Idoly Pride

PRIDE. What do you associate with the word "pride"? Every idol would surely want to be able to say with full pride one day: I have fulfilled my dream to become the very best. The idol dream requires a lot of hard work in addition to talent. You always have to train and practice more than the competitors. But if you manage to be at the top, you can be proud of yourself. Imagine you are at the peak of your career, you are only one step away from climbing the top and then the most terrible imaginable thing in life happens: a fatal accident. Mana Nagasewas the pride of "Hoshimi Productions". She is pretty, has a friendly character and was very successful as a solo idol, she was just one little step away from her dream... It was a deep shock for everyone. But a few years later the production decides to make a second attempt in the idol world. At the beginning only with a duo of the girls Sakura and Kotone, it later expanded to two idol groups with 5 members each. Supporting each and with full pride in their hearts, they aim to be the best in the world and fulfill Mana's lifelong dream. Even if Mana is no longer with us, she can be seen in the form of a spirit. However, besides Mei the producer Makino-kun is the only person who can see Mana. After her successful debut, she quickly gained popularity and was also known as the "starry miracle". Mana told Makino-kun that she believes she can reach peace and stop appearing as a ghost once Kotono achieves her dream. Kotono is a member of the idol group "Tsuki no Tempest" (Tempest Moon). Despite her cold look, she is a rookie idol with a secret passion. Mana's death was the hardest for her to swallow and so she became more and more a loner. At first only with the aim of pursuing her older sister's dream, her character develops with the help of her friends. Nagisa is Kotono's best friend. She became an idol to support her. Nagisa embraces everyone around her with a cheerful smile. She has a calm and devoted personality, and she often supports people who are in trouble. The leader of the group "Tempest Moon" is Saki. She is the student council president at school; she wanted to break free of her honor student lifestyle and fulfill her childhood dream which was becoming an idol. She takes care of everyone in “Hoshimi Production” as well and is the leader of their group. Suzu is the fourth girl from the group. She is a confident, clumsy and easily teased young lady. She joined the Hoshimi Production as an escape from her own personal troubles. Suzu is a devotee of Mana, calling her "Mana-sama" and collects her CDs and other goods. The last member of the group is Mei who, as mentioned before, can see Mana too as the skill of seeing ghosts has been passed down in her family. She and Mana became very good friends quickly since with Mei Mana found a girl who she can talk to. The other successful idol group in the production is "Sunny Peace". Compared to the moon they are the light of the sun; the ruler of the day and they shine brightly in any sky. Each of them has their own individuality as well. Sakura was the first girl to join “Hoshimi Productions”. She is also the leader of "Sunny Peace". Sakura is a naive girl who cherishes the ordinary days. She had a difficult past in which her life could only be saved with the help of a heart implant. She has a deep connection to Mana and also had the same singing voice as her before deciding to make people happy with her own voice. Shizuku has always been a very big idol fan. However, due to her lack of physical strength, she wasn't sure whether she would make it. But with the encouragement and support of her friends, she never gave up. Chisa is the younger sister of Saki who is a member in the other group “Tempest Moon”. Chisa is a timid girl who always seems to be hiding behind her sister. Because she was constantly protected by her as a child, she did not have the courage to do things on her own. In order to break out of her shell and overcome her own complex, she knocked on the door of the production office. Rei and Haruko are the remaining two members of the idol group. Rei is very ambitious and has always been an excellent dancer, she didn't like it when the others are not at her level. Initially cold towards the other girls, she changes over time and supports the others. Haruko is the oldest member of the entire production. At first glance, Haruko appears to be a cool beauty, but inside she is a humble late-bloomer idol. She made her solo debut a few years ago, but sadly didn’t become successful as she wished. Haruko thinks she doesn't have any talent as an idol, but she keeps pushing forward towards her dream. The most unique and wonderful point about "Idoly Pride" is that we don’t only get to hear the songs from "Tempest Moon" and "Sunny Peace". With "TRINITYAiLE" and "LizNoir" we experience two more idol groups which fascinate us with their songs and dances. In addition to our ten main characters, we also learn the story and the rivalry of them with Mana. Although they are rivals, they encourage each another. Those two groups are known by the names "TrySail" (e.g. Eromanga-Sensei, High School Fleet) and "Sphere" (e.g. Hanasaku Iroha) in real life as their “Seiyuu-group”. "TrySail" was created as the successors of Sphere. The fantastic songs from these two groups should be known to one or the other. "Tempest Moon" and "Sunny Peace" show with their music that they are on the same level. In addition to the OP "IDOLY PRIDE" and the ED "The Sun, Moon and Stars", sung by the entire "Hoshimi Productions", we can hear many more songs during the anime. Every song is unique and fantastic. The music part is the absolute highlight. Besides singing, dancing is also part of being a successful idol. The choreography has to be beautiful, every step has to be perfect. Making THE animation for this is certainly not easy, but the studio "Lerche" did it in an excellent way. When the girls enter the stage ready to perform, the environment is becoming like a miracle show where all the elements fit together. We viewers experience every little detail, even their sweat and exertion. I would particularly like to emphasize the transition of the dance lesson with "LizNoir" from the third episode. It’s one of the best dance animations ever, it’s something unique that amazes the whole idol world. I have to say that I was a bit skeptical about the story at the beginning. It is very unusual and doesn't fit the idol genre. But after watching all twelve episodes, I have to admit that everything in "Idoly Pride" is unique and stands out, yes even the story. I've already written so much about the characters, but each of our girls has even more to offer. They are all wonderful in their own way but only together they form a complete unit and bring us a wonderful idol story. What particularly fascinated me are the songs without doubt. I love the music from "Sunny Peace". But also, the other groups are excellent and you enjoy listening to their songs. Their singles and albums which are already released have even more to offer! Finally, I really recommend this anime to every idol fan. Don't let the unusual story put you off. Enjoy the animations and the music, feel how the girls train every day to make their dream come true! I wish from the bottom of my heart that we can experience a second season. They will surely fascinate us even more!

