In the third week of Tom and Jerry, the show continued to be full of laughs. Although Tom and Jerry didn't have any dialogue, the music in each episode was outstanding and perfectly matched the scenes in the animation.
But for Daniel, the most surprising episode so far had to be the 29th episode, "Cat Concerto," which aired this week.
This episode shows Tom wearing a tuxedo as he steps onto the stage and sits down to play Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. During his performance, he accidentally wakes up Jerry, who had been sleeping inside the piano. From then on, Jerry starts causing all kinds of mischief, setting traps on the piano to disrupt Tom's playing. Tom, despite being caught by the traps multiple times, continues his performance.
Like in the previous episodes, there were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, but what truly stood out in this episode was the music.
During the episode, Daniel noticed something extraordinary.
Every note Tom played on the piano matched perfectly with the animated keys, and in most cases, even the pitch aligned!
Throughout the entire chase scene, Tom's performance never faltered. Whether he was using his hands or feet, he hit every single note of Hungarian Rhapsody. Even Jerry's interference and the resulting chaos were perfectly reflected in the music, adding to the humor and excitement.
As a seasoned anime reviewer, Daniel didn't gain his fan base by simply writing dry reviews online. Sometimes, he edited videos to illustrate his points.
As someone familiar with editing software, he understood just how impressive this episode was.
This wasn't a matter of editing tricks. Each sequence flowed seamlessly. If this had been filmed with a camera, the only way to get the piano notes perfectly right would have been to record it live on set.
But Tom and Jerry wasn't a live-action show; it was animation. And not only did the keys match perfectly, but the emotions and intensity of the music synchronized flawlessly with the unfolding drama.
This meant that the entire animation team had to plan out the music from the very beginning, making sure every note matched the visual frame-by-frame!
Essentially, for this short 8-minute episode, the creators had planned everything down to the last detail before even starting production. They had meticulously designed the entire storyline to fit with the music, using every movement and action to express the rhythm and emotion of the piece.
This left Daniel in awe of the Porter.
Based on the information circulating online, Tom and Jerry was one of the few works the Porter had personally supervised from start to finish. Not only had he overseen the production, but he had also created the storylines.
So, the Porter had likely envisioned the music from the very start? After all, these weren't original compositions for the show. They were famous historical pieces, not music created specifically for the plot.
"No doubt about it, the Porter is a genius!" Daniel thought to himself in amazement.
After this week's episodes aired, particularly "Cat Concerto," countless fans discussed the episode online.
"Whoa, episode 29 of Tom and Jerry blew me away! Every other anime looks weak in comparison!"
"I'm a music major, and I've watched episode 29 at least ten times. This is a masterclass in using music as sound effects. Every note matches perfectly with the action on screen!"
"As an animation student, I can only say this is next-level. Tom and Jerry has so many fight and chase scenes, and every frame, every movement, and every expression is so vivid. The background music, sound effects, and especially the coordination with kitchen utensils and dishes, are just flawless."
"I never noticed before, but every time Tom tries to sneak around to cause trouble, the background music mirrors his footsteps, playing a gradually descending scale in sync with each step."
"I think other animation studios should take notes from Picca Comics. Not only is Tom and Jerry incredible, but even the music in shows like Ultraman Tiga is perfectly matched to certain scenes."
"Wow, the Porter's really raising the bar for the whole industry. If studios don't start matching background music properly, the fans are going to riot!"
"Don't even mention it! I'm devastated. My company was planning to create a silent comedy this year, but now that this has happened, the entire project has been sent back for re-evaluation. I'm worried it'll be impossible to make silent comedies anymore…"
"What was the Porter thinking, making an animation of such high quality? What's he trying to prove?"
The internet was flooded with praise for Tom and Jerry.
There was no denying it—the show was a hit.
Especially after so many experts chimed in, it became clear that Picca Comics had created a masterpiece.
No one had ever seen a show where the music and the story blended together so perfectly. After the episode aired, many people revisited some of their favorite old shows, only to realize… the music was terrible in comparison!
Some shows that they had once loved now felt sloppy. The battle scenes, in particular, had music that didn't align with the action at all.
In some cases, the intense music was so overpowering that the dialogue had to be turned down just to hear what was happening.
But after this, many other animation studios realized the potential here.
They saw how the Porter's attention to musical detail had generated a massive buzz. And that buzz meant one thing: revenue.
Sure, the Porter and Picca Comics had already taken the lion's share of the attention, but even getting a piece of that pie could be incredibly profitable.
Before long, one studio decided to produce a slice-of-life anime with carefully planned music.
However, unlike Picca Comics, this studio's process was still somewhat off.
After all, Tom and Jerry was a classic among classics. The musical scores it used were timeless masterpieces.
This studio, by contrast, first created rough drafts of their episodes and then had a band come in to compose music to match the visuals.
Even though they didn't go as far as Tom and Jerry in terms of precision, the show still ended up being considered a "classic" by some fans. It garnered significant attention for the studio, allowing it to bask in the limelight for a while.
But unfortunately, this studio was a newer company, and once it rose to fame, the "Big Five" stepped in, crushed the competition, and promptly acquired it.
At the end of the day, not every company had a genius like the Porter.
The "Big Five" might not be able to touch the Porter, but they could certainly deal with studios that didn't have him.
But that's a story for another time.
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