Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku (TV)

To be around cute girls wearing cute clothing is all Eruna Ichinomiya desires. Since Mikagura High School happens to have the cutest uniforms around, she decides to enroll in this prestigious high school known for its cultural clubs.

However, she does not realize that joining a club is mandatory, and representatives from each club must battle for a ranking. Based on these rankings, club members are awarded housing and food. Chasing after Seisa Mikagura, the most beautiful girl in school, Eruna joins the going-home club but finds herself thrust into fighting the next club battle. With the other club representatives wielding unique powers, the competition is sure to be fierce!

Based on the popular song series, Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku follows Eruna as she explores the various clubs in school and assists the members with their troubled lives, all of whom are also vying for the top spot in school.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ichinomiya, Eruna Main

Kimura, Juri Japanese

Kuzuryuu, Kyouma Main

Hosoya, Yoshimasa Japanese

Mikagura, Seisa Main

Oonishi, Saori Japanese

Akama, Yuuto Main

Hanae, Natsuki Japanese

Fujishiro, Otone Main

Ozawa, Ari Japanese

Bimii Main

Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu Japanese

Minatogawa, Sadamatsu Main

Furukawa, Makoto Japanese

Imizu, Asuhi Main

Kakuma, Ai Japanese

Yasaka, Himi Main

Suwa, Ayaka Japanese

Ninomiya, Shigure Main

Shimazaki, Nobunaga Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Tanaka, Shou Producer

Kamata, Hajime Producer

Hayashi, Youhei Producer

Reviews

May 1, 2021

OneFaintingRobin

Recommended

I'm going to be honest up-front. If I'm looking at this critically, "Mikagura School Suite" is, with all affection, a total mess. It's tone fluctuates wildly, even within scenes sometimes, the pacing is everywhere, especially in the last few episodes, and the plot is somehow at once very simplistic and a little bit convoluted. It's probably half the length it needed to be, because it races through its story so fast that a lot of the many genuinely interesting concepts and thematic ideas within it just don't get the time to breath.

And yet, I find myself unable to give it any lower than I have, ... even if it partially deserves it. This show, looking from a perspective somewhere approaching objective, doesn't deserve a 7/10. But I have to anyway, because despite all of the messiness, I had such an incredibly fun time watching this show. Genuinely, I can think of maybe one show in the last year that has given me the same feeling of pure 'this is so much fun' excitement (the fantastic "Sk8 the Infinity", which is admittedly better).

The characters are big and over the top, especially the protagonist, Eruna, a massive ball of hyperactive energy, and I loved all of them; they're often not complicated, even if there are potentially some hidden depths to them that we can see, but everyone has to much personality that I just loved seeing them interact. The relationships between the characters are often simple, in this really fun way where, for the most part, everyone just kinda gets on really well (specific shout out to the show's Drama Club, who I would genuinely watch a whole show of). It's not complicated, there are maybe three character dynamics that have real depth to them, but it's so much fun.

And the battles that the show often revolves around make this even clearer. It's clear where the budget has gone, because the fights are big, and over the top, and very much the best animated part of the show, often devolving into slightly rougher animation that reminds me of the fun style you get from studios like TRIGGER. And all of these fights (as well as the aforementioned rushed, wild story) culminate in a climactic showdown that is probably the most ridiculous, explosive, over the top, 'none of this makes sense and I Do Not Care' climactic fight to a show that I've seen since I saw "Gurren Lagaan", and that is very much a compliment.

If you're looking for a tight story, with complex, well-planned out emotions, look elsewhere. This show, for all of the fun ideas that could be really interesting to explore in isolation, is not going to give you that. But if you're looking for a fun time, and don't mind switching off your brain for a bit? Honestly, I really, genuinely, would recommend giving this show a try. It's so, so much fun.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jun 25, 2022

ktulu007

Mixed Feelings

Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku is a 2015 anime from Doga Kobo based off of a series of light novels which were in turn inspired by Vocaloid songs. Well, this is the studio behind the first two series of Yuru Yuri and New Game, which is somewhat hopeful. But they also did that stupid Dumbbell nan kilo moteru anime so this could go either way.

Story:

Ichinomiya Eruna isn't exactly a normal girl. She's obsessed with cute girls, Galges and she has an idiot cousin with a romantic interest in her who hasn't quite put it together that she's very, very gay. Still, she decides to attend ... her dolt of a cousin's high school because they have cute uniforms and there's a girl in the brochure that she gets immediately hormonal for. At the school she learns that all the students have special super powers and engage in practice battles for club funds and status. Obviously this academy was founded by the Japanese version of Charles Xavier.

