'Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai' is easily the anime of the 2024 summer season that had the most potential. With a strong first episode, there was a glimmer of hope to have a double feature of amazing idol/band shows. However, as the weeks have ticked on and the episodes have come and gone, that potential still lies dormant within it.

The main cast of this anime is very likable, and by all means the majority of the props for this anime go to them. I don't think it's a stretch to say that this show is a perfect entry to anything 'idol-adjacent' due to how straightforward they are with the pitfalls of being famous as well as the legacy that someone can carry with them when famous from a young age. There's a lot of great commentary in here about your past not defining you, and it's nice to see some of the main cast actually suffer from it.

Unfortunately, it's not all sunshine and rainbows with 'Jellyfish can't Swim in the Night'. This show is trying to be so many things at once. At times, it's an idol show. In others, it's an art show and a vtubing anime. Sometimes even motorcycle riding (please leave this to 'The Rolling Girls'.) and a band anime. If this is really what you're going for, it needs to be done in a way where the characters don't rely so much on the group to succeed. It makes for these episodes where almost nothing of substance happens, and we just get twenty minutes of rehashing character dynamics and throwaway characters made to fill time. You can't make four different slices of pie into one dish because the flavors will mix with one another and create something you didn't mean to, something that makes all the slices taste a bit off. It's what really soured the ending for me, the fact that these girls' dreams are literally being hindered by the group that they created together. Kano and Mero are the characters that I have the biggest issue with, and it's not even close. Both get off their arcs right back where they started, at odds with one another, and by the time we fully understand what their dynamic is together, the show is over. Mero gets off scot free, and Kano has a forced reunion with Mahiru that feels so empty because Kano did nothing but sulk. It's so frustrating to see this anime fail at what it's trying to achieve because the pitfalls are all in areas where you can literally see what could have been done to write them better.

Of course, you can't talk about this show without at least mentioning its clear intent of creating a romantic relationship between Mahiru and Kano. This is great, in theory. Representation is important within any piece of media, and that goes doubly for relationships between women. What I just can't stand, however, is that this relationship feels so forced. The two just gravitate toward one another in literally every social setting regardless of the topic, and leave the supporting characters behind, namely Mei. Mei is deeply in love with Kano, and she takes Mei's confession and just shrugs it off. It's only heartbreaking because Kano doesn't care, and (forgive my harsh words) I hate that. You can't just leave something like that unaddressed. With all this being said, I could absolutely forgive this show for its subpar yuri. That is, if Kano and Mahiru's fight didn't happen. It's done in a way that paints Mahiru as an outsider for Kano's shortcomings and just leaves the viewer baffled, watching Kano become immature in a matter of seconds. Yet another icarus moment for this show.

It really isn't all terrible, and that's meant with complete sincerity. This is a great show to watch with some friends, and, as was stated earlier, it's a good introduction into idol anime. It's got some genuinely great episodes, (namely 2, 5, and 11) and from what my artist friend has told me Mahiru's got a really great arc for artists to dig into. 'Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai' is best enjoyed by creatives, as its heights are reached by encouraging its characters to do what they truly love. Unfortunately, it's also strangled by these same aspirations, which is why it's an anime that I just can't recommend. Mei best girl