How would you help your friend struggling in his career? By helping them learn skills or maybe by arranging meetings for them with top brass? Well, our boy Kongming has a different plan. Reborn in the modern era, the greatest strategician of the Chinese military helps a girl; Eiko, to achieve her dream of becoming a World Class Singer.
Plot:
The famous military strategist Zhuge Liang Kongming met his demise in the Battle of Wuzhang Plains. On his deathbed, he wishes that his next life were in a peaceful place, free from bloodshed. He is was born in modern Japan with the body of his youth, appearing in the middle of a Halloween costume party in the Tokyo club district. The partygoers (in Japanese, “Paripi”, a contraction of the English ‘party people’) of Shibuya lure him to a nightclub where he meets Eiko Tsukimi, an aspiring singer, and his second life begins.
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What’s to like?
- Story: Kongming has a simple story revolving around music. However, it’s very hard-hitting. Ya Boy Kongming captures the current music scene with Eiko being a newcomer with already established & talented singers.
- Characters development: The characters’ development in the anime is carried out in a very inspiring and wholesome way. Whether it be Eiko exploring the world of music or Kongming’s journey in the new world, every character has their own stories to tell and leave their mark on the show.
- Music: Obviously, for an anime which heavily relies on music, the music has to be core & Ya Boy Kongming delivers its promise. If you want to talk about an OP that will be played for hours on end and never seem to get boring at all, then you’ve got this OP theme here. But it’s not just the theme; our protag Eiko songs were also a wholesome treat. It’s brilliant on both ends.
- Art & Animation: It’s flashy, fitting & it captures the “Paripi” theme of the show. The scenes of Eiko performing are particularly good.
What’s not to like?
Despite all these attributes, I have two complaints about this anime. The song performed by Eiko in the show & Kabe’s rapping were not used effectively.
Eiko wrote her song once; however, no new song was then written by Eiko, which was underwhelming.
Kabe shines in his own way with his rapping in the show. However, he was not used effectively. His rapping could have been incorporated with Eiko’s song, but we don’t get to see it.
Conclusion:
Ya Boy Kongming is a winning combination of outstanding music, fabulous dynamic presentation, screwball comedy, and consistent character development, with a unique premise. It would’ve been witty, endearing, stylish, and insightful even without the dazzling music, but the music is what makes it truly special.