It’s time to step up to the stage once again!
What They Say:
Being a singer in a famous group isn’t the easiest life, as preparing for competitions, creating new music, and performing on stage takes up much of their time. Despite the endless cycle of travel, rehearsals, and occasionally getting to sleep, however, the members of SOARA, Growth, SolidS, and QUELL all still find a myriad of other things taking up their day.
Helping friends and family, and giving advice to fellow performers are daily occurrences, but then there are more special opportunities like appearing on reality shows and TV dramas and even studying Flower Arrangement. Sometimes things get even wilder and stranger, like chasing down supernatural mysteries and experiencing feudal times! But while they do work hard, if they’re working with their bandmates or playing for their fans, it’s the greatest job ever!
The Review:
Audio:
The audio presentation for this release brings us the original Japanese language track done up in stereo using the DTS-HD MA lossless codec. The show is one that’s pretty much a slice-of-life piece that has some moments where it does boost things up a bit with the music. This is a familiar kind of show in that regard as we’ve seen several so you know that the music is where the audio really gets to shine more. The music has a good bit of warmth to it and fills the forward soundstage very well while the dialogue side is clean and clear throughout with some good placement at times and a solid handling of the quieter parts of the show as well. It’s a good mix that handles the intent of the show well and is problem-free during regular playback.
Video:
Originally airing in 2021, the transfer for this TV series is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in 1080p using the AVC codec. The thirteen episodes for this season are spread across two discs with nine on the first and four on the second. Animated by Children’s Playground Entertainment for this second season, the show has a really good look about it with a lot of warmth to the backgrounds, strong character designs that aren’t too overdone, and some fluid animation in the higher-motion sequences. The way the big song and dance numbers are captured and animated work well for this kind of project and have been a staple for a good bit so this isn’t something that bothers me and even gives it that extra flair overall. The encoding captures the color design for it very well with a solid look throughout as it avoids blocking or cross-coloration. The animation for this goes a bit more high-end than some other shows in this genre and the result is a very appealing-looking show with a really strong encoding to bring the detail of it to life.
Packaging:
The packaging for this release brings us a standard-sized Blu-ray case with both discs against the walls that are easy to pop off of. The front cover makes it clear that there are a lot of characters in the show. Or rather, there are a lot of guys in the show. Attractive guys. Hot guys. And it’s nicely laid out here as we basically stack them in rows so that you can see the variety, the costume design, and the general tone for each through their expressions. It’s a solid piece that works well while placing the stage setting behind them for some additional color. The clean logo along the bottom works well too though I wish it said that it was the first season somewhere, though I imagine that can have mixed reactions. The back cover goes for some interesting color design overall with a kind of angled fractured look that works to showcase some good-sized shots from the show. We get a solid summary of what to expect that’s mostly against a white background that makes it easy to read. The episode count is clearly listed as are the extras while the bottom rounds things out with a simple production credits block and an easy-to-read and accurate technical grid. No show-related inserts are included with this release nor is there a reversible cover.
Menu:
The menu design for this release keeps things simple but has some nice style to it – and draws you in quickly with some upbeat and catchy music. The design is fairly standard with most of the screen given over to some nicely detailed illustration-style pieces with good color – but it doesn’t go with a huge cast but rather just a couple of characters. The background works like the back of the cover in that fractured color design so that you get some variety to it that adds interest. The navigation block is done in black with some nice framing to it and the episodes are listed in white by number and title. I do like the kind of fat font used for the numbers that remind me of the 80s in a way. The navigation works well and the submenus load quickly when needed for the extras that are on the second disc. The menu is a quick load as a pop-up menu as well which makes for quick if largely minimal use if you’re episode-hopping.
Extras:
The only extras included with this release are the clean versions of the opening and closing sequences.
The Tsukipro project is one that really has a strong and dedicated following but I’m not sure that they’re as big on the anime side as they are the music and merch itself. The first season, which debuted in 2016, saw streaming through Crunchyroll but it was Sentai who a few years later in 2020 picked up the home video rights along with streaming rights for the second series that we have here. The project actually began back in 2012 as part of a collaboration between several artists and over time it has grown significantly with a number of stage plays, a slew of manga, lots and lots of concerts, and, of course, merch. The anime side of it had quite a gap between seasons, made worse by COVID-19, but I’m still in that place where I know this just isn’t for me.
I’ve seen several shows of this nature over the years and I do find them interesting and curious in a lot of ways, but like anything that you see a lot of over time, you see the structure more than anything else and hope the trappings can elevate it. There’s a lot to like with the visual design but the advantages that the show has are also its weaknesses. The expansive cast means we get a lot of great designs in character and their costuming, as well as performances, but in having so many characters it turns most of the episodes into vignettes almost. There’s plenty of music in each as each group gets to shine, going through performances and the like, and it also delves into some character material. Flashbacks to how some of them met, struggles on their journey, and things in the present that they’re contending with as well. But because of the sheer number of characters across multiple groups and the need to make sure that the fans for each group are satisfied, it doesn’t have a lot of strong story narratives here.
That’s not to say it isn’t enjoyable, however. Each of the groups and the exploration of the characters with what makes them tick definitely delivers. Though that’s admittedly more for the strong fans that really connect with this show than me. I can appreciate it but I can also see the kind of strong fan devotion that you get with particular groups, just as you do see with fans and their favorites out of Japan and South Korea. So the show operates in that sense so that there’s plenty of time for everyone and they get their moments in the spotlight which all leads towards the big concert festival event in the thirteenth and final episode of the season. It’s filled with a lot of good stuff along the way but it definitely blurs. Even looking back at my notes for the show while watching it I felt like there wasn’t much to really jot down because so much of it is just small character material in the moment because there isn’t really a narrative here to follow.
In Summary:
I have a really weird relationship with these kinds of shows as a lot of them just don’t click for me personally. The last one that I enjoyed in terms of what it truly did with characters and storytelling was the original season of Uta no Prince-sama. But even then that show really is just working a familiar concept and design about it. This one plays to a fun battle of the bands kind of thing but really digs into the various groups and their stories an episode at a time. It’s the kind of thing that will really deliver for fans who are into this because you do get to know the characters well, their story, and a good bit of music that supports the whole CD and merch track. And I love that it has such a strong following that are as into it as they are. Sentai’s release puts together a great-looking and sounding set that delivers exactly what the fans want to have on their shelf so they can watch it anytime.
Features:
Japanese 2.0 DTS-HD MA Language, English Subtitles, Clean Opening, Clean Closing
Content Grade: B-
Audio Grade: B+
Video Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: B
Menu Grade: B
Extras Grade: B-
Released By: Sentai Filmworks
Release Date: October 25th, 2022
MSRP: $59.98
Running Time: 325 Minutes
Video Encoding: 1080p AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Sony PlayStation3 Blu-ray player via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
