Some people wonder what it would be like if some of the greatest geniuses in history came back to live in the modern world. This is the case with “ClassicaLoid,” a 2016 music anime focusing on the ClassicaLoids: artificial humans who carry the memories of famous classical music composers. In addition to having new colorful wardrobes, some even being gender-swapped or put into younger bodies, they have a mysterious power called Musik.
The story begins with Kanae Otowa, a high schooler living in the suburbs of Tokyo. After her father, a genius scientist, ran away with the last of his family’s money, Kanae moved to her family’s ancestral mansion. Facing bankruptcy, Kanae has no choice but to give up the Otowa mansion — until two strangers called Beethes and Motes show up at her home, claiming to be acquaintances of her father. After they prevent Kanae from being evicted, Kanae and her friend Sousuke learn about the ClassicaLoids created by her father as more of them begin to show up at her home; after becoming their landlady, Kanae learns that life becomes far from mundane with these geniuses creating chaos and Musik.
Despite its low ratings and reviews, who were disappointed in the portrayal of the composers, “ClassicaLoid” presents famous classical composers and their music in a unique light but also shows its failure to have a compelling storyline.
Compared to most music animes, “ClassicaLoid” focuses on the classical composers themselves rather than classical musicians. Because of this unique focus, it accurately demonstrates its knowledge of the composers’ behavior and history—often to its audiences’ dismay.
Film critic Jordan Woods wrote in ScreenRant in 2023, “fans of classical music will either be excited to see their favorite composer as an over-the-top anime character or disappointed by the characterization that doesn’t quite do them justice, but the show gives plenty of reasons to keep watching regardless.”
It is true that some characterizations do not do the composer justice; one of them is Franz Schubert, a very two-dimensional character who overly praises Beethoven (and calls him senpai) while overly hating Mozart. However, for the most part, the way that these ClassicaLoids are depicted on screen is very true to their historical counterparts.
Beethoven, called Beethes or Beethes-san, is a tall man with angled features and frizzy white hair who is dressed like a rock star, donning his iconic red scarf. He is childish and nonchalant, prone to fits of anger, and passionate about whatever he is obsessed with at the moment, whether it be gyoza or guitars. Additionally, he doesn’t actively pursue music, like many of the ClassicaLoids, and spends most of his time in the series doing ridiculous and idiotic things while never paying his rent to Kanae.
Contrary to what many people think, this is similar to how Beethoven acted. Ludwig van Beethoven was known to be unpleasant and had few close friends. He had many strange habits, such as counting 60 coffee beans for a “perfect” cup of coffee, which is shown in the episode “A Man Who Can Tell the Difference.” This is the same genius who played piano in a private recital for his royal patrons, saw a count talking to a woman and paying no attention to his music, and slammed his keyboard and stormed out not before shouting, “I won’t play for swine!” at the audience.
In addition, Beethes-san’s obsession with fate refers to his famous words, “I will seize fate by the throat; it shall certainly not bend and crush me completely.” “ClassicaLoid” also gives flashbacks about Beethoven overcoming his deafness and contemplating his life as a musician in an emotional episode. This story sheds light on this composer as a human being who struggled yet created some of the most beautiful music in history.
This is the same for Mozart– or Motes-san. In “ClassicaLoid” he wears a pop star-like outfit, contrary to Beethes. He has long, braided pink hair and a mostly pink outfit and wears a strange hat that resembles a beanbag pillow. Like Beethes-san, Motes is very childish, but in a different way. He whines, plays pranks, and rides on roller skates inside the mansion. He appears to disregard others’ feelings and creates very perverted jokes. On the other hand, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his family were known for scatological humor in their letters and music. Mozart even composed a canon called “Leck mich im Arsch” (which means “lick my arse”). Although ClassicaLoid portrays Motes as immature and selfish, it does not hesitate to show his struggles through flashbacks of his past self being criticized and looked down on by his patrons.
