Kageki Shoujo!!

[neflight86]

1911

* Based on a drama shoujo manga by Saiki Kumiko.

Like the Takarazuka Revue, the young women who go to the arts academy Kouka Kageki High School play all the parts of musical theater, be they female or male. Narata Ai is a jaded former idol performing female roles—her roommate, playing male roles, is bright-eyed country girl Watanabe Sarasa. From the school to the stage to the rest of their lives, there is no challenge these young women can't face with their passion for performance.

Source: Seven Seas

Genre(s): Shoujo, Arts

________________________

What makes this interesting is that, two episodes in, I still don't know what it is supposed to be about, but I'm not bored. Let me step back, this is obviously going to be about the two main lead's journey to becoming top stars at this traditional(?) performance arts school, but the route there is completely obfuscated, and that leaves the focus to the other characters, who have been very fun to watch so far. There are a wide range of personalities, from the thorny rose to a gentile lilac, this flower garden's metaphor of mine is barely forced.

Something about the production and the way characters carry themselves give a life and energy that I can subsist on. Give it a try.

[Ryllharu]

This one is one of my favorites this season.

It's pretty openly based on the Takarazuka Grand Theater (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takarazuka_Grand_Theater), Takarazuka Revue, and it's corresponding Takarazuka Music School, but renamed and located in a different city for literary (or legal) reasons. There's even the jutting arc of stage out front mentioned in episode 2.

I really like the main duo and the supporting cast so far. On the surface you have ambitious genki girl and her quiet and sarcastic cold counterpart. But peel back a layer and you have something different! You have genki girl who has been told once before that her dreams won't be fulfilled, and a girl who was working in the entertainment industry and grew to hate it. Step back to the other character's viewpoints, and you have a dumb genki girl who has big starry eyes for the stage and is too tall, too awkward, and too disrespectful of tradition to make it to the top, and a cold, ungrateful princess who is throwing away the kind of fame the others crave, and is using her influence and connections to easily step into what they've worked very hard and waited years for the opportunity to be a part of.

Then! You step back to the main duo and what you actually have is a genki girl who trained extensively in kabuki theater where women are banned, and is striving to go to all-women musical theater and finally be a "top star," and a girl who probably loves performing, but came from a competitive idol group obviously based on AKB48, got scared away from it due to some really shitty behavior from a stalker fan (who is still stalking her), and that drove her to hate men entirely and applied to the school solely to get away from any and all men, aside from her relatives and teachers...who she still doesn't like touching her due to the trauma.

That's a whole lot of character development fodder, and that's only the first two episodes and the main duo!

You also have the twins that waited a year to attend together, the superfan turned aspiring star, the quiet one, the legacy student, the scheming upperclassman witch, and a stern but equally kind senpai who did her due diligence to be accepted.

[Ryllharu]

Episode 3


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It's actually refreshing to see a character with androphobia (or gynophobia for that matter) have a developed reason for it, nor it used as a joke. Even when shoujo series do it, it's usually some one-off event. Like how we're sort of lead to believe that her creepy fan when she was in an idol group was the reason for it. Instead, it was something far, far worse.

They've also gone from a series that at first seemed like it was a idolization of the Takarazuka system, and then the dance teacher takes the full turn on that presumption as well.

For the three-episode test range, this series is really underrated.

[neflight86]

That was a rather sad backstory. From the surface looks of it, the Otaku fan only wanted 'closure' with her anyway, though she is in no condition to render that, obviously...

No fatties, huh? Understandable, but scary.

[neflight86]

4

Not a very narrative dense episode, but the themes of overcoming trauma, frustration with the life you want to live versus the life you are living, and the how some positivity can come out of idol worship (got friends and a job because some girl on TV cracked a smile?) really came together and gelled into something greater. This is some low-key good stuff. Every character is making their screen time impactful and the interactions are charming and inviting, for some reason- even the 'evil' upperclassmen.

[Ryllharu]

The ED has also changed. The first three episodes were Narata and Sasara. Now episode four is Sugimoto (super serious intense classmate) and the eating disorder girl.

It's a really good ED song, so I was surprised to see them switching vocalists. But it also makes sense considering the school they're at!

[Ryllharu]

Eps 5

--------


The two superfans (the class rep and the legacy girl) are surprisingly the key source of comedic relief in the series. They're so overly serious about the troupe that it breaks the tension of any scene, far more than Sarasa's ignorance and genki outlook, or Narata's social struggles with finally having friends again.

Seeing Narata's hair starting to grow back out as a sign of progression this early was also a nice touch. We knew from the OP that it would, but it's so insanely rare in anime and manga I was mildly surprised.

All of that is a pleasant counter to the bleakness in Yamada's storyline. I was also surprised that the teacher that triggered her recognized the signs and symptoms immediately. Her friends have noticed too, they just hadn't said anything. The whole staff room scene was refreshing to see.

