In the 16th century, the city of Florence booms with cultural and creative revival in celebration of the Renaissance. Arte, a delightful young lady from an aristocratic family, dreams of being an artist and contributing to the renewal of civilization. However, with her father's death, she ends up losing the only person who believed in her passion for art. Now she is expected to marry a nobleman and live as a refined housewife without disgracing her family name. Reluctant to accept her fate, the headstrong Arte steps into the streets in search of a master artisan to take her on as an apprentice.
In her quest for a mentor, Arte has to face harsh reality when she is completely shunned for being a female artist. No one believes that women are capable of fine craftsmanship, and therefore none are willing to accept her. Luckily, a renowned artisan by the name of Leo is persuaded to take her as his disciple since he has none anyway. And thus, Arte's new life begins, far from the comfort of her noble upbringing. As an apprentice, she must earn her keep while tackling various challenges along the difficult path to becoming a full-fledged, master artisan.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Stark700
Arte is an anime adaptation of the manga based on the era of The Renaissance from the 16th century. It’s not often you get to hear such a premise spelled out so freshly intact about in this era. Arte is not only the titular protagonist but also a woman with a strong will, determination, and thirst to prove herself as an artist. She is here to prove that in a male dominant world, there’s a place for her. The premise is quite simple. It’s about this 14 year old heiress from Florence who has a passion for painting. After her father passes away, she’s been puton a road by her mother to married. Of course, Arte continuously pursues her passion even if it means leaving the house and becoming what she always wants to be: a painter. What follows her is a journey of hardship as she is a woman. At this time period, the male society dominates in her field of work. It becomes a feminist movement that she pushes to the envelope to prove herself. The first episode includes a crowd mocking Arte for her dream just because of her gender. After declaring ‘to give up being a girl’ by cutting her hair, Arte vows to change the system in this time era. It may seem like an impossible mission but for Arte, she carries a sense of self as who she is. And for that, I’m pleased to say the show sets up for quite an intriguing plot carried by its creative themes.
It’s not just her words or the haircut that matters. It’s what the actions that count. Arte may have declared herself to give up being a girl but she still has to prove her worth or eat her own words. During her journey, she meets Leo, an important character who would change her life forever. As a professional painter, he accepts Arte to his studio because she reminds him of himself. The first step to becoming a painter is no simple task as Arte must learn the fundamentals and craftsmanship of the profession. Luckily, Arte’s personality earns respect for her peers by hard work, determination, and learning from mistakes. She’s a type of relatable character that’s easily likable and in fact, some characters such as Angelo even falls for her. Despite that, Arte puts her dream as priority and forges a friendship with Angelo. She even attracts the attention of Veronica, one of the most beautiful women in Florence as the pair strikes a friendship. Likewise, Arte even manages to make friends with Catalina, a girl notorious for her stubborn personality. As every episode ventured on, Arte continuously to show an eagerness to make her dream come true.
Watching Arte doesn’t take much commitment but based on a historical setting, it can be somewhat frustrating to understand its culture. Even though the setting takes place in a European culture, it hardly felt like a society. I don’t know the exact inner style of the European ways of life but to say the least, the show’s atmosphere didn’t exactly match. Even with places like Venice introduced later in the show, it doesn’t seem to take full advantage of its world setting. So in essence, if you want the most out Arte, don’t expect the show to be about the setting. It’s about her.
Still, a question revolves around how much you can appreciate Arte as the titular character. At its core, Arte exemplifies that women can do what men are capable of. In this case, it’s about being an artisan in a field dominated by males. While this anime isn’t overly feminist, it’s hard to ignore its aspects on different occasions. Viewers may feel turned off by such themes and sometimes, I can’t help but feel sorry for Arte. That’s where reality hits and we have to realize the struggles these young women faces during that era.
Seven Arcs is a somewhat of a strange studio of choice considering their previous projects all had some form of fantasy elements. Arte contains much more realism based on a real life setting with its culture, geography, and architectures. While most of this is fairly balanced, it doesn’t truly capitalize on its world setting. Outside from what you see, there’s not much depth that went into the artistic elements of the European style architectures. Florence attracts tourism and trade although the anime plays down on the overall world building. Even places like Venice doesn’t truly spark as a unique destination with its seaports and artwork. On the other hand, I do appreciate how the anime made Arte look as fierce as she can be. After cutting her hair, she shows not only traits of masculinity but also lives by her words through sheer will. The voice acting plays an important role to show how much she wants to achieve her dream. Similarly, other relevant characters in the show such as Leo and Veronica displays characteristics well suited for their roles.
The way Arte is constructed is aimed for audience to follow her character journey. It’s not about the historical setting or its culture. Because let’s face it, Arte still has so much to learn from her experiences and as a young woman, she has to adapt with everything and everyone around her. This is a story about a character who follows her dream and to prove that anyone can do anything they put their mind into.
literaturenerd
For some reason, I keep picking the most controversial seasonals of 2020 to review! If you just took a quick glance at Arte, you wouldn't think this would be one of the most divisive and fiercely polarizing series of the year. One half of MAL thinks this series is really sweet, relaxing and wholesome. The other half is positively screeching about what a vile abomination this is and how it's one of the worst anime they've ever seen in their entire lives. Arte is based on a long-running and successful manga about a young girl in 16th century Florence who dreams of becoming a great artist.She is loosely based on an amalgamation of Sofonisba Anguissola and Artemisia Gentileschi, which is where she gets her name from. Arte isn't naturally the most genius painter to ever live, but she works extremely hard and is willing to devote her entire life to creating beautiful works of art. The director of Arte is Takayuki Hamana, who also directed the last anime I reviewed, Beast Player Erin. Arte actually shares a LOT in common with Erin in terms of its direction. They're both very feel good, slice of life series with very slow pacing that aim for tons of warm fuzzy feelings at the risk of being boring. Both are led by very strong, paragon female protagonists to serve as an idealistic example for a young female audience. I rated both series a 7 on MAL, but I do think Erin is a little better. On Anilist I gave Erin a 7.5 because intervals are a very useful feature. Meanwhile, MAL treats Erin as one of the greatest anime ever made and has Arte rated below Shoujo Ramune. Yes, it's rated lower than the infamous pedo hentai with that yogurt meme.
