When I think of theatre anime, recent examples jump to mind first. I love Revue Starlight. And Kageki Shoujo was also fun in its own right. And now I can add another one, World Dai Star, to that pocket. And, much like the other entries within this “sub-genre” of theatre shows it takes that concept and adds its own elements. It takes a bit of the realism of Kageki Shoujo and mixes it with the “x-factor” of Revue Starlight, creating an amalgamation of symbolic and thematic through lines with its characters while also brimming with magic.
▶ VideoOne of the key components of how I think World Dai Star really excels at its jobs of portraying theatre is in its showing. The concept of World Dai Star is about girls living together in a troupe, with the goal of creating a “World Dai Star” or a top of the line actor. And to do so we must have the characters act in plays, not just to fulfill that requirement of the story but also to show characterization, growth, and, the act of acting.
To act is to take on a character. One must embody the essence of the role, if they are to act as a suave prince hindered by nobility, attempting to free themselves from the chains of society their body language might reflect that. They may stride with energetic jumps, open their arms to show compassion and empathy, welcoming the world. They may hold their head high and raise their voice to be heard. Or if the role is subdued, a princess about to be ferried to the moon, their actions may be reserved, the body language tight and gentle, hesitant in moving because the very act of moving will spirit them away.
What World Dai Star excels in, is being able to show these intricate details in the subtext of acting by animating it in a way that you can really see the characters move, the tiny gestures, the ornate sweeps, every motion really pops out in the animation where it almost feels jarring.
Animation is an important part of anime, and World Dai Star does not skimp out on really making sure key details are emphasized with its production, adding not only a visual treat but also layers of additional meaning that you can take from. It makes seeing these plays not just a plot device for the story but a way to show how characters interpret these plays, and by doing so characterizes them and adds parallels to the theory of acting.
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All of these methods, with their benefits, and downsides, are showcased in the show. Along with other avenues and intricacies of acting, these are all placed in the forefront with the show’s cast of characters. Each one may feel at first like a trope but beyond that they are instilled with the complications of acting.
For instance, Kathrina shows at first the strengths of textbook acting, how much she can memorize a play to the exact word to replicate a “perfect play,” but that perfect play is flawed. Not because she herself is a poor actor, but that perfection is not interesting, and an audience can easily tire from something that isn’t surprising to the extent that they may as well just read the play themselves. We also see a downside in what happens when a play doesn’t go exactly as planned and the textbook actor has to improvise, which in Kathrina’s case is near impossible since she has spent so much time honing her one craft.
We also have Panda, who shows the strengths of acting for an audience, as in, reading the room and playing the emotions of the audience. If the audience is wowed by a certain action or enamored in a certain way she can bend the play to feed into that. While making sense to garner audience attention and to get a response, if she tunnel visions into that, it can also backfire. Instead of paying attention to making a decent play and making something meaningful for everyone, she’s just pandering. And we see that be shown in the show.
The show is able to introduce and give a bunch of different elements to acting, and critique them, giving pros and cons while also representing that actors can take on any method but also change and advance with them.
Inevitably, not every character got equal amounts of development and so some of these aspects of acting symbolized through the characters may not have gotten equal treatment, but with those that they focused on, they did a good job of really representing them.
▶ VideoI think this aspect may push the show into either territories of being extremely cool and flashy, to perhaps a bit goofy in presentation. It’s quite a thing to see a character, for instance, stopping time to memorize the script of a play and then flex on her fellow actors. Or its quite a thing to see a character grow angelic wings while they sing to captivate an audience. But I love it. Each special power represents a different aspect of the characters and helps bring out the aforementioned parallels to real life acting in a visceral way. And it adds intrigue and mystique to the story in a way that really pushes it forward.
Not only are we attached to the plays and the progress made there, on the characters growth, but also in how they may use their powers. How those powers may evolve but how they can create solutions and how they may make certain moments on stage pop out.
Perhaps the way the show explains the powers but not really explains certain powers in concrete terms may be a bit frustrating to some, and I can see that. That and it possibly feeling over the top and goofy with the mixed in realism may not be for everyone. But for me it adds in enough dimension and complexity that really makes the show worth it.
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