Soranowoto Review

Soranowoto (Sound of the Skies) is a relatively quiet anime, not what one would expect from a war drama. Lavish action is rare aside from the occasional flashback sequences, even then physical conflict is held at arms length from the viewer. The purpose is obviously not to glamorise warfare, but to focus on the devastation it brings. While Soranowoto presents a crisp concept, it simply lacks pragmatism, its daring but it doesn't fully commit, and as such the end result falls rather flat. That being said, Soranowoto is not without its charm. As a slice of life show, it’s pretty superb.

Set in post-war Europe, in the country of Helvetia, speculated to be either France or Switzerland, through the precise location is never specified. Their enemy is equally perplexing, known only as the Romans and ruled by an Emperor, yet their mother tongue is German. This almost feels parallel to the allies and axis division of the Second World War. Interestingly the surroundings are akin to war-torn Europe, were it not for the advanced military technology, the reasoning seems to be excessive war has regressed all other forms. Soranowoto triumphs in crafting a world of its own, a rich, multi-layered universe, ingeniously sophisticated and intriguing, it’s really no surprise that so much of the series is spent exploring it.

And this is where the first problem occurs. The pace for the first half of the show is slow and light-hearted, focusing predominately on the main character, Kanata as she and the viewer are introduced to her new life. From a slice of life perspective, this is wonderfully told and genuinely entertaining. The mood then quickly shifts as the imminent threat of war becomes the main theme in the last couple of episodes. Not entirely unexpected, but not quite as impressive as it could have been. Not to mention too much is crammed into the final episode, that the conclusion ultimately seems far fetched and thus disappointing. In all, a capable show, it just seems to miss the mark.

And then there’s the issue of the main heroine, Sorami Kanata, an entirely improbable and unbelievable protagonist for a military-themed drama. First of all, she is too young, I mean what half-baked army is this country running when you allow underage children to enlist? Secondly she blatantly has received no formal training, she doesn’t even know how to fire a gun, and again, this is the army, isn’t it? Furthermore her motivation to sign up leaves a lot to be desired. In Helvetia, music is reserved exclusively for the military and Kanata really wants to learn to play the trumpet. It’s a fool proof plan, except for the little fact that her country is a war! Finally Kanata herself, her nativity, her over enthusiastic personality is completely unsuited for her occupation, a soldier. That being said, her comrades aren’t much better in this regard. When they are finally involved with direct conflict, they prefer to protect an injured enemy and commit treason. Albeit very noble, but not very convincing.

Unfortunately Soranowoto does have more interesting characters, the sleepy genius Noël Kannagi, for example. It’s just too bad that her development is reduced to a few measly freak-out scenes during the final episode. Rio Kazumiya is another overlooked character, her back story as the illegitimate heir to the throne is ripe with potential yet the instance it seems to be going anywhere, Rio is whisked away to the off screen peace talks. And then returns with some flimsy excuse. A waste of a perfectly good character.

Despite its faults, Soranowoto is still worth the watch. The production is incredibly smooth and stylish, while not groundbreaking. It’s certainly a cut above the average anime. The slice of life drama is dazzling, taken outside of their context, the main characters work splendidly together on par with any other inside the box friendship unit, notably K-ON! Still while the overall concept is certainly imaginative, the end product doesn’t quite fulfil the brief. Good but had the potential to be great.

Rating: 7/10