IDOLiSH7 Second Beat!

SPOILER FREE REVIEW (i have not played the game) I am not joking when I say this is one of the best, if not, THE BEST idol anime I have ever watched (specifically male idol anime). I am so confused as to why not a lot of people are watching this. Is it because it's a male idol anime and most of the characters are boys? Is it because it's from a game? Is it because it looks like fujobait? Is it because it's probably a boring reverse harem with a boring MC? (it's not). People are sleeping VERY hard on this show. Story: Okay, to be honest, thestory isn't too amazing but it's better than most idol anime out there. It sometimes gets a bit too cliche at times but if you can turn a blind eye to that, it's a pretty solid show. Each character gets their own arc (a lot of them are pretty damn deep) and I like that a lot. Art: Art is very cute, all the characters are drawn very well and the animation is pretty solid. I personally still can't bare the 3DCG during the performances because it always looks so stiff and out of place, but it's only during most of the performances so it's fine really. Sound: Honestly... it's just generic idol music. There really isn't that much of a difference from other idol anime... a lot of the songs are quite catchy (Natsu Shiyouze is stuck in my head), but the more you listen to it the more you realize it's just... well... idol music. I like them because I'm a huge seiyuu-ota and I love my seiyuus. Character: In my honest, true to god opinion, this is the best part of the show. All the characters are well written, they all have a valid reason as to why they want to become an idol. It's not your typical "it's always been my dream to be an idol" or "i want to be like this person i admire/idolize" kind of reason. They all have actually interesting reasons why. The characters aren't perfect ikemen/bishounen pretty boys either, they all each have their individual flaws, and the problems they deal with actually make a ton of sense and are all very interesting. Their manager, isn't a generic whiny girl either. She actually wants the best for the boys and is always trying her best. I really like the fact that she treats the boys as if they're her children and I like that she has no romantic feelings towards anyone at all and knows her role as a manager. Enjoyment: I enjoyed this show a lot. It made me cry, made me wheeze of laughter and it sometimes made me cringe too. I looked forward to every episode, every week and I never get tired of it no matter how many times I watch it. It's super fun and entertaining and the chemistry between all the characters is very fun to watch. Overall: I gave this show a 10/10, because in general, I like to watch a lot of male idol anime, and a lot of them are guilty pleasures to me because I'm aware most of them aren't even good. So when I found an actually good male idol anime, I was amazed. I fell in love. When getting into IDOLiSH7, I wasn't expecting to find a gem at all, but I did. It's one of the few idol anime that is actually good and has a decent story with good and non-generic characters. I liked Second Beat! a tad bit more than the first season, because we got to see the darker side of things and we got more information on the antagonist(?) of the story (not really sure if he's considered as an antagonist, but he currently seems like he is), and also I got to see something about my favorite character (which is Tamaki), I won't say any more info on that because it's spoilers. We also got to see more on another idol unit, RE:VALE, and the problems they're dealing with too. I look forward to the 3rd Season a lot, I have high expectations and I hope it stays as a good gem. I want more people to watch this too because I personally think this brilliant show needs all the attention and notoriety it can get.

Okay, this season was SO worth the watch. I was hooked almost all the time. While practically almost everything was great, what I loved most about this season was pretty much about the characters: the valuable characterizations, relatively even attention onto characters, also good attention onto characters that we didn't get to see much of in the first season, the way Re:vale was introduced and included a sufficient amount of times, just- yes. It did feel a bit too wild with the cliche everything's-somehow-connected/it's-a-small-world kind of trope, but nevertheless, almost every single bit made sense. Even though the first season already made the characters feellike real humans with feelings and struggles, the season season really made it feel like that all the more. It was truly a valuable, emotional ride. The voice-acting was extra good, too! Especially during the heart-breaking parts. Sometimes I'd even only get really emotional and start crying because of how i can sense how strongly the characters feel by their voices alone. The actors really did an exceptional job with such moments. Riku and Tamaki's voice actors are honorable mentions (though all of them did very well). The way songs were embroidered into the anime felt even better, too! Not too little, but also logically and flowing well. Not to mention, I like the songs in this season quite more than I do in the previous season. They're more enjoyable to listen according to my tastes, and they have lovely lyrics that feel like they match with their respective stories all the more. Especially the general ending itself, like damn, I'm really in love with it and its pv. I'm going to miss seeing it at the end of each episode. I definitely would recommend this season to anyone. Again, it was really worth the watch, so I can't help but do hope more people get to watch this!

A True Masterpiece, I don't like idol animes in general but Idolish7 is an exception. I watched a Mv on YouTube, I liked it and I know it has anime too, I am not a fan of idol Animes, but I was bored so I decided let's give it a try, At first I thought it must be a reverse harem or your regular idol anime, I watched first two episodes and it I liked it so I watched more and more episodes, with each episode I loved this anime, It was not a reverse harem and it was also not like other idol Animes, IdolAnimes are boring but this anime is not like that, it is the Best idol anime Ever. Now whenever we talk about idol anime we will think of rainbow, sunshine, guys/girls singing and having fun. It is that to a certain point in Idolish7 but it's lot more than that, It focuses lot on behind the scenes, The Dark side of entertainment industry and it's not only sunshine and rainbow, As you go further into the story, they will show you more and more, How they use and make people? How so many people use underhand tactics to totally remove another person out of the industry, How they struggle to survive in the industry? They also shows fans a lot in the game, shows their reactions, passion and just them being there for the idols and it's a nice touch. One of the biggest and most important of these things is how the narrative chooses to present the fans. Rather than limiting fan appearance to just crowd scenes at concerts, i7 takes its time to show us fans on an individual level as we watch how the Ordinary Joes of the i7 universe take in the idols. We, as players and viewers, are privileged to know what goes on behind the scenes; we know how much they’ve struggled, what kind of bullshit has been thrown their way, and why they had to make the hard decisions they sometimes have to make, But regular fans know none of this, and it can be personally sobering to watch how fans react, because sometimes? You’ve been that fan. Maybe you’ve been the fan that’s disappointed when your fave makes a mistake. In terms of Narrative structure, One of the most compelling things about Idolish7 Narrative is that the stakes and situations increase in scale along with the main character's fame and it comes from multiple sources, it's much more than just stronger rivals. The Characters, all of the characters are So relatable, they are unique, each one of them as their own strength and weaknesses, and all of them are so likeable, Characters relationships also very realistic, how they interact, act, their relationship with other people and they not only have individual development but also them as a group too. There is lot of foreshadowing too in this anime so it's not like things are happening out of nowhere, there is lot of bulid up before that. The Songs, they are really good too, I love all the songs, Idol Animes have pretty average songs but Idolish7 has pretty good music. I watched many Animes but never loved and enjoyed any anime as much as this one. It's now my No. 1 favorite anime, I absolutely love and adore all of the characters, So this anime is special and very close to my heart. Story - 10/10 Characters - 10/10 Art - 9/10 Animation - 8/10 Sound/Music - 10/10 Voice acting - 10/10 Overall rating - 10/10

Second Beat is a fun addition to Idolish7! The plot twists and drama are engaging, and the characters are very likeable. It's creative liberties towards how they portray the entertainment industry also feels believable. That being said, one of the few drawbacks I have with this season is that it felt a little rushed. Certain problems and plot twists are handled in a way that makes me feel like I missed something. The final episode is fine, but I wished that they extended the runtime of that episode a bit so that they can showcase the performances the characters worked so hard to perfect throughout theseries. Overall, Second Beat is a great watch and I can't wait for the Third Beat!

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