Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai

Mahiru Kouzuki, a skilled artist, gives up on her passion after her elementary school classmates ridicule her colorful jellyfish mural. Several years later, upon encountering an unexpected admirer in Kano Yamanouchi—a former idol with a troubled past—Mahiru decides to pursue her childhood dreams once more.

Tasked with designing the mascot for Kano's new music project, JELEE, Mahiru enlists the help of her childhood friend and professional streamer Kiui Watase to make JELEE's first music video. Together with Kim Anouk Mei Takanashi, a pianist and fan of Kano's work as an idol, the girls aim to turn JELEE into a global hit. However, if they want to succeed in this ambitious endeavor, they will first have to free themselves from the shackles of their pasts.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Yamanouchi, Kano Main

Takahashi, Rie Japanese

Watase, Kiui Main

Tomita, Miyu Japanese

Kouzuki, Mahiru Main

Itou, Miku Japanese

Takanashi, Kim Anouk Mei Main

Shimabukuro, Miyuri Japanese

Baba, Shizue Supporting

Uesaka, Sumire Japanese

Honami Supporting

Shiina, Hekiru Japanese

Koharu Supporting

Seto, Asami Japanese

Setou, Mero Supporting

Okasaki, Miho Japanese

Yanagi, Momoko Supporting

Shutou, Yukina Japanese

Hayakawa, Mion Supporting

Anzai, Chika Japanese

Suzuki, Renta Producer

Saitou, Shingo Producer

Takeshita, Ryouhei Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Kimura, Eriko Sound Director

Reviews

Aug 11, 2024

SSJ-SUP3RM4N

Recommended

When looking at the listings before the Spring season this year got underway, this entry likely went beneath the radar of many, especially with many powerhouses like Demon Slayer, MHA, Tensura, Mushoku Tensei, and the galactically-anticipated third season of Konosuba also on tap for the season. Seasonal watchers like myself who don't mind digging amongst the weeds find comfy homes with these types of titles, an original anime from a proven studio and staff with an intriguing VA listing that somehow received little to no hype coming in whatsoever, but I digress. The music genre has enjoyed a resurgence these past few years, and this ... entry seeks to capitalize. Some will recognize Yuki Yaku, the original creator of this series, as the original creator of the Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki novel series, one in which its thoughtful character and scenario writing is a strength. Does this series meet a similar standard with its characters? I'll attempt to answer that and more with this review. Let's begin.

As the synopsis suggests, the main drivers of the story are the four girls it centers around, Mahiru, Kano, Mei, and Kiui, and how they make their mark as a hot new music group on the block. There is a theme shared almost ubiquitously amongst the individual arcs of the four girls as well as the overarching story as a whole. The main theme here, one pretty common in anime, is about overcoming your pre-defined self and becoming the person you envision yourself to be. All 4 girls’ arcs are personifications of this, and those sentiments are also the driving force for all 4 of them to work together as a group. They are all very different people and their versions of their ‘ideal selves’ all exist on very different standards, making for very fresh and interesting interactions. For all 4, their personal growth is well-written and it is not long before finding yourself rooting for them. They are not necessarily equal in terms of realism and relatability, but they are so in being able to resonate with viewers. Overcoming personal struggles, like how they are demonstrated here, is a universal language that everyone can communicate in. Of course, the whole group has conflicts with each other, some of which towards the end are oddly placed, but most of the time viewers will see the four of them against the world. Social media is another important theme, as the group talks about their presence on it a lot, so many of the conflicts actually result in the group going up against the reactions of the Internet.

Though the entire group of four gets more than enough time to shine together, Mahiru and Kano are treated as the leads. Though the show treats Mahiru as the main character, Kano's developments stick out more. As a pair, they are fun, and refreshing in the way that they aren't complete opposites of people that somehow end up getting close, but actually relate to each other on a very foundational level. There was a strange touch of yuri bait between the two that was not necessarily out of place but seemed to lack any true intent. It just seemed like an element that was sprinkled in at the last minute for the sake of fanservice.

That aside, there are two very significant issues with the narrative. Firstly, far too little story progression happens in the middle third, leading to the final phase being a rush and an ending that felt too open. There's a lot of time spent in the middle third with more slice-of-life scenarios, which is not an issue itself. Where it becomes a problem is introducing side characters with no relevance on top of showing scenes that don't tell viewers much about the characters they should be caring about to begin with. In addition, though the aforementioned main theme fits the show, it often feels like the writing sticks to it too closely. At times, there is a lack of dynamism to the narrative where events that should feel consequential do not. Yes, we see the characters grow, but what is not readily apparent is any significantly tangible impact in that regard after the fact. Some of this may be due to the 'social media' aspect where all we see in terms of those story beats is the character's reactions. In a way, the ‘middle third’ issue also plays a hand here, as this problem is most apparent towards the end. The main plot twist, which actually does a good amount of shaking things up, occurs way too late, forcing the rest of the story to play catch-up, resulting in a subpar ending.