Not gonna lie, I got a little misty-eyed when the effeminate teacher was telling her that while she's 40th, she's ahead of 1,100 other girls. He didn't even mention that she got in on her first try, and there are others in her class and above that tried for years to get in.

[MFauli]

episode 2:

Alright, this is fun to watch, Ryll. Maybe I'll watch the rest right now, too.

The one thing I utterly hate, though, is that dumb creep otaku. So unnecessary. I really hope this either makes an unexpected turn (like, he's not actually a bad guy) or is dealt with quickly.

The rest of the episode was nice, although I wonder what would have happened if Sarasa had stepped on the silver bridge. Would Andou-sensei have expelled her on the spot? Dangerous situation.

[MFauli]

Episode 5:

All caught up, yay.

First, about prior episodes: I kinda hate this stereotype of otaku as disgusting, ugly men. Even while he turned out to be a good guy in the end, it still sucks how ugly people in anime aren't just ugly, no, they MUST be bad people on top of it. It reinforces real-world prejudices that I myself, unfortunately, am too aware of. I wish anime would stop doing that. People can be pretty and bad, too.

Now, about episode 5. I got teary eyes when the music teacher wouldn't just leave Yamada to herself and actually went after her to give her an awesome prop speech. That was just so bonafide nice of him.

On the other hand, the ballet teacher is a total psycho. She KNEW about Yamada's eating disorder and just went "oh well. if she cannot understand it by herself, she's better off failing". She's not a doctor, she doesn't know how dangerous an eating disorder can be and she let it go on nonetheless. Bulimia is such a well-known disorder amongst young girls, especially in the show industry. As a professional, she should have known better. A renonwned school as theirs surely would have a dietarian who'd work out a proper weight loss plan for Yamada, right? Tsktsktsk ...

Seeing the other girls realize how Sarasa shines bright above them was nice, too.

I was disappointed that they ddn't show us at least 1-2 minutes of the theater piece, though. Reminds me of the recent criticism against Bokutachi Remake, where the projects Kyouya and Co. do are either never shown or super generic. I wanted to see some tier A-animation that really hammered it into my head how amazing this theater school is. But they didn't show that. Bummer.

What also irked me in earlier episodes: So the abusing guy is still with Ai-chan's mom?! And her uncle, the teacher, went as far as installing a lock, but left it at that?! That's just dumb. In-before "young girls are scared and wont tell others" blablabla. Whether that's tre or not, it's infuriating.

Anyway, this anime is nice. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece so far, but it's certainly one of the best new anime I'Ve seen this season. Thanks for the recommendation, Ryll.

[Ryllharu]

First, about prior episodes: I kinda hate this stereotype of otaku as disgusting, ugly men. Even while he turned out to be a good guy in the end, it still sucks how ugly people in anime aren't just ugly, no, they MUST be bad people on top of it. It reinforces real-world prejudices that I myself, unfortunately, am too aware of. I wish anime would stop doing that. People can be pretty and bad, too.

A couple of clarifying points. "Creepy Otaku Guy" Was a misdirect from the start, that's really the whole point of that arc. He's a recovering hikkimori. He admires Narata because she isn't an outgoing, constantly smiling typical idol. She's introverted and expressionless. He saw himself in her, and through his fandom, found friends, a job, and starting getting out more. But his shyness got to him, and when he caused her to get fired, he 'stalked' her all the way to Kouka to apologize. The anime went out of its way to show that Narata's attractive fans were actually worse, and knew proper boundaries less. Mikiya was just caught in an unfortunate timing, like she said. She would have snapped at someone else if it wasn't him. He was a good enough person to not be hurt by her rejection.

Also, the dancing stuff with Sarasa. He's a pretty awesome dude. The whole point of his little arc was about shattering misconceptions that are caused by looking only at appearances, which is why Sarasa bonded with him quickly, and why the bitchy senpai got called out by her classmates. Also, thinking about it, it even dovetails into Sarasa's mentor-senpai, who explained about how she's older than everyone else, and that's fed into her drive to succeed despite not being as innately gifted as her own classmates.



On the other hand, the ballet teacher is a total psycho. She KNEW about Yamada's eating disorder and just went "oh well. if she cannot understand it by herself, she's better off failing". She's not a doctor, she doesn't know how dangerous an eating disorder can be and she let it go on nonetheless. Bulimia is such a well-known disorder amongst young girls, especially in the show industry. As a professional, she should have known better. A renonwned school as theirs surely would have a dietarian who'd work out a proper weight loss plan for Yamada, right? Tsktsktsk ...

I think you're missing the point of that scene in the staff room. The mean thing was calling her a fatty, but the ballet teacher is really toughening up the girls against their peers. She mentioned to the other teachers that they will get bullied in the troupe, either by their peers or their competition's fans, and we've already seen that with the bitchy girl Hijiri. Not may get bullied. Will get bullied. She's happy to screw with Narata and try to undermine her while mentoring her, and she's tried to get Sarasa kicked out as well, just for fun.