So why is Arte so hated? The main reason is that it deals heavily with sexism and Arte constantly having to deal with 1500s attitudes towards women. Most of Europe didn't really have "The Woman Question" IE: "Should women have a purpose beyond being broodmares?" until the 1600s and the Enlightenment Period. Arte is correct that sexism was a very prevalent problem in 1500s Italy. However, Arte isn't historically accurate in portraying our heroine as the first and only female painter in the mid 1500s. There were actually many female painters during the Renaissance Period, so the shock and "BUT YOU'RE A WOMAN!" responses she gets in the first 4 episodes seem a bit silly. Arte seems to have confused the 1500s for the 1300s. Back in the 1300s, all artists were men and ONLY men were allowed to paint. That's because only the Catholic Church had the money to commission art and all paintings were done by priests and monks. Only men could be priests or monks. Painters during the Renaissance weren't the upper crust of society, they just made paintings for the upper crust and were considered lowly artisans. That's why it wasn't a big deal for "a mere woman" to be a painter at that time. The nobility didn't feel it was a threat to the social order because being a painter is just a shitty job anyways.
Is Arte SJW propaganda? Should we REEE about it? No and no. Most of the anger against modern feminism stems from the idea that women have already reached full equality, but SJWs want to elevate women above men and get revenge on men. I'm not going to go on a tangent about maternity leave and whether or not the United States has actually achieved true equality yet. Arte wasn't made by America for a Western audience! Arte was made by Japanese people for a Japanese audience. They knew that foreigners would watch it, but the director was focused on how Japanese audiences would react to it. I've heard people complaining that Arte feels like something America would make in the 1980s or 90s, but that's culturally kind of where Japan is in regards to gender equality. America has female CEOs now. Japan still doesn't. Japan is still trying to get beyond the cultural concept of "office flowers". Japanese women who do really well in college, yet are hired to be gofer secretaries, fetch tea for their old man boss, and get a swat on the ass for their troubles. Then they get pressured at age 30 to quit and go be a housewife, so there isn't much chance of promotion. Even if you feel Arte is outdated and preaching to the choir, keep in mind you're not the target audience. You're not a young Japanese girl or an office lady! They see Arte as something bold and a breath of fresh air, which is why the manga has been running for 7 years and is doing well.
Another complaint about Arte is ironically the art. I will admit that Arte isn't exactly pretty for a series about art. It was made by Seven Arcs, who is mostly known for making a shitty ecchi called Sekirei. They are NOT a well loved studio. I also suspect that the Covid Pandemic may have had an impact on the production. Arte starts out looking alright, but it starts to look REALLY ugly in the second half. I mean some utterly hideous CG. However, there are plenty of ugly looking anime out there, so I don't think that's a reason to give this a 2/10 and scream about it being the worst ever.
Isn't Arte an annoying shonen protagonist like Naruto? No! Arte is Rock Lee! Naruto wants to be the greatest ninja of all time because his father was a ninja leader and he sees it as his birth right. Arte doesn't want to be the greatest artist of all time, she just wants to make paintings for a living because she loves doing it. Naruto doesn't take his training seriously for the first 200 episodes of his anime. He was born with an immense amount of innate talent and inherited abilities, so he doesn't need to work hard. He pulls stupid pranks, eats ramen, then bullshits his way to completely unearned victories. Arte works until her hands bleed and she passes out from strain on a frequent basis. Arte works HARD because art is her life. She isn't wasting her time pulling pranks or feeling sad for herself.
So is Arte worth checking out? Hell yes it is! It's not a perfect series by any means, but it's pretty damn good. It's actually my favorite anime I've seen so far from 2020. It's also only 12 episodes, so you could binge the whole thing in an afternoon. If you just want to relax and feel good for a while, I highly recommend checking this one out.
MamaSasaki
Good god where to begin with this flaming pile of garbage otherwise known as Arte? Once in a rare while do you come across something so pointlessly dull and boring that you actually get offended by it, so offended by its poor writing, poor characters, poor shallow attempts at making "commentary", poor genre workings. Everything about this show is poor. After 4 episodes I had a bad feeling, after 7 I had no hope, and now? Now, I'm here to tell you to not bother wasting your time on this trash. Before we get into the slaughter of Arte I'd like to point out someMINOR good aspects of this show that keep it from being a 1. The character design isn't anything to write home about but the dress designs are historical accurate and add a level of elegance that I rather enjoyed. The VA work is also worth praise. It's not hard to find lots of new anime just putting VAs in roles to have a name to the project or so badly miscast that it takes you out of the story, but every VA sounds like they fit that character. It's rare to find and underappreciated when done well and I hope people star taking notice of this factor. It's a shame the cast is stuck to such a bad script but hey the little things right?
As for the bad. God where to start? First, why make your setting one of the most interesting point in art history (Florence in the 16th century during the Renaissance) if you're going to make no attempt at displaying the beauty of this time period? The background art for FLORENCE ITALY looks so poorly put together that you could honestly believe that we were in just some nowhere town in an Isekai. For a show set in the town that had some of the greatest works of art during this time period every building looks the same. Their is NO differentiation in color pallets or depth. It is so poorly put together that you could honestly set this show in a High School and get more out of it. On top of that by episode 8 the character art and animation starts to take a nosedive which is super ironic because it wasn't like they had the budget there to begin with. It went from being passable (if not a little bland) to being something a visual novel would use for its animated scenes. In fact I think Persona has had better animation.
Second, the plot. Let me take you through the formula for this show, because their is no real plot.
Opening -> Mary Sue wants to do art related activity or is given art related activity -> Mary Sue is told "WoMEn CaNt Be ArTIsT" or "ArT iS FoR MeN" or "YoU CaNt Do ThAT, OnLY MeN CaN Do ThAt" ext. Whatever variation of surface level misogyny you can come up with goes here and for anyone who has ever dealt with misogyny you will laugh your ass off at how fake this comes off as -> Mary Sue does whatever activity the men think she can't do because the power of her WILL AND DREAMS -> insert either just enough comedy to not be take as a serious drama or Just enough "foreshadowing" of romance to be taken as a Romance anime without giving actual romance -> end credits.
