It started as an anime recommendation over WhatsApp. A friend sent me a link to an anime band performance, saying, "I think you'll appreciate this." As an avid fan of Japanese media (I remember long nights binging entire manga and anime series back in university), anime recommendations were always welcome.
What I didn't expect was an anime that understood musicians. The last series to have an impact on me as a musician was Beck, but even that had a story that was characteristically unrealistic: a rag-tag group of high schoolers who shoot to meteoric fame in a short timeframe (spoiler alert!).
This anime was different. Yes, while the playing is rather prodigious for high schoolers, there's a lot of focus on the emotional connection through the musical performances. You feel the struggles that the band goes through--picking themselves up through a rough gig, trying to improvise through faulty equipment--and these struggles are relatable. I've been through these situations myself!
And so it became apparent that I should do a reaction video series on the key episodes of the anime. If you haven't watched it, I recommend at least watching the performances in Episodes 8 and 12.