Throughout the anime, references to other composers’ past are mentioned in hilarious ways. When the ClassicaLoids play a board game about their love lives, Chopin (dubbed Cho-chan) lands on the “massive heartbreak — return to the beginning” square. This refers to Frederic Chopin’s long love affair and heartbreak with his only love, Georges Sand, also mentioned in the episode “Jolly Love.” Additionally, Tekla Bądarzewska-Baranowska’s ClassicaLoid, or Bada-kun, is a young idol singer along with Peter Tchaikovsky, a teenage girl called Tchaiko-chan. Bada-kun’s anger towards being called a “one-hit wonder” is the source of many heated arguments between her and Tchaiko-chan, a reference to how she became famous for her song “The Maiden’s Prayer,” while most of the other songs she composed are in obscurity.
Although “ClassicaLoid” portrays the composers in a new and amusing manner, it does not account for their shortcomings.
In line with Woods’ review, the ClassicaLoids are indeed “over-the-top anime characters,” as some of their behavior is undoubtedly exaggerated. For example, Cho-chan is extremely introverted and would rather connect with others online and play games. When forced to go outside, he wears a box on his head, and he is afraid of strangers. On the other hand, Chopin was known to be shy and rarely played in public. Franz Liszt, now a woman called Li-chan, has an obsession with love because of her well-known song, “Liebestraum,” or “Dreams of Love.” In addition, Liszt’s character lacks depth and only has one defining trait, along with most of the ClassicaLoids and side characters like Sousuke.
In addition to the protagonists having little depth, the main antagonist, Johann Sebastian Bach, lacks a strong motive and poses no threat to the protagonists. His plans to make music as widely available in the world to the point that people would converse with it is not revealed until the last three episodes of the show. This late timing and the anime’s failure to treat him seriously as a villain makes it difficult to invest in the storyline.
While Musik is one of the best parts of this show, it is also one of its shortcomings. Musik is the ClassicaLoids’ ability to magically transform into their orchestra conductor outfits and conduct popular music remakes of their most well-known songs. Their Musik can cause supernatural phenomena around them, such as changing the scenery or creating large robots. With a loud cry of “Das Ende,” everything is reverted to normal. Experiencing Musik on-screen is, for the most part, entertaining and hilarious—such as when Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto summons literal emperor penguins— but it does not compensate for the series’ lack of storytelling. The series often makes the Musik the central focus of the story rather than using it to show the timelessness and genius of the composers in the context of the episode.
However, despite the anime’s overreliance on Musik, “ClassicaLoid” is respectful to original songs while giving them a new feel. The soundtrack of this anime contains the composers’ Musik: Beethoven’s Musik is largely in a rock-and-roll style, Mozart has an energetic pop music style, and Chopin has a pensive techno style. Classical music such as Beethoven’s “Kreutzer Sonata,” Mozart’s “Eine Kliene Nachtmusik,” and Chopin’s “Fantasy Impromptu” was remade in their respective genres.
The reason for the soundtrack’s charm is that it remakes the entire classical piece into a new song; as a result, this anime pays tribute to the composers by using all their pieces’ themes while having a strong identity of their own. Compared to Blackpink’s “Shut Down,” which only repeats the first few bars of Liszt’s “La Campanella” in the background, “ClassicaLoid” takes an iconic piece, transfers it into another genre, and adds lyrics that have a melody of their own while maintaining the original piece’s integrity. The vocals in Liszt’s Musik of “La Campanella” (from the second season of “ClassicaLoid”) consistently resemble the main theme but overall follow the entire song while taking a spin of its own. Although its sound quality is unpleasant and is oversaturated with electronic sounds, “ClassicaLoid’s” “Ai no Kane” does a better job of keeping the integrity of Liszt’s most famous work rather than Blackpink’s sampling.
In all, “ClassicaLoid” is a historically accurate yet entertaining comedy about classical composers returning to the modern world. Although it lacks a coherent plot and has shallow characters, the composers and their music are portrayed positively and consistently with their historical counterparts. “ClassicaLoid” pays respect to the wildness and hardships of each composer and proves that, in the end, geniuses were people too.
