Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight (Revue Starlight)

As preparations begin for Seishou Music Academy's yearly Seishou Festival, the girls of the 99th class are gearing up to perform their very own rendition of Starlight, the tragic tale of two goddesses drawn together by the glow of the heavens but destined to be pulled apart, never to meet again. Created to foster the next generation of theatrical talent, this girls' only school works to improve the singing, acting, and dancing skills of its students.

One student is 16-year-old Karen Aijou, an easygoing girl who has dreamed of performing on stage since she was a child. Her love for theater is further invigorated when her childhood friend Hikari Kagura transfers to Seishou Academy. Through her old friend, Karen stumbles upon a secret elevator leading to a massive theater underneath the school. Hosted by a talking giraffe, this arena serves as a battleground where her classmates participate in duels to determine who among them deserves the title of "Top Star," earning them the right to play one of the lead roles in Starlight. Emboldened by the promise she made with Hikari to someday be stars together, Karen enters these mysterious battles in the hopes of making their dream a reality.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Adaptation:	Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight: Overture, Butai Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight: The Live - Show Must Go On
Side story:	Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight Specials
Other:	Shoujo☆Conto All Starlight, Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight Re LIVE 1st Anniversary PV, 99 Illusion!
Sequel:	Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight Movie
Summary:	Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight: Rondo Rondo Rondo

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Daiba, Nana

Main

Koizumi, Moeka
Japanese

Tendou, Maya

Main

Tomita, Maho
Japanese

Saijou, Claudine

Main

Aiba, Aina
Japanese

Kagura, Hikari

Main

Mimori, Suzuko
Japanese

Tsuyuzaki, Mahiru

Main

Iwata, Haruki
Japanese

Hoshimi, Junna

Main

Satou, Hinata
Japanese

Aijou, Karen

Main

Koyama, Momoyo
Japanese

Hanayagi, Kaoruko

Main

Itou, Ayasa
Japanese

Isurugi, Futaba

Main

Ikuta, Teru
Japanese

Kirin

Supporting

Tsuda, Kenjirou
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Iwasaki, Atsushi

Producer

Ogasawara, Muneki

Producer

Furukawa, Tomohiro

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Yamada, Haru

Sound Director

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Opening Theme

"Hoshi no Dialogue (星のダイアローグ)" by Starlight Kukugumi (スタァライト九九組) (eps 2-11)

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Ending Theme

	1: "Hoshi no Dialogue (星のダイアローグ)" by Starlight Kukugumi (スタァライト九九組) (eps 1, 12)
	2: "Fly Me to the Star" by Hikari Kagura (Suzuko Mimori) (eps 3)
	3: "Fly Me to the Star" by Karen Aijou, Kagura Hikari (Momoyo Koyama, Suzuko Mimori) (eps 4)
	4: "Fly Me to the Star" by Mahiru Tsuyuzaki (Haruki Iwata) (eps 5)
	5: "Fly Me to the Star" by Futaba Isurugi, Kaoruko Hanayagi (Teru Ikuta, Ayasa Itou) (eps 6)
	6: "Fly Me to the Star (instrumental version)" (eps 7)
	7: "Fly Me to the Star" by Karen Aijou (Momoyo Koyama) (eps 8)
	8: "Fly Me to the Star" by Junna Hoshimi, Nana Daiba (Hinata Satou, Moeka Koizumi) (eps 9)
	9: "Fly Me to the Star" by Maya Tendou, Claudine Saijou (Maho Tomita, Aina Aiba) (eps 10)
	10: "Fly Me to the Star" by Maya Tendou, Junna Hoshimi, Mahiru Tsuyuzaki, Nana Daiba, Saijou Claudine, Futaba Isurugi, Kaoruko Hanayagi (Maho Tomita, Hinata Satou, Haruki Iwata, Moeka Koizumi, Aina Aiba, Teru Ikuta, Ayasa Itou) (eps 11)

Reviews

Feb 16, 2024

TheFlyingSoda

Recommended

Informative

Now I’ll admit, I’m not really into musical anime. While I do appreciate the ideas of music used in any show, most of the time, they felt one-sided and too gimmicky for my personal liking. At least to me, the use of musicals isn’t really executed well due to how they’re portrayed as background themes instead of story purposes. But there’s one anime that caught my attention and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. Of course, I’m referring to arguably KineCi’s best show, Revue Starlight. When I started watching this, I was keeping my expectations in check for the most part solely because again, ... my stances with musical anime. But as soon as I finished the show (and gave it a re-watch because why not?), I have come to appreciate the passion and creativity this show holds.

