As a quick synopsis of “Love Through a Prism”: Our protagonist, Lili Ichijoin, transferred to England to study painting and art at the prestigious Saint Thomas Art Academy, where friendly shenanigans and slow burn romance ensue. Yum.
Before I begin, please keep in mind I get a lot of my reviews and outside opinions from Tumblr, as this anime isn’t mainstream as of the time I wrote this… and I’m biased.
ART DIRECTION
The art style and the backdrops are GORGEOUS. It is very clear they wanted to go for a story that lived and breathed ‘art’. Static backgrounds were oil paintings, the character art was light, soft and airy, the colours popped when they needed to. And… the architecture. Oh, old English architecture, my beloved. I absolutely adored how the castles, the manors, and the mansions were presented. Realistic, plausible, and based in the reality of the times. It was amazing to watch just for the visuals. No spoilers, but there is a moment in Lili’s life where… there is no color. She feels no sense of genuine joy. It’s only when she finds that spark again that the color blue starts to appear first.
The storytelling through colours, paintings, and even the characters’ growth through their art was beautiful and well-done.
PLOT
I’ll be honest. The plot confused me for the first few episodes because the supposed romance plot took a lot… and I mean a LOT of time to develop. I’m used to very fast-paced stories, so dipping my toes into an academic rivals-to-lovers slow burn was new to me. But it didn’t feel agonizing. It was realistic, it was sweet, it was measured. There are bumps along the way, obviously. Those bumps helped serve as character growth later on in the series.
Did I mention this is only 20 episodes? It’s really short and sweet, but it doesn’t feel… short or rushed. That’s a thing I think a lot of series, movies, books, etc. struggle with. Pacing. I watched a few episodes every couple of days, but I never thought I lost anything from the last time I watched it, nor did I feel rushed into a new character or a new arc.
CHARACTERS
Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows how much I like characters. What inspires them, how they were designed, and how they’re written. “Love Through a Prism” is no exception. Our main characters are as follows (no spoilers):
- Lili Ichijoin
- Dorothy Brown
- Sakura and Shinnosuke Koboyakawa
- Peter Anthony
- Joffrey O’brien
- Kit and Rich Church
- Lady Catherine Astor
There was only one thing that confused me and numerous Tumblr users. When faced with conflict, one or more characters would, more often than not, resort to an extreme in an attempt to resolve a conflict. Our main girl, Lili, is guilty of this more than most, having several outbursts towards her love interest and those around her. That’s the only true qualm I have with this anime, using personal conflicts to further the story when they could have communicated. As for the rest of the cast, I can proudly say that when together, they are a perfect mix and balance of archetypes, with their own growth, thoughts, and fleshed-out stories. My favorites are Lady Catherine and Dorothy.
FINAL THOUGHTS
All in all, I can and will recommend “Love Through a Prism” to anyone who enjoys art, slow burn romance, and wholesome platonic shenanigans. It was a wonderful watch for myself and all others i’ve seen review and ramble about the anime on tumblr under the #Prism Rondo tag. Personally, I did NOT want the anime to end, but it came to a satisfying, loose-end-tying end. I loved it. 4.5/5 from me.
Written by Rebecca E. Schmidt, Lethbridge Polytechnic
