D4DJ First Mix

Having lived abroad in Africa for most of her life, Rinku Aimoto is now returning to Japan to attend Yoba Academy, a school where DJ units—groups made up of DJs, vocalists, and dancers—are extremely popular. There, she meets Maho Akashi, an aspiring DJ who teaches Rinku the basics of DJing. The girls attend a performance by Yoba's famous DJ unit Peaky P-key, and struck by inspiration, they decide to form a unit of their own.

Rinku and Maho soon recruit Muni Oonaruto, a talented artist and Rinku's childhood friend, as well as Rei Togetsu, a shy and caring pianist. Newly named Happy Around, the group aims to use the budding friendships and combined talents of its members to become one of the top DJ units in the country.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Aimoto, Rinku Main

Nishio, Yuuka Japanese

Oonaruto, Muni Main

Mimura, Haruka Japanese

Akashi, Maho Main

Kagami, Karin Japanese

Togetsu, Rei Main

Shizaki, Kanon Japanese

Yamate, Kyouko Supporting

Aimi Japanese

Izumo, Saki Supporting

Tsumugi, Risa Japanese

Inuyose, Shinobu Supporting

Takagi, Miyu Japanese

Miyake, Aoi Supporting

Tsunko Japanese

Aoyagi, Tsubaki Supporting

Katou, Rihona Japanese

Fukushima, Noa Supporting

Satou, Hinata Japanese

Matsuura, Hiroaki Producer

Mizushima, Seiji Director

Nagasaki, Yukio Sound Director

Umetsu, Tomomi Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Dec 12, 2022

iNDiGOxNOiSE

Recommended

To kinda keep some of my biases separate, this review is split into two parts. The first being my thoughts on the show as a show (the standard “review”, if you will). The second is my own personal thoughts, as someone who actively works with touring DJs in the EDM scene, on everything related to DJing, like what I think they did right/wrong, as well as what I would’ve liked to have seen.

Okay, to start off with how this show is as a show. I went in not expecting too much at all, pretty much thinking that this would just be another “Love Live!” style ... of show, but not as good. My heart sank a bit further when I found out it was a 3D animated series (althought I liked the first season of Beastars, so I had some hope). I wasn’t expecting myself to enjoy it to the extent that I did. To begin, the animation allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief. The 3D animation was actually really charming. Sure, it might have been a little jarring at first, but it grew on me pretty quickly. It helps that a lot of animation techniques for 2D animation were used when animating the 3D models (kind of like how “Into the Spider-Verse” manages to make it work). There were a few assets and characters that were traditional, 2D animated, but they worked nearly seamlessly and didn’t pull me out of the show at all (unlike the second season of Beastars, which had its 2D characters stand out a bit too much, in my opinion). Next, I want to say that the characters were fun. They certainly weren’t the most interesting characters ever conceived, but they played their parts well and did leave an imprint on me. There are many upbeat characters out there like Rinku, and many slightly awkward, posh characters like Rei, but not all of them work together as coherently as they do here. Lastly, the story itself is nothing super noteworthy. It’s just Love Live!, but DJing. That’s pretty much it.

Okay, now to talk about the more personal biases I have. So, I work in the EDM scene professionally, and get to spend a lot of my time with touring DJs. Before I rip into this show a bit, I will say that there are a bunch of things they do get right about the whole thing! It was nice to see some basic explanations to what a DJ (and VJ) does, was cool to see varying subgenres of EDM used, and it was cool to see legitimate controllers being used. That’s kinda where it ends for me though. On the opposite end, I found it really weird to only have this weird concept of “DJ units”. Yes, groups exist, but I have never seen a group function as they do in this show. Typically, the VJ is never on stage, they work from a booth that’s usually somewhere behind the crowd, so that they’re able to actually see the stage. They also aren’t usually apart of the named musical group. You have a few exceptions like “DROELOE” prior to their split, but that’s still incredibly rare. Another thing you don’t really see is vocalists being a main staple of the group. Of course they exist, you have artists like “Koven” and even artists that are primarily/exclusively vocalists like “HALIENE”, but again it’s extremely rare, not to mention that they usually also are DJing alongside their partner(s). The last thing that really bothered me was their concept of a “remix”. They just kinda defined it as a song that uses the same melody but a different rhythm. It’s not exactly wrong, but it’s a far cry from a solid definition. They could have explained more about what a remix actually is, which brings me to what I wish they would’ve done in this show. I really wish they took some more time to explain some stuff a bit deeper, as well as introduce some of the concepts they missed. They barely explain remixes, don’t really touch the concept of music production or DAWs at all (which is like what half the show is, but they never address it), they never once mention any different subgenres by name, and they didn’t even go more into detail about DJing itself! There was a small crash course in the first episode, but it left out SO much. At least give us that, since it’s in the name of the show! Seeing more of these things would’ve been wonderful. Despite all that though, I’m still quite happy with this show! It was so cool for me to see representation of this thing that I love in this medium. It may have been a been uneducated, but it’s showing people that DJs don’t just pull up a playlist and stand there (which an unfortunate amount of people genuinely believe is how it works).