With all the faults that come towards the end of the story, the first 2 or 3 episodes are simply magical, with some of the most engaging directing so far this year. Unique camera angles and pans, the creativity of the backdrops, and the night-life vibe of late-night downtown Shibuya all gave the early episodes so much life. The sound design is top-notch in many scenes, and it is about as good as a first impression could get with the music and voice acting. The character introductions are packed with impact. Mahiru and Kano's initial meeting is a tone-setter for the character dynamics and shows that aspect of this anime at its absolute best.

Visually, Doga Kobo deliver here, as they always do. As mentioned previously, the first episode is at a very high level production-wise. In terms of some of the more cinematic elements specific to the direction, none of the following episodes match the first few in terms of those techniques. That said, the base level of quality and color in the design and backdrops stays clean and consistent. The fidelity and detail are very good. Some of the day-time backdrops look a bit dry, but the nighttime backdrops make up for it with their extra brightness and color. The main quartet's character designs are colorful and set a tone of individual contrast between all 4 of them. A nice touch added in also is that recurring side characters have equally colorful and distinct designs, instead of the main 4 sticking out like sore thumbs amongst a sea of generic blacks and blues. The visuals that complement the music videos the group makes are what make those songs stand out. It is often a barrage of whites and blues with sweeping curves and bright sparkles. The little avatar that moves along with the music is a fun spin as well. This is likely down to personal taste, but one or two more songs presented that way would have really elevated things.

Since this is a music anime, it is apparent that care was taken towards the sound design. Rie Takahashi's casting as Kano was another big draw to this anime at the start of the season, and it is easily apparent why from the onset. Not only does she have a unique tone, but also a very strong singing voice. For all 4 girls, the performances are all high-quality. Alongside their designs, the voice performances do a great job in giving each character their distinct identity, making moments they come together all the more intriguing. Miku Itou is the second name that most people will draw to in the listing. She plays Mahiru and while it is a very good performance, it is not anything not seen from her before. She is more or less the straight man of the group so she does not move across her range as much as the other three do. The music the group ends up composing is nothing too extraordinary either, sticking to contemporary J-pop sounds, but it sounded good and as mentioned, Rierin's singing is always a pleasure.

In the end, this could be a truly great one if only there is more focus in the middle third of the story. The effects of the sluggishness of the middle third do not manifest until it is all over, but breaking it down in hindsight reveals that is the root cause of it. Not only is this anime unable to avoid a common anime-original trap of sputtering out in the final phases of story, but it stays a bit too consistent to its themes and does not take many risks until it is far too late. Still, even with those woes of the story, there is still a lot to really like here. Visually, it meets the standard you'd come to expect. The characters are lively and are able to move both independently and as a group. The voice acting is excellent. The incorporation of art and music both in the watching experience and how they are presented alongside the story make for a relatively unique experience. It is well-written in that though the art and music were written by real people, it is easy to get invested in them as products in the universe of the show instead of that of our own. For better and for worse, this anime feels like another wave in the recent wake of ‘cute girls making music’ anime that has started making splashes since the turn of the decade. While it lacks the mainstream appeal of a Bocchi The Rock or the more niche acclaim of a Girls Band Cry, it does enough to stand out on its own. It is not a must-watch, but music anime enjoyers will find a home here. The things that matter the most are what it does best. The music is bops and the girls are cute. For many viewers, there is not too much more to ask for than that.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jul 6, 2024

CaptainKenshiro

Mixed Feelings

After watching two Bang Dream anime and being completely put off by everything about the early episodes of Girls Band Cry and drop it, I tried my luck with the actual title of the girls band/idol-ish subgenre I wanted to watch, which is this. As expected, it is the only one I enjoyed and the only one I thought it was overall decent and worth a watch, but still only so barely.

Despite grouping it into that subgenre, the truth is that the girls here do not actually form a band, but more like an artistic group where just one of the girls writes and sings. ... The others add illustrations, compose the music and make arrangements, and do the video editing and organize the events they take part of, stuff like that. So it is not an anime just about the musical part of a band, but about the whole artistic process that is more and more important nowadays, and I appreciate that approach as somewhat different and fresh.

This series is also topical and covers different themes through its characters, as the artist doubts her abilities because her art is seen as weird or inferior compared to others that makes fan arts of her creations later on.

The singer and co-protagonist of the show was a former idol so through her we can see some shady aspects of the idol industry, such as groups sabotaging others and any possible incident ruining your public image. She’s also full of mommy issues, as a big part of her character arc is how she was used and tossed apart by her mother within the idol industry, and now tries to get back at her while finding her own artistic vision and expression.

The composer has a more typical backdrop of having to live up to the expectations of others and being mocked because of her looks, while feeling like she has nowhere to belong. Changing from playing piano to compose her own themes with her idol she freakily fangirls over could be seen as a form of expression of artistic freedom but it is honestly not looked into that much nor that well. Her kind of perverted and freaky fangirlism over her new friend makes her the less serious and worse character out of the main ones to be honest.

