Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence

Marinate1016★ 9

Simply put, Shiroseijyo is a “healing” anime in the truest sense of the word. It is one of the most emotionally soothing anime I’ve seen in a very long time. Utter and complete bliss throughout, and my life will be worse off without it on Wednesdays. There’s several things that really stand out about Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence. For starters, it’s one of the few anime I’ve seen that actually depicts Christianity(not explicitly stated, but clearly is) in a decent light. The role of the saints and pastors is to help townspeople with their spiritual issues and be a general pillar of support for thecommunity. Other than the magical elements of the story, I actually think they nailed what churches meant to small 19th century towns. The other thing that stands out for me is just how warm and fuzzy this show makes you feel. Cecilia and Lawrence’s relationship is so delicate and pure you just can’t help but root for him to stop being an idiot and accept her feelings. But even with him being oblivious, just seeing their daily activities and home life is more than enough. It’s “slice of life” in the truest sense of the word. It really feels like we are just watching two people who’ve suffered loss, find a new family with each other. Simple, seemingly mundane daily tasks like cleaning and cooking feel so nice in this because of the relationship between the two leads. There’s a few side-quest-esque episodes where the cast leave the main town and meet new characters, but for the most part the story is really self contained to the village. Coincidentally, those those few episodes where we did leave the village and learn about how unique Cecilia’s life as a saint was, were really the most emotional. There’s a couple episodes that almost had me in tears. While the cast is small, the two main side characters, Hazelita and Abel were great. They both basically act as stand-ins for the audience who just want to see Cecilia and Lawrence finally end up together. Had so much fun watching Hazelita play matchmaker behind the scenes, and the budding feelings between she and Abel were also great. There’s a really cool dynamic that exists between Hazelita and Cecilia and Abel and Lawrence as well. It’s Doga Kobo so you know the art is top notch. It’s bright, cheerful and has so much positive energy. The seiyuu castings were spot on as well, adding a lot of life to every conversation between the characters. The studio really created a pleasant experience with this one and big emphasis on “experience” I think watching this show is a spiritually healing experience that made my Wednesdays so much better. I’ll miss it. A must watch for any SOL or romance fan. Shiroseijyo gets 9 out of 10

KANLen09★ 7

I know what you're thinking: our Dear Lord Jesus Christ loves all people regardless of sins, so how can Christianity be marketed to one of the least probable countries of the world: the Land of the Rising Sun? Given how much the religion was once persecuted in Japan as one of the most secular nations in the world, then opening up in blazes with the acceptance of other communities and denominations like Catholicism and Protestantism, it's no secret that the Japanese, primarily of either the Shinto or Buddhism faith, are particularly cautious of its approach, even in AniManga where the most prominent relation is mangakaHikaru Nakamura's acclaimed manga of Saint☆Oniisan a.k.a Saint☆Young Men. In this Summer season, there is a new challenger to share the good faith of Christian contemporaries, and that lies with author Hazano Kazutake's Shiro Seijo to Kuro Bokushi a.k.a Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence, of which he/she would go on to be one of the illustrators to the work/source material that is one of this Winter's most notable shows: Otonari no Tenshi-sama a.k.a The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten. And I've gotta say that this show is one pure, decadent Iyashikei a.k.a slow-life, slice-of-life series that is unapologetic to its nature and themes of being akin to watching and listening to Christian sermons, but if conducted in anime form. Don't let the simple nature of this show fool you into thinking that this has nothing to offer other than the simple rom-com aesthetics that's plastered everywhere, thanks to the show's titular yet peculiar MCs: Lady Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence. As expected of being figures in their small town of a close-knit community, both the Lady Saint and Pastor are the centre of attention whenever they are run into on the streets. But as soon as they're back at the church (or its more appropriate form, chapel) and communion rooms, they are not what you expect them to be: Cecilia is the Lady Saint who just wants to laze and daydream, whereas Lawrence is every bit as dense as he comes, for a fact that Cecilia adores and loves him from even close distances, but for the whack that Lawrence doesn't get things like love and romance. Yeah right, talk about keeping up the facade and converting back into their faith whenever people are involved within sight. Of course, that's not to say that both Cecilia and Lawrence have their limelight alone. Meet Lawrence's friend Abel, who's just as much as both a smart aleck and a joker, being in the same profession as fellow pastors dealing with their own issues. As to Abel's issues, he's the one doing the teaching as a home tutor, most particularly to a house of nobles: the Aldridge family with younger sister Hazelita, whose older brother Gieselbert is a rather uncomfortable sis-con obsession of a sibling. That said, Hazelita is another girl worth protecting, as her kind yet unforgiving nature sometimes creates worries for the people around her, though she is always the straight girl who sits in the middle of Cecilia and Lawrence's romantic problems. I really adore Hazelita's character quite a lot. The simple nature of the show also gives rise to one of its appeals: the mystery-fantasy factor. You see, lady saints exist to protect the people, especially those who have been given divine powers, and the people have to do the same and vice versa. But just like the world itself, which doesn't think straight, lady saints can also get persecuted if their roles are wrongly committed, and/or even worse, they can get exploited by the nobles in higher power in regard to their blessings, which is the direct discourse of a lady saint's role. This is the sole reason why Lawrence was raised to this tradition by his late grandfather since he was young, and the way that he treats Cecilia is the same for the most part, while not being completely absent from her growing feelings towards him; she treats him as her saviour for trusting in her intuition. When it comes to adapting 4-koma a.k.a 4-panel manga, Doga Kobo always finds a way to make this one of the studio's core traits, simply because they have been masters at it for years now. Simply put, the anime is pretty, gorgeously beautiful, but I can't help but feel that the art style has looked the same since Winter 2019's Watashi ni Tenshi ga Maiorita! a.k.a WataTen! An Angel Flew Down to Me (that's exclusive to 4-koma adaptations), which while isn't a bad thing to keep improving upon it, it's a formula that I have a hunch that this show will not be the last time that Doga Kobo will re-use WataTen!'s reference designs. On the music front, I've heard better songs from ClariS, not to say that their OP song here is bad. Even sasanomaly's ED song, while exhibiting the soothing Iyashikei feels, it's a simple, mellow song that does its job. Poppy, cheerful music that fans of either music artists will love, but sorry, I'm not one of them. If you hate generic rom-coms, this is definitely a show to keep away from. But above all, a rom-com with Christianity themes on display, it's a unique take on a 4-koma manga that's now 6.5 years old (as of this review). Simple shows like this get their job done right and can be downright enjoyable without any pretences or any kind of overblown drama. Heretics, be gone! Be purified in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Lady Saint; pour blessings onto everyone with this wholesome show.