Idoly Pride

[Stark700]

A newly announced mixed-media project from Cyber Agent’s subsidiary QualiArts, entitled “IDOLY PRIDE”, will be receiving a TV anime. It will be produced by studio Lerche.

Source
https://moetron.net/post/18957075948...ect-from-cyber

[Stark700]

Winter 2021 show

https://twitter.com/idolypride/statu...44282467008517

[MisaoFan]

Spoiler for Episode 1:

I don't watch much idol anime but from the gist of it, it looks like Zombieland Saga with a ghost twist on the main heroine. I didn't really expect Kouhei to be a protagonist in this case, but he's kinda bland of a character so far. Mana's character backstory is a bit rushed, they're really skimming over her idol singing scenes and the drama seems weak. The character designs look very polished I guess but animation wise it's mediocre and slow-moving. It didn't help that the intro scene seems to spoil everything beforehand and I don't know if I could continue further, it's not bad but it could have been a lot better. Thinking about it I might give Lapis Re:Lights a try since it was moderately popular before I could go back on watching this. The cast look generic but I will probably pick some of them that are to my liking.

[serenade_beta]

Spoiler for ep1:

Huh... Outside of the ghost, it was pretty generic, for better or for worse. But it wasn't necessarily bad either.
I think it was a good introduction episode to the protagonist, and the fact there is apparently a ghost stalking him is unexpected and funny, though I am not sure how she will be incorporated into the story, unless she ends up just being there for laughs. I mean, there is that black-haired girl that looks like her sister.

And although there was no real dance scene in the episode itself, I guess the animation in the OP? looks good enough. CG didn't really stand-out too badly either.

Not bad, I guess.

[grecefar]

not bad first chapter, is a nice change of pace to see a male manager, I haven't see an idol anime with a male manager since zombieland and idolmaster.

[FlareKnight]

Credit to the show. I didn't expect any twists for this episode, much less a couple of them. It definitely moved along quickly through Mana's career up to...the end of it. Not sure where I expected things to go with her. But I can't say a tragic death was at the top of the list. Was prepared for things to be somber for a while longer...and then she was back again .

Not a bad string of surprises though. I kind of like these two together from what we got in the first episode. And good to know she'll be hanging around in spirit form. Though too bad she's not going to be able to make her own dreams come true. But at least she gets to stick around to watch over things. Besides she did get Kouhei into this career, so kind of proper that she's around to watch over how things go from here.

Will see how this goes.

[Liddo-kun]

episode 1:

I don't watch an idol anime for a guy's backstory, and the entire first episode was spent on that.

one of the quickest drops of the season. And I won't be buying anything from this.

[Stark700]

Kotono's determination is admiring although I think her reason to become an idol is somewhat questionable. I think her character is the type that isn't easy to approach. That other girl, Sakura, is kinda like the opposite of her. She seems much more friendly based on her personality.

The most interesting part I find about the show is the spiritual presence of Mana and Kotono trying to carry on her legacy.

This show also highlights the hardship and environment of the idol world. Not bad tbh. This kinda reminds me of 22/7 from last Winter.

[MisaoFan]

Spoiler for Episode 2:

It's is a little better this time, but the story is moving at a slow pace. All I know about Kotono so far is that she's trying to continue Mana's legacy by becoming a singer just to stand on equal footing with her skills-wise, while Sakura is like a starter-type idol in that she's not trying hard enough despite pursuing her dream of becoming an idol, too. Kohei isn't a bad producer and the show likes to tell itself from its PoV in part. Mana hasn't changed much even after she died and as a living illusion, she's only seen by him through his protagonistic eyes.

There's a bunch of other would-be idols through introductions but the idol cluster has not completed the introductory lineup yet. The show seems pretty serious in tone like Wake Up! Girls trying to deal with the ups and downs of the idol industry but it's not kind of dark in comparison. The Venus Program subplot hasn't been fully explored yet but I'm interested in learning more of it. When the main idol group trained hard enough I'd like to see how they will meet their competitors, the musical library of the series should diversify so that each idol/s showcase(s) her(their) distinct styles.

The fusion-style mansion in which Kohei and the girls will reside looks nice, but it's kind of a pity that Kohei was only given a small room to sleep in, but it's also a perfect place for him to talk to his illusions. We will see how life in the mansion will go on next week.

[grecefar]

I kind of like the kotono part on wanting to become a idol to acomplish her sister dream is noble, the downside is that isn't like kotono own dream to be an idol and she is doing it only for mana's sake. Sakura in the other hand I dislike that she is just there because a feeling, I always disliked that kind of reasoning, is not like she wants to be an idol and she is following her heart just because.

