eufonius -- Kokoro ni Tsubomi（ココロニツボミ）

As we approach the end of another year, I've been able to catch the usual 4 seasons' worth of anime. Personally speaking, I haven't been as enamored with the stuff in the autumn season. Not as crazy about "Just Because" since I'm simply not a fan of straight drama and "Two-Car" just seems to have screaming matches and tension for the sake of having them.

However, one show that I have gradually come to enjoy is "Konohana Kitan"（このはな綺譚）. The remarkable thing about it is how much, at least on the surface, it resembles an anime that we saw all the way at the beginning of the year, "Urara Meirochou"（うらら迷路帖）. Both shows have magic and mysticism infused into the setting but I think "Konohana Kitan" has some more gravitas and perhaps some harder knocks although it often shows a sense of humour among the characters.

I also like the opening theme by the band eufonius "Kokoro ni Tsubomi" (Buds on the Heart) which begins with a piano resembling a babbling brook before having lyricist and vocalist riya sing the song reminiscent of some of the ballads that I used to hear around the early 2000s from chanteuses like Misia. The melody was provided by keyboardist Hajime Kikuchi（菊地創）. There may be some melancholy in the some of the episodes but I think there is a certain reassurance within "Kokoro ni Tsubomi" that things will always be looking up at the end.