Studio: Brain’s Base
Publisher: Sentai Filmworks
Distributor: Section23 Films
Release Date: June 5th, 2018
Edited by CrimsonMomongaSSS
La la la~. That simple line is used throughout the world to express music. However, what if that wasn’t enough? What if you needed to express yourself more than you could possibly imagine? Beyond how LARPing, Volleyball, or even getting lost in other worlds can let you express yourself? What if you have everything, lose it all, gain it back, lose it again, then reclaim it one final time and need to express yourself to the world more than ever before?! What if you can only express yourself in an anime podcast with two other anime addicts? What if you need to express yourself by constantly saying “express yourself” like some crazed maniac writing an anime review? Well, Sentai Filmworks has got you covered with Anonymous Noise! Many thanks to Section23 for the review unit and for giving me the chance to express my— well, you get the picture.
Growing up, young Nino Arisugawa had a good friend that she called Momo. No matter how boisterous she got while belting out “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” he would always keep up with her. An irreplaceable bond, you could say. However, it all comes crashing down when Momo moves away. Lost, depressed, and even bullied by a bald-headed kid, Nino loses her joy. Time passes, and in steps Yuzu, an aspiring composer who helps her reclaim a glimmer of her former self… until he disappears as well. Now she’s starting high school, and their paths are about to cross once more. How will she deal with re-encountering the two who had been torn from her? And will she find the courage to express herself once again?
As for how I enjoyed the series, it was fantastic. I don’t know if Nino has any confirmed mental disorders, but, on that level, I could relate to her like I did with Yui from K-ON!. Speaking for myself, I do have mental disorders, ranging from an Autism Spectrum Disorder to legitimate frontal lobe brain damage, so ‘expressing myself’ has always been a difficult concept. Nino’s way of dealing with her depression over Momo and Yuzu, her joy in finding them again, and the way she deals with all the dramallamaing that ensues really connected me to her character. That could just be a personality thing, but it presented a unique way of dealing with the drama in her life and really caught my eye.
From a technical standpoint, the Anonymous Noise Blu-ray is of excellent quality; it certainly looks better than it did streaming on the now-defunct Amazon Strike service. Not to mention that the English dub is entertaining in its own right. Nino’s voice actress sounds just like I’d imagine Nino to sound, and the nuance in the performance is very nice. The only real issue I have is that “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” still used the Japanese audio. Why couldn’t that be one of the few exceptions of singing to be dubbed over? I mean, it has the exact same melody! It just weirded me out to hear something so familiar, yet… not. Maybe I’m just not weeb enough to understand. After all, I don’t even own a body pillow; all I’ve got is a keychain of Yui from the prior paragraph. Hmph.
Anyway, the music in the show is excellent, the drama isn’t too over-the-top, and the characters felt relatable. All-in-all, the show is pretty good, and I got lots of enjoyment out of the series, but that’s partially because it hit a particular “note” for me. My heart “swelled with emotion” at some parts, but that may not be the case with you. In addition, while the show is good, I’m “in NO hurry” to rewatch the series. Regardless of my horrible puns, the complete collection is priced at an SRP of $69.98 USD. While the cost may be a little steep, I believe I got my hours of entertainment from the show and will get more from it during future rewatches. You can find it on the Sentai Filmworks store.
Lolinia gives Anonymous Noise a Drastik Moé Measure of 7.8 out of 10.0 (78).
PS. Little Nino is way too adorbs.