I think you're misunderstanding about the eating disorder part. Yes, she ultimately triggered it, but Yamada would have had it one time or another if she was prone to it. The more important part is that the ballet teacher recognized it immediately, and demanded that Yamada start producing a meal log so she'd have proof. She looked at the results, and promptly informed the rest of the staff with a troubled expression. If their vocal teacher hadn't taken her to the hospital, I expect the ballet teacher would have. Yamada collapsed earlier than the teachers expected, or before they could confront her about her growing eating disorder.

Tachibana warned her very gently to not hurt herself, then requested the log.

Who we should be mad at is the other girls. Narata recognized it, but the others probably did too. They all said nothing, even her roommates who definitely knew. Narata did try but botched it.


I was disappointed that they ddn't show us at least 1-2 minutes of the theater piece, though. Reminds me of the recent criticism against Bokutachi Remake, where the projects Kyouya and Co. do are either never shown or super generic. I wanted to see some tier A-animation that really hammered it into my head how amazing this theater school is. But they didn't show that. Bummer.
Didn't they though? We saw part of Romeo & Juliet, and the honestly strange shit that Takarazuka Revue does as interludes. I think it is safer to say that if you know what Takarazuka is, you don't need to see all that much do understand what they're referencing. For westerners, yeah, seeing more of it would be helpful, but for Japan, Takarazuka is as immediately recognizable as anime itself. References are thrown around in anime and manga all the time.

If you poke around, there's a lot of Takarazuka Revue fans watching this series, throwing all sorts of crazy info around about how connected this is. The two veterans that the girls met on the stairs are voiced by actual Takarazuka stars, or at least former ones. The music for the entire series is done by a composer who worked with Takarazuka for twenty years (https://www.takawiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Saitou+Tsuneyoshi). That's why the ED sounds like one of their songs with male and female parts by the voice actors. It very much is intended to be one.


What also irked me in earlier episodes: So the abusing guy is still with Ai-chan's mom?! And her uncle, the teacher, went as far as installing a lock, but left it at that?! That's just dumb. In-before "young girls are scared and wont tell others" blablabla. Whether that's tre or not, it's infuriating.
I thought he put the lock on because she asked, but Ai eventually moved out and lived with him while she was in JPX.

[MFauli]

Didn't they though?

They showed a montage of a couple different scenes. But none had overly great animation. I would have hoped we'd get some high quality animation for that part, to really show the audience "THAT is the place our heroes want to get to, and LOOK how awesome it is!". It didn't look all that awesome. Just some people doing theatre. If I had to make a comparison: Think back to those special fights in Naruto. Rock Lee vs. Gaara, Kyuubi Naruto vs Sasuke pre-timeskip. That kind of all-out animations. Would have made it more impressive.


I thought he put the lock on because she asked, but Ai eventually moved out and lived with him while she was in JPX.

And he didn't ask why she wanted a lock? Especially after how scared she was when he appeared there?

Thing is, at this point she has no weight to accuse the guy of anything. That forced french kiss happened years ago, nobody else saw it happen, nothing can be proved. If we as the audience didn't know, I'd say: Tough luck, but a man shouldn't be punished on mere accusations without proof.

Had she said something right after if happened, it would have been believable enough to take action. Although she has a good ally with her uncle, she should tell him at least.

[neflight86]

I'm enjoying that pretty much all of the characters have more than one side to them. Narata has a shy side when trying to make up with Watanabe who is surprisingly cold (for a genki girl in anime) after having been slighted in a pervious episode. Fat shame sensei also demands her charges maintain a healthy lifestyle. Stern Sempai is a nose-bleeding revue nerd. The characters are feeling very fleshed out so far, aside from some traumatic circumstances.

Then we address the elephant in the room (too soon?) who has become all too adept at the double finger dinner do-over. Her motivation being her unambitious sister's doting was cute, as was her singing voice, and I'm glad that the system in place (or at least the staff) afforded some help during her time in need. I did like the line that, while at the bottom, she was still accepted above over a thousand other applicants. It was a good perspective. With this, most of the lingering drama has subsided. Will the show now shift its focus to the actual competition/training, or some good old fashioned petty bullying by the upperclassmen? Time will tell.

[David75]

I guess Sarasa got that remark because she's only a great recorder/player: she can mimic an actor's performance incredibly well... but that's all there is to her talent yet ? She doesn't perform herself, only copies/mimics ?

[MFauli]

Episode 6:

LOL, I'm sure there are ways to tell Sarasa what she's doing wrong WITHOUT totally crushing her soul and traumatizing her :D

I wonder why the teacher criticizes her like that. I guess he watched the same Romeo and Juliet-performance and recognized some specific mannerisms from the actor there?

