I liked this one a lot more than captivated by you. Which was written by the same author and I believe aired at the same time as this Even though its short it feels like a complete experience unlike captivated by you. Of course I would like more and its arguable that the ending is set up to continue the story but the ending doesnt leave you feeling unsatisfied. As far as the characters go I like both of them and enjoy their chemistry with each other. Laid back tough guy meets uptight dork. Its a classic. I feel like this is obviously the younger characters story and it just feels veeery relatable. Going through a change as a young person keeping your struggles to yourself and finding escape through an unfamiliar environment or friendly/non judgmental person. Of course we can argue that its sus that this adult man starts hanging out with a middle schooler but I feel like 1. The adult man doesnt have any ulterior motives outside of learning to sing. 2. Its fiction so chill. I think fiction should be a safe place to see stories/themes that may be considered taboo in real life. In that same vein I think there are some undertones that the younger character may have a romantic interest in the older character but its not explored or mentioned outright at all. I guess if that makes you uncomfy then stay away. Personally I always look for more gay themes in media but thats just me. As far as this anime goes though I think the real standout element here is the karaoke. It feels like a love letter to karaoke specifically and music in general. The karaoke performances are varied and hilarious and theres just something really heartwarming about seeing people pour their heart and soul into something that they suck at. Theres also a performance towards the end that really gives you the feels. Also as a white person living in the US I find it confounding and intriguing that something like Karaoke seems to be baked into Japanese culture in a way that it even compels the most serious scary or dangerous types of people to drop all pretense get on stage and belt out an offkey love ballad. In the context of the show its a Yakuza family having a quarterly mandatory Karaoke contest. Maybe this is for comedy and it doesnt happen in real life but I enjoy the idea that something like this could happen in real life. Anyway it was a short watch and well worth the time investment. Nice story good characters and a bunch of grown men making total asses of themselves trying to up their karaoke game. Its funny and heartwarming with a bit of angst thrown in. Also the op is a total banger. Even if you dont watch the show definitely listen to the song. I rated the show an 8 because I feel like maybe it could be longer or the themes/character development could be stronger. Its a bit slow and sliceoflifey at times which I dont necessarily mind. I feel like 8 is a high rating for what it is. Its not one of my GOATS but im sure Ill definitely rewatch it multiple times in the future.