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Jan 17, 2021 9:05 AM
#1

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Jan 2014
1325
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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After the build up from last week, we're finally getting to know some of the members of the Idol group, one of which being the sister of Mana, both them I really do like, and do seem like sweet characters in their own right, and it was quite a cute episode. Though not sure about the other members later, but I suppose we'll get to know them as well go along.
Jan 17, 2021 9:07 AM
#2

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Jul 2017
14581
The start of the gathering of idols for Hoshimi Productions, and one of the few: Kotono Nagase steps in (while the ghost Mana herself retreats). What is truly going on between these two...other than surpassing goal projections of the former.

In comes an airhead (Sakura Kawasaki) with a voice like Mana's, and what can I say, it's truly feeling like the former. Well whatever, worth a start anyways under the same manager Makino.

Jealousy and quality time riles between sisters Mana and Kotono, and as much as Mana's business is unfinished due to her sudden death, Kotono bears the responsibility to finish what her older sister started.

Makino trying to pave the new idols the same way that Mana reeled him in, at least that's a structure they can get by to prepare them for the VENUS ranking. Along with other members, I'd foresee this to be yet another 22/7 or iDOLM@STER style show that could grow as the series expands.
Jan 17, 2021 9:15 AM
#3
Shalltear

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Apr 2018
34245
So they replaced the main girl with her sister who looks exactly the same...? xD
And seems like there will be a lot of Idol girls, obviously, the manager can't stay in the same dorm
Jan 17, 2021 9:28 AM
#4

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Apr 2014
3419
Having a cute ghost girl which you can only see and stay in the same dorm with a lot of idols? Our manager is so lucky even he needs to move to stay in the little shed.
Kotono and Sakura characteristic is kind of the opposite, but I think they will get along and be a great duo. Stay in the same room might help them to develop their relationship.
何それ?意味分かんない
Jan 17, 2021 9:31 AM
#5

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Jul 2017
726
So we are getting Mana's blood sister in the group, and she sings just as well. That's actually great. And also we got some of the great 21:9 flashback scene; about Mana and Kotono, having a sibling that's greater than you surely is irritating, but yeah it feels really hurt to lost them that early, since we knew they still got a dream they'd probably achieve if they keep being alive.

Great performance by Kotono and Sakura. Sakura's singing turns out to be coincidentally similar to Mana, and combined by Kotono that looks exactly like Mana, they reminded people by how good their beloved idol Mana was.

Lmao he got kicked right there, the girls want to do girl things in the house okay. But now that he is alone, he can easily talk to Ghost Mana as he pleases without ppl looking at him weird XD.
Jan 17, 2021 9:52 AM
#6
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Jan 2021
44
This episode definitely felt better than the first one, I'm really enjoying this show so far.

The songs were really good this episode, a good OP and ED as well. I really like the characters so far, and I can kind of see where the plot may head in regards to Mana being a ghost and all. I'm looking forwards to future episodes for sure though.
Jan 17, 2021 10:27 AM
#7

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Sep 2019
2971
Shizuku is the best girl and there isn't even a competition. The girls were really cute, their voices was good as well. I still hate the plot.
Jan 17, 2021 10:28 AM
#8

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Feb 2019
9176
Man I’m loving this show so far. I enjoy the dark vibe. Reminds me of 22/7. I like how we got to see things from Kotono’s perspective. I wonder what it is she said to her sister the last time she saw her, I feel like it was something to the effect of “if you weren’t here”.

Thinking we’re going to get a pretty sad ending with Mana probably disappearing after some grand finale.

I’m also speculating the reason sakura sounds like Mana is because she got an organ from her after her death.

Looking forward to getting to know the other girls in the coming weeks.
Jan 17, 2021 10:32 AM
#9
Shingster

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Jun 2015
4357
Looks like our first new girls are Kotono and Sakura. To think that Mana's sister would end up pursuing the same dream. Nice opening though that matched well with the visuals. Sakura's vocals though were pretty impressive. So both Sakura and Kotono made it through then nice. Looks like the relationship between Kotono and Mana got a bit frosty due to Mana's job. The insight into Kotono's relationship with Mana though was interesting. Being adaptable is also part of being an entertainer as well. The rest of the group look to be some pretty interesting characters as well based on their intros. Overall an interesting ep that did an excellent job at introducing the characters of Kotono and Sakura and expanding upon the former as well. Curious at seeing how they and the existing members of the group will fare in the coming episodes.
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Jan 17, 2021 10:41 AM

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Dec 2014
7045
I'm liking this a lot. Good episode.

