Mashiro-iro Symphony: The Color of Lovers

When boys suddenly get into places where they've never been allowed before, some girls tend to get upset. So when the decision is made to merge the elite Yuihime Girls' Private Academy and the coeducational Kagamidai Private Academy, everyone wants to take extra care in avoiding trouble while bringing the two Privates together. Therefore, rather than just bringing the Kagamidai boys into the Yuihime girls' school all at once, a plan is concocted in which a group of test males will be inserted into the Girls' Private Academy first.

Thus, poor young Shingo finds himself being thrown as a sacrificial lamb to the lionesses of Yuihime, who aren't exactly waiting for him with open arms. Will Shingo manage to survive the estrogen soaked death pit that is Yuihime? Can the girls learn to be more receptive to the boys? And just how long until something involving panties will cause emotions to flare, sparks to fly and the battle of the sexes to explode?

(Source: Sentai Filmworks, edited)

Amaha, Miu Main

Rikimaru, Noriko Japanese

Sena, Airi Main

Ono, Ryouko Japanese

Inui, Sana Main

Yoshida, Mayumi Japanese

Uryuu, Sakuno Main

Gotou, Mai Japanese

Sewell, Angelina Nanatsu Main

Ichimura, Oma Japanese

Uryuu, Shingo Main

Mizushima, Daichuu Japanese

Pannya Supporting

Sakurai, Harumi Japanese

Amaha, Yuiko Supporting

Yuimoto, Michiru Japanese

Sena, Ranka Supporting

Sakurai, Harumi Japanese

Asakura, Itsuki Supporting

Akasaki, Chinatsu Japanese

Kouchiyama, Takashi Producer

Tanaka, Shinsaku Producer

Fukao, Satoshi Producer

Sakurai, Yuuka Producer

Reviews

Jan 23, 2025

AnimeExplorer21

Recommended

Sometimes, romance anime feels too far-fetched, like it’s tailored for drama rather than real emotions. But then you come across a gem like Mashiro-iro Symphony, which takes a simple premise and delivers a heartfelt, down-to-earth love story that feels so relatable. I can’t believe this masterpiece is from 2011 because it feels timeless in how beautifully it portrays relationships, friendships, and even personal growth.

Let’s talk about the visuals first—wow. The animation, especially the cherry blossoms and serene atmosphere, instantly draws you in. It’s calming and almost magical. I could feel the gentle breeze, the warmth of the sunlight—it’s like the setting was alive and perfectly ... complementing the story. And don’t even get me started on the music! The background score and voice acting are on point, amplifying the emotions in every scene.

Now, coming to the characters: Shingo is the kind of protagonist you rarely see. He’s kind, empathetic, and has this genuine warmth that makes everyone around him feel better. He’s not over-the-top heroic or awkwardly dense; he’s just real. Then we have the three main girls: Miu, Airi, and Sana. Each of them is well-written and brings something unique to the story.

From the start, it was clear to me that Miu was “the one” for Shingo. They just clicked. Their shared love for animals, their similar cheerful personalities, and the way they both prioritized others’ feelings over their own—it was like watching two puzzle pieces fall perfectly into place. Those small, sweet moments between them (seriously, diabetes-inducing levels of cute) made my heart melt. When Shingo confessed his feelings to Miu and she accepted, it felt so genuine and satisfying. It was the kind of romance that makes you believe in love.

That said, I understand why some people feel Airi should’ve won. Airi’s tsundere behavior made her fun to watch, and you could tell she was struggling with her feelings for Shingo. But here’s the thing: a tsundere personality isn’t enough to sustain a meaningful relationship. You need connection, shared values, and emotional understanding, which Miu and Shingo had in spades.

Sana was in a similar boat—she had feelings for Shingo but kept hiding behind her tsundere walls. I loved how the anime didn’t villainize her or Airi, though. It portrayed their struggles with first love in a realistic way, showing how hard it can be to express your feelings. We’ve all been there—too scared to say something, and then regretting it when the moment passes.

One subplot I found especially touching was the focus on animals, particularly Pannya, the adorable little furball. Miu’s love for animals and her philosophy about cherishing the memories they bring really hit me. It reminded me of when my childhood pet passed away—I was heartbroken, but the happy memories eventually outweighed the sadness. That little theme of cherishing the good times and saying goodbye gracefully added so much depth to the story.

If I have one small gripe, it’s that I wish we got more closure for the other characters. What happens with Airi, Sana, or even Shingo’s sister? There’s so much potential for a movie or OVA that explores their university days, Miu and Shingo’s future, or even their wedding (please, someone make this happen!).

All in all, Mashiro-iro Symphony isn’t just another romance anime. It’s a beautifully crafted story about love, friendship, and finding happiness in the little things. If you’re looking for something heartwarming and genuine, don’t miss this one. It’s a true hidden gem.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Feb 10, 2025

AngeVNs

Mixed Feelings

In the visual novel scene, one of the more hyped-up moege (or slice-of-life heavy romance visual novels) to get a translation was Mashiroiro Symphony. It was once considered a classic, even getting a visual novel remaster a decade later with HD resolution and updates to its most popular heroine, Sana.

