Idoly Pride

Shingeki no Kyojin sundays? More like Idoly Pride Sundays. Idoly Pride was second only to Mushoku Tensei in terms of enjoyment for me this season, and it was pretty damn close. This was definitely the hidden gem of the season. Idoly Pride was always going to get a high score for me. It’s really hard to mess up the idol formula. Cute girls, cute outfits, songs that are bops, etc. But, the show exceeded all expectations that I had and was such a pleasant surprise. The best way that I could describe the series is a mix between 22/7 and Love Live. It’s quite a bit darker than LL, but not quite as dark as 22/7. The focus on Kotono’s self-discovery and individual development was great, and the conclusion that she and the other girls get was very satisfying. What I really loved about IP compared to other idol projects is the social commentary that it gives on the idol industry. At one point, a traditional LL-esque group go up against one of the show’s new gen idol groups and it does a great job highlighting society and the music industry’s preference for idol music. Why some groups get hot and others don’t. The more realistic approach that it takes compared to LL, Bandori, Lapis etc., is a welcome change of pace. In any anime, one of the biggest factors in evaluating it is the performances. In Idoly Pride, I was honestly taken aback quite a bit by how well done and high quality the performances were. The CGI was amazing. At points I couldn’t distinguish between 2D and 3D CGI. I’d even argue it was better than LL Nijigaku. Music wise, the songs from the groups are all bops. Liznoir and Moon Tempest have no skips in their catalogs, and watching the show will introduce you to some amazing music. Honestly, at this point I’m not sure which I like more as a multimedia project. LL or IP. Yes, to me this show and project are that damn good. If you’re a fan of idols, or want to try out the genre, I highly recommend Idoly Pride. It’s an enjoyable show full of diverse personalities that provides insight into the Japanese idol industry as well as a heart warming story of self-discovery and redemption after loss. Idoly Pride gets 10 mics out of 10.

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 service to 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.

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 Nagase was 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 large ensemble 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.

