Kora
“I’ll get it done no matter what. I’ll clear any obstacle! See, on the track team, I’m a hurdler. I’ve loved running since I was a kid. I moved to Tokyo all alone because I want to keep runnin’.”
In my review for Deaimon, I referenced the diverse nature of the slice-of-life genre, but Heroines Run the Show seems intent on exhibiting this quality as it blends school-based slice-of-life, sports, drama, comedy and idol culture in an unholy concoction which somehow produced something truly special. The show excels at finding a unique balance in its setting and character, so that the phrase, “There’s nothing quite like it,” holds surprisingly true. The best comparison I can make would be to say that its comedic sensibilities and timing remind me a little of Horimiya, as does our lead’s responsible, can-do attitude. Actually, add the male rivalry of Fruits Basket on top, and you might have something of a close approximation. Heroines Run the Show is going straight on my watchlist immediately, and I will offer a firm recommendation for anyone looking for a good slice-of-life, good drama, good comedy or anything in-between.
Our aforementioned lead is Suzumi Hiyori, a high-school track athlete who has transferred from her remote home to Tokyo so that she can pursue track further. Hiyori is a ball of energy who is extremely excited by her new environment, but is also quick to get swept away and lost amongst the bustle of the city. On her first day at her new school, she’s surprised to find herself seated between two male students who appear to be the object of everyone’s obsession. It’s not until later that she learns the boys are both pop idols who were paired together by their agency, a fact they are not so subtly unhappy about. She finds herself frustrated at being stuck between the pair, Yujiro and Aizo, and unnerved by the fact that her position in the classroom appears to attract the ire of an envious student body. The rapport between our lead characters, while not positive, is compelling. Both Yujiro and Aizo seem willful and driven in their own ways, though from both the audience and Hiyori’s perspectives, they remain emotional black boxes. Hiyori is more of an open book to the audience since she’s our POV character, but she’s certainly as much of a mystery to the boys as they are to her, not that they have any interest in learning more at the moment. As events transpire, it should be interesting to see how these characters collide as they’re forced to work together. As for the rest of the cast, we get some short glimpses of them at school, but only enough to establish their presence in the viewer’s mind. This premiere is first and foremost about introducing Hiyori and her struggles, and in that respect, it succeeds brilliantly.
On paper, none of this should work. This is an anime original series based on a song by HoneyWorks and animated by the studio that’s currently releasing a ‘pop-idol becomes a jockey’ anime. I’ve followed anime for years, but that’s a word salad I can’t even begin to wrap my brain around. Lay-duce is clearly committing more of their resources to this show, as the visual quality and comedic timing is great. I was unimpressed by Fanfare of Adolescence’s animation and the modeling of its horses, but Heroines Run the Show feels like a return to form. Lay-duce is still a young company, but I remember my surprise a few years ago when I learned that O Maidens in Your Savage Season had been produced by a studio I’d never even heard of. I liked the OP, though having gone into this show blind, I didn’t really get what was going on the first time through. Some of the clips make more sense with hindsight, but it might take some time to grow on me. The ED is catchy, and has some nice accompanying visuals which focus on Hiyori’s relationship with some of her other classmates. Ultimately, if I needed to pick one aspect that I feel could be improved upon, it would be the performance by Minase Inori as Hiyori. It’s strange to criticize a performance by such a prolific and beloved seiyu, but she does overdo Hiyori’s excitement a bit too much at points, and I could envision it getting annoying were it to escalate.
Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:
- I suppose this isn’t the first time I’ve had some issues with a Minase Inori performance. Unlike many viewers, I was NOT a fan of Hestia in Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, and while I certainly wouldn’t suggest her vocal performance was the only factor there, it was definitely a key element of my irritation.
- It’s a little strange how both of the series Lay-duce is producing this season incorporate idol drama. This evidently isn’t the first series they’ve made which was based upon a song series by HoneyWorks as they had previously produced a 6 episode series called Our love has always been 10 centimeters apart which shared a similar background… I don’t really understand what any of this means. I’d say that J-Pop and idol groups are like quantum physics to me, but I legitimately have a better understanding of quantum physics than I do these topics.
- I went to find my First Impressions review for Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? and was surprised to see that the blurb for that particular article was… notably on point. It read, “I absolutely despise Hestia.”
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