The more I watch, the more I fall in love with True Tears.

Perhaps the most engaging thing about the show at this point is the tacit suggestion that there’s “more than meets the eye,” as far as Isurugi Noe’s obsession with collecting tears is concerned. Is there a supernatural element to this story? Or is it simply a red herring? I’m inclined to think it’s all metaphorical and that the story will remain grounded in reality until the very end, but there’s enough mystery in Noe’s words to leave me uncertain. The show continues to do a wonderful job maintaining that air of mystery.

And Noe is a fantastic character. I appreciate that she’s the central character among the female leads. As much as Shin’s attention is directed toward Hiromi, the story really does seem to revolve around Noe’s circumstances. That’s not something I expected going in, and I think it’s especially interesting given how Noe isn’t so much a romantic interest for Shin as she is his nutjob partner in crime. It saves the show from the sort of “one guy, one girl” tunnel vision so typical of high school romance anime.

There’s also something to be said for Nishimura Junji’s deft direction. His work in Simoun was far more deliberate; the operatic nature of the show demanded it. The direction in True Tears, however, is more abstract. Seemingly minor scenes and exchanges provide some of the greatest insight into the story and characters, and there’s surprise to be found in the smallest nooks and crannies of each episode. If you ask me, this is atypical for this sort of show. Most high school romance anime series have all the nuance of a sledgehammer upside the head.

I’ve previously touched on the impressive animation, of course, but I feel compelled to add that, watching True Tears alongside Clannad, I almost feel as if PA Works is on the verge of besting Kyoto Animation in certain ways. Both studios have mastered the art of expressive character animation, but the approach taken by PA Works in True Tears feels so much more “natural” to me. Whereas many of the small gestures and movements made by characters in Clannad appear carefully calculated and precise, those same gestures and movements in True Tears appear smoothly integrated into the show’s animation as a whole.

For example, in the fourth episode, there’s a brief sequence in which Miyokichi attempts to grab hold of Ai’s hand while she’s not looking, and her reaction as she pulls away in shock strikes me as surprisingly organic. They might as well have been two real live people on film. The show is full of moments like this, and it makes the more emotional scenes all the more gripping to watch. Every conversation between Shin and Hiromi, for example, is loaded with hidden body language you don’t see all that often outside of theatrical anime and a few particular television series.

Do you see the underlying message here? True Tears is really something special, and I think it would benefit anyone who passed on the show due to its supposedly generic premise to give it a closer look. It’s not your average anime series.

Oh, and on the topic of the show’s recently revealed release plans for North America, I’ll just say one thing: True Tears is a show I would happily buy on DVD, but not at Bandai Visual’s absurd prices.

Like a lot of people, I found the first episode of True Tears exceptional, but exceptional first episodes are a dime a dozen anymore, so I won’t proclaim my everlasting love for the show just yet. I’d really like to, though.

I will, however, say a little something about the animation. If you care to know how beautiful the show is, you’re best off watching the first episode for yourself, but I do at least want to make note of the background art. Or, to be more specific, the rich use of CG in the background art. Back when CG was the “next big thing,” I used to hate seeing it pop up in traditionally animated shows. It just looked so horrible and out of place much of the time, and even on those rare occasions when it was carefully integrated into the show, I found it unsightly.

Animation techniques continued to mature, of course, and with the advent of digitally animated shows, so did CG techniques. It’s only been in the past couple of years, however, that I’ve finally warmed to its use in the shows I watch. What happened? The studios figured out what they were doing, that’s what. Why now? I don’t know. Perhaps they just needed ten years to perfect their techniques or something.

And the CG work in True Tears is damn near perfect. It gives so much life to the background art. And it melds with the traditional animation so effectively that I no longer notice it’s CG once I get over my initial, “hey, this looks kinda different,” sensation.

Nicely played, P.A. Works.