TL;DR - Good show overall. Some inaccuracies and plenty of missed information, but good to see DJing represented in another medium! :)

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Apr 2, 2022

NikoNikoNiiLover

Recommended

Bushiroad is a well-known company among most anime fans, as they are responsible for a decent bulk of music-based anime and rhythm games, some of which include Love Live, BanG Dream, and Project Sekai. Their most recent project is D4DJ, a music-based rhythm game revolving around six four piece DJ units, each with their own unique story and style. Since most of their past projects have gotten anime adaptations, D4DJ was no exception. And after getting hooked on the D4DJ mobile game (I have a rhythm game addiction, don't bully me), I decided to watch the anime (although I was just a little bit late ... to the party).

D4DJ: First Mix is one of the exact reasons why Bushiroad is the dominator of rhythm games and their related anime. Complete with a heartwarming story and extremely likeable characters, this anime is anything but your average idol story. In a mere 13 episodes, each character is fully fleshed out and developed, and the story never feels the slightest bit forced.

One of my doubts upon starting this anime was how well the characters would be developed. While I did enjoy the previous BanG Dream anime, I found that quite a few characters were significantly more developed than others. This is likely because of the attempt to introduce five different bands at once. With six different units, I was more than a little worried.

Thankfully, only three of the groups from the game are included in this anime: Happy Around, Peaky P-Key and Photon Maiden. The other three groups were only given small cameos or background appearances, and while fans of said groups may complain, I would argue that this made the anime even better. The writers didn't attempt to shove a cast of twenty characters down our throat at once and make us immediately love them all. They instead took their time with the introductions so that we could love and appreciate all of them.

I also found all of the characters extremely likeable. There wasn't a single one I disliked. Upon starting the mobile game, I admit, I found Happy Around somewhat boring compared to the other more unique units. However, in the anime, they somehow skyrocketed up to being my favorite unit out of all six. Rinku's bubbly and easygoing and has this innocent aura surrounding her that always makes me smile. Maho is cool-headed and confident with plenty of knowledge about music, and I got to learn quite a few of the basics of trackmaking from her. Muni's adorable and reminds me of Niko Yazawa, one of my all-time favorite characters from anime, except she's more realistic and human (it appears she may be challenging Niko for first-place in my anime character rankings). And Rei is shy, sweet and talented with a beautifully angelic voice. She really reminds me of myself, as we're both shy and anxious, but also love music.

One of my favorite things from the anime is undoubtedly the friendships between the girls. They all fit so well together and I found myself smiling every time they were on screen together. Some of them even branched out and made friends with the girls from other units, like Rinku and Towa and Maho and Shinobu. I particularly loved the friendship between Rinku and Muni. It reminded me of how much I miss my old friends from grade school, and episode twelve was such a real episode for me. When the two of them fight about things in the past, it just felt so...real. I really don't know how to describe it. It just really touched me.

Some people may complain about the animation over anything else, as the anime is animated fully in CGI. This may annoy a lot of people who prefer classic animation, but if anything, I think the CGI just enhanced the anime and the story even further. The expressions and movements of the characters looked much more fluid than they would have if the animators had used classic animation, and it also helped the characters look more expressive. The little details and changes in the animation depending on the respective character was also impressive. I loved how when Rinku was invited on-stage to perform with Peaky P-Key, her dancing was more energetic. I loved how at the very end, when all three of the units performed together, Towa was the only one who knew Happy Around's choreography. It's the little details that help the story flow more smoothly.

Since it is a music anime, I should also say a thing or two about the sound. And I personally thought the music was outstanding. There was not a single song I disliked. I am a huge fan of electronic music, and the ability of the producers to fuse electronic music and idol pop was incredibly impressive. Every song sounded unique and fit the feel of each unit perfectly.

In the end, D4DJ: First Mix was nearly perfect. The only criticism I really have is that while some characters were animated in CGI, others were animated with classic animation. It just felt really lazy to give some characters CGI animated models and to just use classic animation on the side characters. It also looked very out of place...almost jarring. Other than that, the anime was absolutely amazing. I hope to see a second season in the future so I can learn about the other three units and their stories.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Mar 1, 2021

TheCoolCore

Not Recommended

Preliminary (8/13 eps)

I usually tend to not write reviews, because I find it a waste of time. Time that's finite in this life, so I'd rather waste it doing something else. Usually, I find one or two reviews that reflect or are close to my opinion on a series, so I up-vote it and move on. But with this series, there is not a single review below a 7 seriously mates...

