Chance Pop Session

Since this title just recently got a re-release I figured I'd give it a watch. It was very much worth my time. The story is good for the most part. Its just as the other reviewer said. Everyone should know how the story will play out ahead of time. Luckly, the way that it does is entertaining enough. The art on the other hand...Is barely serviceable I thought this show was made in the late 90's and then I come to learn it was actually 2001? How is this possible? Why don't music shows by Madhouse productionsget good art. I found myself fast forwarding through some of the poor clips. The sound is what you'd expect from a music show. The songs are good...in small doses. If you don't like the opening song of this anime, don't watch it. They sing it atleast twice an episode. When some other songs come into the mix its a breathe of fresh air. Its not that its a bad song, just over played. The other musical selections are very good its just they're not played nearly as often. The characters are great. Sure they seem common, but I just felt there was something special about how the characters interacted. There wasn't a character that came into the screen that felt fake. I really did enjoy this show overall. It does have its points where it goes off track and you wish they'd play another song. The show has great characters and the way it plays out is a lot of fun. It was sports one of the more satisfying endings I've seen in an Anime. If you get a Chance, give Chance Pop Session a try. You might find yourself singing 'Pure Blue' in the shower. Or in the Car. Or in the workplace. Or....

How do you make a predictable anime enjoyable and inspired? Chance Pop Session's answer is to have highly interesting sub-plots that somehow sharpens the main story, incredibly well cast seiyuus and relatable characters. It seems with such a great combo, everything just comes together. What also makes it so good is that it never drags on with the story or any of the situations so much that it puts you off. Instead, those stories are so well put together that you really feel the impact of the anime as a whole. The animation for this title is good but has a couple of kinks. I'll start withthe bad. Some backgrounds are very uninteresting and plain, but more annoyingly they have static background people when everyone should be moving, like in a crowd scene. This feels a little cheap and quite disappointing compared with other elements of the show. The character design is also one that the audience has to get adjusted to because it is somehow plain looking and static. However after a few episodes - once you get used to it - you can start to appreciate it as it creates an interesting dynamic with both the boring background but also with the vivid ones. Now to the good. Some sequences are just breathtaking and powerful in their depiction of a mood. For instance, the visuals that go with Reika's songs are amazing. The kind of stuff that would make Gankutsuou proud in its use of patterns, intense colour and flowing objects. Those sequences have to be seen to be believed. Other scenes that reflect the great artistry are also dream sequences that involve Akari and Kaito, the moody piece that is the past of Kasaragi and some of the concert shots. Chance Pop Session also manages to include live action (just in the way of objects though) exceedingly well in some sequences (even better than End of Evangelion if you ask me). The seiyuus are probably the best thing about the show as they elevate the characters with incredible performances. Their understanding of human emotion shines through (especially) Kasaragi, Akari, Nozomi and Reika. They depict the characters with restraint, which is to be applauded since this is a shoujo. You can even feel that they understand their character's emotions and that just makes them more relatable. The songs are also quite magical (as one would expect from the show setup). The intro "Pure Blue" is an excellent piece of JPop that is quite inspired. "Love Forever" is in the same vein. The standout track for me is Reika's single as it depicts the sense of longing that runs through the show very convincingly. The story is about three different girls wanting to because a pop star. They all do it for different reasons. Akari wants to reach people with her songs, Nozomi wants it because of her admiration for Reika and Yuki wants it to prove something to herself. With all these cheesy reasons, it is a wonder how the show manages to be successful. Well the way it does it, is that it shows you the reason why they feel that way. Once you get that understanding of the characters in your mind, you start to root for them, as they are relatable people. The story takes some very interesting (if a bit predictable) turns along the way that just intensifies the tension and fine tunes the drama. The incredible thing is that you can see where it is all going but somehow, you're at the edge of your seat anyway. The only issue I have with the story is that it is at first quite slow, you have trouble really getting into it and it wasn't until about episode 4 that I was interested to see what happens. I have delved into the characters a bit in the story and sound paragraph. Shoujos usually do characters well and this is no exception. I will just add that the reason everything comes together is because the characters are so efficient. They are efficient in making you feel for them, and when you do connect with the characters the rest is just a breeze. Everything comes together and you get a very enjoyable and satisfying ending. This series is easily one that I will view again as the 13 episode format is not an intensive task. The series also offers some great drama that is not too heavy going and that should appeal to most. I really recommend it.

Recently watched after buying it on a lark from Rightstuf for super c heap. The cover art on the DVD insert is way WAY more ecchi than the show itself, which was a bit of a disappointment. The one thing that made this show worth watching were the characters and for me personally, the English voice cast from ADV Films. The 3 main heroines are voiced by Kelli Cousins, Hilary Haag & Monica Rial. The story is melodramatic to the point of silly, which is unintentionally funny. It's very much like a an American soap opera plot. The bonesof a good story are here, and this series would make excellent fodder for a re-make. It just needs more music, more conflict, more sexiness, etc. The original here is pretty mediocre and bland but a thoughtful remake could be potentially great. The core story could've been told in a 6 episode OVA. A full 13 episodes just feels bloated and unnecessary for what we're given. The artwork has a few moments that are really great (mostly the impromptu music video scenes serving as a plot montage to show passage of time or character growth) but mostly it's pretty bland, even by 1990s standards. Some of the characters' facial expressions fall into unnatural, creepy "uncanny valley" territory during some of the dance sequences. Also, I get that music licensing can be very expensive but WOW did the main R3 song get repetitive and boring...seeing the girls rehearse other songs or even try writing their own lyrics would've improved the story 100%; also it would've been better showing them doing all the other things performers typically do in Japan such as being interviewed on radio stations, or doing work on tv commercials, dealing with obsessive fans & paparazzi, etc...these aspects of idol careers are hand-waved away or dealt with for only a few seconds at a time. The best that can be said is this show was the forerunner of much better idol stories yet to come. I guess tween & young teen women are the intended audience for a show like this, not male Gen Xers like me.

I've watched a few anime series about pop artists and singers and enjoyed them, this was not one of them. I decided to finish the series even though the start was very poor and cluttered. Overall the story was poorly done and predicable for the most part. The plot left very little to be desired and most anyone could guessed the outcome after just 4 episodes. Character development was very poorly executed and left the characters seeming shallow. Also, the background stories left some of the main characters unlikable by the end of the series. The animation for this series did not helpthe series either. With sub-par animation quality, it left the series feeling about as cheap looking as the writing. As a show that was made for children, it should be adequate to entertain them, but anyone older than 8 looking for decent entertainment out of this series will mostly be disappointed.