Please note this review is intended by those that have finished watching Idoly Pride and while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned. Based on an original concept Idoly Pride is a Music genre anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see into the unique star-studded but hard-earned road that chronicles the evolution of a group of young girls as they transform from teenagers and schoolgirls who dream of becoming stars to professional idols that are able to not only bring light and hope to their fans with their dazzling performances and songs but also prove to not only themselves but to their loved ones as well that where there is a will, a dream and determination to reach the top there is no dream that you cannot make a reality if you work with your friends and allies. The only real struggle is whether you are able to muster the courage to take that first step and ascend the stairs to stardom that many have attempted but only few had succeeded in. Only with courage and teamwork and an unshakable desire to reach the top will they be able to achieve their dreams of becoming pros and be recognized nationwide as full-fledged idols. The concept of idols is something that can be said to be very alien to western audiences as there is largely no western equivalent to them in the west unlike how popular and widespread, they are within both Japan and in the Asia Pacific region with notable one’s being the rightly famed AKB48 which is among Japan’s highest-earning musical acts and most recognizable idol group to date known not just in Japan but worldwide as well. While the groups are popularized in medium from manga, tv shows, movies, and games within the anime medium there have been few major successes as the concept is something that while easy to create in the real world is less so in the anime world due to the question of who the protagonist is. Despite that, over the years there have been many successes that while starting off relatively small served to thanks to their massive and often unexpected successes served to expand and become multimedia franchises in their own right with notable examples of this being the famed Idolmaster and Bang Dream series who served to popularize the image of young teenage girls who embark on a hard and exhausting journey that will see them not only learn how to effectively sing and dance and captivate the audience but struggle to achieve their dream of reaching the height of their careers with like-minded friends and teammates. While the concept and premise of Idoly pride can be said to be very similar to the above-mentioned franchises what served to draw me to the series consisted of two things which were my own personal experiences at not only meeting actual idol groups and the opportunity to see the kind of hard work that goes into their performances as well as my interests in stories that feature young adults struggle against fearsome odds to achieve a goal that has been their dream for a very long time and adventures and bonds that they share with others as they forge their way to the top a premise that this series served to feature in spades. The first episode of the series while serving well to showcase the kind of ages that aspiring idols need to be before joining the industry and introducing the core characters of Mana and Makino also did well to showcase the sense of rivalry that exists in the struggle to get to the top and become the next shining if brief star within the hearts and minds of fans and fellow idols alike. While the first episode did prove to have quite the shocking development in terms of plot it also served as an effective foundation for the core members of the soon to be ascended Idoly Pride group to make their debut a development that served in my eyes to keep my focus on the series in a desire to see what will happen next a decision that I'm glad that I heeded upon. Kotono Nagase Kotono Nagase portrayed by new seiyuu Mirai Tachibana is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the main protagonists of the series being not only one of the members of the Hoshimi productions newest generation of idols but also the leader of one of its two subgroups Tsuki no Tempest. The younger sister of Hoshimi production and the idol world’s most prominent solo idol Mana Nagase before her tragic passing Kotono from her initial appearances was shown to be a quiet, composed, calm and confident person by nature that despite still being in high school was shown to have a level of maturity, independence and diligence to her that would surprise most girls her age. While an intelligent person she was also shown to be a realist and was someone that was seen to put every effort into achieving the goals that she sets for herself whether they be academic or ones that define her future path in life. Though an admirable quality for one so young this also had the unfortunate effect of making her judge others rather harshly when encountering people whose reasons for their chosen paths may not resonant too well with her own a fact that is shown well in her reaction to Sakura’s reason for wanting to become an idol. Arguably for Kotono the base personality trait that served to make her stand out from her peers, in the beginning, was both her determination to become not only an idol but also a solo one and the fierce sense of determination that lay within her eyes that signified her earnest desire to find out the truth that lay behind the life of an idol and determine what was it that had served to fracture the relationship that she had with her beloved sister and fracture the loving bond that they had shared before her death. However, determined as she was to set about becoming an idol and experience the kind of life that her sister had prior to her demise even if it meant staying away from the fun social life that defined girls her age as Kotono not only becomes an idol but also find herself unwillingly join an idol group instead of having a solo career that she desired things start to gradually change as for the first time in her life Kotono was not only able to sing and dance with like-minded girls who though not having the same kind of motivation for becoming idols nonetheless possessed their own unique reasons for becoming ones that were able to stand toe to toe with her own. Perhaps more importantly their shared aspirations and the fact that they are now a group served to give Kotono a rare opportunity to rediscover something that her desire to become an idol had served to obscure which was how to have fun with girls her age and how to befriend and bond with them and use that power to improve not only her own performance but the groups as well. In the beginning of the series Kotono due largely to her core desire of wanting to become an idol and attempt to experience the life that had taken her beloved sister away from her was shown to be somewhat of a recluse that while possessing a sense of independence that was rare for her age was offset by the fact that she had few friends and had an aura about her that served to push away all but the most determined of girls within her class with the notable exception, in this case, being her sole best friend and eventual groupmate Nagisa. As a result of this Kotono, in the beginning, was noted to have a rare lack of individuality and indeed while not lacking in communication skills was nonetheless lacking in her ability to bond easily with others as demonstrated In her first days interacting with her groupmates factors that served, in the beginning, to create a wall between herself and her groupmates despite the attempts by them and Makino to break through them. However, as she continues to train alongside the girls and got to see not only their sense of determination but their different but yet similar level of motivation that fueled them Kotono began to realize …

Some of the lower-end reviews of this anime make me wonder if they even watched it, I'll be honest. I don't understand how someone could watch this anime and not think it's amazing. Now, let me say up front; If you just think of this as an "idol anime", those concerns would be valid, and it'd even be deserving of the low scores. The animation is mid, the music is mid, the characters can be a little formulaic, choppy CGI... nothing about this stands out, if it's an idol anime. The problem is, it isn't. It's only superficially an idol anime. This is an anime about regrets. Nanase Mana is an idol skyrocketing to the top, and just when she is about to perform in the final concert cementing her reputation as the top idol, her life is cut short by an auto accident. She's left behind by her manager, and a younger sister, other idols she left behind, and in this story, she is always there, lurking in the background, either by reputation, memory, or, well... more directly. It starts out as an idol anime, with a group of characters coming together to form an idol group, and then two. Two characters stand out, her younger sister, and another character named Sakura, who has an interesting relationship with Nanase in her own right. But as the story progresses, we begin to understand the regrets that those who she left behind have, and also the regrets that Nanase had herself. And as the idol groups rocket to the top, they also have to address these regrets, and find a way to move forward without the almost suffocating influence of Nanase's memory. Every character who knew Nanase is trying to come to terms with her legacy, what she meant to them, and how she dominated the idol world while she was alive, and most of the story is the story of how all these characters come to terms with and eventually move past her loss and legacy. There are several different story threads, and throughout the anime, they slowly weave together, until at the very end, in a flash, you understand that the story isn't what you thought it was, and neither was Nanase. And that storytelling is what makes this an amazing anime. If you lack the ability to see subtext or the emotional intelligence to see what this anime *really* is, then you'll just see a mid idol anime, and frankly a somewhat cheesy one to boot, and it's probably not going to be for you. But if you like emotional stories about loss, regrets, redemption, and learning how to find your own voice, then you'll absolutely love this anime. Like I did. Don't judge this book by its cover. Shiny idol kirakira and mid technical values are hiding (and maybe pretty well, admittedly) an amazing and meaningful story that just might make you cry at the end. Recommend from me. Maybe I could have rated it lower, but the story was so meaningful it just blew all the rest of its (admittedly obvious) flaws out of the water, so 10 from me.

