PRISM RONDO

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA RomancePrism Rondo

REVIEWS

• 

  NineTnk

  95/100
  The Best Romance Anime of the 2020s So Far

  The Best Romance Anime of the 2020s (so far)

  Okay look, the 2020s have been completely owned by those giant shonen/fantasy adaptations. You know the ususal suspect: JJK, CSM, KNY, DDD, every other three-letter hype machine, and yeah, even Frieren snuck in there and stole everyone's heart. It's been non-stop action, crazy fights, and animation from ufotable and MAPPA that makes your eyes water from how good it looks. But something huge has been missing the whole time. And now, we finally got it. A non-action, completely ORIGINAL anime story that actually hits the same level of quality as those mega manga adaptations. No source material. No manga to carry it.

  Love Through a Prism from Wit Studio, 20 episodes of pure slow-burn goodness. This thing absolutely nails the balance between really well-written characters, actual romance that feels real, and the whole "art is life" theme. None of those parts feel forced or shoved in, they all grow together so naturally it hurts in the best way. Wit Studio went full send on the visuals. The background art is stupidly gorgeous. We're talking some of the prettiest painted cityscapes and art studios I've seen in anime, and it makes total sense because the whole story is about people obsessed with painting. 1910s London looks so dreamy so real and lived-in, you kinda forget it's animated.

  Quick semi-spoiler-ish thing that pushed this show over the edge for me: they actually pulled off the "villain becomes best friend" trope without it feeling cheesy or fake. The way they handle that character's arc is so clean and satisfying. No sudden 180, no dumb redemption bait, just gradual, believable change that actually makes the friendships hit harder. It's rare to see it done this well. Anyway, bottom line, If you love slow-burn romance that actually takes its time and doesn't rush the feelings, this is your show. If you want something set in a beautiful historical period (early 1900s London: gas lamps, fancy coats, rainy streets, art academies, the whole vibe), bonus points, like a big point since you simply can not name another anime ever that place in this period and this location (prove me wrong).

  And if you're someone who's avoided romance anime forever because you're tired of the same loud, over-the-top Japanese high-school nonsense with tsunderes screaming, accidental boob grabs, and 50-episode misunderstandings… this is literally the only romance anime you need to start with. It just skips all that crap and gives you something mature, quiet, pretty, cute, and emotionally honest.

  Lili (our Japanese exchange student who has to be top of her class or get dragged back home for an arranged marriage) and Kit (the classic cold, talented rich boy, who slowly melts) simply "just work" (don't fix something that's not broken type of dynamic). Their relationship builds through paintbrushes, late-night sketching sessions, awkward silences that turn into meaningful ones, and tiny moments where you can literally feel the shift. No screaming confessions in the rain. Just two people slowly figuring out they can't live without each other while also chasing their art dreams. It's refreshing as hell.

  The side characters are surprisingly great too. Dorothy is an absolute sweetheart, Catherine is straight-up writing perfection, and everyone feels like they belong in this world. Visually, the way they use light, the color shifts in some eps, the little details in every classroom or foggy street, man... The soundtrack is elegant without being boring.

  So yeah. If you're looking for the best romance anime the 2020s have dropped so far, it's this one. Hands down. Go watch Love Through a Prism. Give the first three episodes a real chance.

  This is the best Romance anime of the 2020s, the best Wit Studio anime since Vinland Saga, and the best anime original story since odd taxi.

  9.5/10

  Continue on AniList
• 

  Stillwithkoo

  89/100
  Rivals to lovers, slow build, yearning, misunderstandings, Love triangles that dont give headache? it has it all!!

  It's an anime that has it all: great tropes, animation, development, and music
  It's Love Through a Prism, and I don't think it's based solely on romance, but also on friendships
  Personally, that's what made me cry the most
  I loved the development of Lili/Catherine and Shin/kit; it's not just a love triangle, there's a reason and positive growth in them
  My favorites are Lili and Shin; both undoubtedly have the best stories
  If other characters are a green flag, Shin is a damn forest, attentive, gentlemanly, EMPATHETIC , always willing to put himself in the other's shoes and he didn't let his feelings cloud what was important in front of him, My man was willing to give up his true passion to be there for the woman he fell in love with, even though she wasn't the one who made him live and love
  And Lili? Her character was somewhat childish in how she dealt with her feelings, but I admire her so much because she's a woman forging her own path and fighting for her dreams, fighting against a patriarchy which dictated that she should settle down And to give up on her dreams, I don't blame the mother, I understand that she thought that path was the safest for her daughter, I loved the relationships Lili formed, especially with Catherine and the one with wavy hair; I don't remember your name, but I admire your lifestyle. Oh, how I love girlhood
  My only slight criticism is of Kit's character; he's a man who sought to paint to fill a void, and when he finally found meaning, he had to abandon it to take on enormous responsibilities, But I already saw that with his father, who went through almost the same thing, so what's new? I liked his relationship with Lili, but after that? His story since his ship sank, It even feels fantastical, unreal, it barely connects at all, I didn't like it when he told Lili "you wouldn't understand" in the church. WTF BRO, I HATE YOU, when he stayed ??On the boat while all his friends ran to see him and said an emotional goodbye???, when he FINALLY kissed Lili but the man decided to keep his hands in his pockets...COME ON, I understand that I understand that it might be part of his character not to express or show affection,He only knows how to express himself well through art, okay, but man, at key moments, it personally bothered me
  I think what stood out was his gaze, oh GAWD, how I adore a man who yearns, when he kissed her hand, the hand that Lili took to make the promise???? STOPPP
  The end for almost everyone in the pub? The redhead actually keeping his promise to collect all of Kit's works? Man, it's so touching
  anyway, this is definitely one of the best releases in a long time, Definitely one of my favorites these past few years
  Netflix really nailed it, and releasing all the episodes at once wasn't a bad thing at all; it just makes you watch it all in one go, haha.

