Pole Princess!!

As (evidently) one of the very few people who actually watched this instead of reading the description and fobbing it off as degen bait, I feel the need to clear up what exactly this is and what it does in portraying pole dancing.
As Pole Princess (PolPri for short) implicitly states in episode 2, the art is not inherently sexual, but is often demonised or seen as degenerate due to its association with clubs and adult venues. As a result, it’s often treated as simply just a form of fanservice, which completely undermines the hard work and physical ability pole dancers are required to build up ... in order to actually perform it. This anime aims to show the non-suggestive aspects of it, and the different ways the characters fit their styles into it.

As the pole dance music videos demonstrate, every character has a unique style or trait that’s evident in their dancing and how they express themselves. From cute twirls and poses to powerful kicks, spins and jumps- these animations do a great job of displaying the range of the art. These are all supervised by a real pole dance instructor- Kaori from Studio Transform- and to be blunt I think they look fantastic. Even if you don’t like the main story’s animation (which I understand, it’s not the best) I really recommend watching some of the pole dance videos. And listening to the songs themselves! They’re all great, and available on music streaming platforms.

But anyway, looking past the public’s perception of it- here’s my opinions.

First off, the animation. Yes, it’s a little rough. But it doesn’t take very long to get used to, and I didn’t really mind it at all. The models all look good, and at most, my biggest complaint was that the hair physics are a bit floaty. These issues are barely noticeable at all in the pole dances.
The story and writing is, in a word, cute. Like, it’s nothing to write home about, but I like all the characters and seeing them all interact as friends- and their voice actors do a great job showing their personalities (Seriously, have you SEEN the cast on this thing?). Subaru’s introduction and recruitment in particular is pretty goofy and I love it.
The songs are great. Like I said before, the voice actors know what they’re doing and all sing really well, and the songs themselves are catchy and immediately tell you what aesthetic and style the characters have. My personal favourite is the last performance in the final episode- the instrumental, environment and vocals mix so well together.

Overall, PolPri isn’t anywhere near a masterpiece, but I think its message on not writing things off and instead understanding the work behind it is important and I think it’s really disheartening that so many people online have a twisted view on what this project- and by extension, the dance it represents- truly is. At the very least, it taught me, and from just watching the dances and reading about the pole dancers involved, I’ve come to really appreciate how much strength and practice goes into learning it. With the recent announcement of an upcoming movie, my biggest hope is they have more scenes of the characters learning and practicing, and explaining different terminology and techniques.

I think this is a good start to a franchise that will hopefully tackle the stigma surrounding the art. Looking forward to the future of the project!

Pole Princess!! has been a surprisingly rewarding breath of fresh air, in short :)

For anybody willing to take a minute or two to look into what pole dance is nowadays (away from strip clubs) or anybody interested in performing arts, I think you'll be richly rewarded if you give this niche anime a chance. Anybody who lacks the maturity to either try to understand or accept the creators' vision will probably be better off sticking with the run-of-the mill stuff everywhere else.

Story - 9/10

In the context of a short series, I'd say the story is about right, in terms of complexity and depth. I've given ... it a nine in this case because although a bit tropey in places, the script quality is really good, with the original metaphors and similes that the writers have come up with. When a metaphor sticks with me beyond watching an episode, that's usually a good sign in my book, given how rarely it happens (I read a lot and also write novels and it's still rare). Also, the script writers have done a good job at working with scenes which revolve around a good range of emotions, which I appreciate.

The creators of the series are also evidently aware of the perception and negative connotations associated with pole dance and manage to work some discussion on this into the story, which is appreciated, even if slightly hard to watch as a fan of the sport.

Art - 10/10

This anime's strong suit, by a very long way.

There are small things (like hair motion) which I complained about in the first couple of episodes and looking into them a bit further, I can sort of excuse them as trends prevalent in anime as a medium and also limitations of entirely using CG.

Artistry is abundant in this anime and this simple statement is probably still selling it short. Set design, costume design, music production, character design have had a lot of effort put in and it very clearly shows with the final result.

Initially, when I heard about this anime, I suspected that they'd be looking more into the performance or competition forms of pole dance. I severely underestimated what the creators would treat us to. Routines that combine modern pole dance with dance styles from different cultures of the world (Japan, Europe and North Africa/ Middle-East) and different eras have been a delight to watch. As if that wasn't enough, there are also realistic depictions of floor gymnastics to marvel at. That said, there is still great variety with the pole dancing and the moves featured in each routine and obviously, the execution and beauty of the body motion is splendid to watch.

I have watched a few idol/ performing arts series and not really had an impact made by set designs and Pole Princess has managed to leave a mark, largely leaning on nature and more scenic sets, though there are other styles as well.

Costume design is similarly wonderful, playing with aesthetics that reflect different cultures of the world, different themes and/ or features of nature. The fact that world culture is used is nice, but the level of detail is also striking.

Sound - 10/10

If I were judging solely on performance music, then I'd probably rate this series only 8/10 because I'm very picky about music. To the creator's credit, they have used a variety of music tracks, which is appreciated. Overall, I've ended up at 10 because although the voice acting is nothing spectacular (though good across a range of emotions from fun and silly to heartfelt and serious), the sound effects and original composed music is spot-on.

The use of acoustic instruments (piano, strings and percussion mainly) for backing music across a variety of moods is very much in line with the level of artistry that elegantly flows through the visual elements of the anime and my ears absolutely love it.

Character - 10/10

Not so much depth is what influenced this score, though there is a decent amount (well, pretty good for a short series, I'll admit). I've already mentioned that the voice acting is good, so combine that with the artistic treatment that the characters have all been given and the story writing that I mentioned earlier and you end up with a cast of endearing characters who are all unique enough to live in one's memory after watching, despite how short a series this is (Subaru is my favourite, just saying...).

Enjoyment - 10/10

The regular "story" episodes and the performance routines are great to watch, yes, but there are also mocap overlays for the dance routines as well. The studio routines are wonderful to see as well, as we get treated to the raw body motion behind the CG routines.

Overall - 10/10

Very few titles are beautiful and show enough passion for art to make me cry and no others to the extent that this series has. Despite having a decent clue of what pole dance is before watching this series, I've been treated to a wonderful display of artistry far beyond my expectations, in a variety of different disciplines and for that I cannot express enough thanks to the creators of this project.

If I had to describe this anime in one word, it would be "inoffensive".

It adds little to none new or exciting dishes on the CGDCT table. Not necessarily a bad thing, just don't expect to be blown away by... anything at all. The animation is full CG of the bad kind and probably the worst thing about this anime. Everything else is pretty average, we even get the foundations of a story but there just isn't enough time to expand upon it. The shorter run (7 plot episodes) might actually work in the series' favor as it might've been too stale if it was longer. ... But it stays as just that - inoffensive.

It has its good moments, one could easily tell that a lot of work went into creating the series. It's light and simple and would probably make an impression on a novice anime watcher but it's unlikely to move a crusty old-timer. Other than the 7 plot episodes we have 7 "dances" where each character does a full-length solo dance over the duration of one song. They really capture the personalities and backgrounds of the characters and some of the songs are a bop.

When is the best time to watch this? When you have an hour to spare and low expectations. It's free on YouTube so as long as you're open-minded you're likely to find something you enjoy about the show.

Recommended watch order:
Prologue/Episode 0 -> Plot episodes -> Character introductions (optional, context for supporting cast) -> Dance episodes

And make your grandma proud, dammit.