I'm sure defenders will say "it's taking its time to set up a believable relationship" or "It's depicting serious gender inequality" and to you I say...where? The relationship idea is broken by episode 5 when the only thing close to romance is a teenage girls chest getting tight because she's around this dude. Is this supposed to be Romance because it looks more like bullshit to me. BTW three months have passed at this time (or three years if you go off what the second dude said about progression in the system of being an apprentice) so if the only thing in show you have to show me as "romance" is something a one-sided preteen crush then I'm sorry you fail. As far as Gender Inequality... sure? I mean we get surface level remarks in episode 4 from the prostitute that are once again something a teenager could put together and grow up to realize theirs more depth and nuance then that surface level remarks. Everything else is comedic levels of FEMALE OPPRESSION you would find in a meme making fun of feminist. Theirs no interesting commentary to be made and no depth to it. It's laughable forced.
Thirdly, what is the point of setting this show in Italy with Italian characters if you're just going to have them practice normal Japanese customs? Yes, I'm sure this is nitpicky but I'm not the only one asking this question. If you want to have character of different cultural backgrounds you have to build in those cultures to your narrative or else it's just changing the paint of a car. It might look and seem different but under it's just the same. This show could have took a look at the culture of Italy and made for a rather different type of anime that despite the issues could still have praise for something new. Instead it sticks with every single Japanese cultural norm we see in anime and comes off as rather immersion breaking.
I think that's enough bashing on this show for it's piss poor quality. It seems alot of people liked this show, and to you I say great. Glad you did. This show is awful and bad and makes no attempt at coming into its own. All I see is another run of the mill "romance" anime that takes no chances and makes no statements. I hope it never comes back. I hope it gets forgotten in time with the shows just like it because if this show becomes "popular" or makes waves in the anime community I'll truly be shocked at the ability for the anime community to turn a blind eye to anything resembling quality. Then again Bunny-girl senpai is popular and that's just as bad so who knows...
petrichorbones
Disclaimer that I have not read the manga for this. Don't know if I will, but in case the manga is much more well done, I just wanted to let you know I cannot testify to that. I think if you expect this anime to be good because of its unique setting and main character, I would tell you not to expect that. Overall, this anime is fairly generic. It's not really bad, but its also not fantastic which is why I felt like writing a review, it feels like most of the reviews already out there are very polarizing. The first few episodes areextremely heavy-handed with the sexism, and it felt like the author didn't trust the audience to get the message the first time. It was kind of awkward. But it got better, or at least, it got more subtle and natural in the ways it brought up the feminist themes and Arte's own feelings about her place in the world. Sometimes it was even too subtle.
The animation and art style is very generic. It's not bad but it's nothing special. The only way it really stands out is with the historical clothing, especially for the women's clothes. I really liked that detail, although I think even that was unable to reach its full potential. At some point we learn that Arte's knowledge of lace and jewelry has a hand in her personal touch as an artist, but it's far too late in the show and we have to just take that as "obvious" just because she is a woman.
I think some people expected the art of the show to be more captivating and creative, especially as the cities it takes place in are also gorgeous cities filled with unique and beautiful architecture and scenery. But ultimately, this show is about feminism and classism more than it is about art. I do think it could have elevated the viewing experience to have more detailed scenery but the show could also very well have spent even less time displaying the scenery and it could have still been done well. As it is, it feels like the show has an identity crisis. It wants to portray Arte's passion for art and infect the audience with it, but that's not the main purpose of the story so it ends up just being a distraction to the other more meaningful themes.
Overall, this anime is more of a light entertainment than a truly meaningful piece of commentary. But if you like your entertainment to have meaning to it as well, I don't think its a bad show to watch. It may be a bit forgettable but sometimes there is value in watching shows like that too. It may motivate me to try out the manga and see if I like it any better. Thanks for reading
Marinate1016
The concept of Renaissance Europe is not one that has been often explored in anime, so when I heard about Arte I was rather intrigued as a history bluff. I also had concerns as to how historically accurate the series would be. Fortunately, my worries were misplaced as Arte offers one of the best depictions of Renaissance Italy we’ve ever seen in the medium. If you’re a fan of history, character driven anime, or just want to watch an anime with a very original story, this is for you. As I said before, Arte is very much character driven. The series primarily revolves around Arte’s relationshipswith other people as well as her attempting to break the expected social role of women. If you don’t enjoy slower paced stories, you will struggle to get into this one. Personally, I appreciated the attention to detail that every character received. Each character felt like a unique part of the story who brought something very important to Arte’s development as a person and artist.
I think the series is as educational as it is entertaining and does a great job of explaining the ins and outs of Italian art workshops during the era, gender roles, class, etc. Being able to learn while watching a show is a big plus to me. The show also features some really good animation/art design which remains consistent throughout.
Arte was one of my top 4 shows of the season and I wish more people got a chance to experience this one. I believe if you check it out you will not be disappointed at all. I certainly wasn’t. Arte gets 8 easels out of 10.
Syureria
I am enough to be an artist who draws freely above my imagination. Arte was born into a noble family in Florence, Italy in the revival era of the 16th century. In this era there were no women became artists, but Arte loved art did not care about his noble status and tried to become an artist, this is Arte's journey to be an artist. This is an anime that can be considered good and also can be considered bad, located in Florence during the Renaissance, it is an amazing story that makes you think about the meaning of art and human potential. Arte asthe protagonist is a person not only embodies art, but also uses art as a means to change his own destiny. This gives meaning that we have the power to change thoughts, things, and events. I think his way of thinking is at the core of the Renaissance, and his innovative way of thinking leads to the values and development of modern society.
In terms of animation, Arte offers bright and stunning animations, perfect for anime that deals with art. The atmosphere of the Renaissance century shown is very pronounced where women are still underestimated and the lives of noble families who have their own problems. If art aims to preserve the roots of our culture, society must let artists freely follow their respective visions wherever it takes them, at least that's what I want to say.
