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EP. REVIEW: 22/7


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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Mon Jan 20, 2020 5:23 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
because I haven't been this invested in an idol anime in a long while


Someone hasn't watched zombie land saga! (or at least the first 2 episode which were excellent).

Interesting that we have two show that deal with idol industry this season that could potentially start dealing with the ugly side of it. But I guess neither will do that since the VA involved in these show probably would like to still have a job afterward...

edit: used spoiler code instead of quote...


Last edited by meiam on Mon Jan 20, 2020 7:26 pm; edited 1 time in total
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James_Beckett
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 23 Nov 2015
Posts: 274
Location: USA
PostPosted: Mon Jan 20, 2020 5:39 pm Reply with quote
meiam wrote:
spoiler[because I haven't been this invested in an idol anime in a long while]

Someone hasn't watched zombie land saga! (or at least the first 2 episode which were excellent).

Interesting that we have two show that deal with idol industry this season that could potentially start dealing with the ugly side of it. But I guess neither will do that since the VA involved in these show probably would like to still have a job afterward...


I have, actually! I really loved it, too Anime hyper I guess I didn't count that, on account of the zombies and such - I suppose I was thinking more of shows like Wake Up Girls! and such.
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K.o.R



Joined: 31 Mar 2005
Posts: 221
PostPosted: Mon Jan 20, 2020 5:54 pm Reply with quote
ALL HAIL THE WALL
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maximilianjenus



Joined: 29 Apr 2013
Posts: 2858
PostPosted: Mon Jan 20, 2020 7:02 pm Reply with quote
I have watched other akimoto tv series; while they are not deconstructions or ugly side kind of series they also don't pull their punches; the wall thing reminds me of the akb 0048 anime.

With the akb brand they have done a few live aciton series; mendol, which is a lgbt related series about 3 girls who can't be female idols, but somehow made the cut as male idols , whiiyng to hide from the yakuza and it shows a bit of the ugly side of the idol industry without being disheartened.
Majisuka gakuen is a fighting one, where the girls go to a school mostly populated by delinquents, they fight and get bruised and you don't have to worry about suspending yoru disbelief with a skinny girl beating up a much heavier guy, becuase all the actions scenes are girl x girl, in the second season the olders girls graduate and some end up in not exactl happy endings, like the one that becomes a prostitute, not that she is too sad about that. It's not like it's the first season that outright happens in juvenile prison.

So, I hope this oen also becomes something fun, while not particularly meaningful, but not cookie cutter either.
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TheKillerAngel



Joined: 02 Mar 2018
Posts: 83
PostPosted: Mon Jan 20, 2020 8:11 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Saijo is not putting on an immediately recognizable anime archetype voice, as some of her costars do, which makes her character stand out in all of the right ways. She talks like a real human, which can be jarring to hear after so many years of listening to variations the same eight or nine stock character voices. Miu's pain and uncertainty feel so much more raw and relatable because you can imagine her sitting right next to you and venting all of her frustrations.


I'm glad someone put words to it. A bunch of people have been blasting her performance for not being sufficiently refined, but I don't think it was ever the intention for her to sound like a typical anime character.
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invalidname
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Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 2434
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
PostPosted: Mon Jan 20, 2020 9:00 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
What is compelling me about 22/7 more than anything at this point in time is pure curiosity: Is the show really going to have something substantial to say about the sometimes ugly realities of pursuing a career in the messy, hyper-commercialized world of Japanese pop idols? 22/7 is a real musical group, after all, and one of the series' chief producers, Yasushi Akimoto, is an industry veteran with close ties to some of the biggest names in J-Pop, like AKB48. One would be forgiven for assuming the worst of what is essentially a very pretty and very long commercial and vanity project. When all is said and done, the end goal off the anime 22/7 is to promote the musical group 22/7, and it would be difficult to get away with an incisive, fantasy-tinged criticism of the industry that is also trying really hard to sell you 22/7 tickets and merch.

Cutaway to the entire Wake Up, Girls! fandom, begging you to notice that their franchise already mined these issues six years ago, with an idol group whose canonical anime lore is that they were formed by a corrupt talent agency and named after a love hotel. And they were formed IRL by freaking Yamakan. And yet they still beat Aqours and IM@S at the AX 2017 live.
Quote:
Speaking of You Tube, Sakura makes a particular note about living in America before joining 22/7, which gives me hope that the show will let Sally Amaki flex her bi-lingual muscles like she does on You Tube and social media.

I am so hoping that Funimation goes back and dubs this and brings in Sally to do the English voice of Sakura. (Obvious comparison to Mari Ijima voicing EN Minmay in ADV's Macross dub all those years ago.)
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rizuchan
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Joined: 11 Mar 2007
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2020 9:53 am Reply with quote
Yeah the idea of idol anime depicting the not-so-great side of the idol industry isn't anything new. AKB0048 touched on it, and Wake Up Girls was probably a bit more honest (I've only seen the movie and haven't gotten around to the TV series yet). But so far, 22/7 seems to be handling it more tastefully.