Ai-chan not know kanji is ... wow. That's almost like being an analphabet in the West. Learning kanji only now at her age fast enough to learn lines ... that's probably the most unrealistic anime of the season now :D

Other then that, an okay episode. Not to exciting, not boring.

[Ryllharu]

I thought this was a pretty great episode personally.

Sarasa is a mimic, for sure. It's because she was trained in Kabuki. The tradition where stage names don't just mean performing the same roles as the mentor-predecessor, but even acting in the same style as them. They change their names during their careers, but there's absolutely a factor to it that a character should be portrayed in a very specific way. It shares a lot of elements to geiko entertaining as well as martial arts.
It's interesting that the series has given their lead this mimic trait, considering that Glass Mask gave it to a particular antagonist intent on leapfrogging her way to fame by acting as one of the lead's understudies. If Sarasa can't overcome this and develop her own style, she will fail.

Not reading Kanji isn't the same as not knowing your letters, at least in Japan. It's more like never taking any spelling and vocabulary lessons. Ai knows the basics, she can read. But her manager was spoonfeeding her the readings. It's more like not being able to read music with an instrument because the tabs or positions are written under every note.

I wouldn't say it is unrealistic. University students and high school students both use Kanji dictionaries. This isn't China. Depending on the target demographic, manga often has the readings in hiragana or katakana next to the kanji in tiny font. I believe Korea does this too in manwha with Hanja/Hangul (though Hanja is rarely used). Ai has been in entertainment touring for a long time. If her manager wasn't making her study, yeah, she's going to end up just like this.

I'm also interested in the twin situation going on. We know one of the twins was recognized as more talented than the other, or at least more confident, because the first one waiting for the second to also pass before entering Kouka. Not sure which is which, because they're voiced by actual twin voice actors.

The overall interaction of Group E felt very natural, because of how consistently the character development for the main cast has been slowly build up across these episodes.

[David75]

That Phantom teacher was particularly harsh to Sarasa. He was only a bit technical bit caring with others. Only harsh with Sarasa.
Usually in anime it means Sarasa is a talent monster. That teacher is only harsh to Sarasa because she did not show what she's capable of, she only used her mimic ability without too much effort: only some hours the night just before the assignment.
When the other 3 really worked the best they could in the very short 2 weeks they had.
I guess he wanted her to show what she's able to when she works hard on something and also show the begginings of Sarasa as an actor. At this stage he could care less about quality, he just wanted to witness work and the will to start something.
Those thoughts come from the fact that future Ai told us Sarasa has to be something big in the future.

[Ryllharu]

I think he's breaking Sarasa of her fundamental flaw early on. Swiftly and decisively. He noticed her perfect impressions just as much as the students did.

But he also recognized that she was merely copying the other Kouka actors in her performances. Her fellow classmates don't notice, or are such big fangirls themselves that they think her imitations are "great." But in practice in the tea room, we see that unless she has reference material, she's got nothing. Her group thought she transformed overnight, but she was recreating that performance exactly, which their teacher noticed immediately.

The others have flaws he chipped at too. The twin isn't putting in her all (due to confidence I assume). The legacy girl is too focused on feedback that she damages her own performance, and Ai has no emotion (something she is painfully already aware of) and focuses too narrowly on the audience instead of how Sarara did it to the whole theater (though she was just copying a Top Star).

edit:
What tipped him off was probably looking at the balcony instead of the whole audience. I wonder if that's a flaw of the actor she was copying.

[David75]

I get it all the girls are in that school for a long time and I know theory and basics are important.
I also know these girls are raw talent monsters if they are part of the student body.
But it's a bit strange to not have them learn acting like they just did for a whole year when they seem to practice almost everything else.
Good catch for the balcony detail. And somehow I like the idea each girl can gauge some of their potential but also some of their shortcomings very early on.

[Ryllharu]

Oh, I forgot my favorite scene this episode.

The other girls teasing Sarasa about having a boyfriend back home in the very typical anime/manga manner, and she bluntly replies, "Yep! He's in Tokyo, but it could be him," which leaves them all speechless for a second, and even then they kinda doubt her. Then it dawns on them all that yes, she's beat them all to having a relationship with a man.

[neflight86]

More goodness. I did enjoy the critique and the lead up to 'why don't the first years practice acting?' At least they had an explanation that they typically should focus on learning textbook performance fundamentals for the first year, and that doing this was an experiment to get them riled up. You can only get away with that in a pure meritocracy.

The performance was a good scene and the implication of copying the other actor is clear, but why wouldn't that make her a top star? You don't have to beat the best if you can simply be the best when that self-same person isn't around, can't you? I know, that wouldn't be satisfying and would be off-tone for what this show is, but that is just the disconnect I'll set aside for how much I am enjoying the remainder of what's going on.

I also appreciate the straightforward exposition about the performance arts technicals (critiques), not being acclimated myself, so that I'm not left behind.

Special shout out to the legacy girl for being earnest, sincere, and aware of her own coarseness. Immediate buy-in.