The series is over, but I'll try my best not to spoil it too hard, I still advise you to watch it first. Henceforth you're reading at your own peril. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

I'm going to ... start with the visual aspect first. Typical SANZIGEN it's 3D, which I have mixed fillings about (the 3D that is). Usually, the visual quality isn't something I care for. I'm of the belief that a good premise, well written characters, or a strong story direction are more important than visual quality. Of course, there are times that the visuals are a part of the viewing experience and in those cases, it should be taken into consideration. The backgrounds are pretty drab, with heavy digital compositing, but this is a SoL so drab comes with the territory nowadays. The character designs I'm not a fan of, they feel robotic almost mannequinlike, with their plastic movement when dancing. That causes me to cringe pretty hard at times. Might I mention the screen shake during performances too?

Okay let's talk about the sound, as this is a music-based series, this is an important aspect. Let's start with the BGM (outside of performances), nothing remarkable, typical for SoL 'elevator music'. On to the voice talent (VA, Seiyuu whatever you want to call them), VAs outside of the music performances are okay, they fit the characters fine, though it's important to note that I don't care about VAs at all. I accept that baseline voice acting is at least at a 6/10 almost always and is notable only when the character is synonymous with the voice performance. I talked a lot about other stuff but you are probably wondering how are the musical performances. Well, that all depends on your taste and preferences in music. At the time of writing, I've seen a bit over half of the series, the songs so far consist of some heavy auto-tune, electro-dance, techno, and dubstep. I don't like any sort of club style music, meaning I didn't really enjoy the musical performances. Fun fact Maho Akashi's VA Karin Kagami plays in the dub as well... for a jap it's okay I guess, though if I were to judge her in terms of dub performance it's quite terrible.

I'll discuss the story and characters together because there really isn't much to talk about. There isn't any story here, it just has a basic setting, and that is fine in a SoL series such as this. But in that case, one would be led to believe that the characters are good. What do I mean by good you may ask? Well written, well-realized, have fun personalities, have chemistry. Any of this in some sort of combo is what I would like to see, after all, SoL lives and dies by its characters. The characters here surmount to nothing but a paper-thin sack of tropes. They lack backstories, personalities, quirks... We have loud and hyper, cool and mature, shy and narcissistic, rich and stoic. That's all, feels like they took quite a bit of inspiration from K-On. There is very little drama, no conflict, no challenges to be overcome. Everything is always hunky-dory and smooth, by the end of an episode.

Hopefully, by now I've justified my opinion to you, and maybe you might see my side of things. My intentions are only to tell others of a similar mindset to not waste their time here. This is an unoriginal anime, with uninteresting cardboard cutouts, stiff 3D dancing, and bad music. Though I'll admit I'm biased. I love SoL quite a bit and this series fell off a cliff for me. The pace is quite fast which is counterintuitive of SoL. And with that I leave you with a; thank you. Cheers!

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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'D4DJ' TV Anime Gets Second Season for Winter 2023

The official website of the D4DJ franchise announced on Friday that the television anime series will receive a second season titled D4DJ: All Mix. All six units wil...read more

Apr 8, 2022 9:10 AM by DatRandomDude | Discuss (18 comments)

'D4DJ: First Mix' Gets Anime Special in Summer 2022

The Merm4id 3rd Live S.T.O.P.ING concert announced a special episode for the D4DJ: First Mix anime series on Sunday. Titled D4DJ: Double Mix, the special will air i...read more

Mar 13, 2022 9:55 PM by DatRandomDude | Discuss (3 comments)

	Poll: D4DJ: First Mix Episode 5 Discussion Ellenwitch - Nov 27, 2020	25 replies	by IzunaHotaru »» Aug 9, 11:39 PM
	Poll: D4DJ: First Mix Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) NeoAnkara - Oct 22, 2020	81 replies	by IzunaHotaru »» Aug 9, 11:37 PM
	Poll: favorite member of Happy Around so far NG_Chloe - Dec 5, 2020	13 replies	by IzunaHotaru »» Aug 9, 11:32 PM
	psa: now available on Youtube for a limited time! DreamingBeats - May 26	2 replies	by awhole7dollars »» May 31, 7:34 AM
	Poll: D4DJ: First Mix Episode 12 Discussion yvsei - Jan 22, 2021	47 replies	by Foreall908 »» Jan 10, 11:49 PM

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