Director: Tomohiro Furukawa
Screenplay: Tatsuto Higuchi
Relate Solid: Momoyo Koyama as
Karen Aijō; Suzuko Mimori as Hikari Kagura; Aina Aiba as Claudine Saijō; Ayasa
Itō as Kaoruko Hanayagi; Haruki Iwata as Mahiru Tsuyuzaki; Hinata Satō as Junna
Hoshimi; Kenjiro Tsuda because the Giraffe; Maho Tomita as Maya Tendō; Moeka Koizumi
as Nana Daiba; Teru Ikuta as Futaba Isurugi
Considered in Japanese with English Subtitles
[Some Overt Spoilers Throughout]
Essentially the most resplendent
thing coming into reviewing Revue
Starlight the keen series, twelve episodes long, is that this all
originates from a vastly elevated media venture along with a stage play,
one which has spiralled out into an clarify franchise which entails
additional keen movies, video video games and a manga. Right here’s resplendent as,
delightfully, right here’s a case of a franchise which feels very idiosyncratic and
uniquely non-public into itself, no now not up to allowing this tv series to develop
out with its non-public creativity. Absolutely as I will bag into this series, vivid
it has be aware-on work, along with a long world of a good deal of colleges previous the
one we have right here because the predominant environment, it indubitably comes to a testament of how
this series, while very indebted to one figure I will consult with heaps
at some point soon of, works fully as its non-public one-off. A favorable, potent one in
terms of its inventive vogue and utilizing it for emotional drama that feels now not
esteem it’s piece of a media product to sell to an viewers at all nonetheless with
subject matters it desires to advise to mentioned viewers.
To sell the point to, this exists in
the enviornment of Seisho Music Academy, a college for theatrical performers who’re
all trained in dance and performing amongst many skills. The 99th class right here the
central characters training one other efficiency of the titular Revue
Starlight, a play about two goddesses who’re separated in a metaphorical
tragedy trying to contact a superstar. The lead amongst them is Karen Aijō, a girl who
coasts on by handiest to be given a brand unique ardour in her class when her childhood
buddy Hikari Kagura transfers from an academy in London in England, their
childhood promise having been to invent collectively as colossal stars in such shows
Revue Starlight. The point to borders magical realism and surrealism as a metaphor
for their emotional states, following seven a good deal of predominant characters eager, on chronicle of
of a grab in their college that transfers students to an underground
ambiance. Right here’s the attach a secret audition transpires to search out the staunch
actress amongst them dubbed the “Top Huge title”. These are performed in duels,
musical duels with singing, the attach the aim along with your weapon of change is to
grab away a badge hanging a cape off the opponent’s shoulder with whichever change
of weapon you need.
Notably, each person if truth be told one of many lead
characters is female, as Seisho Music Academy is an all-ladies college. The most convenient
male disclose in everything of this point to is the mysterious figure presiding over
the auditions. Talked about figure is a cosmic speaking giraffe, that will perchance perchance moreover give you
extra emphasis that the point to embraces the surreal. It’s now not a shock, and is
a pride, to know that lead director of the series Tomohiro Furukawa labored extensively with Kunihiko Ikuhara, the
figure legendary for helming the likes of Revolutionary
Lady Utena (1997) and initiatives Furukawa
labored on esteem Mawaru Penguindrum (2011).
I will direct old to time, I had staunch now seen that Ikuhara’s impact became as soon as
at some point soon of this point to aesthetically, along with having an idiosyncratic animal mascot
in the giraffe, so studying of the train connection plan a elevated deal. It
says a colossal deal that Furukawa
indubitably labored with the chronicle and historical the impact to their earnings. This
is now not a detraction as, for a media franchise which involves cell cell phone game
tie-ins, letting the director grab this point to into its pop surreal emotionally
charged in discovering became as soon as amongst the most efficient issues in Revue
Starlight’s favour, particularly as from the bag-plug, this program appears to be like and
sounds unheard of, smartly-liked and song, and the ravishing impact is for its
space’s favour as successfully as certain.
Specifically as right here’s a level to
about the drama, the audition duels themselves extensions of the cast’s a good deal of
anxieties and concerns now not handiest in their want to become colossal actresses, or
even after they lose their passions, nonetheless moreover emotionally previous the stage. This
point to doesn’t recoil in either depicting the stress of considering you are now not
valid ample to your work, trying to conquer emotions of weak point. It provides
with the closeness of these characters in friendship and when stress frays it. It
moreover has no qualms in subtext and overt nods to romantic chemistry amongst the
all-female cast either, even coping with an episode entirely about Karen’s
roommate and fellow student Mahiru, who’s explicitly with romantic longings
for her handiest to now play 2d fiddle at the aid of a childhood buddy, or how sleepy
headed Kaoruko and tomboy Futaba’s relationship is insanely end although
merely perceived subtext from a viewer to possess, utilizing on the latter’s
bike with Kaoruko falling asleep in trail, clearly possess a chemistry
previous a friendship.