If you're too scared to try out a dating sim or a heavy romance visual novel that takes at least 20 to 30 hours to read in full, I think this anime adaptation is a decent way to check if the setting, story, and characters fit your tastes.

While not the most common setting, the premise of ... a male protagonist suddenly having to interact with heroines from a previously all-girls school is sort of a recurring trope. The first half of the series actually does a relatively realistic job of portraying how two schools—one co-ed and one previously an all-girls school filled with rich students—would handle merging. Many girls, used to their isolated life, might be scared of guys or resistant to change. This sets up the initial conflict with Airi Sena, the daughter of the principal of the former all-girls school.

Watching Airi slowly warm up to the main cast—especially those from the co-ed school—was a nice development. She also had some solid character growth in her interactions with Shingo, the protagonist, who is easily one of the most saintly, nice guys I've seen in a harem series.

Now, based on the first half of the anime, you’d think Airi would eventually be the main romance target. But… since this is a visual novel adaptation, things take a turn. Instead, Shingo ends up romantically involved with the mature upperclassman Miu.

In the original visual novel, there are four romance routes, meaning you can choose who to pursue (which is why I generally think visual novels are better than anime if you care about “best girls”). However, there’s a catch: Sana, a character closely associated with Miu, ended up being the most popular heroine. I’m guessing that’s why the anime adapted Miu’s route instead of Airi’s—popularity power. While Miu was decently popular, Sana blew up in popularity because of her character arc within Miu’s route.

I’ll try my hardest not to spoil too much, but let’s just say Sana’s arc ends up very similar to Airi’s in the first half. It’s kind of funny how Mashiroiro Symphony always has to have a tsundere in conflict with guys merging into an all-girls school. Once Airi finally warms up, boom, now Sana has to shift from being a seemingly chill girl to showing her true colors—being distrustful of guys and, more specifically, simping hard for her best friend, Miu.

Sadly, this twist really brought down the anime for me. I was perfectly fine with Miu being the romance pick since she’s likable, but the story ended up focusing way more on developing Sana’s tsundere arc—almost like it was trying to overshadow Miu’s much more interesting conflict with her pet, Pannyan.

Once Sana’s true personality is revealed, I found her way more unlikable than Airi ever was. Her “I hate guys” jokes got old fast, and honestly, it wasn’t worth sitting through her incredibly annoying, man-hating tantrums. Like I said earlier, Shingo is basically a saint for dealing with all this when he’s already been super helpful to all the girls and the school merger.

If the anime was going to let Sana take over so much, they should have just adapted Airi’s route instead. Shingo had the best chemistry and development with Airi, especially since the first half was all about her natural character growth. Instead, they went with Miu’s route just to appeal to a fanbase that loves tsunderes who call guys “scum” before having a change of heart.

It’s a shame I couldn’t even talk much about the quirky side heroines, Ange the maid and Sakuno, who I really liked—especially Ange, who was by far the funniest and weirdest girl in the cast. But unfortunately, the anime barely gave them anything to do, awkwardly shoving in like 5–10% of their romance plots just for fanservice while mostly focusing on Airi, Miu, and Sana.

That said, when Sana isn’t ruining the mood, Mashiroiro Symphony does have a nice, wholesome (if slow-paced) vibe. It’s just a shame the anime is so inconsistent in quality and that they adapted the romance route with by far the most annoying character as a major focus.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jan 2, 2019

Dr_Roo

Not Recommended

I truly never take the time to write a review, but this time I felt it was necessary. This anime had great potential but ended being a painful experience.

The anime starts with decent quality, MC is a typical harem guy who can't do anything but smile and be nice. That's the MC from the start to the end, with no flaws and no development to be done through the story.

All the girls start the same, being archetypes of a harem anime too, but at least they all end having some kind of development, specially two of them, only one girl remained being a common shy ... anime doll until the last episode.

And I said watching this becomes a painful experience because the anime builds up the story for the other girls, trying to make you feel something for them, and when you finally start caring, the show makes an anti-climatic pairing of the MC with the only girl with no backstory, and if that wasn't enough they show us with great detail the suffering of the other girls.

Truly this is not the worst anime that I have ever seen, but I rate this so low because of the annoyance it made me feel, a similar thing that happened with baka to test ending.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	The VN is now available in English! Razernation - May 6, 2024	4 replies	by CrazyButNot4U »» May 20, 2024 12:23 AM
	Poll: Mashiroiro Symphony: The Color of Lovers Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) game8910 - Dec 13, 2011	196 replies	by RioAl »» May 3, 2023 5:49 AM
	Poll: Mashiroiro Symphony: The Color of Lovers Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) game8910 - Dec 6, 2011	267 replies	by RioAl »» May 3, 2023 5:28 AM
	Poor Airi shuvrokun - Mar 19, 2023	3 replies	by shuvrokun »» Mar 20, 2023 8:37 AM
	Shingo's and Airi's name Rad_Scientist - Jan 25, 2023	4 replies	by Rad_Scientist »» Jan 25, 2023 10:33 AM

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