While “idol anime” could be considered a genre unto itself, idol shows typically fall into a “slice of life” or “comedy” genre classification. Cue Idoly Pride – which, despite sharing the basic industry setting as many other idol anime – delivers an emotional story of soul-searching and self-discovery, as opposed to episodic bits of comedy or daily life in showbiz. While most of the idols of Hoshimi Production (the main agency in Idoly Pride) get their introduction and basic characterization in the first half of the show, Idoly Pride breaks from the common “girl of the week” format often found in idol shows with largeensemble casts. A heavy undercurrent looms in the background and takes full stage in the latter half, as the story sharpens its focus on the central characters, their relationships with each other, and their rivals. The prototypical idol anime protagonist is a genki girl, someone with a sunny disposition and abundance of energy who never gives up. Examples include Kousaka Honoka and Takami Chika from the Love Live! universe, Amami Haruka and Shimamura Uzuki from the Idolmaster series, and Hoshimiya Ichigo from Aikatsu. Genki girls are well suited as leads for optimistic and frequently humorous stories about the path to stardom in the entertainment world. But Idoly Pride’s protagonist, Nagase Kotono, is no genki girl. Aloof and sullen, she is a lone wolf singularly driven to become an idol after being scarred by a past trauma. Kawasaki Sakura, her foil, is warm and spontaneous, and while being cut from the more typical genki girl cloth, she has a unique history of her own. Evolving circumstances and relationships challenge the two girls, and the people around them, to grow and discover new motivations for living and continuing as idols. In this regard, Idoly Pride bears similarity to dramas like Your Lie in April and Anthem of the Heart, in which soul-searching, redemption, and overcoming grief/trauma are prominent themes. There is also a strong supernatural element, carrying echoes of Angel Beats and AnoHana. All told, Idoly Pride occupies a unique place as one of the few “serious” idol shows, and is a worthy addition to the genre. Despite some predictable plot beats, it succeeds as a story with heart wrenching and sincere moments. On the technical front, Studio Lerche puts forth a solid effort, flexing their muscles for brief, but brilliant flashes of dance sakuga. While 2D animation purists might be disappointed by the show’s use of 3D models in ensemble performances that first look a bit choppy, these scenes have otherwise solid direction, modeling, and choreography. The 3D animation also gets much smoother later – a sign of the teams’ growing familiarity and experience with the medium. As a multimedia project with immense financial backing, Idoly Pride brings aboard well-known composers and performers from the anisong world such as kz-livetune, PA-NON, Sphere, and Trysail. Throughout its run, Idoly Pride features a large catalog of pop music, frequently switching up its ending songs to exhibit music from different idol groups within the show’s universe. Regardless of my fondness for the show, I cannot unconditionally recommend Idoly Pride. Among genre fans, viewers expecting a happy, feel-good experience will find the atmosphere too somber or melodramatic. Interestingly, this gives the show potential crossover appeal for drama fans and others who do not typically watch idol anime, as they may appreciate the more serious, character-driven narrative – especially if they are a fan of tearjerkers. This positions Idoly Pride as a decent entry point for idol anime newcomers – provided they are willing to keep an open mind about a show in an already niche and saturated field.