The story is about two girls named ‘Karen’ and ‘Hikari’ who watched a stage performance of 9 girls in a group called “Starlight” and both were amazed by each of the girl’s performances. As time passed, the two girls were in high school and made friends with 7 other girls. While the 9 girls do their standard school activities, Karen discovers a secret room which is a stage for the Starlight and the other girls are part of it. And with that, the 9 girls are dancing and singing in a battle of who will take the victory. Revue Starlight has a lot of enticing ideas that it explores well. On the surface, the storytelling barely made any sense. Sure, it’s one of the more unique musical anime out there but it’s just a bunch of girls fighting each other on a stage with some cool shit thrown together. And you know what? You’re technically right. From the looks of it, Revstar isn’t really taken literally. The scriptwriting seems odd and the characterization looks pretty funny.

Which is why we have yet to observe this show’s biggest charm, its take on symbolic elements. Think about it, Revstar doesn’t have traditional storytelling, to begin with, regardless of what premise it holds. Instead, it has its figurative meaning about how the girls are driven by their own determination and philosophies. It really shows how the characters are trying very hard to prove that their strengths are way more than average and how they can voice out their very own colors. The show does a fantastic job nailing those aspects. It presents just how human and colorful the cast is no matter the situation. It feels like I’m watching another Ikuhara anime and yes, this show isn’t really directed by Ikuhara himself but this is SO IKUHARA that it’s a CRIME if one says otherwise. The script writing may be complicated but it’s directed brilliantly because it doesn’t take itself seriously alongside creating more room for the cast to show more personality.

Normally, I would consider fight scenes to be superficial but I can’t stress enough how HARD the choreography holds. In most cases, it’s fine if you make fight scenes pieces of popcorn entertainment. After all, you want to keep viewers entertained, even if writing won’t do justice. But you can make them better if you elect to combine them with storytelling. In this respect, Revstar is the best at that. Not only is the action portrayed well with a combination of physical clashing and over-the-top movements but the dialogue is, again, driven by adrenaline and true human emotions. It nails how girls perform on a stage and how they want to be the star of the dance extremely well. In the Starlight auditions, you need a lot of effort in order to prove that you hold enough will and justice, both in your script and your dance performances. The cast is the best at showing those kinds of factors.

Speaking of which, it’s time we talk about the cast. Karen is an excellent protagonist who shows how you can hold any sense of determination. She isn’t your average Shoujo main character by any means, she always has enough physical and emotional strength to present to you how you can be deemed to be a guardian angel. The same goes for Hikari, who even though Karen is fantastic as both an MC and a character, felt like the true protagonist of the show. Other characters also deserve special mention. Mahiru may be a psycho (a harmless one at that) but I absolutely love her relationship with Karen, even though it’s silly. Junna’s kindness towards anyone she mostly interacts with is something I really admire. Claudine and Maya probably have some of the most philosophical chemistry with each other I’ve ever seen when it comes to making a female equivalent of a bromance (I really don’t know what it’s called, please help). Kaoruko’s combination of laziness and surprisingly high knowledge of the stage makes her a fantastic character. Futaba was a little disappointing, though. I do love her princely behavior and her chemistry with Kaoruko but she doesn’t click me as much as the other characters.

But even if some tend to be my least favorite of the bunch, I adore all the girls equally due to their own unique and enjoyable charms. However, if one stands out the most for me in a way that makes the most definitions of what special means, I have to give it to Nana. She isn’t just an honorary shadow figure, she IS THE honorary shadow figure in animanga. The fact that she’s very kind for the most part only to reveal her true colors in the auditions is what really holds my attention. In fact, her selfishness is easily the best part of the show. Nana is a diehard idol who spent all of her effort trying to stand on top of others. What makes her extremely special is how she is very dedicated to the Starlight stages yet doesn’t overstay her welcome. Despite all the hassle she brings when she’s brought into the auditions, she still retains most, if not, all of her kindness.