In addition, Arte's opening and ending songs strongly illustrate his animations where the opening shows Arte's struggle to become an artist while the ending shows the memories she went through are depicted in a frame. For the first episode, Seven Arc Studio managed to attract the audience's interest to follow Arte's story and his achievements in the arts, at least that was good at the beginning I guarantee it.
pemurro
Anime that deals with mature themes and many do not know how to digest it very well because they are used to shonen patterns. For those who have a hatred for this anime, review it with a slightly more purified look and with less prejudice. This show is about a dream, purpose and all the struggle that a female protagonist had to face in order to do what she really wanted. For those who say that the narrative is tiring because everything is justified on the basis of "but you are a woman", you really didn't understand anything. That is the purpose of the thing, she couldn'tdo anything because she was a woman and had to prove, at every moment of her life, that she could walk on her own legs.
The anime addresses issues of social class, dreams, gender inequality, social relationships, status and recognition. The protagonist gives up her position as a noble to pursue her dream. For those who are used to clichés, it can hurt a little.
The anime also has a romantic issue, but it is right not to put that in the foreground. The focus here is on the personal development and ordeal that the protagonist goes through, not just a cliché of "who she will be with".
Arte was really made to share opinions, and it seems to have hit the nail on the head. At the end of the day, we see that we still have the same judgmental and prejudiced eyes today as that of ancient society.
Society follows and accepts standards and what it proposes to criticize is still frowned upon.
aapodogu
Arte is this season's unsung show, and perhaps my personal favorite amidst the big ticket ones. It's a show on chasing your dreams, women empowerment, thinking outside the box, and enjoying the journey to your destination. In a nutshell, the ED animation sequence fits my thoughts and feelings to the show best: Arte climbing the stairs in her journey to become a renowned painter, surrounded by people who challenge, support, and push her onward -- seen through the paintings that surround the staircase. This is also one of those few shows that use staple characters in a tried-and-tested "heroine-against-the-world" storyline that truly works. At times, it mightbe too generic, but the colorful (pun intended) characters make it even more interesting (I mean, having two tsundere grown-up men is just something special.
Plus, being set in Florence and Venice in the Renaissance adds more eye candy and story interest that it's just a wonderful nostalgia rush for me, having visited both cities a couple of years back.
Overall, watching every episode Arte is rewarding. It's easygoing but keeps enough tension to make it interesting. And who couldn't feel warm inside thanks to our über-genki Best Painter Girl?
LordofMoo96
If you enjoy Art and Crafts I think you'd like this Anime for seeing how it was all done in that past. I'm not sure if this view is frowned on or not here, but I'd recommend you watch at least parts of it in Dubbed. I feel that the budget that may have came with the Universal the English version is the best I've watched in ages, just from the simple part of there being Italian words thrown in from time to time. It feel's to me that a lot of attention went into making every character you meet in the show feel real,I don't know I just feel this show hit at the right time of my life for me. if you like the history of the time period then it's an easy recommend from me.
JiangHaoyi1979
As I make this repost with possible spoilers, I'd say that this anime this anime goes way beyond than fancy historical and all that fuss about the art, this anime was about women's struggle in the chauvinistic world of the Renaissance Period, sure the Italian theme was given a Japanize theme and the characters name most don't look like Italian, but that's not the point that the original creator, Ookubo Kei trying to point out , rather it was the stereotype that women faced during the said time where they're regulated either a wife material or Nun Material, so How do I rate thisanime????
Story- Very Good 8: As there is this Black Lives Matter protest that goes on around the world amid the Covid 19 pandemic , this anime's story plot was just timely given that women at the time of the Renaissance were just regulated as either to be married off or to be nuns, but here it was about how one girl has to go through all the challenges of proving herself among the male dominated world provide that she could be given a chance where she got one from Leo and everything else is history at least in that anime.....
Art-Good 7: To someone to give this an unjustified low score on the art , seeming thinks that he is an art Connoisseur, when in reality he must be expecting some panty flashes, welp the good new there were some Arte's underwear flashes, but the bad new it wasn't one that he expect, cu'z the underpants that you'll be seeing on Arte was more of the way back in the said period (Renaissance ) , so booo hoo hooo for not seeing anything erotic......Cu'z that's the way the Original Creator had it.
Sound- Good 7: The score was for the opening theme " Clover " by Maaya Sakamoto and ending theme Hare Moyou " by Kiyono Yasuno.
Character- Very Good 8: That's for Arte whom despite of being a girl was just too stubborn to simply just limit herself from being a wife to a man that she never met when she can follow her dreams and be what she wants and Leo the only man to gave her a chance to shine. cu'z he too has to go through a lot of struggle just to get out of extreme poverty. However , I was a bit annoyed when Arte in order to prove herself has to show incredible zeal to the point of sacrificing simple luxury essentials like sleeping, eating and taking a break.....
Enjoyment- Good 7: Ok, so it maybe underrated or overrated, but to me this was still enjoyable since you can empathize with the character.
Overall- Very Good 8: Females Lives Matter so kudos to studio Seven Arcs for choosing this series to have an anime adaptation, unfortunately as very good as it is IMAO this doesn't deserve a season 2.
Sesshomaru
アルテ - The anime adaptation is based on the manga series by Ohkubo, Kei. The idea is borrowed from the life story of a real painter and tries to give an insight into a chapter in contemporary history. Since I am very fond of historical references, it was only a matter of time before I stumbled upon this anime. Story: Simple and suitable for the target group, but unfortunately too romantic from a historical point of view (6/10) In the archaic world of the 16th century, a young daughter from a noble family wants to become a painter. This does not sound very exciting at first,but the story has a kernel of truth. It is not immediately obvious, but the first name Arte could be short for Artemisia and would thus refer to the Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Well, one could object that the anime is set in the early 16th century and Artemisia was born in the late 16th century (1593 - 1656), so her works are more likely to be assigned to the Baroque period. This argument would be justified, since it is accurate. But given the parallels between the anime and Artemisia's life, to name just a few examples, leaving parental home, finding a teacher, and moving to another major city, the argument in this regard can be neglected. Unfortunately, the story only contains those elements of Artemisia's life that are bearable for the target group of young people, especially Shoujo. In my opinion, the indication "Seinen" is not correct, because then the anime would be considerably darker and would depict or at least hint at more of the very tragic and sad circumstances in Artemisia`s life. The criticism of historical transfiguration will run like a thread through my review, and as I know I will get a bit carried away at some point due to the subject matter, I apologise in advance.
