Tsukipro The Animation

Okay, a word about this reviewer, since it's important. I enjoy books even if I start reading it from the middle, or by reading the end, and only then start reading from the beginning. Why I'm mentioning that? Because that's what getting into Tsukipro franchise through anime would be like- starting from the middle. Tsukipro is a multimedia franchise that started in 2012 with Tsukiuta project (you can find the anime of it in related category, and the above disclaimer applies to that anime as well) drama CD series, that then moved onto 2.5d (aka the stageplays), and then, in 2015, added three new groups to theroster - Soara, Growth and Solids- under two new projects, named ALIVE and SQ. A year later, Quell joined as Solids counterpart, thus making SQ a two-band project, and SQALIVE projects an officially four-element ensemble. Now, what did I even give you that briefing for? Well, it's pretty important, since most characteristic trait of any unit produces in Tsukipro is that they "live" real-time. You get to know what they did, if not through the official drama cds, then through the short stories respective accounts post on Twitter and other soc meds, and recently, also through the two new stageprojects. And that means, the events of the anime, aired in 2017, are just excerpts of their lives, cut out and packed nicely into animated format. That means, if you're joining the franchise through the anime, you're entering through the middle of the book. Now, you might be a person like, me, who isn't bothered AT ALL by the mess the lack of plot, or the timeline that starts in the middle of some unexplained event causes (there's a reason why I enjoyed Haruhi Suzumiya and Hetalia), but, I just find that the franchise (or at least, its' western promotion management group) does a VERY poor job of highlighting the 'real-time' aspect of that anime. It stands to a reason normal people don't reminisce every other day about how they've met, or what caused them to be in a position they are in now, or why their relation with that person is this or that. And that's the MAJOR lacking point of the Proani. You didn't hear the first drama? You will have no idea how dramatic the flashbacks of ep 11 are for Quell. Didn't heard another album? It will remain a mystery why two characters of the units that in general get along pretty well pick on each other constantly, and why their teammates insist they're similar (I have doubts about that, but ok). Okay, so, after this longass introduction, let me go for dismantling the anime, The story is slice of life, as I mentioned, with a slice taken out and set on a separate plate so that we don't see rest of the cake, and can't figure out the decorations on top of it. That doesn't mean it's not tasty, and if you enjoy schematic male idol groups' tropes, you will enjoy this one quite easily. We have the hot and sexy type, the kindergarten type, the princely, cool and definitely gay (okay, that's my opinion, but, everybody simp for that leader), and finally the family-like one that literally has children being adopted by their older unitmates and you probably won't convince anybody that's into the franchise otherwise. All in all, the tropes are easy to see, the characters are build on certain matrix that you've most certainly has seen somewhere in the other franchises, but still are fresh enough to enjoy them (plus, let's be real, those seiyuus are dope, and practically carry the series on their backs). In short, if you're looking for new oshi, you will find it here (and if you're looking for a shipping material, well. As I've previously said, there is an unit with a 100% traditional family household dynamic, and all those units are all-male, so...) Since I've mentioned seiyuus, let me mention music: that's the only part I can unabashedly recommend to anyone, whether you're a fan of the franchise or not. The music is adjusted to the band or unit's characteristic trait, so you have experimental rock-pop-rap-everything that can sound cool mashup for Solids, electronica pop and lots of feels for Quell, male k-on 'it's all about youth!' pop feel for Soara, and the 'I don't even know if this is even pop anymore, it sounds so otherwordly' harmonies of Growth. I swear, I don't think there's a person who's heard all of the openings and endings and said 'nope, I don't like any of them'. It's just this good. Hama Takeshi and Takizawa Akira (aka John Zeroness) did an amazing job. I just want to say, a music in an idol's show is one of the two pillars that can make or break a franchise, and with the first one being characters, that are likeable even without previous knowledge of their backgrounds (or without knowledge of their seiyuus), the music is what makes this series. Art...okay, when they wanted to highlight something, the artists could go all out, I haven't seen this gorgeous backgrounds in an idol anime in a looong while. Characters are eye-candies so what