Mashiroiro Symphony: The Color of Lovers Review

When I first started watching anime, I loved watching romance anime (some of which were harems). My love for that hasn't changed. Mashiroiro Symphony, an anime based off the visual novel, managed to ignite the feeling of excitement when each girl falls for the main character, and was an enjoyable watch despite being not the most original or well written show.

Story


Co-ed highschool Kagamidai is considering a merger with the girls only Yuihime, and a select bunch of students are sent to test whether they can succesfully integrate. Our main character Shingo Uryuu and his sister Sakuno are part of this test group. Shingo meets many new girls, but not all of them welcome the introduction of boys to the school.


While the setup isn't very exciting or original, it fulfills the basic purpose of allowing the main character to meet new girls and sets up a good first arc- Shingo having to deal with the stigma of being a boy and changing the negative atmosphere in Yuihime. Though let's be honest, we're not here to watch for the story, we're here to watch the girls fall in love Shingo and to see perhaps, just maybe, he will pick someone to end up with at the end of the story. And good news, he does!

As I mentioned the main appeal of the story is to see who Shingo ends up with, and to that there's a huge bamboozle- a romance twist in the middle of the story, but to say it would spoil too much. Also, there is the rare ecchi moment in the story, given that this anime is based off an eroge VN, but it isn't often enough get on our nerves.

SHOW SPOILERS

I love how the story subverts our expectations of "first girl introduced gets the guy" trope found in many other romance anime. We spend a good while on Airi's arc, about the first four episodes, but episode 7 starts dropping hints about who Shingo really likes. While the change in romantic focus from Airi to Miu seems sudden at first, the anime had actually been doing this since episode 1. Ever notice how Shingo looked at Miu through the window in episode 1 and blushed, or admires Miu's work and how when he joins her club he blushes again? Looking back on the hints that I failed to pick up, it seems that the change was much more justified. Also, props to the fact that he logically picked the girl who was nice to him the entire time, instead of the tsunderes who always gave him crap.

Characters

Most of the girls fall into their standard tropes (I say that because I don't know about Miu). There's not one but two tsunderes (Airi and Sana), a kuudere (Sakuno), and a very enthusiastic maid (Ange). While not particularly original, all the girls are endearing and get some degree of development in the story.

SHOW SPOILER

You really feel for them. Airi's arc of opening up to Shingo was heartwarming, and Sana's arc of dealing with rejection was heartbreaking- the latter especially. The scene where Sana is desperately calling the cat named "Miu" Sana was sad to watch, and that wasn't even her final breaking point when she cried in the rain.

That said, "some degree" is the key word. Due to what I believe is a 12 episode constraint, the anime does not have enough time to fully flesh out every girl. Hence, some character arcs are longer than others. Airi, Sana, and Miu's arc is much longer than Ange's, and Sakuno didn't even receive an arc. After their arc is over, the girls are often shafted into being side characters in favor of the next girl's arc.

SHOW SPOILER

This is especially true for Airi, who after her arc ends, ends up being a support character to Sana, which feels like a waste of all the development she got at the initial four episodes. We never even got to see her come to the realisation that Shingo doesn't love her, unlike Sana did.

Finally, I liked the main character Shingo. His kindness and willingness to help others, which is what charms the girls, comes off as genuine. He isn't a pervert, but he isn't entirely adverse to anything sexual. He's not annoyingly dense. He's not a wimp too afraid to choose a girl, he knows who he loves and goes for it!

Sound and Art


I love the soundtrack. It was the first thing in the anime that struck me. Its slow piano and violin peaces are beautifully tranquil, but also a little melancholic, fitting for the light romantic drama in the show.

On top of the soundtrack, the art is beautiful as well. Sporting the visual novel art style similar to Clannad and the ef: series, the girls are all pretty, each character managing to stand out from one another through different hair colors, accessories, and uniforms. and their facial expressions are really cute. Finally, the still shots of nature are just lovely to look at.

All of the girls, bar for one

I love Ange's facial expressions the most

One of the many beautiful still shots of nature

Summary

Mashiroiro Symphony has its flaws, but it is overall an enjoyable and satisfying show to watch. The plot setup isn't original, but a twist in the story halfway and the fact that the main character actually chooses someone deviates from typical romance and harem tropes. The girls aren't particularly original, and some have more development than others and end up being sidelined after their arc, but somehow manage to all be charming. The main character isn't annoying and is a likeable guy. The soundtrack and art is beautiful, which makes watching the show a pleasure as well. 7/10

-GaryMuffuginOak