Characters: Pleasant but simply structured, a plain attempt to impart wisdom (5/10)
Both the characters and the depiction of their individual stories serve to convey life wisdom. While the historical circumstances are basically portrayed correctly, the difficulties that women could hardly overcome are too romanticised. With that in mind it becomes understandable why the supporting characters, such as Arte's father and especially Ubertino, have a huge influence on Arte despite the little screen time they have at their disposal. Due to the target group-specific focus on the main character and the comedy, deeper insights into contemporary history, such as the humiliation of the baker in episode 4, remain peripheral.
Arte Spalletti:
An enthusiastic young woman who, after the death of her father, is heiress to a noble but penniless family of the Florentine nobility. Determined to realise her dream of becoming a painter, she defies time and her mother's will and tries to stand on her own two feet. The anime shows the difficulties, but very mildly. In a historical context, this would be seen as being on the verge of feasibility. To cut a long story short, the portrayal in the anime is simply too cute and does not do justice to the hardships and sacrifices of women in order to free themselves from the shackles of the early modern period (16th century).
Leo:
Given his humble origins, despite his talent, he had to work harder, be more diligent, and endure more hardships to build a reputation and be recognised as an artist. He accepted Arte as his apprentice because her determination and actions reminded him of his youth. He is a good character whose development is outlined and also plausible, yet he is a fiction. The historical role model in this case would be Agostino Tassi and this one would be exactly the opposite. So this deviation is elementary, makes the anime more romantic and less gloomy, but the indication as historical is not accurate in this respect.
Ubertino:
His character is actually one of the most important, so I am surprised that so little attention is paid to him. His character reflects the nature and mindset of the "de Medici" family. Starting with the textile trade, the Medici created a dynasty that lasted from the 15th to the 18th century and is inextricably linked to Florence. Their actions are considered the basis of today's banking system, and their patronage shaped the Renaissance in Florence. One might object and ask what the evidence of a Medici family connection is. Again, the name, in this case Ubertino, can be helpful as a clue. Around 1516 Lorenzo di Piero de 'Medici was enfeoffed with the Duchy of Urbino, which fits into the time and the historical background of the anime plot. However, Ubertino's actions are much better suited as evidence. As an art dealer, or a merchant in general, he takes on the role of a middleman, which was crucial at the time. On the one hand, he bridges the local distances between artist and customer by taking care of the transport, on the other hand, the time delay is part of his activity, because a work of art takes a long time to be finished. He can provide the financial means for the procurement of paints, ingredients or tools. Since he often deals with different works of art by different artists, his knowledge of value also provides a certain expertise in evaluating the art objects. In rare cases, for example when recognizing a great talent, he may also act as a patron. In my opinion, Ubertion is the best portrayed character, which also impresses me because he has received relatively little screen time.
I have read a couple times that the supporting characters come across as boring. I think that's a bit of an exaggeration, the characters of Katarīna or Angelo Parker, among others, are likeable and fit well into the plot, but it is unfortunately true that they are basically just colourless extras. However, in my opinion, this does not apply to Veronica. The characterization here is also a kind, basically good-hearted person, but clearly shows that every life has a dark side. For me, she clearly stands out from the extras and is the best elaborated supporting role next to Ubertino.
Visuals: Try to present the appearance of the era well, but too flawlessly due to CG (6/10)
The visuals are praised in some reviews, as far as the architecture of the buildings and the artistry used are concerned, that's fine. Through the use of computer-aided graphics, the famous sights of the city are impressively reproduced with a high recognition value, for example the imposing Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, which is rightly the city's landmark with its beauty. The Ponte Vecchio, one of the most famous and beautiful bridges in the world, which crosses the Arno River, is also well done. The bridge was built in 1345 at the narrowest point of the river. The construction of the small overhanging bridge shutters makes the Ponte Vecchio unique for tourists today. In the series, I was thrilled that the bridge was depicted correctly. It used to be mainly butchers who hawked their wares here, but when the ducal family moved to the nearby Palazzo Pitti in the late 16th century, they decreed that only jewellers could do business on the bridge. This was because they felt disturbed by the smell of meat and so the little bridge shops came into being, which did not exist in Artes' time. The first 30 years of the 16th century were marked by many changes in Florence, including the temporary removal of the Medici from power and their reinstatement by military means around 1530, which resulted in a great famine due to the siege of the city. Against this backdrop, and despite the fact that the architecture is beautifully rendered, the overall impression of the city is too neat and tidy for the era in which the series is set. The streets are wider and more neatly swept than usual at the time. Indeed, it is the ease with which one can say that the graphics are beautiful that clearly reflects the characteristics of the focus on a younger audience. The most striking example for me is the shed where Arte lives. At first it looked like a real drawing, but the renovation made it sterile, neat, precise and thus computer-generated and soulless. What I want to say is that because of the CGI, the viewer's gaze is focused too much on the surroundings and thus misses what is really important. My criticism corresponds to what Leo-san does with Arte in the third episode. He has her draw the background to a painting several times until she asks why she should draw it over and over again. The explanation is that the background is not the focus of the painting. It's a portrait, so the person in the picture should actually be the focus. Arte has brought the background to the fore with her expressive painting. I couldn't have put into words more beautifully and aptly why CGI will never be my cup of tea. To complete the thought, the character designs are simple but very beautiful. The simplicity is especially noticeable in relation to the very pretty and far too accurate and pleasing environment. The character designs do not harmonise much in this environment, although they are the essentials.
In contrast, there is hardly anything to criticise about the animation. The movements are well executed and have a natural posture and flow. I also noticed that movements that take place in the background actually remain in motion. Arte's market visits can serve as an example here. The people moving in the background are really going in one direction. The backgrounds are rarely a still image, this is not standard and I liked it very much. Unfortunately, even very good animation cannot completely mitigate the shortcomings in the art, but it is a definite plus.
