This was my biggest surprise show. I had no idea what it was going in but after I was done it was a top ten for me. The show is amazing. The story is actually fantastic and has legit plot twists. I cannot recommend this show enough.
Ordinal43NotFound2025-12-31 13:55
I always think that this anime feels very Kunihiko Ikuhara-esque.
Erufailon42025-12-31 14:01
Guess whose protégé the director is :D
Ordinal43NotFound2025-12-31 14:12
Ah, no wonder! Honestly feels nice to be able to notice directing quirks like that.
I'd notice it from the way the scenes are staged, the quirky on-screen texts, and that sequence where they juxtapose the cold smelting foundry with the transformation sequence.
It's the same kind of "playfulness" you'd find in Ikuhara's works.
Honestly I'd advise to pirate this show and watch it with fansubs. The official subs for this one are straight up bad in comparison.
Fissionprime2026-01-01 04:20
The fansubs for this show are so, so good. Definitely the best way to experience things.
Castform52025-12-31 18:41
Get the pirate version, they've done an incredible amount of work on it to make it the best it can be.
clone692026-01-01 01:53
Hidive only has the movie, so set sail to Pirate's Island, which according to an old Simpsons episode, is also known as Hong Kong
Erufailon42025-12-31 13:58
Not everyone can be a giraffe voiced by Kenjiro Tsuda, after all.
(Yes, yes, I know. This is the best わかります joke I can come up with on the spot.)
BasroilII2025-12-31 14:41
I understand.
clone692026-01-01 01:48
Wakarimasu
marcostadeusc2025-12-31 17:08
Damn, the voice of this VA is incredibly good to hear
Syokhan2025-12-31 13:58
I remember thinking "WTF is going on??" in the absolute best way possible. Then Karen gets a transformation sequence that wouldn't be out of place in Utena and I was completely sold on the show. What an incredible surprise this one was!
RoseSpinoza2025-12-31 15:02
"ZETAI UNMEI MOKUSHIROKU"
Yeah, Utena was my exact thought while watching this clip. Haha, I love that sort of visual flare :D .
truthfulie2025-12-31 22:11
yup. utena was my first thought.
Skyreader132025-12-31 14:12
> I'll Starlight you all
Then proceeded to Starlight all over the place
Bravo, Karen, bravo
HighLvlNoob692026-01-01 09:10
More frame than OPM that crazy
Deruta2025-12-31 14:17
GOD they did Junna dirty. She went from a terrifyingly competent force of nature 1v2ing the main couple with ease (thanks to sheer determination and hard work) to the mook in every Gundam series that says “so fast!” seconds before getting obliterated. And after getting jobbed by a rookie in the first arc she spends the rest of the series as little more than a physical _and_ emotional punching bag.
/#JusticeforJunna
Platinum_Rad2025-12-31 17:55
atleast nana told her to keep herself safe:]
Deruta2025-12-31 18:56
"Hey, you're alright, don't come to the revue stage tomorrow." - Daiba "Big Banana" Nana
cppn022025-12-31 14:43
[](#wakarimasu)
Kikuruchi2025-12-31 14:53
Anything takarazuka inspired is bound to be peak
BR41ND34D2025-12-31 14:56
"Many" += 1
Sayian-SSJB2025-12-31 15:02
Idk what this is but I kinda liked it
The_Strict_Nein2025-12-31 15:02
I got as far as this opening before realising they were going for actual art here and realised it wasn't a show for me.
-Mr_Hollow-2025-12-31 15:10
I understand
band-man2025-12-31 15:14
My favorite anime, especially with the movie. I had this shilled to me 7 years ago, back when the only other anime I'd seen was MHA. This series is what turned me from someone who watches anime into an Anime Fan.
katheb2025-12-31 15:17
The heck did I just watch?
Not_Shingen2025-12-31 15:31
Today I learned this got a sequel movie
LunarieReverie2025-12-31 15:41
I like the idea of the show.