[Ryllharu]

The performance was a good scene and the implication of copying the other actor is clear, but why wouldn't that make her a top star? You don't have to beat the best if you can simply be the best when that self-same person isn't around, can't you? I know, that wouldn't be satisfying and would be off-tone for what this show is, but that is just the disconnect I'll set aside for how much I am enjoying the remainder of what's going on.
Because she'll always be an understudy, essentially. She can deliver a perfect performance to mirror previous stars, but she won't ever be one herself. There's no distinctly "Watanabe Sarasa's Oscar/Romeo" it will always be a mime of someone else's.

There's an entire arc in Glass Mask about why this kind of behavior is garbage acting for the stage/screen. Also one of the most satisfying.

If you like this series, give the Glass Mask manga a read. It's perhaps the most influential shoujo manga, period.

[neflight86]

Sure, I'll check it out.

That being said, I guess I don't expect most people to be equipped to even begin telling the difference between an aped performance and one 'unique to the actor'. If the quality of delivery is above a certain level, I expect any audience would be happy with the result. But then again, I'm no expert... in matters of theatre especially.

[Ryllharu]

I'd normally agree, but they've been portraying the Kouka Revue as having particularly rapid fans in their sold out shows. There's even a few in the main cast of first years.

Someone would catch on eventually.

[David75]

So the Phantom's harsh reaction was really for the reasons we thought of.
A little more background for Sarasa, Ai turning into an almost scary dere best friend...

[Ryllharu]

Sarasa's backstory is pretty much what I thought it would be, but a little harsher and a little more sad.

Not sure how healthy her relationship with her boyfriend is either (and not because of the handshake). He didn't mean to hurt her that way, but it sounds like he did do it on purpose because he was worried of his tenuous position compared to her. Completely unfounded in the end because she's a girl and someone would have let her down gently eventually, but it was still surprising to see Sarasa's grandfather utterly cut ties with the kabuki troupe (including Sarasa's father) over what the way they treated her.

I wonder if her solution to the criticism is going to be fulfilling her wish from childhood, and playing the Kouka roles with the exactness and theatrics of kabuki performances infused in her Shakespeare and Oscar.

[MFauli]

It's a crime to dress little boys up like girls, ugh :/

The relationshp feels super uncomfortable because of the secret he's holding. He should come clean and tell Sarasa and then let her decide based on that information. It's weird enough that they're shaking hands, lol.

[David75]

Well, that little boy only had Sarasa face that Kabuki wall a lot sooner. And it probably was for the better.
I smiled at how theatrical that scene was with that Lady falling and all :)

[neflight86]

That guilt he carries does certainly seem to strain their relationship, at least on his side. He never referred to her as his girlfriend, so I wonder if he doesn't think himself 'worthy' or the like after his betrayal.

I kind of seemed like the author was walking back the rigidness of Kabuki acting to not paint it in a negative light or as if it were stagnating by rattling off a few 'innovations' that keep it from being complete regurgitation.

[Ryllharu]

Episode 8

----------


So much more respect for Kaoru the Legacy girl now. One eps that contained nearly an entire character arc, covering expectations and the stigma she's had to overcome, while stressing that this was never forced on her even for a single moment. This has always been her dream, and even if she has occasionally been at a disadvantage at times or even dismissed as a legacy girl riding on connections (which she really truly isn't), she's always been doing her all for it.

Also like that even though her dream is to play the male roles, she got a fully fleshed out romance over the summer, just postponed while the two of them accomplish their respective genuine dreams.

[MFauli]

what a bitch. one wrong word and she broke off the relationship AND blocked him. Wow.

[Ryllharu]

what a bitch. one wrong word and she broke off the relationship AND blocked him. Wow.
I can see how you got there, but that's not the intended read of what happened.

Kaoru was heartbroken, not angry. She thought she had found a kindred spirit, someone who fully understood the crushing weight of being the inferior portion of a family legacy.

He was burdened by his professional brother, but he also liked baseball for what it was, even if he wasn't any good in comparison.

Kaoru had both her super-famous grandmother and also her mother both being legacy students of Kouka. People assumed she would just get in, but she was actually on her last try this year. She even helped a senior practice to get in. Because Kaoru loves Kouka with all her heart. She's a super fan herself, but also wants to get in on her own merits (which Kouka happily does exactly that by rejecting her a few times despite her legacy). Kaoru isn't as pretty as her mother and grandmother (...yeah right, she's one of the prettiest of her year), but she wants to break the trend of her family and play the male roles.

Kaoru started to like him more and more, because though he was upset by being asked to do errands for his brother, after they met, he remembered that he also liked baseball and started practicing more. They grew closer and closer. But when he admits that he sometimes still feels he's wasting his time, and thinks she feels the same, Kaoru is really hurt. To her, it comes off that he didn't understand her at all.