Sounds: Mixed impression, therefore unfortunately only (6/10)
The music for Arte was composed by Itō, Gorō and bears the signature of the all-rounder. Itō-san is a composer, arranger, guitarist and producer. He has performed as a solo artist and as a member of the bossa nova duo "naomi & goro" in Japan and abroad. He successfully produces his own albums and also writes film scores. Many different styles can be found in Artes' musical arrangements, whereby the cheerfulness of bossa nova as original Brazilian dance music always comes to the fore a little. The spectrum of musical styles used ranges from classical to rock to modern. Some of the music is very soulful, such as Katarīna's Past "カタリーナの過去", a beautiful piano solo arrangement, or "Arte Alegret", classical with full orchestra and a slight emphasis on strings and grand pianos. But also very suitable for the series is the arrangement "In Venice", for example, which has a gentle touch of medieval music, played by a modern orchestra. The melodies of "Prayer 1 and 2" have, in keeping with the name, a sacred touch. My criticism of the music section relates less to the music itself than to its use. Occasionally I found the BGM to be too intrusive or a little out of place in the scenes, as it either started too abruptly or with an inappropriate time delay. I find it very unfortunate that the basically very appealing music was not used to its advantage.
The Japanese actress and singer Sakamoto, Maaya sings the first OP "Clover". She has already appeared in many anime and the performance here is also very successful. The title song was kept cheerful, light J-pop, accompanied by an orchestra, similar to Idol songs. Overall, the piano and guitar sound is somewhat in the foreground and the vocals harmonise well with it. Like the background music, it is not exceptional, but well done. As described above for the art, it is easy to say that it is beautiful because it is flawless. It was created to please, but it lacks the idiosyncrasies that generally make art special.
The ED is called "Hare Moyō" and is sung by the Japanese seiyū and singer Yasuno, Kiyono. The arrangement has a beautiful guitar playing as the basic melody and the vocals are beautifully matched to it. A very nice musical arrangement that also stands out from the usual with the orchestra and harp in the background. The animation of the ED is not very fancy, which spoils the overall impression a bit, but that does not detract from the beauty of the music at all.
The dubbing actors for the main characters are very well casted. As always in my reviews, I like to take a closer look at the supporting roles and here, among the male dubbing voices, Fujiwara Mitsuru in particular caught my eye. He has a good voice and pronunciation in relation to the characters portrayed, especially as he speaks two very different roles, Danilo and the Baker. Among the female voices, I particularly liked the soft voice of Daphne, spoken by Tomatsu, Haruka. Her timbre is very pleasantly soft and a little deeper. In keeping with the role, she speaks clearly and somewhat slower. A very beautiful performance.
Unfortunately, the production cannot fully present the subject in a mature way. With the implementation for a younger audience and many comedy elements, an imbalance is created with the deep theme of the anime. The result is that a young target group finds most of the series uninteresting, while an older target group finds the presentation of the topics inappropriate and historically incorrect. Regardless of the entertainment value of the series, both target groups are not completely satisfied. That said, I would recommend the anime if someone is looking for fun entertainment and the historical background is of little interest.
As always, thanks for reading and have fun watching.
Zeta_Riemann
Enjoyment: Let me start off by saying Arte is very much a shoujo anime. It's not seinen and I wouldn't call it a romance either. That being said, it's very cute and I found it extremely easy to watch. I binged the whole thing in a day without getting bored and I liked it a lot (obviously). :) Story: I will concede that this might not be for everyone. The main focus of the show is essentially "Arte wants to be a painter, but men are sexist, so she tries really hard and proves them all wrong." It's basic, but I don't think that's a bad thing. Ifthat sort of storyline bothers you, I wouldn't watch this show. There are other themes, but the main focus is on feminism and accepting your upbringing/background. Also keep in mind that this is all approached in a very "shoujo" way. The lessons are presented in relatively simple way with simple solutions and nothing especially bad happens. It's not without nuance, but it can feel like a kids show at times. It's very bright and cheerful. As for pacing, the show has two halves, and I felt that the second moved a bit too quickly although that didn't significantly damper my enjoyment.
Character:
I enjoyed Arte's character development. She feels like a mix of Shirayuki from Snow White with the Red Hair and Tohru from Fruits Basket. None of the other character's arcs were as satisfying/fleshed out compared to hers but both Leo and Katarina developed as well. I think the problem as far as character development goes is that Arte had the whole season to grow, but Leo isn't really in the second half and Katarina isn't in the first half of episodes.
Art/Sound:
The art and sound match the bright, cheerful nature of the show. It's all very cute and modern looking. They match the tone of the show, but not necessarily the time period. It's a very idealized version of the Renaissance. It's very pretty, but honestly I wasn't super impressed by Arte or Leo's artwork. They're supposed to be amazingly talented but none of the actual artwork in the show stood out to me.
Overview:
This is my first review, so I don't know how helpful it will be (if at all). Overall I liked Arte a lot, but I can recognize that the emphasis on feminism could be seen as too basic or repetitive for some? If you like shoujo about the (somewhat generic) determined female protagonist, you'll probably like this. I wouldn't actually call Arte generic; she definitely has a unique personality that enjoyed, but she is similar enough to other shoujo MCs that you know what you're getting into even before you finish the first episode.
MenchiK1
Arte set in a historically inaccurate Italy during the Renaissance this was about a girl, the titular Arte, wanting to defy societies norms and her family and become an artist. Meh kind of forgettable, like I said not very accurate historically with Arte easily overcoming pretty artificial obstacles and not really having to struggle much, catching break after break to the point even the show had the character feel guilty about how easy she had it. Like most Japanese anime set somewhere else, it played out more as how a modern Japanese girl would defy her traditional family and society to strike out on herown than someone from the historical time of the show. Just a thinly veiled scenery change so (the original manga author) could show off their superficial knowledge of Renaissance fashion and architecture. And even though Arte is cute, genki, and has that never give up attitude she also comes off as just a superficial set piece you never really relate to or get invested in, or at least I didn't.
Reviewholic
Personally, Arte as a project from such not-famous studio gets a 10 out of 10 from me. Big studios have shitted worse anime than Arte, yet still get good appeal because of their excellent animation and art. Aight enough peasantry from me. Start off with ART, Art is definitely mediocre, the background art is simplified a lot. You will always see one set of tiles taking the whole background, whether it's a street or building, there's very few variation, decors and details. Background looks barren most of the time, but they still fit the setting, and that's all that matters. Shockingly, character drawing are consistent andsharp. I don't think I've seen any of the characters' faces melting and dislocated, a mistake even big studios often do. Extra point, Arte changes appearances or design several times as the story progresses; this is essential to show a sense of change and passage of time. However, all of the other side characters don't change appearances at all.
