I was recently thinking about lead girls in idol anime. Now, I haven't completed every idol anime, but I've seen a good number and I've completed some. And I've made an observation on a certain personality range that idol anime lead girls consistently fall within. Now, it should be noted that I'm talking about
modern idol anime. This doesn't necessarily apply much to pre-Macross Delta Macross shows, or to older idol anime movies (like Perfect Blue). Think "idol anime that aired in the last 6/7 years".
Idol anime lead girls fall on what I like to call the
Orange/
Strawberry continuum. Let me define the two ends of that continuum.
Orange leader type:
- High-to-Very High Energy
- Very Assertive
- Very fun-loving, feels adventurous towards life
- Can be a little pushy and reckless at times
- Optimistic dreamer, can be visionary, somewhat altruistic but puts close friends first
- Leads by example more than intense one-to-one connections with other members
Strawberry leader type:
- Moderate-to-High Energy
- Mildly Assertive, usually. Can be more intense in "Pinch" situations
- Easy-going, kind, fun-loving but borderline on extrovert vs. introvert
- Tries to be optimistic, but very sensitive soul, can take things hard
- Leads mostly by forming intense friendships with other members
There's some similarities here, of course, but I think it shows how idol anime "genki girl" leaders can vary a fair bit on the "genki" part, as well as on their overall leadership style.
Going by this Orange/Strawberry continuum, which idol anime lead girls would you say are "Orange", which would you call "Strawberry", and which would you call a mostly even blending of the two fruits?