All the girls seems great, took a liking to Kotono and Sakura already and I think I'll like the rest of them too.

Curious to see how the plot will develop though.
Jan 17, 2021 10:41 AM

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Mar 2019
1109
Alright we have the second episode now and we get to know more about Mana, Kotono and their past.

Let's talk about the most positive thing in the anime first: the songs. They are top tier idol songs. Not quite on the level as LL but a level higher than KiRaRe from Re:Stage, Franchouchou from Zombieland Sage or probably at the same level as the girls from 765 productions. Somehow their music reminds me of LIGHTs from Lapis Relights. That's my impression so far as someone who loves idol and watched quite a lot idol shows. Anyway their music is fantastic no doubt.

The second big positive thing is the animation. Just look how cute and beautiful everything is, it's simply wonderful.

The plot is definitely the biggest disappointment here (If I had to say sth in that plot direction quickly, only Idol Jihen would be worse off the plot in compare. That was the biggest mistake ever making such a plot and wasting their music on it. Ok back to topic.). The guy is kind and he is doing his best but somehow he feels at the wrong place...and I am not sure about ghost Mana...it makes the plot much more complicated which it needn't to...
Jan 17, 2021 11:11 AM

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5396
I kind of feared that this would happen, that the show would quickly drift to cliche territory and not really do anything meaningful with the ghost thing. Kotono's desire to basically be an exact clone of her sister is one of my absolute least favourite character motivations in general, let alone in this type of show, so I can't see myself managing to endure her as the central idol. On the other hand, Kawasaki is the typical "carefree but talented" archetype, which at least provides an interesting counter to Kotono, but again there's the comparison to Mana.

Ultimately, while the first episode's Anohana-esque twist intrigued me, this just bored me so I'll be dropping this I suppose.
Jan 17, 2021 12:31 PM

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May 2018
5914
Not bad, but I don't want to see and hear Mana copycats lol. We need something that makes the main idol duo more unique
Jan 17, 2021 2:12 PM

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Apr 2019
1295
hmmm, getting mixed feelings from this anime. Why does that girl have the exact same voice as Mana???? Also can Makino stop hallucinating..

Jan 17, 2021 3:17 PM
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Jul 2018
564127
little sister is kinda annoying tbh and kinda strange that the other girl has manas voice, also mc needs to get some schizophrenia meds lol
Jan 17, 2021 3:21 PM
🦆👑

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Jan 2020
66666
I thought this was really enjoyable. So far the characters have been entertaining and I'm excited for more



Jan 17, 2021 4:41 PM

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Sep 2009
2996
So far it reminds me a lot of the original IM@S anime, whuich is a good thing. And seiyuu cast is not as god damn awful as in 22/7.

So I'll give it a try despite being tired of idol anime.
Jan 18, 2021 4:23 AM
#FreeWatermelon

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Feb 2020
9242
Second episode in, i just like the girls reaction toward Makino at their dormitory. That's a good reaction that erase what i thought before. You know?

Anyway, the little sister looked pretty determined to resembling her sister path of lifes as being an idol. The redemption route was real, its a fuckin regret. Thats such an unfortunate, indeed, and i may think that Kotono needed it as a power to survived against the harsh situations at the idol industry. But, was that good enough?

Gladly, the agency, and Kotono herself found a cute girl with a maginificent vocal, just like Kotono's older sister that ironically turned into a ghost: Mana. That's surely surprised them all. However, its a fate that united them at one roof. The fate that proved them to be pride as an idol. The duo proved to be powerful. The field training became a good way to proceed their bonds, and soon to formed another great bond with the other members?