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.

Idoly Pride got more depth in story and character development than the typical idol anime does. The premise of Mana becoming a ghost in the first eps is really interesting for me. As the story goes on, some of the characters got good character development, each having their own motivation, struggle, and regrets to deal with. Even we got a little glimpse of the side character’s background and development. Personally, I really like Kotono’s development. It’s good to see how she could finally overcome her regrets and finding her new purpose as an idol. Rather than the cheerful atmosphere typically found in idol anime, Idoly Pride got more drama on their story. That school scene in the last eps sure hits the feel for me, even if it’s expected already. The story development got more interesting as the episodes go on and getting closer to its closure. I’d say that they ended the story well. The songs are great as well, with good dancing animation to go along with their songs. They got good voice, especially for Kotono, Mana, and Suzu. Some of the songs that I like are TRINITYAiLE’s les plumes and Kotono’s version of Song for you, it’s totally recommended to hear out for.

Since I felt like it, I decided to write a review upon this anime (if that made any sense). The game is good by the way so if you can, try playing it since it's main factor isn't actual lives and rhythm games but somehow training the idols and participating in handshake events etc. The plot was great to me, starting off with the backstory of the main character, Makino and the legendary idol, Mana. Then after everything that happened in episode 1, we come back to the present with Makino doing everything he can to manage both Tsuki-Suto and SunnnyP with someone (I'm so sorry, I forgot his name) to mentor him I guess (he was a good guy but I thought it was somewhat cliché when he came from the agenct popular units came from and refused to go back). I have to say though, the competition between them and their opponents were slightly rushed though.. I have to admit, some characters didn't get as much screen time as others so it was sad but since the rest of the anime was good, I forgive them. I like how everyone is determined even though sometimes they worried about the outcomes of how things went (like when Hoshimi Production split in two to emphasise more of the idols individually). I liked the character developments and the strong relationships growing between each character which was nice, especially between Kotono and Sakura, the two leaders of each group. I also have to say, the fact that their opponents (LizNoire and TRINITYTAiLE) weren't all high and mighty was THE BEST. LizNoire was kind of confident and stoic in some way but they were pretty warm in other wats. And Nagase Mana, the legendary idol. It was kind of cliché (yes the word appears again) that Kotono and Mana were siblings and Mana was from the agency of where the main characters are from, but I enjoyed watching them aiming to go high like how Mana did. The fact that Mana became a ghost and only Makino can see him (and later Mei because of her inherited stuff) was unique and I liked it too because of how he can see her because she was important to him (or was it the other way around) and she also had another goal so she waited for Makino to make it happen. I spent two weeks listening to their songs on spotify. I never missed each live and it's true that sometimes the CGI (i think that's what it's called) sort of wavered a few times but the songs are good so I didn't mind it :) The seiyuus were pretty amazing and it was cool how TRINITYTAiLE were actually TrySail. I admire the art in the anime a lot. I don't know if the animation were top notch or not since it's not like a fighting anime but I liked it. this was a long review for my first review. I'm not sure if anyone agrees with what i said but Idoly Pride may be any regular music anime and I would rate it 10/10 for everything that happened in this anime! (unless my standards are low or my mind is like a 9 year old)

This Is One Of The Best Music Genre Anime I Have Ever Seen It Gives A Boost Of Emotion From The Very First Episode.....It Excel In Providing The Information Of Different Relation And In The End I Was Trying To Hold My Tears Back......You Should Definitely Give It A Try. Also There Is A Great Twist Between The Male and Female Protagonist Which Was The Very Reason To Make Not Only Me But Anyone Who was Watching It With A Great Focus. Talking About The Sound That Is Also A Masterpiece And The Voice Of Mana Is So Heartwarming. The Dance Of The Characters Are Also Great.

