Kageki Shoujo!!

Kageki Shoujo was such an incredible depiction of the acting world and really gave me a lot to think about regarding it, I can safely say it had some of the most realistic and modern drama I've ever seen in an animated show all based within a great setting with some fantastic characters to embody it. I really don't have any issues with this show, it did everything I wanted and was so captivating in doing it. The story focuses on this prestigious drama school and our main cast who are admitted to it. From the opening episode the viewer is shown how elite Kouka academyis and you really believe this the whole way through. I cannot stress enough how much this show made me really think about the drama and issues it brought up, pretty much every episode introduces an issue or thinking point about the prestigious world these girls live in and it's handled in such a scarily realistic way consistently. The characters are portrayed so well in these situations and it's all so believable that I was just genuinely impressed throughout. Speaking more about the characters, most of our main cast have a pretty expansive backstory that is explored throughout the episodes, and they all have their fair share of issues that so many young girls in similar situations in the real world absolutely experience - but it never feels like a trope. They are absolutely written in a way that makes it all seem grounded and you can tell how much they are affected - this isn't limited to just them either, things the other girls do reflect so much on the others and there is a lot of growth because of this. I absolutely love our main two characters Ai and Sarasa - the development between them from start to finish is so heart-warming and is handled so well, especially Ai. Her character is so damn well written, at the start she is struggling with so much and internalises all of it, but she slowly opens up and Sarasa is absolutely the catalyst - without going into spoilers Ai's backstory is so horrid and unfortunate, but you see how much she grows from it by the end and it's just so great. The art and animation definitely aren't anything too special but are still really good, everything is very soft and colourful which really sells the idea of Kouka being very pristine and perfect. The soundtrack as well is great throughout, I really love the ED. Overall this is an absolute must-watch show, it might not sound interesting from the premise alone but I hope this review was able to hook people into checking it out because you will absolutely not regret it!

It’s rare to see an anime that handles its themes as tactfully and down-to-earth as Kageki Shoujo does. I’ll be honest, going into this anime I had originally dismissed it as another shoujo that was targeted towards a different audience to me. The tall, energetic girl and the short, reserved girl contrast never stood out to me early on, and the setting of a prestigious theatrical school never grabbed my attention either. But then each episode would tackle some new theme or explore some new character, and before I knew it I was drawn in by everything this anime had to offer. While the anime doestackle themes such as trauma, stalking, and eating disorders its important to note that this isn’t the sole purpose of the series. It explores the theatrical industry as a whole, and these are only one portion of it. That said, when it does delve into these darker themes it does an incredibly good job at it. Each character was properly explored and easy to understand, providing great insight into some of the thoughts and mentalities of people affected by these issues. When stalking is brought up it is able to give reasons for the stalker’s actions without ever justifying the act of stalking itself. The anime never gives off the impression of being dark for the sake of holding the viewer’s attention, rather it just simply addresses problems that you can find in the real world. You can almost feel the severity and impact of these through the screen, with some characters feeling all too real at times. At first the characters might not seem all that complex, but this changes with each passing episode. Numerous well-paced backstories are placed to help better understand the characters, and by the end it really feels like everyone in the show serves a purpose rather than just existing for the sake of it. Character development is great, and a lot of it is shown through acting and performances which was really impressive. Every character has their own goal with their own reasons for seeking it, and you can see them strive for it through their actions. Characteristics of each girl are also reflected in their performances, and emotional moments are blended in with this brilliantly. Breakthroughs in characters become so much more meaningful when there are passionate voice lines during a play going along with it. Rather than having the theatre school as nothing more than a simple setting it becomes a part of the characters’ growth, adding depth and symbolism to the overall story. Visuals remained solid throughout the anime, and multiple directing techniques were used to enhance certain scenes. Good camera shots made scenes easy to follow and flow well, and there were some neat uses of subtle lighting at various points, particularly whenever something would take place on stage. Of course, the visuals aren’t breathtaking, but good directing and scene composition makes them stand out despite this. A good soundtrack is used well when it needs to be, and when paired with strong voice acting the entire anime suddenly becomes more impactful. The opening and ending are both great and have managed to stick with me after finishing each episode. Never before have I been so interested in watching a play about Romeo and Juliet. I found myself wanting to see more of each character perform, and the anime really delivers on this in the last few episodes. There is visible development with each passing episode and it’s an absolute joy to watch. Solid 9/10, time to go watch the Rose of Versailles