else can I say (bonus points for making twins recognizable by the different clothes they wear), and if there's a question where the budget of a certain episode went, there's always that one scene that you can point to and say 'there. All money went there'. Because of that, the animation is inconsistent, unfortunately, and I don't mean the 3d CGI that is used for final performance and openings. Those are actually highlights of the correct uses of motion capture to portray your characters (plus, the backgrounds. Don't start me on the backgrounds, and camerawork, because it's actually amazing, and I'm saying that in the year of 2020, when Hoseki no Kuni and Beastars are already out). With motion capture at work, you can see the character's traits in their movement, thanks to which you don't feel like the movements were copy-pasted from one model onto the other (which, considering the cast including twins, would be a solution some other franchises would implement). However, the animation throughout the episode is usually inconsistent, jumping between quite decent and 'only still picture could be worse'. In short, there are better places to start your journey with this franchise (like the ton of slideshows that fans compiled on all characters, making you much more invested in their lives), but, just as the premise of the show says- you can open this glittering box of treasures, you just need to be prepared not to know where the heck those treasures came from.

Tsukipro is a fairly popular multi-media series focused on the music industry, idols, and rich, engaging stories. However, this anime is targetted towards people who know about it and are familiar with both characters and their backstories. Keep that in mind as you read this review. Story: 7/10 The plot is kept simple - daily interactions and gimmicks between the characters who usually don't get to spend much time together in a normal setting. For a fan, it's truly a joy to see your favorites come to life animated and to get to know them even better, but someone who wants to watch a consistent show witha fleshed out storyline won't like it as much. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who barely has any interest in bands, music or idols as it would be like watching something in an unknown language. Despite those flaws, to me, a person who has been into the series for years, it was something which brought simple happiness. Art: 8/10 The art style is just decent because it doesn't take into account the individual art styles usually used for different groups. The animation was alright too - nothing astounding, but nothing bad either. So why an 8? To me, the main treat are the ending cards. Each drawn by an artist corresponding to a certain group, they are real eye candy. Sound: 10 Tsukipro is known for its dedication for music and masterfully crafted melodies. The anime didn't disappoint in that aspect either - Akira Takizawa, the main composer, yet again surprised us with multi-layered orchestral instrumentals in Mahou no Kizuna, a fresh, youthful tune in ALIEL, a more mature, hyper sound in Burny!! and a little more ambient and harmonious Because you are. Just the four distinctive openings are enough to tell that indeed, all the other songs are equally as amazing. Ranging from a traditional Japanese music and rock mashup, trough magical, folk-like melodies to electronica and joyful, full of energy teen-band like performance - it's got it all. I think everyone will find something suited to their taste, really. The music here is to die for. Character: 7~8/10 Yeah, I know. The characters don't get much development and they seem flat for someone who doesn't know anything about Tsukipro. However, the point of the show being targetted at fans is also valid in this aspect. All the development, deeper conversations, and meaningful points are shown in the dramas, so there is no way to deny that there's way more to them than shown. But it was sacrificed for the sake of showing them in different settings and situations, which once again, isn't something a random passerby can enjoy. After all, what's the point of showing so many characters if you can't see more of them? My rating here is based on a personal bias, and if I could I'd give the characters a 10, but then again - the anime didn't completely do them justice. Enjoyment: 9/10 The characters and music I love together - what's there not to enjoy? Definitely satisfied my fan needs and left me with a pleasant aftertaste. The only thing left to say is that I hope they will tweak the second season when it comes out, so it could be a little friendlier to all the new fans! Overall: 7 Just to sum everything up: - catered towards fans, needs more context; - this being said, a real treat for the series veterans; - wonderful music; - ok-ish visuals, great ending cards; - extremely enjoyable with prior knowledge, turns a person who doesn't know anything into a lost lamb. Thank you for reading!