I keep finding myself comparing 22/7 to AKB0048, much more than say, Love Live. (The amateur voice acting probably being a not-insignificant part of that) One of the biggest problems I had with AKB0048 was that, in terms of being "honest" about the idol industry, it was like it wanted to have it's cake and eat it too. Like they'll mention how hard it is on these girls to basically have to give up their true selves and turn into these preestablished idol personas, but then immediately try to spin it as a good "I'll do my best!" thing. Like they think that as long they just barely acknowledge how shitty the idol industry is, then they can continue to treat their idols like shit because hey, it's out in the open, and the girls still want to do it, right?

So far, 22/7 doesn't feel quite as hypocritical for some reason, even though the concept is inherently hypocritical. Honestly I think it's just refreshing to have a more serious-minded idol anime in general, and I'm really loving the character designs, especially Miu's. When the first episode started I was wondering if I was watching a KyoAni show... and lo and behold, her design was done by Yukiko Horiguchi. Even though A-1 is doing the animation, I feel like they've really channeled KyoAni and/or Kokoro Connect every time Miu is doing something angsty.
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maximilianjenus



Joined: 29 Apr 2013
Posts: 2858
PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2020 10:06 am Reply with quote
Finally watched the first two episodes yesterday.
Now I can safely say that this feels more like an AKB drama than an anime, particularly regarding the voice acting, and it's not only the mc. Also pretty glad that the mc is hentai-protagonist miu instead of any of the other girls.
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BSW



Joined: 22 Jun 2012
Posts: 116
PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2020 10:17 am Reply with quote
Miu's VA is killing this series.
But sadly, in the bad kind of way...
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Nom De Plume De Fanboy
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Joined: 14 Jan 2011
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Location: inland US west, pretty rural
PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2020 1:10 pm Reply with quote
I'm liking this so far. And I don't normally care much for music or idol shows. I think the natural acting works quite well, especially for Miu. Anyway, so far just a new idol group starting up and working through a couple of problems, except for The Wall, which adds some interest for me. And as for The Wall, I am starting to think of it as a metaphor for Big Faceless Corporate Management, which is so distant from the day to day work that understanding it is like looking at an impenetrable wall. Just a guess. Though I would be perfectly happy to find out different, like it is a benign alien or a fox spirit or a mad scientist or somebody who needs a crew of singing mecha pilots- this is anime, ya gotta be ready for anything. Wink
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Yttrbio
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2020 2:36 pm Reply with quote
The wall could also just be a metaphor for idol culture, which its participants are not supposed to question the rules that are generated. Idols aren't supposed to complain about anything, it seems.
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Hiroki not Takuya



Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Posts: 2501
PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2020 12:33 am Reply with quote
Some thoughts: events counting toward Teh Wall being evil are "another brick in the wall" or "hitting the wall". Events counting toward Wally Wall being good are "Wall, I'll be..." (said by Gomer Pyle USMC). Maybe "I'll be a Wall..." (Gomer Pyle again)? Gambatte James... Cool

Afterword: Sargent Pepper and the band would be most pleased with your choice...


Last edited by Hiroki not Takuya on Mon Jan 27, 2020 11:11 pm; edited 1 time in total
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tomdean



Joined: 22 Jan 2018
Posts: 125
PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2020 12:13 pm Reply with quote
I hear a couple of people here and there complain about the voice acting being "bland" or "boring", I think they are missing the precise point of 22/7: They are not meant to be fake anime-ly girls, they are a cross between 2D and 3D. No one in real life talks like girls from LL or IM or TPD for example(not saying who is better or worse, just saying different characters for different tastes).

22/7 is refreshing precisely because they are aimed at the more adult/mature fans, that, and their songs are actually pretty good, even if you didn't like the AKBs of the world
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BSW



Joined: 22 Jun 2012
Posts: 116
PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2020 12:48 am Reply with quote
The problem is not that she acts "real life like".
It's that she acts very amateurish, and her voice is just bad. Nobody "misses the precise point", don't be this condescending, but yes, there's a good reason why people dislike Miu's voice acting. The other girls are alright, all of them.
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darkchibi07



Joined: 15 Oct 2003
Posts: 5459
PostPosted: Mon Jan 27, 2020 3:52 pm Reply with quote
I have to admit, my fist was pumping hard when Miu dashed for the piano and salvaged the concert. I, too, am very curious how they will move forward after that; what else can they do with Miu? And what is Sakura's deal in the end?

I have to give props towards the sound direction they used to show off Miu's nervousness on stage as well as few other occasions last episode; that is such a neat touch.
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