Kageki Shoujo is a show just gives me so much happiness and satisfaction. This show is really great, I can't really say more than that, so this review is going to be as brief as I can. And this is mostly going to be me gushing about it as much as I can.
The pacing felt very satisfying and its tone was very soothing mostly. Also, I can’t act for shit, but the way the show explains stageplays and the audience that watches it was interesting for sure. The show gave me an interesting teaching lesson about “otokoyaku”.I think my one and only flaw was getting a little lost with Sarasa’s family affairs but it did teach me about “kabuki” and such. And it was very interesting.
What also surprised me was the absolutely devastating yet realistic depiction of its more serious themes. The show despite being light hearted had absolutely harsh and tough moments, touching on childhood trauma, emotional disorders, and more internal conflicts like self image, jealousy, confidence. But it's not as gratuitous as something like Wet Ass Priority. Also, the way the show weaves in these serious moments with an optimistic tone while also developing the characters gave me such the highest amount of satisfaction.
The main characters are wonderful!
I love Ai’s cold personality, becoming more and more open and loving towards individuals despite her past and reputation with the help of her peers.
Sarasa is probably best girl of 2021 so far.
I love her pursuing her goal to be Lady Oscar. The show really explored her character nicely and challenged societal expectations on what a certain gender and body type should do on the big stage. Outside of that, it did explore her bubbly personality on all angles. From why it works, to why others may not like it, and how her personality helps others as well, thus giving her more experiences to learn from.
I also love this ensemble cast sooo much. Despite there being a class of first years, the show focuses on a handful of girls who are special in one way or another.
They get so much development through flashbacks. Through these characters, the show touches on themes of overcoming trauma, defying societal expectations of genders, the weight and responsibility of having famous ancestors, the cutthroat beauty standards and why they are important in stage acting, and the more human nature such as jealousy, envy, and exploring one’s self. And the cast has wonderful chemistry with each other.
Despite some of the characters being harsh and cold, they don't feel completely unlikeable because they have their own struggles and all of them attempt to somewhat overcome or repress them, you can tell that deep down, they do not mean malicious intent, they just either want to push themselves or their peers forward or they're just overcome with envy themselves in a human way. I know these moments may sound sad, but to be honest, seeing these girls overcome these moments and pursuing their goals, watching their dedication pay off,it gave me such a rush of happiness, you know that feeling where you are so happy for someone that you almost start crying? That's what happened to me a lot in this show, and it's such a great feeling.
One thing I didn't expect the show to have was really supportive friends and adult figures. Sarasa chatting about her problems on twitter with her boyfriend and her father in-law is just so wholesome. And they really feel supportive of her .Ai’s bond with her uncle is very wholesome as ever, since she had such a bad past, him being there to help her out all of these years as not only a teacher but a family member is very touching. Also, the teachers at Kouka are very supportive as well. They are very cutthroat at times but they also have a very soft side that adds depth to them. You can tell that they do want the girls to push themselves but still teach them to not overdo it and harm themselves. Some scenes where the teachers were helping out the girls warmed my heart like a bun in an oven. The upperclassmen may act a bit bitter but some help out the girls when they get flustered. And even the professional actors who are Kouka alumni give the student some tips and insight as well.
My favorite part of the show hands down is when it ties basically everything together. The adversity the girls went through, their backstory, what they learned in the school, their interactions with others and many elements. All of those elements collaborate together and not just develop the characters but their choices when they need to perform for judges. And when these moments happen, it's so…..Idk how to even describe it, i don't wanna say “orgasmic” because that would be too gross of a word to describe something as hopeful and innocent as Kageki Shoujo.
I love the look of it as well, the color scheme is beautiful, designs are distinct and pop out, and Sarasa’s hair is literally everything.While the designs may look a little bit wonky at times, there are very standout moments that use them well animation-wise.It really does compliment the Japanese VA’s wonderful performances. And the soundtrack was so refined and cheery to listen to. ITs the type of music that you want to happily cry to.
I’m still brimming with a smile despite me finishing the show just hours ago, man. It's just a jolly good show, with solid writing, great characters, and holds together pretty well visually and soundly. I just love seeing characters overcoming adversity and improving themselves, I mean why do you think I watch a lot of battle shounen? It's a more realistic and down to earth setting that not just entertained me but also taught cool things about stage plays. It was whimsical, funny, absolutely heart wrenching at times and just mostly dopamine shots all the time. It’s a genuinely great watch, I highly recommend it, if you love to feel good. Emotionally, not sexually though.
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