As the characters’ dramas are the
predominant core of the point to, naturally with each person getting an episode in the centre
of their targets in the duels, fortunately each person looks to be fleshed out. Everybody looks to be
three dimensional. The most efficient in their class, Maya and Claudine, who possess a
competition with Claudine feeling repeatedly 2d, are now not valid villains. Even
curveballs are thrown in as, with spoilers warned forward in this evaluate, the
character I staunch now connected too Nana Daiba, dubbed Bannana-Chan for her
fruit obsession and banana bunch hairdo, even got something out-of-the-blue and
with out warning unlit. That being temporarily grew to become into a tragic villain for her episode
when you realise a groundhog in discovering can transpire with the auditions, in an area to
need for something along with repeating the identical year when you become Top Huge title,
extra tragic as Nana never after that is valid a villain. Some anime, while
mute compelling, would possess had the adorable comedic character discontinuance the abrupt
villian handiest, a success the auditions to defend time mute, nonetheless it’s a testament
to Revue Starlight’s craft that by
the pause of the series, she is valid any individual in dismay of the future and, as one other
character later locations it, is a huge (taller than the others) particular individual that’s yet
secretly susceptible. For a level to that became as soon as clearly, with research, set up of a media
franchise to advertise, it says something about anime in most cases that one series
adaptation, the attach allowed to, can grab dangers and feel extra non-public, even the
adorable comedic character per banana puns all straight away changing into complex
figures. It grew to become a level to the attach each person looks to be as sympathetic as each person else, the attach
with out warning this will quote Hermann Hesse,
the creator of Steppenwolf, at some point soon of the identical point to that has the aforementioned
speaking giraffe.
Even the giraffe sooner or later,
after coming off as a master manipulator, because the auditions possess losers robbed
of their “spark” of efficiency, will get a chuffed conclusion the attach he
sees a efficiency that raptures him. This, to employ smartly mannered language, is a level to
which doesn’t miniature one around with pushing its emotional edge as a ways as it will attain
with the ravishing, nonetheless eager about something in the raze coronary heart warming. Even when
entirely grounded for an episode, much like Karen and Hikari reconnecting after a
series of jaunts across the aquariums across the metropolis, the drama is that to
fancy. When an abrupt betrayal in the final word episodes feels abrupt nonetheless with
which plan, with elevated shock because the point to to the viewer as important for a character
all straight away feel a knife in the coronary heart, nonetheless all of it builds inner miniature or no time
for something meaningful for the final word episode. That, particularly as it ends in
the final episode fully in the supernatural, it ends in a rare non-public
purgatory of setting up stars out of sand to reach stars on wrecking ball chains
that knock you all over yet again, a Fantasy of Sisyphus space per one figure now not
wishing to take hang of the shine off others, or metaphorically as now not wishing to take hang of
away from one other and hurting them by outperforming them.
The point to is now not as idiosyncratic
as Ikuhara’s work, feeling in actuality a
extra accessible in discovering of his storytelling, nonetheless that yet again is now not a base thing,
and a range of its snort for others would mute be available to be blunt about
it. Key ravishing traits from Ikuhara’s
work to advise tales, along with repetition of symbols and literalisation of
meanings, are historical to a huge earnings to flesh out the cast and, in the raze, making
it a success alongside the production quality. It appears to be like unheard of, and as a
point to which is as important about its vogue, it appears to be like certain staunch all the vogue down to
individual pause credits per episode and the character being its centre. For a
point to as successfully the attach the audition fights possess musical numbers, based fully fully doubtless as
important from Takarazuka Revue, an all-female Japanese musical theatrical troupe that
started in the 1910s, the musical numbers sung by the cast inner them are as
successfully various and as valid, all obviously with lyrics fitting the topic matter of the
emotional drama. That the point to itself as a important a critique of tips of such
groups, the pressures of this form of standing practicing and wanting to be the most efficient,
intertwines with the spark of vitality from such groups’ influences too.
To advise extra would damage the point to
when it’s extra engaging to know that the series has extra story in its
entire, previous these twelve episodes. Talked about already, Revue Starlight the series is a very fleshed out point to in itself. It
fully captivated me at some point soon of its dimension, and with vivid miniature
beforehand, it became as soon as a pleasure to possess encountered.