  Continue on AniList
• 

  yalexi

  100/100
  All the feelings, all the art will take good or bad care of you in this trip.

  If you'll watch this, prepare yourself to live this romance as the main character. You lowkey love art? You lowkey love the **cruelty of reality**? The **true faces of life, friendships and love** are well expressed in this anime. So before starting to watch it, remember: feel it in your bones brazenly. As an afternoon tea this anime has to be drank with **calmness**, savoring the unique flavours inside it. Get excited from the warm of this tea, and be sure to put a lot of sugar. That way you'll start getting touched to the herbs (the characters) inside it, and that's where the goosebumps comes! Don’t worry, if it’s too hot let it rest and if it’s too cold don’t force yourself and wait until you feel like you want it again. I'll introduce **the keys** that made this anime a gem for me, one of the best romance anime of all the times. Am I exaggerating? You can believe me or not, but give it a chance. There might be some semi-spoilers, I’ll talk about the plot! Read the spoiler warning if you finished the anime or if you're curious ^^ ★ The use of art The anime is set in the early 20th century in London. The main character is Lili, a Japanese girl who went in the UK with the dream of becoming a great artist. She had the chance to get in the st Thomas art academy with the help of her country, who previously discovered her talent for art. From the first episode we can immerse in Lili's life, feeling her excitement, her fears and determination but more importantly her love. _**What's so special about the art in this anime?**_ When we look at a painting, without knowing who the artist is or his story we have the power to decide what the subject is, for who the painting was aimed, and the reasons behind it. Taking aside our creativity we can also just pay attention to the techniques, that's what Lili did with Kit Church painting initially. After getting to know him, she (and us) began to swim in his painting, searching for answers (same questions that Kit kept reflecting in his art, desperately) and finding the missing freedom (obviously art isn't static so the way we can perceive it and the way it's expressed can change and that's what makes it more captivating in the end). Not only in the course of events the paintings had a drastic and necessary change, they were also pure containers of human emotions. And knowing the life behind those brush strokes made them more powerful, impactful for the story. Attention. Not only paintings, sculptures too. And obviously we cannot forget to mention the London environment. The pleasant chaos of the city, the lovely silence of outskirts, the sounds of people moving, the music of the boots touching the flour, the classic music, the shapes of the sky, the beauty of nature and its time. The art explodes into the gestures, the words, the glances of the characters. ★ The demand to accept ourselves A lot of character, if not all of them, went through a grown path whose main focus was "accept the reality". _**Am I good at drawing? Is this my vocation? Will I become someone? Can I improve? Am I talented? Will the effort be enough to fill my void?**_ This is the type of anime that people on their 20s need to watch to get motivated and feel represented. What we wanna do? What are we good at? The anxiety behind these questions is palpable. Are we wasting our time? Spoiler: no. What we are wasting is our potential to destroy the world with our trying and failing. Our trying and finding our true passion, the things we're good at. _"sometimes what you like and what you're good at aren't the same thing"_ Peter, saint words. Another important phase of this reading key was the loss of motivation for drawing. All the characters reacted to this fundamental stage in their way (big spoilers ahead) Dorothy saw straight in her heart and accepted that she wasn’t talented and that art wasn’t her purpose of life, just a funny hobby. Jeffrey had an idea and conclude it. Peter went through a lot of stages, from oil paint to economy and sculpture (which was predictable since he fell in love hard for Shin’s works and knew all the techniques). Kit had chosen to step back and come back after the caress of boredom, but in the end he never ever left his art just his subject (Lili, and he found her back so great!). And Lili needed Kit’s words: “One piece of paper, a pencil and you Lili, that’s the only things you need” for drawing. ★ The beauty of passion As I saw with Katherine, Lili exposed her passion for painting with enthusiasm. What is passion? Passion is choosing to go to London to draw. Is challenging your abilities. Is accepting criticism for improve. Is explore for expand the variety of the world and exploit it. Is forgetting unconsciously our lives and live the moment. Is being dubious but determined. Is choosing to quit something for good. And a lot lot more. ★ The importance of friendships As I could see while watching this anime my devotion for the characters comes from their good representation and connections between each other. You can clearly notice that they all needed each other to find themselves a bit more. There isn't a single character who didn't had its time to share its persona, even the side characters had that chance. Some examples: Katherine was the opposite of Dorothy, she was cold and apparently cold hearted, but she needed Lili. She needed her question "There's something you love to do? A hobby?" to