Kageki Shoujo is one of those dramas that attacks directly to your heart through a beautiful sequence of impactful memories and a deep love towards its setting and motive. Through a ride into the backgrounds of accomplished characters there is a consequential presentation of all the struggles that are involved in the pressure of performing, a conscious and meaningful intent to develop a critique to the toxicity presented in the current era and a vivid intention to develop the concept of developing a sense of who we are in order to create something unique and beautiful. The set of characters are in a perfect symbiosis, almostmathematically designed to create gorgeous juxtapositions over their emotions and reflection. From the trauma of being ignored by your family while being superficially accepted from society to the trauma of being denied by your superficial characteristics but being in a warm family circle. From the struggle of being the first and not knowing the light after the tunnel to the struggle of being the natural progression of your family circle and not living up to your own goals. From the struggle of being selfless to the struggle of the unawareness. There is a guarantee that the exploration gets us to those feelings that we can all sort of relate, and that creates perfectly synced relationships in the difference. And to explore what do we love, what do we care about. The anime takes no doubts to presents itself in a honest manner, through leaving leaves of mystery and aura of humanity during its runtime, the whole concept goes around understanding the characters and their conflicts, their behavior, by knowing their struggles but to also think about how we would act if we knew them. The mystery of humanity and the dark of how each other are is nothing but perfectly presented here, and it leaves a good message, a beautiful message of understanding. If we are to judge them, we would nothing but be subject to our ignorance, and that is how the real world operates, human. The deep affection to the theatrical arts is presented through a respect to the craft. The coherency between the discourse of each character and their way to express themselves leaves us with a gorgeous intent to reflect what goes through the process of doing something unique, something human. To repulse the repetition and to elevate being yourself. While straightforward, the message is nothing but wonderful in terms of practicality and relevant towards how the characters were designed. There is nothing as not being yourself unless you want to be someone else. The struggle of succeeding in such arts and whatever craft is also present in a lovely envelope, the pressure from all the potential directions is always shown with delicacy. From not being up to the performance that you should, to never being able to replicate what others do even with your hardest intent, the extremely human expression of what it feels to be the best is there to elevating ourselves to a concept, not everyone can be the star. World is dynamic, a place where everyone is welcomed, and since that is world, the theatrical arts are nothing but a representation of diversity. Through all those factors presented each of the developments of the characters creates deeply impactful and dynamic moments. We go from tears to happiness, from laughter to deep sensation of despair in matters of minutes, the events have a magical atmosphere that comes from the fact that they were all nothing but human, honest, authentic, and from love. There is no apparent distortion that produces the everlasting plasticity of fakeness. While the art and the animation are nothing spectacular, the delicacy of the motion of the characters is wonderful to see and it does its job right. The dances, the impactful moments, and those moments where the characters must express themselves are done with care, which doubled down with the musical aspect leaves us with a fitting atmosphere to where the characters can truly flourish. Sadly, Kageki Shoujo is not a perfect anime, the story gets a little too convoluted and directionless in some sense after the end of the first conflict resolution, and it lacks a bit of elegancy in terms of giving us a concrete reason to explore the backgrounds in some occasions, which doesn’t degrade completely the whole experience anyways. Also, the time structure feels fuzzy, with no clear distinction of how the time passes in many points of the story, which is also an aspect that could have been treated better. In conclusion, the anime is a correctly done emotional ride with respect to its topics and the sense of humanity, a well-developed drama about human behavior which will leave you with a sense of interest or curiosity about it, since it presents itself as an entire universe of thought complexity, absorbing characters involved in an artistically pleasing setting

Summer 2021 Tall Girl Supremacy. I try to be as non-bias as possible when I write a review, but Kageki Shoujo/Opera Girl is factually top tier, is one of the best shows of the summer season and has definitely cracked the top 10 anime of 2021 list for right now, so you're just going to have to forgive me whilst I indulge myself this one time. The story follows Sarasa Watanabe a tall, happy go lucky cinnamon roll and Ai Narata an emotionless, cold, former J-pop idol as they enter into an all female opera school producing some of the finest Musical and Theatrical Artists Japanhas to offer with the goal of becoming the main stars of a famous all female Musical Theatre Troupe. To get there they'll have to learn to overcome their sort comings whilst learning with and competing against a cast of success hungry classmates and bitchy sempai's in a brutally competitive environment which expects nothing but perfection from them. This is not an idol anime. Kageki Shoujo is a school/performing arts anime on the surface, but it's cast of very complex characters and it's commentary on the extreme and sometimes cruel teaching methods utilised by the performing arts institution (especially towards women) is the real hook of this show. Episode 1 and 2 might give you a soft opening to get you settled in, but episode 3 and beyond presents realist depictions of child grooming, sexual assault, eating disorders, sacrifice and questions of self worth. Seriously Ai's back story in particular is very hard to sit through and the rest of the show doesn't hold back on these difficult yet excellently written subjects either. On the flip side, the show is REALLY funny. Once Ai starts to open up she has some of the best gags in the entire show which are helped with certain moments animated with sakuga. Ai's monotone yet shy personality bounces off Sarasa's ganki-ness well and they have fantastic scene chemistry. They have both very quickly become two of my favourite characters. These moments of humour really help with the shows excellent pacing without undermining the heavier moments of the story. The animation is solid overall. The sports festival episode was the only time I felt the animation suffered a bit, but honestly it really doesn't matter too much in a show like this. The colour pallet is bright and crisp, excellent camera shots make the characters pop off the screen and scenes flow smoothly. Amongst all the shit I've watched this season this show feels like finding a diamond in the rough. I understand that not everyone will agree with my rating or enjoy it as much as I did, but I really hope it gets a second season because it's certainly the most deserving. 10/10 Practically Perfect

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