Anime Secret Santa Review: Sound of the Sky

Note: For this review I am trying out a new, much simpler ratings system, inspired by another podcast I watch, Before You Buy. They use a simple system of “Buy it!” (definitely worth buying), “Try it!” (it’s good, not great, but you might want to take a look) and “Don’t Buy” (avoid at all costs). In our case we’ll use “Watch it!” (definitely worth watching and/or buying if it’s out on physical media), “Worth a look” (good, but not great; might be worth catching the first episode on a free stream, borrowing it from a friend, etc.), and “Don’t Watch It!” (avoid at all costs). Let me know what you think of this new system.)

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… ok, actually it was back in winter of 2010… one of the shows from that anime season that caught my eye was Sora no Woto (aka Sound of the Sky), which served as the debut of Anime no Chikara, a joint venture between TV Tokyo and Aniplex to create and produce original anime series which are not based on previously published material (manga, visual novels, etc.). I had heard of Anime no Chikara but was somewhat put off by the other shows that came out of it (the somewhat underwhelming Senkou no Night Raid and Seikimatsu Occult Academy). That, combined with the general consensus among the internets that Sora no Woto felt like a cheap attempt at cashing in on the popularity of “moeblob” shows such as K-On! made me hesitant to pick it up. Later I was somewhat surprised when I started hearing from people that it actually wasn’t half bad. So when I saw that Sora no Woto was one of the titles assigned to me in Anime Secret Santa, I decided that it was worth checking out. And I am glad I did.

Sora no Woto tells the story of Kanata Sorami who, after an encounter with a mysterious army bugler during her painful childhood, decided to join the army and learn to play the bugle. She is assigned to the Clocktower Fortress in the small town of Seize in the nation of Helvetia. After a long war with the rival Roman Empire, both nations are enjoying a tense cease-fire. She, as well as the other women assigned to the Clocktower Fortress, help the war-weary townspeople cope with their lives, and remain vigilant and prepared to defend the town in the event hostilities resume

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