She's always been about working her ass off until she achieves her goal, no other acceptable outcome, and damn the burden of legacy, it's just another hurdle to overcome.

So yeah, she broke it off and blocked him.

A short time later, he's changed. He's worked even harder himself, gotten off the bench, and won the game himself, rather than the team carrying him to victory. She drops her umbrella (which is a big sign, since they set up earlier that she'd never dare expose herself to the sun). She's so stunned and relieved, she even bursts into tears again.

Kaoru loves him, 100%. Present tense. Now she has to catch up walk on the Top Star bridge, in order to not be a hypocrite, and for her own pride. That's why she cut her hair. To double down the same way he did.

[neflight86]

I also found it bitter sweet, and like the dynamic of hard work and passion overcoming the lack of superior talent- definitely a trope- but it is handled here in a way to really inform the character succinctly and flesh out the world more than it really needs to, strictly speaking. I won't lie; their screen time was really cute, and I'm glad that at least one of these flashbacks haven't ended with trauma, but hope; you can put a mustache on that.

[Ryllharu]

Episode 9
--------------


What a really interesting episode. A schism between the twins was hinted at for a few episodes now, but I didn't expect it to be quite as emotional of one as it ended up being. The real twin actresses playing the twins may have had something to do with the emotional punch of these two here.

It was a little on the bittersweet side that the conclusion was the two of them start to go their separate ways a little earlier than they had expected, but both wishing each other success and looking forward to using each other as professional rivals in a less antagonistic way. Chiaki's idol testing out Chika seemed a little wrong, but she was guiding them away from that particular nastiness that she knows exist in the proper troupes.

More surprising was me finally realizing which twin was which and how that has played into their overall arcs. Chika got in on her first try, but gave up the chance (potentially for good) to wait for her emotionally devastated sister Chiaki who didn't pass. But when they're finally at the school, that pattern hurt Chika because she had gotten used to giving up what she wanted to keep the pair of them together. It makes you wonder about Chiaki's recollection of her sister looking if Chiaki had finally passed. Was Chika crying out of happiness that they were going to go together, or crying with relief that giving up her previous chance wasn't in vain? I guess the former with the admission that Chika always wanted to be on stage in a twins role from the memory of when they went to Kouka in person, where Chiaki had wanted them both to be playing rival Juliets from the even earlier flashback on the couch with their mom. They'd been thinking out of sync longer than they realized.

The ED was great as always, and of course it was the twins' duet, but I was surprised that they put them so significantly into the right and left channels. They always do to some degree, but the balance is usually more central.

[MFauli]

So, this ends with 12 episodes? :/

Makes me dislike all that focus on side characters. This anime will be over without any major story arc having happened at all.

[Ryllharu]

We can hope for a sequel. There's 13 volumes. Though they did apparently skip through at least one in the summer vacation arcs.

[neflight86]

The twins were less... traumatic than some of the other backstories, and I find that a welcome change of pace. Sisters annoyed with each other. I can get behind that.

So, do those particular Kouka actresses always walk around in men's clothes, or just on campus?

[MFauli]

episode 10:

bad episode. Those still images, lol, embarrassing.

Honestly, I don't need a second season anymore.

Btw. are all the older women lesbians?

[Ryllharu]

Yeah...definitely felt the budget-preservation on this episode.

Still, a very nice set of Evangelion references. A proper one since Ai hates men, so her A.T. Field is strong.

I also appreciate that Hijiri's two arch-nemeses are Ai (who is aloof to her bullying because she's used to that crap) and Sasara (who has overwhelming genki energy so it normally sails clear over her) at least until Hijiri dropped the act and went for a deep straight cut.

It was actually very interesting that the thing giving Sasara the most anxiety wasn't Hijiri being a bitch and continually undermining her, but that Sarasa was presenting herself and not being able to cover it up with a role on top of it. Serious Maya from Glass Mask vibes there. She's always been too tall, stands out too much, too manly in her movements that it really eats at her. Risa and Sei's pep talk got her out of it a lot faster than I expected though, going straight to a solution rather than resolving Sarasa's real problems. But I guess that's why the first years are paired up with another girl, and why the top stars like to mentor their successors before they even get into the Troupe proper.

But this series kills on the tension breaks. Right in the most inspiring part...desire for E-cups! Haha.

I guess Sarasa's dream would be to play Mari in the Kouka Revue production of Eva Rebuild...


Btw. are all the older women lesbians?
No. Most just play the masculine roles. Sei covered why in her pep talk to back up Risa. They are expected to act that way in stage and in public until they retire. They fulfill the dream of the audience through playing a version of themselves.

I honestly expected either Sarasa or Sei to princess carry the other, but since Sarasa is also shooting for a male role, the way they did go for works better to not undermine either one of them later on in their careers.

[neflight86]

I... didn't even notice the low budget animation this episode until I read it here... how embarrassing!