SOUND
Music is excellent. Light and joyful "chamber music" (just googled this, I maybe mistaken of this genre). Music uh... I like music. A lot. And I like the music in this anime. Very happy music. Finally, no guitar or drums, not much piano too. A breath of fresh air.
Sound effect not so prominent since it's mostly about drama and painting.
Side note, Gorō Itō seems to be the composer for this anime, which is weird since his works I found are mostly bossa nova and guitar. Do check him out.
STORY and CHARACTERS (SPOILERS)
Arte has two themes or arcs.
First arc, feminism. And I mean TRUE FEMINISM, not the rotten kind. I have zero idea about how the Renaissance era actually was, but in this anime, men dominated the painting industry. And Arte as a women, with her unbreakable will and ungodly muscle growth, worked her way up to be equally worthy. This phase is hilariously shounen and uplifting.
Second arc, social hierarchy. Now that Arte is big boobed gorilla, she has an identity crisis with her social status as a noble. This is the most beautifully written part of the whole anime. It's actually a huge plot twist. The first arc where Arte fought to disregard her identity as a woman and noble, was actually built up to deliver this twist where she accepts them as a gift/responsibility rather than an unfair treat.
Summary, Arte is extremely fast paced and concluded everything in 12 episodes. There are some cringy anime dialogues in the the early stage, but there are also a lot of shining moments. I think Seven Arcs studio and the production team should be very proud with themselves. Not every anime has to be a masterpiece. Sometimes, it about working with what you have to make the best out of it, just like Arte.
holmeskudo
It's a sweet historical, typical coming of age story about a few of the difficulties a woman faced. I believe the story is not technically correct and required a lot research into intricate details about Florence and Venice. It has been influenced to a certain extent by da Vinci's life and works. Looking at it from the consideration of an anime, it's good, but could be better. The insight into Renaissance France/Italy is fancy for people who are unaware, but will be exceedingly boring and at times even blatant contradiction. The humour is subtle and at times welcome, however it's not at all inspiring or encouraging asI assume the creator wanted it to be like. Good enough to watch for something different in an anime style.
AbeldeMedici
Arte reminds me strongly of Aria, even if not as magical as that one. Basically, it's a story about making a living with your passion no matter how hard it may seem. With the handicap for the main character that, being a girl and a noble, she is not taken seriously as an artist in the 16th century Italy. This series seems to be as divisive as historical shows use to be, anime or not. If you're the kind of person that rages at each and every new historical series or film because it doesn't portray everything 100% accurately, this will be no exception. If youjust happen to like historical or slice of life series for the sole reason of having a good time, there's a high chance you'll like this as well. Keep in mind: this is intended to be a product of entertaintment, not a documentary.
I make my living with writing both about history and Italy (and like Arte, I had my fair share of struggling to achieve that), so I think I know a little about the matter: in my opinion the series does quite a fine job (in terms of a historical fiction) at portraying both the society and the places of the time (with some details like the old façade of the Florence cathedral or the woodwork Rialto bridge of Venice, which show there's a work of research behind). Yeah, some antics are very Japanese: well, after all it's a Japanese series made by a Japanese artist for a Japanese audience, I doubt many of us would be able to portray better a society and time we have not been born into and that is so different to ours. The bowing is the only thing that really bothers me a little, but anyway that happens in almost ALL anime set in any time and place, so I take it for granted.
As for the other complaints, they're quite legit. Sure the art should have been better, but well, this is not Madhouse, and Aria had quite poor quality at the beginning as well and was great nonetheless. The situations may be quite repetitive (the whole "you're a girl!" scenario), but they slowly progress. Many characters may be cliché, but the same can be said about most of the shows out there.
Overall, Arte achieves perfectly all I ask of an anime: giving me a good time, and on addition with a setting and message I love and I think many people can relate to (basically pursuing what you love and not giving a f*uck about what society thinks of it - except if you want to be a criminal, then please give a f*ck about it). Anime is for fun. If I want to see something more accurate, I'll watch a documentary.
Damuzen
Arte is the story of an anime that had everything to please but that crashed a bit in flight along the way An original setting (Florence, sixteenth century) and a main character with a difficult objective to achieve (wanting to become a painter when one is a woman) but a character too ... anime. Story: 7/10 Arte is a bit of a shonen nekketsu but with paint. Arte's goal is to become a painter in a world dominated by men and prejudice The plot is therefore quite basic but clear, it announces the color. The story turns a bit in a loop for a time (a task is givento Arte, she is bullied because she is a woman, she shows her talent and earns the respect of her colleagues)
This improves with the Katarina arc (who has managed to beat her death flags) where Arte acts as tutor for a spoiled rotten child. The story of the latter is rather touching and pleasant to follow
Art: 7/10
Art in Arte is ... important, right?
We have quite beautiful panoramas of the cities (Venice and Florence) but it is limited to that
We feel that the studio does not have a lot of resources but manages to produce something correct in terms of animation
I would have liked the artstyle to be a little more beautiful, because if it is not ugly, it is very generic and we do not feel much when looking at the backgrounds or the characters
Sound: 7/10
The soundtrack of the anime is quite nice, but it would have been even more immersive with traditional instruments / which stick more with Italy
Character: 3/10
Aaaand ... that's where it breaks the figure. We are in Florence, XVI century. Correct? Go tell that to the characters who got stuck in a cliché anime like we've seen so many
If most of the characters have a "certain" consistency and presence (it should not be asked too much anyway), Arte is TOTALLY next to the plate. Arte is an anime character shot like never before
She claims to be strong because she has a goal, but often gets carried away without thinking in front of people, darkens head down, dies internally as soon as she approaches within 2 meters of Leo, and is clumsy as not possible (so much physically than psychologically). Arte achieves the feat of being both a heroine of shoujo and a hero of shonen nekketsu. A surprising combination as it is so disastrous
Despite everything, Arte maintains a sympathetic personality. It's just that she has no place in her own anime.