Who else? Two sisters with faces that almost resembled, like Mana and Kotono. The high class-look-alike girl. Whats her reason to be the idol, and joined them? And one petite girl that looked pretty simple looking and quitely mysterious. What kind of daily routines they had there? 4 more members, tho. The next will be compacted again, i guess. So, yeah, lets see next!
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Jan 18, 2021 5:41 AM
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Jan 2021
3
It's going to come out that Kotono said something awful to her sister before she died. And feels guilty for being selfish and that's why she wants to be an idol. Kotono tells Mana her job as an idol is becoming a nuisance to her, then something is said in silence that has yet to be revealed. Just a hunch on my part. o_0
Jan 18, 2021 6:24 PM

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Oct 2008
13713
i know she hasn't been introduced but there is a glimpse of her watching Kotono singing near the train station...Ibuki Nagisa is my fave!
4/5.


Jan 18, 2021 11:50 PM

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Jul 2020
66
Kinda weird that Sakura just magically became able to sing one day, hopefully there would be some kind of explanation later, but otherwise I'm actually liking this quite a bit.
Jan 19, 2021 8:19 AM

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Jul 2015
5111
Episode 2 is here! Really enjoyed the first interactions between Kotono and Sakura, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself but to me it looked that after a rough start between them (understandable after Sakura just casually entered there and wanted to join the audition cuz she felt like it lmao), both already looked in good terms with the other.

We also got a drama point for both characters, for Sakura seems to be a possible health condition, and for Kotono the words she last said to Mana and the diary she found later, looking forward to some painful moments later in the series q_q

"The stage is not something that is provided, wherever you sing becomes the stage". I loved this quote and what a great way to get them to sing there.

Episode ended with the main duo joining the house they will live with the other members... poor Kouhei was too innocent and didn't expect the girls' backslash about him living with them. At least now he has a separated place to be with Mana I guess lmao.

Can't wait to see what happens next week!
Jan 19, 2021 9:54 PM
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Nov 2020
27
Now it becomes watchable for me tho I still don't like the ghost thing idea.
Jan 20, 2021 6:53 AM

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Jun 2016
2063
not too bad , also the animation is damnn gooodddd !!!
Jan 20, 2021 11:00 PM

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Sep 2020
179
Yosh! It's Mana's imouto to win the Venus cup now!
We got to see the rest of the members and we also got to know what made Mana's imouto to become an idol!
Can't wait for the next episode!
Jan 20, 2021 11:02 PM

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Oct 2018
412
And thus, our journey begins! Kawasaki Sakura sounded a lot like Mana! Although the VA of Mana and Sakura are not the same! But looks interesting for me! I'm looking forward for Kotono and Sakura as they venture to become idols! XD

Ouch, that really is painful to see the flashback of Mana and Kotono before Mana's death! But I wonder what was the part where her voice was silenced, probably a death wish or something!

Now that they move to where many members are, I can't wait to see how it goes in the future! XD
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Jan 22, 2021 10:12 AM

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I surprise that Kotono was Mana Little Sister that I see a glimpse of her scene from previous episode. This episode The Reason Kotono want to be a Idol because Regrets hate Mana as Idol that happens same day her died and that Regrets that make her want to be a Idol.
I wonder what Kotono saying to Mana that make her Regrets and What in the Mana Diary that make her cry.

It's kinda weird for me that Sakura not only her Voice is like Mana, but her Passion and Purpose to become Idol like Mana too. Furthermore Sakura have some Health Issue that still Don't know to us I have a Bad Feeling that gonna have some Big Twist that revolve about Sakura Health. I hope we can learn more about her in future episode.

That Performance at front of station was Great both for Their Singing and Growth of their Relationship. Thanks to Kouhei and Mana that Scene Happening.

We meet Other Girls too this episode, Hope can running smoothly.

LOL, Kouhei still Innocent. He didn't recognize what he saying is making Girls uncomfortable, He must live in warehouse. Look at Positive Side Kouhei can talk to Mana without getting distracted and look weird by Girls.

Great Start for Our Idols, Hope We can see some Deep Relationship and Maybe Plot Twist in Future Episode.


Jan 23, 2021 6:01 PM

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Mar 2014
901
the girl woke up and then popped! she's able to sing just like Mana?! that must be Mana's supernatural power distributed to her.
and wow this ep is actually so touchy, seeing new gem to achieve things undone from the old gem
ButtSlapperJan 23, 2021 6:13 PM
Jan 26, 2021 6:07 AM

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Oct 2017
26570
So Sakura has same singing voice as Mana which she got one day after she woke up. I'm guessing it was the day Mana died and Mana's singing talents were passed to her or something.

