Eva’s First Impression
Wake Up, Girls starts off on a low note, but they definitely gave us the pointers that there will be serious angst and drama in the upcoming episodes. Shimada Mayu is the one in the spotlight for the upcoming angst as she was a former center member of the I-1 Club, who is very popular group right now. (In fact, it’s almost a taboo in the group to ask Maya anything about it, so it’s without a doubt a very sensitive topic!) As of right now, it feels like the whole situation of getting into the industry with their failing agency (no thanks to their president having ran off with the money) is going to be incredibly grim. Sudo-san (who looks like a shady, perverted pig), who is supposedly a big producer that Matsuda was pouring in hopes into for getting the girls somewhere is probably going to get kicked out the door by someone soon enough. The first thing he does when he walks in is tell the girls to get changed into the bikini, and not a single one of them look happy about that- in fact, they look disgusted. I get the feelings this show is going to have that darker tone because it starts off that way. There is nothing more ominous then hearing the social media gossip about Mayu is past her prime; how she lost her center position and was exiled to Sendai and not to mention rumours floating around that her family committed suicide (which hasn’t been explicitly confirmed or denied yet). And that doesn’t even include the part where the president of the company had ran way with the money! (Thus they are going under!)
We didn’t learn a whole lot about the characters with the exception of keeping the spotlight on Maya (despite the fact she has been mostly quiet throughout the entire episode). So I expect to learn a bit more about them next week, but there’s a few that already easily stand out such as Katayama Minami who has a big appetite and loves food and Hisami Nanami who is passionate about theatre.
On of the things I disliked was the panty-shots. The Idolm@ster didn’t do anything of the sort so really there’s no excuse of “legitimately” having to show it besides the blatant reason of the fanservice. (If they don’t over-do it, I will happily turn a blind-eye to the matter). The overall animation was far from spectacular and really failed to give a good first impression. You can only hope it won’t pursue all throughout the series. While I was pleased to see the dance was not in CG, it was unfortunate to see that the quality wasn’t up to pare either. But I’ll take that over CG any day. As for the characters designs, I can’t help but describe them a lower quality of the Idolm@ster’s character designs. :\ They are pretty darn similar for most part, but that’s all the more reason why I wished it had been a bit better.
I have no complaints whatsoever for the music. They didn’t showcase much of it, but it was still good and appeals to me. I’d be seriously concerned if it weren’t good, I mean- this is a music show! Both the OP and ED themes are really nice, not to mention the sequences as well. The OP was sure to give us a glimpses of the drama that is yet to come.
That said, Wake Up, Girls is going to have a very difficult time meeting up the the high standards of The Idolm@ster had produced. I am not going to hold any sort of high expectations, but I do however, hope the Mayu’s backstory will be strong, because it’s going to be what keeps people watching besides for the music. As for blogging, it’s hard to say. I’m going to have to go with the three episodes rules for this one before I make up my mind.
Possibility of Blogging: Moderate (Giving it Three Episodes)
Possibility of Watching: High
Extra Note: Wake Up, Girls! Seven Idols movie serves as the pre-sequel to the anime series just after Maya was “exiled” from I-1 Club and covers the beginning of the girls’ careers/auditioning to enter the Green Leaves Agency. I actually recommend you watch the movie first before the first episode because it explains a lot of the contents that was brought up.
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I haven’t watched this show yet… but to sum up your impressions:
This is like a darker version of Idolmaster, and has a opposite setting to it. Instead of starting from scratch, we have a former idol that’s part of the cast, and this agency is already close to ruin with it’s runaway president. Everything is looking good so far and has potential for lots of drama in the future. Despite the animation not being on par with Idolmaster and other popular idol titles, it has it’s own charm to it.
I guess I won’t be disappointed with the show when I start watching it with the other shows after 3-4 episodes finishes airing. :3.
Yeah that basically sums it up. I’m watching the movie (Wake Up, Girls! Seven Idols) now, it is the pre-sequel to the tv series starting just after Maya was “exiled” and covers the beginning of the girls’ careers/auditioning to enter the Green Leaves Agency. I actually recommend you watch the movie first before the first episode because it explains a lot of the contents that was brought up.
looking at these screenshots…the girls all look the same.
Hmm…I generally dislike Idol shows, and yet I really enjoyed this one. It’s true that the art and animation wasn’t stellar, but somehow this made it more appealing for me…I sort of got the feeling that they weren’t just trying to rely on moe girls to sell the show, but were really telling a story about a group of people working their way into the entertainment industry. The somewhat subdued character designs, color pallet and voice acting from the main cast made them all feel more realistic for me as well. I already feel like I know all the girls well, and they all have their charms. I’m excited to see them succeed.
And about the panty shots…I normally hate fanservice because I’m a girl and GET YOUR BREASTS AND PANTIES OUT OF MY FACE DAMN IT!!! But the one type of fanservice I can tolerate or even appreciate is the kind that happens in passing like a natural event- for example, if a girl delivers a roundhouse rick to someone’s head (a la Hiyori from Noragami XD), then of course her skirt is going to flip up and her underwear will be exposed. The same can be said for the girls’ dance routine. True, they didn’t need to focus on their legs during those movements, so the panty shots were technically unnecessary…but their audience would have seen them even if we didn’t, so I think the idea of “they’re doing the routine without hesitation despite flashing the audience” is maybe what the animators wanted to project here (rather than plain fanservice without any purpose, I mean), and I appreciate their bravery. I know I’d be awfully clumsy with my dance moves if I knew my underwear was going to be shown, haha.
So…yeah! I was pleasantly surprise at how much I enjoyed the movie and this first episode. I’ll stick around for a little while and see where things go. And yay, no CG!!! That alone wins my viewing of further episodes.
Yeah I definitely think they are going for the realistic approach, hence more darker by showing the more of what we’d describe as the “ugly” side of the industry and the response on social media.
Well, the panties shot was a surprise but it didn’t affect me whatsoever since there are many other shows with much more overblown fanservice. Animation wise it’s not the best but like you said, I’m more interested in seeing how the group will fair against the other groups, especially so since their center is already condemned. It’s also a fresh change from the usual lively idol shows. OP (or movie end) is excellent though. Somehow I keep listening to it.