Kids on the Slope

My favorite kind of anime is one that doesn't feel like anime. I would say I am a fan of anime but I'm not, I'm a fan of good anime. Kids on the Slope is one of the best. Maybe I'm partial because I'm a piano player and a fan of jazz but this show is outstanding. Shinichiro Watanabe is one of my favorite directors, his resume includes Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, and the shows he has worked on have a wonderful mix of story, characters, and most importantly music. The animation and coloring are extremely well done, every frame is something to be admired. The animators capture performing jazz so well.

No matter what I say I won't do the show justice. I don't even want to summarize it, just watch it. The first episode was a little boring but it picks up after that. I love it when a show or movie takes an idea that I think is uninteresting and makes it more interesting than I could imagine. This show does that.

Of course it may not be your cup of tea. The pacing of the show is slow and not a lot "happens" at any given moment. Personally, that's what I like about it. This is one of the shows where if you aren't immersed in the story it'll be boring. It's a very engaging show.


It's a 12 episode series that I would strongly encourage checking out.