I do always find Hijiri fascinating to watch, as we haven't seen her character shaping trauma/backstory yet, and I enjoy trying to fabricate reasons for her being... this way. It is telling that her response to being called out is that she isn't technically a villain because this is her natural personality, and she isn't outright trying to be abusive or abrasive. Of course, that appears to be lip service at surface observation, but if she is indeed psychopathic, this would explain her behavior well and make her a more interesting character down the road, perhaps.

That boobs bit did catch me off guard, and it paid off.

[Ryllharu]

Episode 11
---------

It's almost like you caught something I missed last episode, but then they made it much more obvious in this one!
I do always find Hijiri fascinating to watch, as we haven't seen her character shaping trauma/backstory yet, and I enjoy trying to fabricate reasons for her being... this way. It is telling that her response to being called out is that she isn't technically a villain because this is her natural personality, and she isn't outright trying to be abusive or abrasive. Of course, that appears to be lip service at surface observation, but if she is indeed psychopathic, this would explain her behavior well and make her a more interesting character down the road, perhaps..

Hijiri sure is a bitch about it, but even she gives helpful professional advice to her assigned kouhai. Ai low-key hates her mom, but also recognized that her mom gave her a lot of good acting advice over the years that Ai can use to be the "first across the finish line."

Ai's freight-train of thought is so freaking weird...

I like that Kaoru has become the motivational core for their group. She's got the ambition to kick the rest of her friends in the backside to get them up and running to their goals. Sawa is still super overly serious and formal, but Sarasa's corresponding demand for a "coming atcha!" handshake had me rolling.

Sarasa's boastful speech getting out of the bath gave me Sheryl Nome vibes (Sayonara no Tsubasa version, of course...right before Northern Cross (https://youtu.be/tlzN8Btov1c?t=195)). Seriously love how poofy her hair is outside of the pigtails. She's like Tsumugi's sheep from Amaama to Inazuma.

The difference in opinion between the male and female teachers was also quite telling and insightful, loved that short scene so much. They know what these girls are capable of doing to each other, even if the men had good intentions with the audition and changing the graduation festival in the first place.

Bwahaha, direct Glass Mask references practicing their lines in their room! Yay!

Seriously though, they definitely cast the two leads correctly. I'm stunned at the range of these two voice actresses. Actually, all of the main cast, but especially these two.

The shame is that this series is finally getting to what feels like the meat of what the cast is doing (stage acting!), but it's almost going to end for this season too.

[MFauli]

I had almost forgotten that idol girl had been sexually abused by her step dad, lol. What a sub plot to ignore after its introduction.

I'm kinda done with this anime, unfortunately, it suffered from uneven pacing and cheap animation.

[Ryllharu]

One badly animated episode toward the end and you write the whole series off?

I noticed a single derp face of the in-betweens this episode. That's pretty good for the third to last episode, especially after the obviousness in the last one.

[MFauli]

Nah, the whole series was less than impressive. Ballroom-syndrome again. I just expected vastly better animations throughout the series, but the issue was: we hardly got to see scenes where better animations could have shone.

Just bland school room scenes, generic outdoor scenes, always static.

[neflight86]

Animation is more than passable, and not an issue to me in a show like this. The 'beauty of motion' isn't a draw here. The story and drama are front and center.

I was wondering if how IGX girl would impromptu act, and her inspiration seemed to wind up being happy memories, from wherever, to fuel a pleasant feeling she can approximate to 'love'. An interesting direction, and her mother's advice seems to have paid off. I almost forgot we didn't see Sarasa show the fruits of her own mind dive, but I'll gladly await that scene. I'm kind of afraid to see the singer girl's almost forgone breakdown during her turn.

Just all around more quality character drama and interactions- the show isn't missing a beat on that.


I like that Kaoru has become the motivational core for their group. She's got the ambition to kick the rest of her friends in the backside to get them up and running to their goals. Sawa is still super overly serious and formal, but Sarasa's corresponding demand for a "coming atcha!" handshake had me rolling.

Agreed. The girls are getting some mileage out of the established characters, and I'm invested in each of them now.

[Ryllharu]

Episode 12
-------------


This is why they hired actresses who can actually sing. Holy shit. Due to the similarity in the lyrics, I got some serious Lilium vibes from Ayako's Romeo solo. Not quite the same haunting power behind it, and she was straining it a little bit at one point (edit: probably intentionally, considering how well she does the ED). Still, that actress crushes the singing, just like her character is supposed to do. I think her part of the ED is also one of my favorites because there's so much depth backing it.

Her backstory continues to be more interesting as well, given her heartbreak and the fact that she actually has a bisexual (or closet lesbian) fan.

But the same goes for Sarasa. Her past continues to get more twisted and fucked up the more we learn about her. Her probable father blackmailed her childhood friend into being her boyfriend so he could keep tabs on her?! And she knew about it and went with it!

