Arte Review – 74/100

With half of one of the worst years in human history finally behind us, I feel it’s about time that we look ahead at the positives which lie in wait. But before starting something new, it’s only fitting that we wrap up what’s come before. And so, to cap off our coverage of a below average Spring Season rife with shows which underperformed (Tower of God), shows which went unnoticed (Woodpecker Detective) and shows which crashed and burned terribly (YESTERDAY WO UTATTE!), I present to you the review of Arte, a show which didn’t let us down and gave us exactly what it advertised!

[DISCLAIMER: Since there is a cold war going on among the blog writers regarding the ‘True Average Score’, I’d also like to clarify the workings of my own rating scale. ‘70’ is not an ‘average’ score. It is ‘ABOVE’ average. ‘50’ is not an ‘average’ score. It is ‘BELOW’ average. Just like the many anime rated 6/10 on MAL, an anime with a score of 60 out of a 100 is an ‘AVERAGE’ anime. Thank you. Please continue reading.]

THE PREMISE:

A story set in the backdrop of 17^th century Italy, offering a slice in the life of a girl belonging to a Noble family determined to pursue her dreams of being an artist.

 

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH IT:

Themes Explored: Arte is a rare anime with feminist sensibilities which doesn’t sexualize its female characters and actually treats them with respect and care. They are portrayed as people, not objects of male fantasies or elements to get cheap, misogynistic laughs out of. It’s not something revolutionary to have that in a show but the sad reality is that for every fifty bland isekai protagonists nose-bleeding while staring at girls with gravity defying breasts, we get one show like Arte. And that in itself is a welcome change and something worth appreciating.

The Character of Arte: It’s won’t be an overstatement to say that how much the viewer relates with Arte essentially makes or breaks the show for them. Being the titular character, Arte naturally gets the most screen time and we see the world and the people in it only through her interactions with them. She isn’t a character with layers upon layers to discover. But she doesn’t have to be. She is a simple person who tries to solve the problems she faces through simple, straightforward means. There are no deep subtle nuances to her as she wears her emotions on her sleeve. You might say that that makes her bland but do people really need to be multi-faceted to be interesting? Is them being simply ‘good’ not enough?

The Character of Katarina: Right from the moment Katarina Falier comes on screen, the atmosphere of the whole show livens up. The viewers are introduced to a character with the potential to become just as realized as the protagonist and that possibility instantly piques up the interest in the narrative. While starting off as a snobbish spoilt brat, Katarina becomes a character who’s just as burdened by expectations and societal norms as Arte, though in different ways. Her development and growth as a character can honestly merit having an entire show centered around a protagonist named Katarina but this season already had one of those, didn’t it?

A relaxing pastime: Arte knows the show it wants to be. It doesn’t disguise itself. It doesn’t try to be ambitious beyond its abilities. It’s NOT a historical piece dramatizing the art scene during the Renaissance era and it’s NOT a biographical account of the life of the subject it’s loosely inspired by. What it is, is a heartwarming show with charming characters where no one is particularly evil and there is no sadness or hardship too terrible to not be overcome. It aims to offer the audience an opportunity to tune into an episode and have a good time unwinding after a long day and that’s what it is. You watch it for that and you won’t be left disappointed.

Ends on a satisfying note: Since this is a one-cour show, it’s bound to be end with a ‘GO READ THE MANGA’ banner, but Arte actually provides us with a satisfactory stopping point which won’t leave you dying to pick up the manga the second you are done with the show.

 

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T WATCH IT:

Lack of a gripping Narrative: If you’re the sort of person who likes a story to wow you and knock your socks off with its narrative reveals and jaw dropping plot-twists, you are not going to like this show. It’s a fairly linear and predictable plot devoid of much conflict as things always work out one way or the other. So, if you are looking for a story which keeps you near the edge of your seat, I’d suggest you look elsewhere.

Forgettable supporting characters: If you were to ask me to name all the characters I remember from this show one month from now, I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to recall anyone except Arte, Katarina and maybe Leo-san. That’s just how unremarkable the supporting cast is. Courtesan-san is easily the best of them but the rest are simply forgettable. Be it Yuri, Darcia, the purple-cardigan guy who’s extra nice to women (Leon? Leorio? Leonard?), no one is really able to leave a mark. Though, yes, the story isn’t really about them. But they should still have been written better.

 

FINAL VERDICT:

I picked up this show at the start of the season because it looked like a refreshing change-of-pace from the shounen-bait, isekai trash anime we get a dime a dozen and it lived up to any expectations I had. I knew what I wanted from the show and it delivered on all those accounts. So, for that, I have no complaints.