Also we finally meet the other girls and as expected most of them have new seiyuus thou I knew I recognised Chisa's voice from somewhere. So it was Hina and Aku's seiyuu huh.
Feb 7, 2021 2:28 PM

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Nov 2013
3157
after how much i was enjoying the 1st episode, the death part made me seriously want to drop, so i came to episode 2 expecting to drop before the end of the episode... but i guess not lol

episode was actually kinda fun to watch, there's a bunch of cute girls, let's see how this goes

and lol at the end, the guy wanted to sleep near the girls :v
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Feb 16, 2021 12:32 PM
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Jul 2018
564127
When you’re not chad enough that you have to sleep in the shed.
Feb 24, 2021 5:06 PM

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Aug 2018
95
Marinate1016 said:
I like how we got to see things from Kotono’s perspective.

Agreed; that made for some helpful characterization. Lots of openings for character development that are hinted at in this episode for several characters.

It's disappointing to see how quickly people tend to leap to conclusions and dismiss a series (particularly evident in the Ep. 1 discussion) without giving it a chance, not looking more closely at the nuances and discovering more about the quality of the writing. Even just giving yourself the chance to let your subconscious mull over it can lead you to realize things you didn't see at first.

I'm not a fan of the ghost thing, but it makes for an interesting and different element for an idol show. (Not that I usually watch idol shows... though I still need to finish 22/7, which has intrigued me for 6-7 episodes so far.) On the one hand, obviously ghosts are not possible in real life (unless we have to throw everything we know about physics out the window), so without more evidence that ghost-Mana is physically "real" in the world of the series, the more likely option to suspect is that Makino is experiencing a persistent delusion - maybe one that is based on shock and regret after losing Mana.

On the other hand, whether Mana's "real" as a ghost or whether she just exists in Makino's head, she's still a character, so it'll be interesting to see whether the writers allow her any development or whether she's just going to be a plot device or at best a catalyst for Makino's growth. Either way, from a literary perspective, I can tolerate the ghost element if it serves the story well.

What I'm more interested in now that we've seen Ep. 2 is how Kotono develops. Is she emotionally damaged and motivated solely by her regrets, or is there more to her back story that will explain her path so far: why she believes she must become the top idol? Will she grow beyond her past, escaping the shadow of her sister to become her own person, cast her own shadow?

See, there's real complexity in the writing here. When people dismiss such a series out of hand, that says more about the person than the series, imho.

Marinate1016 said:
I’m also speculating the reason sakura sounds like Mana is because she got an organ from her after her death.

I hope it's not something as trite and plot-devicey as that... did they somehow transplant Mana's voice box and lungs into Sakura? Ugh. I'm hoping there's a more believable explanation (even if she did get some kind of life-saving transplant from Mana, which I suspect you're right about). Still, even if this turns out to be a flaw in the writing, Sakura looks to be one of the more interesting characters.

Last note: A lion pride is a group typically consisting of one male and a pack of females. I like how the title suggests that meaning of "pride" (given this particular cast of characters) and not just the synonym for "confidence." It's another indication of the complexity and competence of the writing. :-)

g-
Please don't feed the trolls.

Mar 10, 2021 4:27 PM
Mob Character C

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Oct 2009
5286
Huh. Okay, I wasn't sure which direction the show would go, but I'm fine with it.
Mana's role in the story is kinda eh, but I'll take it for now.

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Apr 10, 2021 6:24 PM

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Nov 2009
3307
antigraviton said:
did they somehow transplant Mana's voice box and lungs into Sakura?


This is what I was thinking about as I watch this episode...

Since she has a "health problem" and she mentioned "I was bad at singing when little, but suddenly able to sing one day"... makes it sound like she has gone through some sort of operation for the health problem and they might had either altered or replaced some of her organs.
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May 19, 2021 5:51 AM
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Mar 2012
4108
Returned after hold, still not sold, but Sakura has a surprisingly pro voice, also very weird her dialogue and medical thing.
Sis typical serious, but that atoning path to walk her eneesan's path sounds interesting.
May 9, 2022 1:32 PM
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Mar 2019
9098
Having Mana's Ghost still around is a bit different.
Feb 19, 8:49 AM
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Oct 2023
2
Well, i think its better than ep 1

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