In a word, disappointing. Idoly Pride had a fantastic opening episode that soon degenerated into a very by-the-numbers, predictable storyline. The principal issue with the show is that the characters are never meaningfully challenged and overcome every test without any difficulty. Our protagonists are going to be up against the biggest veteran idols in the industry? I can't wait to see how they'll work to prepare for this! Oh, they just did more of their usual barely coached training routines and won in their first face-off, okay. There is no reason to be invested in their struggles, because, aside from paying some minor lip serviceto a potential scandal or family conflict, the characters don't seem to have any they aren't able to immediately shrug off. No one has to grow because they're already perfect at what they do. The majority of the cast is also severely underutilized. If you're not the ghost or directly related to the ghost, good luck getting more than a few lines each episode. For purportedly "main" characters, it's next to impossible to remember their names from week to week. The rival groups don't fare much better. They get very little screen time until it's their day to perform, at which point they get five or so minutes of a flashback for the audience to maybe feel sorry for them when they're summarily beaten. But it's okay; somehow, losing still won them the approval of their dad/producer or whatever, so we can count their character arcs as complete and realized. The performances themselves are incredibly bland. The CG animation noticeably stutters when trying to render more than two people at a time on stage, and the 2D animation is few and far between, compensated heavily by stills. Every group that performs does little more than sing and dance, which might be fine for a small-time gig, but the competition at the center of Idoly Pride is advertised in-universe as one of the biggest events of the year. And yet, the performances at the finals are no different from the performances in the early rounds. I realize asking for a few explosions or fancy fireworks might be outside the realm of feasibility for the animation studio, but at least attempt some more inspired lighting effects. Is the audience happy to pay presumably over 10k yen a ticket and travel across the country just to see the occasional little puff of fire at the end of a song? Though Idoly Pride might have enough cute girls to distract the less attentive viewer from its excessively formulaic storytelling, its problems will be readily apparent to anyone who has already seen their fair share of media. If you're interested in this show, by all means start watching it. I still enjoy the first episode as a stand-alone tale of a girl with big dreams that ended up getting cut short. But if you find yourself losing interest afterwards, go ahead and drop it. It won't get better from there.

CUTE ANIME GIRLS SING AND DANCE. If that’s enough for you then this show is 10/10. Anything more and this story falls far short of capturing the magic idols bring to their audience. But let me preface this review with a disclaimer: I’m not into idols. My interest stops at mere curiosity at idol culture. That said, while I’m not an authority on idols, I do know at least the bare minimum to talk stories and anime. So here are my thoughts. For a show about an idol group, its characters have absolutely nothing to endear them to. They also have absolutely no chemistry between them.That’s not a consequence of the group just being formed, it’s because the characters and their dynamics are written so poorly. I’d say the show is more like a fluff piece written by a fan and this is what he THINKS an idol, and becoming an idol, is all about. In fact, rather than being an idol anime, it’s more accurate to look at this as a generic cute-girls-being-friends anime and the idol aspect is just the setting. Hibike! Euphonium was another anime in this genre that I quite enjoyed, except it did its setting justice. The characters are the same-old-same-old you see in every generic anime, so without further ado — Presenting your next top idols: s-s-su-super sh-sh-sh-shy girl, …soft spoken girl, !! HAPPY BUBBLY GIRL NYA !!, Oh Ho Ho, I’m the rich ojou-san girl, oh ho ho, Ara ara senpai girl, Serious girl. <3 <3 <3 I-came-here-because-my-heart-led-me-here girl <3 <3 <3 … there are more but you get the picture. That’s also the only line in their character development for the majority of the show. For a show about idols who, through their performances, are supposed to touch the hearts of others, this anime is stunningly devoid of emotion. The characters are reduced to idol-fetishes — a simp’s wet dream of a lineup of kawaii girls. They constantly throw in cliche lines like “shine brightly” and “followed my heart” and “let’s do our best”. There’s also lots of hands clasped over chests, arms reaching for the stars, eyes closed in prayer, and peppy "Ganbare!" tossed around. Not only have I seen these in hundreds of shows, I lost count of the number of times I saw them in this show alone. There’s nothing to make these characters even human, let alone have them touch another human’s heart. In the entire show, I found only one moment with genuine emotion in the 2nd half, but can’t go into detail because it’ll spoil a major plot point. Even more worrying than the characters however was the song and dance. I thought both were mid at best. More of it might have made this at least enjoyable, but the majority of the show focuses on the one-note characters and their superficial interactions. Worse, the 2nd half dropped the hand-drawn animations for the dance sequences altogether and adopted 3D models instead. The camera had more movement than the characters at times, and I quickly lost my only reason to keep watching the show. The pacing also got so slow that the show was only watchable at 1.5x the speed. I won’t disparage those who did enjoy the show. I’m obviously not the target audience, but I was hoping this could still be an entertaining story and it wasn’t. The idol management side of it also didn’t give any real insight into the industry. Again, it was superficial at best. The best analogy for this anime is if you take a bunch of ready-made, staple ingredients, toss them between two slices of bread, and you call that sandwich cooking. Just a bunch of cliches, stereotypes, fan service, and no flavour. And the end is the most predictable cop-out everyone was expecting (even though it literally has the line, “Nobody was expecting this”). It tries to force-fit the protagonist, who has had next to no contribution to the story so far, for a cheap tug at your heartstrings, and fails. Not an enjoyable watch if you are looking for anything more than a very generic, sugary take on what being an idol is all about.

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