I like *some* characters in the show.
I just couldn't like Karen.
DistributionHour15802025-12-31 15:50
That's why you need to watch the sequel movie. The movie did a lot of justice with Karen's characterization.
LunarieReverie2025-12-31 15:57
But that would require me to undropping Starlight.
zairaner2025-12-31 15:56
One of the greatest first episodes to ever do it!
sohvan2025-12-31 16:05
The show had it's problems, but I still liked it a lot. The movie is transcendent, though. I still go back listen/watch some of the Revues, especially Super Star Spectacle.
dude_18182025-12-31 16:14
The elevator fake out is so funny. And that's definitely my favorite magical girl transformation
YSoB_ImIn2025-12-31 16:52
What in the absolute fever dream did I just watch???
Platinum_Rad2025-12-31 16:56
they don't make em this cinema usually
and MFers are still sleeping on it
DistributionHour15802025-12-31 17:07
I don't know if it’s just me, but I really like the colors in this series. It feels very movie-like, even though it’s a 12-episode series.
Platinum_Rad2025-12-31 17:35
they were keeping up crazy movie-level quality there on a consistent basis
I recall they even had to bring in fan animators from twitter the last couple weeks to make the deadlines
mkrlcs2026-01-01 20:13
Have you seen the movie yet?
Cautionzombie2025-12-31 21:51
Why I loved Chainsawman season one’s style but noooooooo it’s not faithful
Ordinal43NotFound2025-12-31 23:52
You act like CSM S1's style is the only way something can be cinematic lol.
Reze movie clearly departs from S1's approach, yet it still manages to be just as "cinematic" (whatever that means to you) if not even more so than S1 while also being faithful (and actually elevated the manga).
lilyphilia20012025-12-31 17:12
To me, one of the most effective first episodes in anime.
It accomplishes so many things. It introduces a (for a show of this length) large ensemble cast and establishes the relationships that will drive the later revues.
It shows off the takarazuka system and how it affects people, both in the literal sense as the girls attend school, as well as its true purpose in the Revues.
It sets up Karen and Hikari's dynamic and sows the seeds for the eventual upturning of the system through their genuine bond (Karen jumps into the fray to save Hikari, besmirching her innocence to the horror of Hikari, who has already lost hers and doesn't want Karen to suffer like she has.
And perhaps most importantly, it shows that Furukawa is an amazing director capable of utilizing the medium to its potential. This is just my personal opinion, but in anime, I am primarily looking for great visual storytelling. And this episode delivers. Both the final sequence and Karen's dream are incredible, while the mundane scenes don't feel boring.
IndependentMacaroon2025-12-31 18:12
> It shows off the takarazuka system
Except that everyone is a squeaky-cute moe girl here instead of featuring its most striking and iconic commonly referenced trait of women also playing and embodying masculine roles. Bad case of audience pandering.
ErnestoIII2026-01-01 09:48
bro doesnt know michael jordan is in this show
ProfessionalRandom212025-12-31 17:20
holy cringe
Technical-Row83332025-12-31 20:30
All the upskirts and camera flybys under skirts of little high school girls were necessary?
BorderKeeper2025-12-31 17:43
Why does this scratch the "early anime days" itch I had when I first started watching anime like SAO 10 years ago. It was this deep innocent immersion that jaded me doesn't get anymore, but somehow this lit the fire a bit. Even though this is not my genre at all I might give it a watch.
On second watch I think it might be the art-style, the over-the-top music, misdirection, and seriousness of all the characters (ignoring the giraffe out of nowhere)
BosuW2025-12-31 18:43
> Even though this is not my genre at all I might give it a watch.
Maybe you'd get more of that feeling if you stepped out of your known zone more often?
BorderKeeper2025-12-31 18:45
NO! I will stay in my trashy isekai closet and will be dragged out only kicking and screaming 😅
BosuW2025-12-31 18:41
Shit like this is why I love going into shows blind
RCTD-2612025-12-31 19:29
hey OP, what software did you use to convert anime into anime with hardsub while keeping the stylized subtitle?
zairaner2026-01-01 00:32
Handbrake for example.
