Lost Song Season 1 Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQMLN4C6tsQ

Episode Guide

The Song of Healing
The Song of Departure
The Song of Love
The Song of Depravity
The Song of Encounter
The Song of Goodbye
The Song of Mortality
The Song of Eternity
The Song of Nostalgia
The Song of Determination
The Song of Silence
The Song of Beginning

Lost Song is one of those beautifully presented Animes that come along, whip you up on a fantastical journey full of thrills and gorgeous vistas but fails to really leave a lasting impression on you. Aesthetically at least, Lost Song is gorgeously animated with a slick, distinct art style that’s really quite impressive. It’s a shame then that the story doesn’t quite match up to the visuals, with the plot careering off track late on, ending on a somewhat subjective note and losing sight of the charm that made the first half so endearing.

Set in a fantasy world where special individuals have the ability to control the world around them through the use of song, the plot revolves around two key characters, spunky countryside girl Rin (voiced by Konomi Suzuki) and songstress Finis (voiced by Yukari Tamura). Finis is being used as a tool by the devious Prince Bernstein (voiced by Yuuto Suzuki) to turn the tide of an imminent war about to ravage the world. In the meantime, a family tragedy causes Rin to flee toward the capital, more determined than ever to put her special voice to good use. This forms the backdrop of the series with the first half revolving around Rin making her way to the Capital while Finis inadvertently falls in love with kind knight Henry (voiced by Seiichirō Yamashita) while trying to escape from Bernstein. The second half of the show changes the tone and backdrop of the series and, without giving too much away, plays with concepts of time and reality to varying degrees of success.

Lost Song does do a pretty decent job presenting its story though, injecting a sharp burst of humour to break up some of the more melodramatic moments. There’s a great use of music here too, with various songs used as a montage over the more dramatic elements or serving as an epilogue to each of the 20 minute long episodes. Late on some of the songs do make way for the questionable inclusion of convoluted concepts around fragmented songs and time that takes the shine off the charming opening this anime boasts which is a bit of a shame.

Lost Song is a pleasant, quaint little anime offering from Netflix that manages to do a good job telling its tale, despite careering off track somewhat late on. The characters do stick to the usual tropes you’d expect from a fantasy setting with all the usual suspects lining up from the gallant knight to the damsel in distress. Lost Song revels in its archetypal clichés though but manages to inject each with enough flair and charm that it’s easy to overlook this. With 12 episodes at 20 minutes a piece, Lost Song is a fleeting experience at best but one that’s worth checking out, even if it’s unlikely to be something you return to anytime soon.