SEMI SPOILERS I loved this show, every second of it. The music was fantastic, and the storyline was a nice turn-off your brain and watch stuff happen. Then the story started developing. Over the course of the final few episodes, I was filled with enjoyment, and at the end, I was left satisfied with the entire story as a whole. It is a story about idols wanting to be the best, with an emotional love story which by the end, ties the whole show together, and leaves you sitting there, whether it be in sadness, contempt, or joy. It's been a while since I finished watching an anime and just sat there silently. Only pet peeve is that best girl didn't get best ending, but it's all for the story and I can accept that. but still why

Idoly Pride, the first anime that I took upon myself to write a review for. This was my first idol show and boy am I extremely happy it was this one. I found this anime while searching through 2021 Winter anime. The front cover was beautiful and convincing enough for me to give it a shot. I usually have a setup where I watch the first one or two episodes and if it hooks me I watch until the end. Idoly Pride did just that and more. Not only did the first episode hook me into the anime, it got me interested in all the characters. The singing and songs were clean, the story was amazing, and the animation was spot on. If you look Idoly Pride up on YouTube, you will find their YouTube channel which showed how much planning went into the show and how perfectly they executed it. This show was a hidden treasure that many overlooked. The OST as well was so good and they even include extra songs on their YouTube channel. I really recommend this show to anyone who has the time!

Well how do i start it, first thing first, no spoilers, this is my first idol anime and i didn't expected to be like this, it has a pretty much decent story that is predictable and yet even though it was predictable i was never expecting that this anime will be that great... for the story i give it 8, because like i said before this anime has a predictable storyline but still executed perfectly that makes me feel like an idiot for thinking that this will be a boring anime. the art i give it 8, i do like the art, but not that much. the sound i give it a solid 8, well i do like the sfx tho, nothing that special but still satisfying to hear. the character i give it a 7, i do like some of the chara like the manager boy and mana-san, but for some reason i couldn't get attached to any of the idol member chara here (maybe bcs i don't really like idol in generals) but yeah that's it. the enjoyment i give it a 8.5, i do really enjoy this anime from the first episode, the only think that i didn't enjoy prolly the part where the idol thing is started, but beside that i do really enjoy this anime. overall i give it a solid 8, because i did enjoy the story the drama thats just great and makes me a lil bit sad :D

Idoly Pride is a standard “rise to the top” idol anime, similar to the popular Love Live series. The anime shows the recruitment process, how each member interact with one another, backstory, etc. (all the usual stuff). Story (7) & Characters (6): The story can be split into two parts: Pre-debut and Competition. The first six episodes shows the recruitment of the members and the work they put into preparing for debut. The other six shows the members competing in the competition. Without spoiling, I thought the story flowed well from one episode to the next. There’s tension that gets resolved. There’s backstory to build character for some of the characters, making them relatable and likeable. The characters all grow, some more than others (this is ok, though, since there is a focus on the “mains”). In terms of the competitions that is common with idol animes in this genre, this anime takes a different approach to the audience-based voting system. Competition results are judged via an AI program (Venus Program) based on factors like popularity and audience reaction; there is no direct audience vote to impact the results of who moves on to the next stage of the competition. While I don’t have any complaints on this particular system, the way the story is told makes it obvious that the featured MCs will be successful and move on to the next stage. It’s kind of a convenient scape-goat to say the AI decided this group moves on (wouldn’t get too hanged-up on this detail; it doesn’t really matter). Art (7): I usually don’t really know what to say for art. I can say it’s great; nothing feels like it was drawn last minute and placed into any of the episodes. Sound (7): Some of the songs are pretty catchy; they have a nice melody and harmony to accompany each other. The OST is pretty usual for an idol anime. I know that doesn’t say much, but all idol anime’s OST sound similar in some ways. OP&ED is decent. A big plus that some of the EDs are different to match the featured rivals’ songs in that particular episode. Enjoyment (8): The general atmosphere of the anime for me is “relaxing”: the tense parts aren’t too tense; character interactions aren’t stiff and artificial; great music to accompany each situation. The episodes don’t feel long. Overall: A solid 7 (good).