DistributionHour15802026-01-01 03:22
I used Handbrake. It has a “subtitles” option.
RCTD-2612026-01-01 05:11
thanks for the info
Saltyfish_King2025-12-31 20:48
This show really fucking hits, especially when paired with the movie. It's a masterpiece to me and will always hold a special place in my heart.
PM_ME_YOUR_SPUDS2025-12-31 22:03
This clip is great but understates how completely _grounded_ in reality the show is up until this exact point. There's some imagery stuff with Tokyo Tower sure, a weird icon on a phone, but it's literally girls doing dance classes at school and emotional drama for like 17 minutes before pulling this wonderful nonsense. It's so effective.
Matsugara162025-12-31 22:34
The best anime I've seen, it shaped the anime watcher that I'm today and not enough people have watched it
MasterAyy2026-01-01 02:30
My favorite part of this clip is when the lyrics start at 4:35 and Karen leaps forward. In two strides she gains so much distance and so much speed is shown there. It's just a very beautifully animated scene. Revenue Starlight is one of my all time favorites for sure.
goomyman2026-01-01 02:47
Wait what is the plot of this? Is this just the anime version of a dance fight.
DistributionHour15802026-01-01 03:28
Theatre Girls fighting in an underground tournament to see who shines brighter. The battles serve as a metaphorical showcase of their acting skills.
Fissionprime2026-01-01 04:13
Seriously, just watch this show. It is one of the best things ever.
Zaygr2026-01-01 08:05
I love this intro, but the the intro that took me off guard the most was the first 60 or so seconds of Imouto sae Ireba Ii.
Commentaires
I'd notice it from the way the scenes are staged, the quirky on-screen texts, and that sequence where they juxtapose the cold smelting foundry with the transformation sequence.
It's the same kind of "playfulness" you'd find in Ikuhara's works.
I should watch this show.
EDIT- ah, Hidive. Well. Maybe someday later.
(Yes, yes, I know. This is the best わかります joke I can come up with on the spot.)
Yeah, Utena was my exact thought while watching this clip. Haha, I love that sort of visual flare :D .
Then proceeded to Starlight all over the place
Bravo, Karen, bravo
/#JusticeforJunna
I like *some* characters in the show.
I just couldn't like Karen.
and MFers are still sleeping on it
I recall they even had to bring in fan animators from twitter the last couple weeks to make the deadlines
Reze movie clearly departs from S1's approach, yet it still manages to be just as "cinematic" (whatever that means to you) if not even more so than S1 while also being faithful (and actually elevated the manga).
It accomplishes so many things. It introduces a (for a show of this length) large ensemble cast and establishes the relationships that will drive the later revues.
It shows off the takarazuka system and how it affects people, both in the literal sense as the girls attend school, as well as its true purpose in the Revues.
It sets up Karen and Hikari's dynamic and sows the seeds for the eventual upturning of the system through their genuine bond (Karen jumps into the fray to save Hikari, besmirching her innocence to the horror of Hikari, who has already lost hers and doesn't want Karen to suffer like she has.
And perhaps most importantly, it shows that Furukawa is an amazing director capable of utilizing the medium to its potential. This is just my personal opinion, but in anime, I am primarily looking for great visual storytelling. And this episode delivers. Both the final sequence and Karen's dream are incredible, while the mundane scenes don't feel boring.
Except that everyone is a squeaky-cute moe girl here instead of featuring its most striking and iconic commonly referenced trait of women also playing and embodying masculine roles. Bad case of audience pandering.
On second watch I think it might be the art-style, the over-the-top music, misdirection, and seriousness of all the characters (ignoring the giraffe out of nowhere)
Maybe you'd get more of that feeling if you stepped out of your known zone more often?