Anime Fix

Skip Beat! : 9.0/10

TV Series; 25 episodes
Oct 5/2008 – Mar 29/2009

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Shoujo

Original Author: Yoshiki Nakamura
Production Studio: Hal Film Maker
Director: Kiyoko Sayama
Music Composition: Akifumi Tada

Plot
The teenage girls of Japan are rapidly becoming star struck fanatics. For Kyoko Mogami, it has been that way for years. The man she cares most about, and works frantically to support is Japan’s quickest growing music idol, Shou Fuwa. Kyoko soon finds that she has been deceived all along, as Shou was simply using her to make his rise to stardom possible. For a driven and multi-talented girl like Kyoko, this slight is too much to bear. Her life takes a drastic turn, as she puts all her effort into her new motivation, to become a nationally recognized idol and obtain her revenge upon Shou for his arrogance and malevolence.

Conclusion
Though this Anime is short and yet to be announced for continuation, it provides the viewer with consistent comedy and deep, powerful characters. The storyline flows beautifully, sometimes being unable to time episodes properly, the incongruity of its makeup is far from deterring. This series is a beautiful modern interpretation of Cinderella, and its themes, characters, and plot all highlight that Shoujo anime can provide for an interesting and powerful comedy that can rival in quality any more adult themed creation. This series is an outstanding all around production, which I recommend for any viewer that doesn’t require a dark and ominous plot for entertainment.

Characters

Kyoko Mogami acted by Marina Inoue
At age 16, Kyoko dreams of living a normal high school life. Instead, she works two jobs in order to support her closest friend Shou. She is an emotional and passionate individual, and uses both these traits to the fullest, in her attempts to join LME, an agency handling potential stars of the entertainment industry. She is missing a very important trait among great actors, the ability to love everyone and the desire to be loved by them. Through her experiences with ‘Love Me,’ the newly created specialty branch for training LME’s clients with potential, she will attempt to undergo the necessary transformation to becoming a star. Inoue delivers incredibly in one of the most demanding roles I have ever seen. Her portrayal is flawless, as she exceedingly captures the necessary voice dynamics of her hyper-sensitive character. The context of the character, and simplicity for an actress to relate to, could serve to make the role less complex, but there is no denying the impressive quality with which Inoue brings the script to life.

Ren Tsuruga acted by Katsuyuki Konishi
Already established as one of the greatest actors in Japan by age 20, he now works the frantic and relentless schedule of super-stardom. He is in complete opposition to Kyoko, as he refuses to recognize her motivations for becoming an actress, and makes it his duty to inform her that determination alone will not be enough for her to achieve success. Konishi brings a balance to the script, adding the perfect blend of subtle comedy, and allowing for Inoue’s screen dominance to not become blinding and overdone. The supporting role he plays is what makes for a brilliant performance by other cast members, as he adds a calm consistency that the series requires.

Shou Fuwa acted by Mamoru Miyano
Ambition pushing his motivations, he drives to become the most recognized idol in Japan. He happily uses Kyoko as a stepping stone to his stardom, and now recognizes Ren as his primary obstacle to becoming an incomparable and constantly praised multi-platform idol. Miyano acts brilliantly as the self-obsessed and shallow 16 year old singer. His ability to portray the enthusiastic Shou, and deliver his often cutting lines, presents a great antagonist to the already well rounded cast of characters.

Genre
This series embraces the most classic elements of Shoujo anime, and performs them as well as any I have ever witnessed. The uncanny ability to use the perspective of multiple characters, serves to bring out the emotional strengths and comedic situations at the greatest of magnitudes. The concentration upon moving the story and creating a slow progression gives the series an extremely realistic feel to its characters and scenarios, and serves to redefine the entire Romance genre as well as my expectations of what makes it successful. There are the simplest allusions, and they come across as honest, nerve-wracking, and wrought with confusion, creating an opportunity for Romance to become a primary interest to the viewer, but a secondary storyline to the plot. This series brings Slice-of-Life a renewed integrity as it seemingly never struggles to find its way from scene to scene. With a continual use of problem and solution scenarios, the series manages to be intelligent, involving, and creative as it develops and resolves dramatic situations, and maintains the highest level of entertainment value.

Themes
Setting this series apart from other Shoujo anime is that it rarely preaches and turns its themes into cheesy single line phrases to pass along some motivating lesson. The script provides for the actors themselves to use their emotion to deliver empowerment with an impressive magnitude. With an anguished, yet volatile look in her eyes, Kyoko at one point turns to 8 year old Maria, and tells her “Don’t always expect someone to comfort you simply because you are crying.” It is Kyoko’s brutal honesty and concrete foundation that provides the affirmation to the viewer. She struggles and learns, but it is always a lesson with flaws, as this series attempts to present valuable and realistic life lesson through its valuable and realistic main character. Kyoko’s self-actualizations in becoming an actor, creating an identity and renewal are key storyline components. It is not a simple metamorphosis for her to escape the personality in bondage that she had grown so comfortable with. She functions brilliantly as an emotionally abused person trying to recreate a world she knows to be acceptable, and though she falters on her own, she is able to find the necessary supports to keep her motivated and successful.

Style
Initially the animation appears simple and boring, but given more of the storyline, the viewer is then allowed to see the brilliance behind this series stunning character design. Though backgrounds and settings are more mundane and unimpressive, they do provide the story with the lifelike scenery it requires. There is an unrelenting emphasis on facial expression and character emotion, and this adds to the style of the series as it complements beautifully each characters actions and comedic roles. Musically, there is little done to impress, but the mood in each scene is maintained throughout the series, and the sound qualities, though rarely standouts, are still above average, and improved upon greatly by song choice, particularly the ending theme for the majority of the series.

Opening Theme

#1: “Dream Star” by the generous (ep 1-19)
#2: “Renaissance” by the generous (ep 20-25)
Ending Theme

#1: “Namida (ナミダ)” by 2BACKKA (ep 1-19)
#2: “Eien （永遠）” by Yuusaku Kiyama (ep 20-24)
#3: “Dream Star” by the generous (ep. 25)