Then there is the editor, who is also a vtuber, so you know there’s another topical thing in there. She’s primarily a tomboy who, like Anon from It’s MyGO!!!!!, came to realize she’s not that special nor cool (from others’ perspective), and was isolated by the rest and mocked by her back by her fake friends. It’s interesting to see how she became a neet that lies about her life and the repercussions that had once that was found out.

Through these characters, and the group becoming an artistic group that gains popularity online, the series also shows online harassment and cyberbullying on social media, so you know that was a good detail to have in there as another addition.

And like I’ve been implying so far, the characters, both as a group and on their own, essentially go through the same character arcs as the ones from the shows I watched before it. Introspecting about their goals, looking for a personal purpose and objective, trying to find a place and group to belong to along with their friends, and as a form of conflict, different artistic visions and clashes between the members for personal reasons later on.

The series also has generally a good pace, as it follows the whole process of the girls while making music and videos, and in turn, they are fleshed out at all times.

I will not call the writing anything amazing however, as it is true that the girls become quite successful quite easily and quite fast, and even when they are harassed and doubt themselves, they don’t have it too hard to face those hardships and controversies and stuff.

Is the themes and character immersion that makes the first half of the show good, more than the actual writing itself, which is still fairly naïve and convenient.

Did I say first half? Is the second half crap and makes the anime not worth watching? Well, not exactly, though it does make it inferior that it could have been.

From episodes 7 to 9 you can notice that the focused is switched to another older idol that has her own struggles, being older and a mother and all. There’s another episode on which the girls are apart doing their own thing and deciding what they want to do with their lives and stuff.

There was still character immersion, so it wasn’t bad, but when you see characters doing things completely different to the main activity of the show, while at the same time introducing another secondary character with just very little screentime, and almost falling into fanservice territory, you can notice that the writing starts to crumble.

Around these episodes, the series decided to have some interactions between the main girls that didn’t mean much to me, but others could see them as romantic. Let me be clear, there’s no development nor payoff to any of them, so it is once again silly yuri bait that would leave you disappointed if you expect something from it.

As episodes 8 and 9 go back to focus on what the show is about, while introducing the main conflict between the main characters, you think that the show is back on track, but unfortunately that is not true at all.

The last three episodes introduce drama, conflicts, cringe and unserious scenes at the most crucial moments of the band, overreactions that are different from the tone thus far, more focus on the vtuber girl with her possible gender dysphoria and not very clear relationship with that woman from episode 6 being barely looked into, more like glossed over, and left ambiguous, and eventually, having a very happy resolution where all the characters that did some very crappy things are forgiven just because and without a proper focus and buildup.

The finale itself isn’t bad, each girl finds what they want to do and everything is resolved, it is just that the last three episodes speedrun through way too much stuff without an organic flow and handling of it to call the resolution good, it’s more like meh.

As for the visuals, I was pleased with them after watching two or three (and a bit of another) anime in CGI, so I liked to see another 2D animated show again. Not that it isn’t anything amazing, as artwork, character designs, motions and effects are all just fine, with perhaps the backgrounds being the best bits. The directing would include several changes in perspectives, as sometimes the girls are filming or watching a video with specific cameras. Also, although it is something present in anime for years by now (Yuru Camp is the first example I can think of this), including phone screens to show the characters talking and going through social media is part of the plot in here, so that was a fine detail.

As for the sound, since there is only one character that sings here, they hired seiyuus this time, so the acting is a lot better than the ones in BanG Dream and Girls Band Cry. No performance stands out that much or is that good, but Rie Takahashi has some of her most unique and most pleasing to hear (thus best as far as performances goes), characters in here, so I wanted to point it out.

The music is just some generic jpop that I don’t like, but is fine for the show and the lyrics reflect the characters well, a pattern that seems to be a part of the subgenre or at least the titles that I’ve been seeing recently. A thing worth pointing out is that the show has four endings, one with two versions, canon songs made by this artistic group, and often the result of all of the work they do throughout the show. So you know, their inclusion is worth mentioning in terms of writing and directing and as part of the plot, and not just as background decorations to end an episode and roll some credits.

Bottom line, I do think that the show is worth a watch, for a one time experience, but more so for being topical, relevant for our times, the themes it includes, and the character immersion. The writing and presentation are otherwise not that good, and the final course of the show is very mediocre if not straight up bad.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Aug 27, 2024

EmanueleIGTX

Not Recommended

I can't understand how they blew it all up.UUA An anime with good animation, a good premise, good characters, but they managed to ruin everything.
A story forcibly pushed toward a fake happy ending. Meaningless character development. Everything is resolved in an awkward way, going to frustrate what happened before. It is not a tender ending or a pleasant ending. it is just a fake ending. I do not recommend it. After the first 6 episodes it is just torture to see how it goes on. I gave 5 as a rating and not 4 or 3 just because the animations are really good. But ... the story would deserve a lower grade. Too bad. Good potential totally wasted.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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