Anyway I'm sure that in the future becoming an idol will be their dream and the thing they love but for now it is what it is.

[Dop]

The second episode kept my attention a lot more than the first episode did, though really I felt in a more realistic scenario Sakura would have either been never allowed into the building or escorted out ASAP once it was found out she didn't have an audition. I don't think they'd just allow random people in.

Kohei being kicked out to the shed was amusing though.

I hope they make more of Ghost Mana in the future though, she seemed underused this time.

[FlareKnight]

I'm just going to presume at this point that Sakura received Mana's heart or something as a transplant. The focus on this girl following her heart, having an attachment to Mana's song, health issues in the past, and going from being bad at singing to suddenly good just seems to be pointing in that direction. It would also create a solid connection between the two main girls of this episode. Kotono trying to fulfill what her sister left unfinished and Sakura almost inheriting her talents.

Nothing too unusual, but Kotono's path also seems pretty straight forward. She loved her sister, but also felt frustrated with Mana's career taking her away. Then she said something stupid before the finals...and of course her sister dies. Thus she's left with guilt, regrets, and even finding out something about how her sister felt. Now she's chasing that dream for her sister's sake more than anything. It's likely only for her own sake to the degree that she feels a need to do this.

[MisaoFan]

Spoiler for Episode 3:

Right now, I'm still not sure on how Mana's attitude will help her would-be idol group be in solidarity, her attitude is pretty strange at the moment but I kind of understand about it, she's peculiar and is quite worried about how she will surpass Mana. Makino told her that being a good idol is more than just singing and dancing, it's also how to bring dynamics within the group together and he's right that he's picking a diverse range of personalities to stand in unity. Each of the girls have their particular quirks, it showed that many of them love idols but are complete beginners when it comes to their skills.

LizNoir shows up in front of these beginners, and in an unexpected moment they started to dance with very fluid moments proving their capacity to them. I think the series would be willing to give enough character development for every heroine, not just Kotono even though it's her story.

[FlareKnight]

I do think Makino needs to actually attempt to seem sane before its too late. Constantly to someone that no one else can detect isn't going smoothly. He's not even doing it in a way that can be considered talking to himself. Of course that's minor compared to visibly looking shocked when someone invisible flies away and actively calling out to them as they do it . I don't care which between him and Mana figure out that this is not going to end well for Makino, but one of them needs to figure that out.

[grecefar]

I feel bad for makino, everybody brush him aside not knowing that he was the secret of mana success, even kotone didn’t know who he was, I know he is ok being just a shadow but still...

[Nachtwandler]

I am still not sure why I am watching this. In general it is a pretty generic IM@S-style idol anime for now. And I am a bit tired of classic idols. But still, something keeps me for now.

Also, hearing the ED song sang in duet by two of my favourite female seiyuus was great.

[MisaoFan]

Spoiler for Episode 4:

While my expectations towards this series are on the fence, I like the fact that tensions are slowly heightening, I felt that it focuses a lot more on Kouhei. Mei being the additional genki moodmaker was nice, and I'm eagerly waiting for Rei to show up later on, her dancing style is great. Sakura's character is growing a bit clearer, I've been doubting that she has a bad heart condition and it is pretty much confirmed that she indeed undergo heart surgery to save her life. Mana is back into the spotlight somehow and it is quite interesting to know that there's more than one character knowing her existence, I would bet that ghosts do exist in this universe the same way zombies do in Zombieland Saga.

While the direction of the story seems predictable as we already know that the girls will grow into better idols, Kouhei telling Sakura to leave shocked me, I knew that something is wrong with him but still.

[grecefar]

I'm looking foward to Rei joining the group.

I'm enjoying the interaction between kotone and makino, I doubt there will be romance but is cool to see the former manager of the big sister taking the job for the little sister now, and kotone always look for him in every chance, I think she is starting to see makino talent and that he too was a piece of mana success and not only the ceo.

sakura leaving the group?, I think is a silly cliffhanger.

[serenade_beta]

Spoiler for final thoughts:

Hmm, that was actually... pretty solid.

I do think they should have spent a tad bit more time on developing why she wanted to make him into a top idol manager though.
Also, having a tie between two groups of the same production clearly would not be so welcomed in the finals like in the final episode, so that was pretty farce.

However, as an idol anime, it was definitely solid, and the presentation of the story was good. The protagonist of the show was more Mana and her manager than the idols, but that itself is fine. In fact, since most of the show is just normal idol stuff, having that as the overall plotline is a good idea to make it stand out a bit.

So yeah, 9/10. Solid. And QP Flapper's character designs are always cute.
I would have actually probably tried the game if it had come out on the Switch.
...Except it turns out to just be another gacha game, so... no.