It finally explains that cold distance we saw Ai witness on the train platform. Akiya does like Sarasa, but we really have no idea if she actually likes him, or if she's just accepting it. Since Sarasa isn't the POV/narrator character, we really have no idea what's going on in her head about her true feelings.

But now I expect a very conflicted and intense Tybalt from her. Wounded and betrayed, but not full of rage like Sawa's or the copy Sarasa performed previously.

As for Sawa, I suddenly feel like we don't know anything about her. She's a perfectionist and a former prima ballerina candidate, but what exactly was the flashback and the remarks from the teacher meant to convey? Sawa has crazy ability, but why exactly did she give up on ballet? We know she's a Kouka superfan, sure, but it feels like there is so much more depth to her than we've been told! "You'll mess up if you focus on outdoing someone else" cue flashback?! I want to know!

Even more because she later stated that she channeled using Sarasa as a rival to make a focus of her Tybalt's rage (and Sarasa just didn't notice the really obvious essentially duelist glove Sawa threw at her feet, haha). Exactly what she told Ayako not to do?

[neflight86]

I can't speak for the quality of singing, but it was pleasant. Did the others (playing that part) sing also, or was it omitted? The language barrier really does make vetting the 'acting' quality parts more difficult for me, not that I'm an expert otherwise.

I also half expected a 2-in-1 flashback of Sawa's major malfunction.

Does Sarasa actually know about his (father's) meddling? I didn't expect her to intuit that much.

[Ryllharu]

Eps 13 - End
-------------


Little Sarasa reminds me so much of little Chihaya from Chihayafuru. I really appreciate her VA's range as well. All the actresses in this series have some really powerful vocal ranges, whether or not they're displaying it in this season.

I guess we know that Sawa isn't a lesbian! She's so cute when she's honest too. Huge points to Andou-sensei for telling her she's wrong about Genius vs Hard Worker in the performing arts. Everything is work. Like Hijiri said to Ai before, the advantage is a head start, and someone like her (or a genius) just has a head-start so they can stay up front and get to the finish line faster. But to stay there, its' work. Musicians put in a ton of work and endurance to play like they do at their level. Same with singers. Actors that don't put in the work put out shit performances. Another very similar sentiment appears in Glass Mask about it all being teamwork on stage.

Aww, Ai starting caring about what she does again. She's rediscovered her love of performing, lost back when she used to idolize her mother.

Also really liking the consistency from two episodes back (and her summer flashback too) with Kaoru being the coolest girl in their group. Swoon. Aya definitely had the most challengers out of their entire class. Everyone was going for Juliet and she proved why their singing teacher defended her as the 40th out of thousands. She's behind the others, but has enormous potential. She's also the youngest (if I remember right, she's one of the few to come from a middle school instead of high school or even a graduate) with no advantages or prior training. And she got in her first try. Kaoru didn't, and neither did many of their senpai.

Dunno why that girl was guessing her parents were involved. Didn't the teachers say the class' own votes were a big part of the decision? Followed up with Andou telling Sawa that the teachers couldn't even break the tie for Tybalt at first. But the real reason was so fucking funny...their teacher Ohgi is a Kouka fujoshi, just like Sawa.

All in all, this is how you end a season. With a really dense episode. All the developments called back together again in a seamless way. Consistency in development and character, carried forward to future scenes. I can see why the manga gets nominated for best shoujo. Speaking of which...

I immediately started re-reading Glass Mask this week. So...uh...there. I'll say this series has been very successful driving me back to high quality shoujo series. Never getting overly mired in its own drama, and knowing when to break the tension at the right moments. The fact that it has been frequently reminding me of it is a good sign even before they did an overt reference to Glass Mask reactions (https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2020/02/osoroshii-ko.html) a few eps ago.

This is definitely one where I'm left wanting a second season.

[MFauli]

Random finale and another anime I wouldn't have started had I known how it'll go.

I guess it's too much to demand a complete story these days.

[Ryllharu]

I guess it's too much to demand a complete story these days.
That's always been the case with anime. You just remember the good series that actually finished. There was also a whole hell of a lot less anime.

An open ending beats a shitty wrap up anime original ending.

[neflight86]

No problems with the ending, and it did an excellent setup for a potential season two. I'd watch it. Most anime are essentially advertisements for their light novels or manga, so if you are unsatisfied and want to see the complete story, the publisher of the volumes invites you to pick them up. Mission accomplished.

Unfortunately, this kind of show will only keep my interest when I'm involved in a conversation about it. I'm learning that makes watching many anime more fun. Meaning, while the manga is likely just as good, I won't be compelled to advance this story until another season airs.

Sawa was cute, in an earnest kind of way, and her pursuit of finding meaning in her loss and struggle (and the conversation with similar-senpai) were spot on. Over the season, it almost seemed that the girls' backgrounds were explored in the order of 'most traumatic' to 'least'. These last few have been fairly standard, and it probably isn't a good look to imply all actresses are subject to mental baggage, so I don't object, but I did notice the trend.