Mayonaka Heart Tune

## Season 1

### Soundtrack

I like the opening. It's a really catchy and exciting song. I'm definitely going to delve deeper into Hoshimachi Suisei. That being said, the animation of the opening is really… lazy? Maybe they're trying to go for a certain aesthetic, but I didn't really get what it's supposed to be. There's also a lot of shots from the anime, which is just so uncreative. Could be better, song's a banger.

I don't like the ending song. The song is so boring, like something you'd hear in a mall. Even the animation is subpar. Come on, man.

Finally, there's the Ask "ask for the moon" tracks. I didn't like any of them enough to mention one in particular. They're all pretty generic. I do wish there was a version with a full instrumentals, though.

### Thoughts

I didn't really have any expectations for this anime at all. The synopsis sounded alright, if not a little interesting. I also didn't know this was a harem anime, so that's another bias out of the equation. Mayonaka Heart Tune is definitely an anime. There wasn't really anything new or novel. Everything that happens is mostly what you'd expect after watching the first episode.

Mayonaka Heart Tune is an anime about the life of the main character, Arisu, as he tries to identify Apollo, the host of Midnight Heart Tune from four girls in the broadcasting club. That's a pretty simple premise, and the plot advances just as simply. There's nothing to really chew on. Of course, Arisu can't identify the real Apollo because what he remembers as "Apollo" can apply to multiple girls. Previously, he had promised to Apollo that he'd make her dreams of working in an industry where she can use her voice come true, so now he commits to helping all four girls' in their careers, and shenanigans ensue. It's almost like a reverse The Quintessential Quintuplets. That's basically the premise of the anime, but what about the execution? I have to say: It's sloppy. Other than Apollo, there's barely any overarching plot or message. It's too simple. On top of that, some sequences, like the one with Arisu sleeping, felt so trope-y. Is this anime trying to be a parody of itself?

Nene's arc is fine, nothing interesting. She's a tsundere that dreams of working as a voice actor but somehow can't act out stories that she doesn't have a connection to. So, Arisu basically has to make her experience the stories herself. It starts with them faking a relationship, which was actually pretty good. I even enjoyed the secret kiss scene. Okay, it's fine to use a temporary solution once, but they avoid the real problem again by ""faking"" Arisu cheating on Nene in the second half? To be fair, it worked, but I found it to be really lazy. Instead of actually dealing with her real emotional issues, her story doesn't progress forward and deals with things in the most boring way. There could've been more stuff regarding how she can't express herself properly, especially considering she's a textbook tsundere. What a missed opportunity. Or maybe that's in the second season?

There's also Iko Kirino, an aspiring VTuber. I'm going to be honest: Her arc is pretty good. Basically, it's about being a VTuber as a "shy trope" character. The first part, about her not being able to express herself was pretty cute. Enjoyable, at the very least. The second about that's about her was less good, though. I get wanting to write about her trying to "fit in" with other VTubers, but I didn't really feel any emotional connection. What I will say though is this: I REALLY enjoyed Iko's dynamic with Arisu. Iko's the right amount of shy to be cute without being boring. Even though I don't think she's Apollo, I'll keep rooting for her.

The "Most Mid" arc award goes to Shinobu. God, what a nothing burger. I get wanting to write an "inferior" character. But unlike someone like Yotsuba (from QQ), this one just didn't stick the landing at all. Don't get me wrong, the first part's cute. Studying with Arisu in secret is something very Makeine-like (it even happens in the LN), which plays into my bias, but that's about all that she has going for her. Her inferiority complex is nearly baseless. The anime didn't make why she felt inferior clear enough. Even during the sports festival episode, her payoff just wasn't that emotional at all, because there was no build-up at all! It's shit.

I can say with confidence that Mayonaka Heart Tune tries to make Rikka's character arc good. On paper, Rikka's character as an aspiring musician would be a banger. Unfortunately, it wasn't executed well at all. Why? I don't even know. She is so forgettable. The ONLY reason I'm talking about her is because she has so much screentime. Okay, she performs popular songs at school because she isn't confident singing her original songs. The payoff to that is just… her singing to her friends? How is that interesting at all? Then, there's the two-episode sequence at the end of the season. I was SO interested to see her finally perform in the general public. Of course, a lot of people come to her street concert, only for their attention to be stolen by other, louder performers. I was already bored to death. Then, Rikka's childhood friend comes to support her by singing a song they composed together. What I'm telling you here sounds like a pretty emotional climax, right? But, it didn't feel like that at all! There was a climax without complications. A solution without a problem. At least, there was a problem, but it wasn't driven home well enough. I didn't feel any compassion for Rikka. Horrible.

One highlight of this anime is definitely Arisu himself. He's an confident rich klutz, but he's actually pretty smart. On top of that, he's a hard worker who keeps his money where his mouth is. He always tries his best to solve the girls' problems, whether they like it or not. I especially love how he's so upfront about everything. It's almost like he's the embodiment of the audience's thoughts. I will also say that his dynamic with all of the girls is pretty fun to watch. It's like they're pushing each other to do their best without fully pissing each other off. Basically, it's friendship limit testing. Pretty fun to watch.

One more thing: the animation and art style is subpar. Finally, I can critique the animation of an anime. It is 2026. I've heard many great things about the manga, so why is the adaptation so horrible? There are so many scenes where the design and direction just feel like they're degrading the already subpar story. At times, the mouth movements don't even sync up properly. There's also the problem of the scenes being way too static at times. It almost felt like watching a slideshow. On top of all of that, what the hell is going on with the lighting? Sometimes it looks good, sometimes it looks horrible. I especially don't like the indoor scenes. Way too moody!

So, who is Apollo? I honestly don't know. Right now, the frontrunners are Rikka and Shinobu. That's not to say the others are out of the race, though. I'll look forward to watching the second season for that. I didn't pull any punches when reviewing this anime. It's aggressively mediocre. I'm not hopeful that it'll improve in the second season, especially considering that the same studio will be managing it. I'm only interested in watching it for that 1% chance of it being good. Overall, Mayonaka Heart Tune isn't worth your time, but it won't waste it, either. It's okay. 6/10 at best. Mid-Slop.