A pretty good premise that falls flat and end up being an average anime at its conclusion. I felt the aspect of having the legendary idols heart be coincidentally donated to the new mc and the idols sister ending up in the same group could have been interesting but I felt too much time was taken up by Makino and Mana who weren’t all that interesting and felt like they added nothing to the plot. Mana didn’t had to be a ghost and was only really there for the romance plot that feels very generic, the time spent on these two would’ve been better served on making the other members of the group more interesting instead they end up becoming sort of like back up dancers and very one dimensional. The ending was also pretty disappointing, I think it could’ve been a lot better with a real decision at the end of the tournament. The real saving grace is the music, and surprisingly the rival groups have more interesting character than the girls besides the MCs in the main group. Don’t regret watching but I did expect it to be a bit more compelling.

Review (short ver): In a nutshell: Sussy idol stalking MC and more idols --- PROS +A bit unique take on Idol genre with fun twist +Music sequences aren't too dragged out +Characters and their growth is fairly nicely paced and enjoyable --- CONS -Music itself was pretty average -Usual issue with CGi dancing, stiffing issues. --- Review (comments/longer ver): Story It's been a while since I've watched any idol genre Anime. But long story short, I found this one rather enjoyable. While we had the usual idol activities in more condensed from, this Anime presented more drama focus regarding the main character and anime plot twist drama unfolding and problem solving pretty much. For the most part I found the dynamic growth and progress throughout the episodes pretty enjoyable. Not much else to say. Character As mentioned, anime revolves mostly around drama about main characters, but also we do have plenty of drama about the whole idol group squad. Nothing to serious, so no bloody cat fighting. Mostly their inner peace dramas, goals and ambitions and a bit of back story drama. Growth is straightforward and simple. We do also have fairly large variety of girls and stereotypes, so waifus for everyone. For the most part I did like most of the girls. So nothing really bad to say about them. Art & Sound Aside the average CGi implementation, I did like the clean designs and Animation quality. Voice acting was top notch, they did bring in some big names to the cast as well seems. As far as music goes for the idol genre, honestly, was pretty average in my opinion. Not really my cup of tea. Enjoyment & Overall Overall I did quite enjoy it. Loved the "twist" of the story and the whole dynamic of the characters was quite enjoyable experience about this whole idol fiasco. Did enjoy the whole drama aspect of the series and were mostly satisfies how they wrapped it up. An idol Anime that was carried by it's story twist, drama and growth. Funnily enough, an Idol anime where music was the weakest point for me. But eh... I haven't watched much if idol genre anyways. --- Total Score 7/10 --- Review info Reviewing Info: How I rate/review stuff is explained on my site (can be found on profile). In a nutshell - my personal opinion has much heavier weight than novel length objectivity. Review layout: UGLY DEFORMATTED FOR MAL, non-h Review type: Anime Note: Still testing review layouts. This line will be removed when I’m satisfied with the layout

Story: 9/10. Im not usually a fan of idol anime, but this is the exception. Even though I can’t put my finger on why, I like it a lot! The story is distinct and very cute. It stands out from the other few idol anime I’ve seen because there’s more than just “let’s make music!” It shows the details of production, and though I’m sure it’s not 100% accurate to real life, it’s still interesting to see how it works. Art: 9/10. The art is a fairly typical shojo style, but it has its details that help it stand out as unique. The cgi in some scenes is quite glaring, but I can understand the struggle of animating multiple people dancing at once, so it doesn’t bother me. Sound: 10/10. The songs are really good. I don’t have much to say, but they’re all catchy and fun Character: 7/10. With such a large main cast, it can be hard to flesh out all the characters, but Idoly Pride manages this pretty well. It could’ve been better, but with the 10 idols. Makino, Mana, and other side characters, I think they did about as well as they could have. Enjoyment: 10/10. This anime is my guilty pleasure. I’m usually a sucker for deep, psychological and mystery anime like Code Geass, Death Note, etc, but sometimes I just want to watch my girls singing and dancing around! Overall: 9/10. Idoly Pride has been a favorite of mine ever since it was first airing, and I honestly don’t know why it took me so long to write a review for it. It’s really good, I recommend it if you think you’ll be interested!