Talking about the story and characters is fun and all but let’s talk about the art and sound. The production really surprised me. When I saw the words “KineCi” and “animation” put together, I always thought they would do okay. Not the worst but not the greatest either. But with Revstar, the animation is clean and smooth. The physical moments are over-the-top yet balanced at the same time, all while also containing very pleasing visuals. I don’t want to disregard the aesthetics either. In my opinion, Revstar has the best character designs out of any anime. Not only do the characters look distinct and dynamic but they also fit well with each character’s personality and dancing style. The music, most notably the stage ones, is incredible. The amount of energy put into and used with them is just amazing. They also represent the characterizations of every character wonderfully. Same with the voice acting.

STORY - 93%
CHARACTERS - 94%
ART - 90%
SOUND - 100%

There’s more I could talk about but all I can say is that Revue Starlight is just fantastic. I find it sad that it has gotten a reputation as a hit-or-miss and I could totally understand why. It’s not for everyone. Its take on symbolic elements may confuse those who aren’t familiar with its story structures. But personally, this show has a lot of great stuff in one package. It has a non-linear storytelling that indirectly shows human determination well and the characters are super fleshed out. Best of all, this is just at minimum potential. This series has a movie sequel and we will talk about that in another time.

FINAL VERDICT - 9/10

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Mar 19, 2024

Asuken

Mixed Feelings

The first thing you have to understand is that the anime is meant to be a critique on the Takarazuka Revue’s ‘Top Star’ system. The theater company had a significant influence on anime and otaku culture, inspiring greats like Osamu Tezuka to create the similarly influential Ribon no Kishi, and Ikuhara, a director whose style you may recognize in the show itself. The link to Takarazuka is even clearer when you consider the series first premiered, so to speak, as a musical directed by Kodama Akiko who had experience doing the same for some productions from the company. In theory, with such a rich, alluring ... history and culture it can draw ideas from, the anime is set up for great success. However, Revue Starlight fails to meet expectations.

“I’ll starlight you all!” says Karen as she dons a stage costume which actually is quite stylish. I have no qualms with the character designs. The quote highlights Karen’s role as a revolutionary, challenging the system of the Top Star. In actual Takarazuka productions, the Top Star is the front and center of the stage. Even the plot of source materials are altered to give her (as an otokoyaku) a more prominent part in adaptations. Fellow actresses play a more supportive role and don’t get the same attention from the spotlight. Karen’s quote shows a direct contrast to this idea.

That’s nice and all, but it’s still rather surface level. It’s presenting a solution to the problem without explaining how it should work and what the implications would be, should it work. It’s not insightful. This is a problem with the series as a whole. Really interesting ideas are introduced but then resolved immediately. It’s extremely jarring to see characters do a 180 in personality in the span of a single episode, after their conflicts are ‘solved’. Oh, and after that they’re relegated to side character roles again. What a way to go against your own point of everyone deserving the starlight!

Nonetheless, I do appreciate and enjoy the use of motifs. The action of falling is incredibly prominent. Every stage battle ends with the curtain falling. It suggests an endless cycle of competition between the girls, where one invariably has to fail. Falling also appears in all of Karen’s transformation sequences. That’s apt because in the end, she’s the one to finally rise, literally, against the system. It’s pretty satisfying.

I liked the unconventional use of Tokyo Tower to represent the relationship between Karen and Hikari. And really, their relationship is the show’s saving grace. But of course, it has to be sullied somehow. During the climax where the two girls have their confrontation, a culmination of everything in the show thus far, a weird fourth-wall breaking scene is shoehorned in. It’s a weak attempt to justify the presence of this giraffe thing and was completely unnecessary. Fourth-wall breaks should be used sparingly—in fact, the anime already used one in an earlier episode, which…was pretty corny, but fine. To throw one into the middle of such an important scene is just a horrible directing decision. All sense of tension dissipated and I found myself laughing at the stupidity of it.

There’s things to love about the anime. Its storytelling techniques are really quite good, for the most part. But that alone is not enough to save its bland characters and dull story. Especially disappointing considering the potential it had.

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Jul 15, 2019

QueenOfShoujo

Not Recommended

"This whole anime felt like drinking lukewarm water. "

I went into this with no expectations really. The art looked good and I needed something to watch that was dubbed so I could work while watching it. Despite the lack of expectations it still managed to fail them. The single reason I finished this show was because I didn't want to bother to go out looking for something else.

This anime is a mix of a bit penguindrum in the way is has absurd things happen that aren't really meant to be taken literally but also aren't completely metaphorically. And a bit of Madoka Magica almost exactly ...

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Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight

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