Enjoyment: 7/10
Despite Arte, I follow the story with a certain ease and a certain interest. The glaring faults that we encounter throughout the viewing does not prevent me from appreciating what I watch
Overall: 6/10
If you are looking for relatively chill and entertaining anime, you can go watch Arte
If you want a realistic historical biopic, avoid it.
(note however that the anime explains a lot of details about life at that time, details sometimes crude and mature)
The anime is good , but its overall structure tends to sag due to an overly offset MC
afoxii
-Disclaimer- First of all, as a non-native English speaker, I don’t guarantee my writing accuracy in this review, and I early apologise for the mistakes you might find in it. This review might contain minor spoilers. Basically, there exists a manga for practically every activity you can imagine. So painting was used as a plot basis too, and it gave birth to Arte, manga by Kei Ookubo, which I haven’t read. Since it had a bit of success, it was obviously adapted into an anime. The picture from MAL as well as the synopsis teased me, and that’s why I watched it during spring 2020. I found itquite good, but it’s obviously not the best anime of the season. I still enjoyed it, so I would like to review it, because I wanted to share my thoughts about different things, whether they’re positive or troublesome to me. I read some reviews complaining about the accuracy of the historical transcription, but I’m not a Renaissance specialist, so I didn’t know if this was correct, although I had this feeling at some points. So let me start!
STORY: 8/10
This is a story of a noble girl who aims to be an artist. Unfortunately, the society in the 16th century wasn’t used to artist women. She will fight in order to make a dream come true. Well, when I sum up the story like that, we can directly think that it is a bit cliché, and yes, we’ve seen this narrative scheme hundreds of times: a hero has a dream, but obstacles stand in his way, and he overcomes them. So it’s necessary to add to the idea some elements that will guarantee a success. And Arte’s author did it pretty well! The adventures, the discovery of the outside world (since Arte comes from a noble background and doesn’t know too much about what’s going on in town), all this contributes to the embellishment of the story which I found very nice. Each week, I wanted to know more about Arte’s adventures. It proves the story’s a good one. I also wanted to talk about the feminist aspect of this anime. It obviously raises the question of the place of women, certainly in the Renaissance society, but we can draw a parallel with our modern society. At first, I thought the script was going to push too hard on this feature, but in the end, I found that the feminist side was used very well, without overdoing it. So the plot is interesting, rather endearing, and carries a message of tolerance, without exaggerating. 8 seems a fair score to me!
ART: 8/10
The art of Arte was really pleasant! The drawing style was really aesthetic, which surprised me! The character design and the entire graphic charter were good. I still noticed it slightly different from the original manga. The animation was correct, as well as the lightning. Like I said in my introduction, I somehow had the feeling that Arte doesn’t represent the Renaissance accurately. I sensed it when I saw the portraits drawn by Arte. The background was plain, had one colour, but I don’t think real Renaissance paintings have this characteristic, and it even contradicts what Arte’s master, Leo, taught her. But again, I’m not an art expert, and I’m sure I’m getting into some very minor details. I haven’t much more to say, the art was good, even if it is not especially peculiar, and I think it deserves an 8.
SOUND: 6/10
The sound was just fine. The soundtrack is not incredible, but it goes pretty well with the scenes. Still, it must be said that the music is not very developed, it’s quite simple, few instruments, not many changes or progressions… And again, my problem with the soundtrack was the fact that it’s not in a Renaissance style. Some people won’t mind, but I was a little disturbed by this anachronism. When I say that, I especially think to a song that is played when Arte is nerved or is under stress. It’s a kind of string instrument playing notes quickly, without any chord accompanying, doubled by the piano. It seemed out of the point to me, actually. I found the dubbing pretty correct, the casting was OK. So I’m a bit disappointed about the music but it’s not horrible, either. That’s why I put a 6.
CHARACTERS: 6/10
For me, Arte’s weakness is its characters. They were all a bit cliché: Arte, a cheerful girl who wants to make hear dream come true and helps everyone she meets, Leo, the mysterious master, who doesn’t talk much but has a tragic backstory… You understood it, I didn’t find the characters very interesting, they were predictable, had just one main trait that was used all the time. It’s too bad… Sometimes I was even nerved at some of them, like Arte when she has her ‘romance’ phase. 6 is for me a fair score for characters, and I may even be overrating them.
OVERALL: 7/10
Arte is an enjoyable show. Although it’s not incredible, it delivers a good message, has a good art and an attractive plot. My main problems with it was the cliché characters, not developed enough for me, and hypothetical historical infidelity, of which I can’t be sure, unfortunately. I still know that some people are not bothered by that, since it is fictional. This anime might be for you if you’re into Slice of Life and Historical genres!
Kaguyachinchin
I really had some trouble trying to figure out how to score this. Overall I give it a 8/10. It's not glamourous or fastpaced to say the least. It's not action packed or emotional-- there's no real romance, however it's a great "slow" anime to watch when you just need a palette cleanser. It shows a story of growth, and personality-- as Arte fills her community with her unique colour. It's a bit annoying at first, but you'll realize it really resembles real life in the sense that a lot of people may act with prejudice or treat you differently for how you look. Arte-- in an almost fictional way really learns to first ignore, then accept it. It's an inspirational journey of hardwork, failure, and faith. While I can see why people would be against it-- heck it's not what I'd call my cup of tea the pacing is exceptional. The characters are drawn and expressed super well. I could feel hate, or confusion from certain characters but grew to understand and appreciate their existence.
Each episode barely feels like it's 5 minutes. Even if there are no cliffhangers it leaves you pleasantly ready for the next episode. It really is a 10/10 adaption which I'm not sure if I should give a higher overall score. The production is through the roof with a good mix of comedic frames and also high quality. A lot of my critique revolves around what could be better as a story: i.e. I wish other characters had a more interesting sidestory-- that makes you wish you saw them again soon. I wish that it had another element that could also play along with the art focus (i.e. romance, or maybe a better focus on like what struggles Arte faced minus her career/brief feels, maybe another journey); that said I know this was not the intended genre of the manga hence I can't really critique the anime itself. It really is a good show. Although the plot is pretty subpar, I think that the production makes it worth it. -- You definitely would not think it's a B-grade production. It is however -- a very low priority show unless you have a love for character development or art/animation.