-Idoly Pride- Honestly, Idoly Pride was the first idol anime I watched and the first anime I reviewed, and I can say that this anime has a pretty good story, it can make you happy, sad, excited, and more. This anime has a simple plot that can be enjoyed which tells how the journey of an idol group is "Tsuki no Tempest and Sunny Peace to get to the top. Starting from episode 1 it starts with an interesting storytelling. The music is very good, and some of them are now my favorites. Moreover, the visuals of this anime are very good, even the 3D choreography itself is also very good. Idoly Pride itself has a pretty meaningful ending. With two characters that caught my attention “Nagase Mana and Makino Kouhei” whose stories were developed and combined with the problems of the main characters, thus making them the main focus of the story. In my personal opinion there are still shortcomings in this anime, for example simplified details. Actually, I think this is because the episodes are too few for an anime where the story can be made very complex. This is quite unfortunate, because I hope if this anime airs for two seasons, the quality of the story will feel even better. But still, this anime is one of my favourites. I really recommend this anime to every idol anime fan or those of you who are just about to watch idol themed anime.

I love music genres and Idoly Pride is very good anime. Slice of life, comedy, music, drama etc. In the anime my favourite character is Nagase Mana. I love her. Art / 9 Story / 9 Sound / 9 Character / 9 Enjoyment / 8 Overall / 9 Sum up, If you like; Slice of life, comedy, music and drama, you have to watch Idoly pride. Believe me, You will not regret. I love Sakura's sound her sound is relaxing me. And when I watching the anime I was very exited. I was wondering what would happen in the next episode. When I was watching the anime I was enjoy.

Idoly pride is as the name suggests an Idol anime and for some reason, we got quite a few this season. It starts off with mana, out of the blue, asking the MC to become her manager and in one fast-paced episode, we see a glimpse of her journey to fame which I don’t want to add more to otherwise it may spoil the first episode. For the rest of the episodes which is some time after we see the MC setting up a new idol group including Mana’s sister Kotono in the hopes of them reaching the same status as Mana. On this journey, The newly formed Idol group competes against various rival groups. It uses the Venus Program to decide which idol group wins where an AI takes into account the popularity, performance, and audience reaction and uses this to rank the idols. Most of the characters are presented as and stay as cliché character tropes throughout most of the show. I can't remember a single member of the rival groups so I can’t make much comment on them but they must have been the same which would justify why I can’t remember them. The only characters getting some development are the two main sisters called Mana and Kotono as well as Sakura who was another member of the group. The art style was good and looked relatively unique (I don’t know enough to make much comment on it) except the CGI dance scenes which I was personally not a fan of but were fluid enough to not make the characters look like robots and to not ruin the performances. The character designs were nice enough to persuade me to look forward to the doujinshi that will come out on them. The first episode hooked me enough to carry on watching it as even if it was not spectacular and even though it made me a bit confused seeing as it was speedrunning her life (which made sense after you see it) it still seemed quite fresh and enjoyable. However, this did not carry on for me as I was left with 10 episodes of mediocre and boring predictable episodes that I could only take so much of and made me start to pay less attention to. Throughout the show, we were gradually introduced to the new members of the group that he was recruiting who as I explained did not interest me and it was even more of a let down that the moe elements did not have enough thought put into them meaning that it didn’t do anything to me. The rest of the series showed their journey as they tried to get to the number 1 spot. During the ten episodes, there are various bits of drama based on various characters' pasts mainly being on the relationship between the two sisters and her regretting what she said which could have had more of an effect had it been less predictable and had I cared more about the characters. I thought the last episode tied up the relationship between mana and the MC a lot better than how the rest of the show was handled so it was a pleasant surprise and made me leave the show not as bored and let down as I was. This is based on what I can remember as there were quite a lot of bits and side characters that made no impressions whatsoever on me that I have completely forgotten. In conclusion, Idoly Pride came across to me as a commercial idol anime to sell its music like BanG Dream and would appeal more to idol anime fans who can endure and perhaps even enjoy, what I thought were, mundane episodes or people that are there just to listen to the good soundtracks. There was nothing inherently bad about it nor the other way round as it was just a predictable series with an undeveloped and uninteresting cast with a few enjoyable moments concentrated mostly at the beginning and the end. It was not a waste of time nor was it something I would ever want to rewatch which was a bit of a letdown as I wanted to like it after following what I think is the official youtube channel for a while. If you are still interested after what I have said watch it otherwise watch the more original and appealing anime in this genre.