Nobody's love interest, and the namesake of this show, Akitsuki Fuuka. Serious question: How is that not an immediate turn off for any future interactions with this person? How does that introduction turn into a "star-crossed lovers" scenario? I don't get the romance genre sometimes. Moving forward, Yuu tracks her down because she left a CD behind after she SMASHED HIS PHONE and, luckily, they go to the same school. Soon they become close friends...sorry, I meant instantly awkward love interests because they both love HEDGEHOGS, an old rock band, and Koyuki, a popular vocal idol. Love might be the most appropriate word for it too because it turns out Koyuki is Yuu's childhood friend/first love, Hinashi Koyuki. Also, surprise, Koyuki still has feelings for him.
More like the idea of him since he has no personality.
That little detail can wait though, because Fuuka has decided she wants to form a band and Yuu has to be her bassist, even though he has no musical experience or talent. So the two of them start rounding up bandmates: Mikasa Makoto, an award-winning child pianist who is also gay on the keyboard; Iwami Sara, a girl who always looks pissed but is just bad at talking to people and is also the sister of the guitar player in HEDGEHOGS; and Nachi Kazuya, one of Fuuka's classmates who originally wanted to compete in track but is now the band's drummer. Once formed, the band starts out pretty strong as a HEDGEHOGS cover band while they slowly grow a personal repertoire. From this point on, however, the drama hits its pitch as unrequited and older loves clash for Yuu's attention as he remains oblivious to his own feelings.
Eh, at least he's aware of it.
Here's where things get...problematic for me though. I mean, it's clear that Fuuka is the main love interest of the show right? On the other hand, by the time the band is together Yuu and Koyuki are actively going out and both are pretty happy. How do you reconcile that kind of issue? Answer: you do it in the most contrived way possible that makes no sense for the characters. Any romantic tension or believability just falls apart because the plot demands it. Now, normally I wouldn't mind the plot running its course, but it becomes a problem when the show kneecaps itself with its own plot. Everything good falls apart in a show that is otherwise dull and predictable. Sure, it does everything else pretty well, but the music and animation quality alone aren't enough to save this mess of a show.
What's really disappointing to me though is that I recently learned that it didn't have to be this way. From what little I've read, per someone's recommendation, the manga has A LOT more going for it. Where the anime is light and fluffy, the manga is deeper and darker. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that if the anime actually followed the manga, it could have been something that could compete with BECK. Instead, we got something that makes a mockery of the genre. We got a safe and boring alternative to something with great potential, but I think that was the intention from the start when you consider what happens in the manga. So, in the end, I honestly can't recommend it. Instead, go listen to the great music and read the manga. At least those two things will be worth your time.