find her path and create her life. It was thanks to her that she started listening to herself. Lili needed Peter and Kit to talk about talent to understand she was doing all for approvement. Kit needed Lili to keep drawing. Also, the energy of a friendship doesn't stops just because of distance. We could see that too! ★ Your heart is trapped in this game This anime plays with your feelings. You’ll get what I mean. At some point you’ll start ask yourself “everything is going well, when will arrive the surprise?” And that’s a great quality in my opinion. Even if it costs your tears, your hanger, your joy and energy it’s what makes the series special. ★ The reality Lili was in the middle of peak joy, the land of happiness. Everything was going her way, there was just one thing left to say, just one. And it was all thrown away in the blink of an eye. This is the portrait of life. The depression she felt as a "reward" after what happened in London removed the vivid colours of life, and that's the lesson of destiny and the tombstone that our hearts create and chooses when it finds its place (sometimes at the wrong time). = Her heart was fulfilled with joy because of art yes, but because of Kit mostly and that's why with his disappearance Lili went straight into depression. Not everything can be defeated immediately, but surely only by dreams we can fly higher than the malicious world we live in. Our voices, our presence is significant. That's what I learned watching this. [spoilers of episodes from 17 to 19 ahead] Shin loved Lili, he admired her, he kept an eye on her as Kit asked him and this is another piece of reality that reeks of sadness and unrequired love repressed by gratitude, responsibility and cozy cuddles, caresses without fervour. He was about to marry the girl she liked but what he liked about her was the determination that she discovered by Kit for painting. It was admiration who reached love for Shin on Lili. But in the end the marriage would have been for pity, with love yes but not concrete and pure love. ★ The dramatic change of colours As said before Lili had lost the colours of the world when she came back to Yokohama, and that was a peak choice from the author. The London we saw before moving was shining, so when we had to look at Yokohama with that black/white/grey eyes it was inevitable for us to come in Lili’s senses again. Feeling her anxiety, and depression. I, personally, had an anxiety attack while watching, but this is my sensible response ;-;. The incredible role of colours in this anime is surely part of its charm and appeal. When I saw Kit’s hair and eyes receiving their light in the episode 19 I could do nothing but getting emotional. The ultramarine oil colour was a main character from the start, the colour that made Lili realise her passion for art, and the colour that made her paint once again, and the artifice of all this was the lost and found Christopher Church. _“Colours express space and awaken feelings that had been locked away. Yes, I really do love painting”_ Attend to arrive to the last episode of this anime to get what the title means and most importantly what I mean when I say _the dramatic but powerful change of colours_ ★ The time I felt those five years. Everything was impactful, different and had characters completely disconnected from the previous years in London. It wasn’t just to make a scene. It was necessary to make the emotions more intense. When I read the “I’ll take you there one day. Don’t forget the blue paint.” quote wrote in that diary I saw in Lili’s face the Lili of 20 years old, and as flashbacks the first episodes came into my mind and created an image of Kit and Lili in that cave with lilies. Everything is a matter of time? No everything is a matter of people. Even if it’s impossible to get, the people around you, the good or bad ones can improve or destroy and refill or replace your version of you. The true one, the fake one, you. I saw this in Lili’s and Kit’s eyes. ★ The faces of love Starting from mutual love, going on with the forced bond, colliding into the impossible love, then the one-side love, the familiar love and last but not least the real love I had a fantastic and aging trip. ★ The last episode As for many animes, series tv the last episode it’s the last peace of a beautiful, intriguing puzzle. Everything is well assembled and well done. For me this episode was as good as the first episode. It felt like the anime was just about to start for real. This is because life is now, and yesterday and tomorrow. What you are when you’re in your 20 yo isn’t what you’ll be in your 25 yo. So explore vague dreams and horrible jobs, study and learn new skills. Fail a lot, do mistakes. Never search for perfection. You’ll find your path one day and it will not be easy to take, a lot of illusions will appear, but what’s yours will find you. That’s what Lili and Kit and all the characters made me realise even more. _“I’ve stumbled and fallen. Now I’ve become bad at painting. But I really don’t mind. I can just start again from scratch, can’t I”_
  Continue on AniList

SIMILAR ANIMES YOU MAY LIKE

• ANIME

  DramaAnne Shirley
• ONA

  DramaBlue Period
• ANIME

  ComedyHana Yori Dango
• ANIME

  DramaArte
• ONA

  ComedyHanazakari no Kimitachi e
• ANIME

  ActionKaizoku Oujo
• ANIME

  DramaEikoku Koi Monogatari Emma
• ANIME

  DramaRistorante Paradiso
• ANIME

  DramaViolet Evergarden
• MOVIE

  DramaCoquelicot-zaka kara
• ANIME

  DramaSakamichi no Apollon
• MOVIE

  DramaKono Sekai no Katasumi ni