Now I’ll admit, I’m not really into musical anime. While I do appreciate the ideas of music used in any show, most of the time, they felt one-sided and too gimmicky for my personal liking. At least to me, the use of musicals isn’t really executed well due to how they’re portrayed as background themes instead of story purposes. But there’s one anime that caught my attention and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. Of course, I’m referring to arguably KineCi’s best show, Revue Starlight. When I started watching this, I was keeping my expectations in check for the most part solely because again, my stances with musical anime. But as soon as I finished the show (and gave it a re-watch because why not?), I have come to appreciate the passion and creativity this show holds.
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The story is about two girls named ‘Karen’ and ‘Hikari’ who watched a stage performance of 9 girls in a group called “Starlight” and both were amazed by each of the girl’s performances. As time passed, the two girls were in high school and made friends with 7 other girls. While the 9 girls do their standard school activities, Karen discovers a secret room which is a stage for the Starlight and the other girls are part of it. And with that, the 9 girls are dancing and singing in a battle of who will take the victory. Revue Starlight has a lot of enticing ideas that it explores well. On the surface, the storytelling barely made any sense. Sure, it’s one of the more unique musical anime out there but it’s just a bunch of girls fighting each other on a stage with some cool shit thrown together. And you know what? You’re technically right. From the looks of it, Revstar isn’t really taken literally. The scriptwriting seems odd and the characterization looks pretty funny.
Which is why we have yet to observe this show’s biggest charm, its take on symbolic elements. Think about it, Revstar doesn’t have traditional storytelling, to begin with, regardless of what premise it holds. Instead, it has its figurative meaning about how the girls are driven by their own determination and philosophies. It really shows how the characters are trying very hard to prove that their strengths are way more than average and how they can voice out their very own colors. The show does a fantastic job nailing those aspects. It presents just how human and colorful the cast is no matter the situation. It feels like I’m watching another Ikuhara anime and yes, this show isn’t really directed by Ikuhara himself but this is SO IKUHARA that it’s a CRIME if one says otherwise. The script writing may be complicated but it’s directed brilliantly because it doesn’t take itself seriously alongside creating more room for the cast to show more personality.
Normally, I would consider fight scenes to be superficial but I can’t stress enough how HARD the choreography holds. In most cases, it’s fine if you make fight scenes pieces of popcorn entertainment. After all, you want to keep viewers entertained, even if writing won’t do justice. But you can make them better if you elect to combine them with storytelling. In this respect, Revstar is the best at that. Not only is the action portrayed well with a combination of physical clashing and over-the-top movements but the dialogue is, again, driven by adrenaline and true human emotions. It nails how girls perform on a stage and how they want to be the star of the dance extremely well. In the Starlight auditions, you need a lot of effort in order to prove that you hold enough will and justice, both in your script and your dance performances. The cast is the best at showing those kinds of factors.
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Speaking of which, it’s time we talk about the cast. Karen is an excellent protagonist who shows how you can hold any sense of determination. She isn’t your average Shoujo main character by any means, she always has enough physical and emotional strength to present to you how you can be deemed to be a guardian angel. The same goes for Hikari, who even though Karen is fantastic as both an MC and a character, felt like the true protagonist of the show. Other characters also deserve special mention. Mahiru may be a psycho (a harmless one at that) but I absolutely love her relationship with Karen, even though it’s silly. Junna’s kindness towards anyone she mostly interacts with is something I really admire. Claudine and Maya probably have some of the most philosophical chemistry with each other I’ve ever seen when it comes to making a female equivalent of a bromance (I really don’t know what it’s called, please help). Kaoruko’s combination of laziness and surprisingly high knowledge of the stage makes her a fantastic character. Futaba was a little disappointing, though. I do love her princely behavior and her chemistry with Kaoruko but she doesn’t click me as much as the other characters.
But even if some tend to be my least favorite of the bunch, I adore all the girls equally due to their own unique and enjoyable charms. However, if one stands out the most for me in a way that makes the most definitions of what special means, I have to give it to Nana. She isn’t just an honorary shadow figure, she IS THE honorary shadow figure in animanga. The fact that she’s very kind for the most part only to reveal her true colors in the auditions is what really holds my attention. In fact, her selfishness is easily the best part of the show. Nana is a diehard idol who spent all of her effort trying to stand on top of others. What makes her extremely special is how she is very dedicated to the Starlight stages yet doesn’t overstay her welcome. Despite all the hassle she brings when she’s brought into the auditions, she still retains most, if not, all of her kindness.
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Talking about the story and characters is fun and all but let’s talk about the art and sound. The production really surprised me. When I saw the words “KineCi” and “animation” put together, I always thought they would do okay. Not the worst but not the greatest either. But with Revstar, the animation is clean and smooth. The physical moments are over-the-top yet balanced at the same time, all while also containing very pleasing visuals. I don’t want to disregard the aesthetics either. In my opinion, Revstar has the best character designs out of any anime. Not only do the characters look distinct and dynamic but they also fit well with each character’s personality and dancing style. The music, most notably the stage ones, is incredible. The amount of energy put into and used with them is just amazing. They also represent the characterizations of every character wonderfully. Same with the voice acting.
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STORY - 93%
CHARACTERS - 94%
ART - 90%
SOUND - 100%
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There’s more I could talk about but all I can say is that Revue Starlight is just fantastic. I find it sad that it has gotten a reputation as a hit-or-miss and I could totally understand why. It’s not for everyone. Its take on symbolic elements may confuse those who aren’t familiar with its story structures. But personally, this show has a lot of great stuff in one package. It has a non-linear storytelling that indirectly shows human determination well and the characters are super fleshed out. Best of all, this is just at minimum potential. This series has a movie sequel and we will talk about that in another time.
FINAL VERDICT - 9/10 
