Chance Triangle Session

It always blows my mind when I start a new series and poof, no review! How on earth will I decide whether I want to watch it or not? Well no matter, I will say Chance Pop Session from the desolate world of no-review land.

I'd been wanting to see this anime for some time now, ever since I saw a scene on Youtube that was easily the sweetest clip ever. After two weeks of life kicking my butt, it was time. And my timing was just about perfect. This is the show you want to come home to after a bad day. At some ... points I felt myself get all relaxed, like I was either waking up or lulling into a pleasant nap. It was sweet, it was calming, it wasn't boring. Just the type of show to lift one's spirits.

Unfortunately, this doesn't mean the show is perfect. It has its flaws right along with it's good points. The plot was...predictable. There really weren't any surprises to be had and I could easily figure out what was going to happen before it did. It all became a matter of just watching the events unfold. The anime didn't even try to hide the obvious plot points, instead opting to concentrate more on how the story was told rather then what story was told. Which is OK. It's nice to just sit back and enjoy the ride once in a while. But if you're the type of person who loves deep, hidden plot goodies and mysteries to uncover and unravel as the show goes on, look elsewhere.

I have mixed feelings about the art. The art style was different. At times it seemed bland, but then they'd just go into something completely different. I loved the attention to detail, just little things that they were very good about keeping on top of. Also every so often a little music video would appear (oh yes) and the art goes through some drastic changes in one or two of them, but they fit the mood and it just worked.

And now the music. I had to get to this at some point in a musical anime. I am so lucky I actually liked the songs, because they sure liked to repeat them. It started to remind me of transformation sequences in magical girl anime; they showed the same scene for the one song every time. I was so relieved when the music videos came on, because that meant something different, but the second I saw three microphones appear out of nowhere I knew I was in for yet the same recycled scene. Don't get me wrong, I found myself humming some of the songs cheerfully in the shower this morning. It just would have been nice to see them singing something new.

The characters were all-around decent. There wasn't any substantial character development, but as I mentioned before the attention to detail is amazing. Especially when it comes to their unique personalities. All of the characters served their purposes, none were wasted and it worked. Nothing to call home about really.

Despite how this review may sound, I thoroughly enjoyed this show. It had a nice little message, got rid of some stress and had some nice music. I would most definitely recommend giving it a show. Just don't go in expecting a monumental work of art. The charm of this show is that it does not take itself too seriously and try to be something it's not. The show just is.

Since this title just recently got a re-release I figured I'd give it a watch. It was very much worth my time. The story is good for the most part. Its just as the other reviewer said. Everyone should know how the story will play out ahead of time. Luckly, the way that it does is entertaining enough.

The art on the other hand...Is barely serviceable I thought this show was made in the late 90's and then I come to learn it was actually 2001? How is this possible? Why don't music shows by Madhouse productions ... get good art. I found myself fast forwarding through some of the poor clips.

The sound is what you'd expect from a music show. The songs are good...in small doses. If you don't like the opening song of this anime, don't watch it. They sing it atleast twice an episode. When some other songs come into the mix its a breathe of fresh air. Its not that its a bad song, just over played. The other musical selections are very good its just they're not played nearly as often.

The characters are great. Sure they seem common, but I just felt there was something special about how the characters interacted. There wasn't a character that came into the screen that felt fake.

I really did enjoy this show overall. It does have its points where it goes off track and you wish they'd play another song. The show has great characters and the way it plays out is a lot of fun. It was sports one of the more satisfying endings I've seen in an Anime. If you get a Chance, give Chance Pop Session a try. You might find yourself singing 'Pure Blue' in the shower. Or in the Car. Or in the workplace. Or....

How do you make a predictable anime enjoyable and inspired? Chance Pop Session's answer is to have highly interesting sub-plots that somehow sharpens the main story, incredibly well cast seiyuus and relatable characters. It seems with such a great combo, everything just comes together.
What also makes it so good is that it never drags on with the story or any of the situations so much that it puts you off. Instead, those stories are so well put together that you really feel the impact of the anime as a whole.

The animation for this title is good but has a couple of kinks. I'll start with ... the bad.
Some backgrounds are very uninteresting and plain, but more annoyingly they have static background people when everyone should be moving, like in a crowd scene. This feels a little cheap and quite disappointing compared with other elements of the show.
The character design is also one that the audience has to get adjusted to because it is somehow plain looking and static. However after a few episodes - once you get used to it - you can start to appreciate it as it creates an interesting dynamic with both the boring background but also with the vivid ones.
Now to the good.
Some sequences are just breathtaking and powerful in their depiction of a mood. For instance, the visuals that go with Reika's songs are amazing. The kind of stuff that would make Gankutsuou proud in its use of patterns, intense colour and flowing objects. Those sequences have to be seen to be believed.
Other scenes that reflect the great artistry are also dream sequences that involve Akari and Kaito, the moody piece that is the past of Kasaragi and some of the concert shots. Chance Pop Session also manages to include live action (just in the way of objects though) exceedingly well in some sequences (even better than End of Evangelion if you ask me).

The seiyuus are probably the best thing about the show as they elevate the characters with incredible performances. Their understanding of human emotion shines through (especially) Kasaragi, Akari, Nozomi and Reika. They depict the characters with restraint, which is to be applauded since this is a shoujo. You can even feel that they understand their character's emotions and that just makes them more relatable.
The songs are also quite magical (as one would expect from the show setup). The intro "Pure Blue" is an excellent piece of JPop that is quite inspired. "Love Forever" is in the same vein. The standout track for me is Reika's single as it depicts the sense of longing that runs through the show very convincingly.

The story is about three different girls wanting to because a pop star. They all do it for different reasons. Akari wants to reach people with her songs, Nozomi wants it because of her admiration for Reika and Yuki wants it to prove something to herself. With all these cheesy reasons, it is a wonder how the show manages to be successful. Well the way it does it, is that it shows you the reason why they feel that way. Once you get that understanding of the characters in your mind, you start to root for them, as they are relatable people.
The story takes some very interesting (if a bit predictable) turns along the way that just intensifies the tension and fine tunes the drama. The incredible thing is that you can see where it is all going but somehow, you're at the edge of your seat anyway.
The only issue I have with the story is that it is at first quite slow, you have trouble really getting into it and it wasn't until about episode 4 that I was interested to see what happens.

I have delved into the characters a bit in the story and sound paragraph. Shoujos usually do characters well and this is no exception. I will just add that the reason everything comes together is because the characters are so efficient. They are efficient in making you feel for them, and when you do connect with the characters the rest is just a breeze. Everything comes together and you get a very enjoyable and satisfying ending.

This series is easily one that I will view again as the 13 episode format is not an intensive task. The series also offers some great drama that is not too heavy going and that should appeal to most. I really recommend it.