I can’t resist an anime about art. The characters are well designed and well developed, but what I like most is the beautiful, painting-like background. The setting reminds me of my time studying in the UK: the River Thames, an academy that resembles Cambridge, the National Gallery, the British Museum, Westminster Abbey, Covent Garden, the pubs, and side trips to the Cotswolds and the countryside.
Following our hearts or simply doing what we love may sound ideal, but life is often messier, with no clear optimal path. We cannot fully ignore others’ opinions or societal norms either. Since we only get to live one timeline, there will always be “what if” questions, and we will never know how the paths not taken might have unfolded. But at the very least, we should try to find a path, or create a bubble, where we do not betray ourselves and still have room to grow and thrive.
Quotes from the anime:
“As always, the more I paint, the more I’m confounded by the things I lack. It’s the same things over and over. But then, I guess that’s not so bad. After all, as long as I’m painting, I’m always having fun.”
—Lili Ichijoin
“Actually I’ve never once thought my paintings were any good. That’s why I’m so desperate to paint all the time.”
—Kit Church
“I’ve never cared what other people think. What does it have to do with painting?
All I want is to remember the beautiful things I see every day. If I paint them, I won’t forget. That’s the only reason I paint. Honestly, the rankings mean nothing to me.”
—Kit Church
“That’s why his artwork always grabs hold of people and stirs their souls. And then, as if adding insult to injury, it questions you. Are you being honest with yourself? Are you living life to the fullest?”
—Shin Kobayakawa
“When I was a child, I saw the real thing. At that moment…it felt like time had stopped. Even now, I’ve never felt anything more serene. All I could hear was my own heartbeat. For the first time, a cold marble structure taught what it means to be alive. And then it occurred to me. The contours of memory blur with time and become unrecognizable. But even so, if we can capture a moment in time and give it form, perhaps that memory will never fade.”
—Kit Church on Michaelangelo’s The Pieta
Trailer:
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