The biggest issue with the story is simply that it's kind of all over the place. The club battles and tournaments are a minor part. Eruna trying to get close to her beloved Seisa senpai is another. Eruna trying to form her own club is yet another. Her trying to find her own place amongst the other students and form bonds is yet another. Over the top comedy is yet another. And the issue with them trying to do so much is that a lot of it gets under-developed. The dynamic betwixt Seisa and Eruna can be cute at times but it never feels like it develops into a meaningful relationship. Similarly, the club battles can have some solid action sequences but they're frequently glossed over. In the final tournament we only really get to see three matches and two of them are over in roughly a minute. The comedy can also be fun even endearing but it feels like they miss a lot of opportunities for good gags and never really go all in. It ultimately feels like they needed tighter, more cohesive story-telling where they focus on one or two major elements instead of jumping around from one element to another like a hyperactive hedgehog.

With that said, none of the elements re outright bad. And, like I pointed out, most of them have some positive aspects to them. Which really accentuates the idea that this could have been an excellent anime if they'd either had a strong editor to keep the writing focused or more time to properly flesh things out.

Characters:

Most of the characters in this are fine. They aren't super deep but they have quirky enough personalities to be somewhat endearing. There are a few exceptions in a positive way and one major exception in a negative way.

Let's start with the problem character, Shigure. This dude is basically like Akane from Yuru Yuri but with a creepy obsession towards his cousin and he's open about it. The obvious joke that generally stems from this is that he takes physical damage for being a complete creep but the problem is that he's such a big character in he series and most of his scenes involve him being creepy towards his own cousin in some way. There's just far too much of him, he has no redeeming qualities and even seeing him get punched in the face just starts to get old through repetition.

The best characters in this anime are the trio of Eruna, Seisa and Fujishiro. In spite of their dynamics being under-developed, there are some really good ideas at their core and you see hints throughout the series that add some depth to their relationships with each other. Eruna and Seisa developing a bond that will help Seisa recover from her emotional wounds and enjoy life again could easily have led to a very poignant relationship based off of mutual need. Fujishiro wanting to be close to Eruna and seeing her as the only true friend she's ever had while also being jealous of Eruna's feelings towards Seisa could have also led to a really good conflict and a strong dynamic amongst the three instead of just a decent dynamic with a lot of untapped potential.

Art:

The art is a bit mixed. On one hand, this series has some good character designs, strong backgrounds and mostly nice animation. On the other hand, the action sequences during the club battles are generally pretty weak and there are some awkward moments where facial expressions get wonky for just enough frames that it's noticeable.

Sound:

The actors do a pretty good job. Kimura Juri, Oonishi Saori & Ozawa Ari in particular but the entire cast is, at least, passable. The music is solid as well. The anime actually has a lot of theme tunes given its short length but it kind of makes sense given its origins.

Ho-yay:

There's a lot of les-yay in this anime. Ad it's not limited to Eruna, Seisa and Fujishiro. There's a girl in the drama club who very blatantly has a crush on her female senpai. The calligraphy club girls are also involved in some flirtation.

Areas of Improvement:

1. If you have a very limited amount of time for your series, you can't try to do too much. It's better to do less and do it all really well than to try and do more and have it all be under-developed.

2. Shigure needs to fuck off. All his jokes are basically the same and the purpose he serves in the plot could easily be transferred to a character who isn't incestuous.

3. The character dynamics could really use more development. Now, that might mean having fewer characters but that's fine.

Final Thoughts:

Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku is okay. It's not particularly good. It tries to do too much and it results in a lot of under-developed elements but a lot of them do have potential and wind up being more enjoyable than not. So, I'll give it a 6/10. It might be worth watching if the premise sounds good to you or if you'd like a case study of why over-reaching can hamper a stories potential but, otherwise, it wouldn't be a series I'd push.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Sep 17, 2021

TSTO

Not Recommended

This review might have some very light spoilers. Just a heads up.

This is my third review on here. I don't write reviews often, because many times others have already covered most of the important bits newcomers should know about a particular anime. I felt that I should write a short one about this series, while it's still fresh in my mind and as it's not one of the most popular shows out there.

I binged it last night, but not because I found it to be wonderful, but rather, I wanted to try to make sense of the randomness and instability of it by the end. ... Was there any sense in the end? Let's find out.

The story of Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku is hard to put into words simply, as it feels more like a mashup of multiple tropes from different series out there jumbled into one show, and not in a good way. It mainly deals with these students at this unusual school attaining superpowers to combat each other as part of their curriculum.
The main character, Eruna, is a girl whose really into girls, and she's not afraid to show it. I'll be honest, this was the main reason I even picked this one up, as yuri in anime is one of my favorite things.

In the early episodes, Eruna's fantasies are in full force and she gets very excited every time she meets a girl at the new school she has joined recommended by her cousin who attends it. She's not afraid to show her infatuation with cute girls, cool! But later down the line, the yuri, for the most part, is heavily reduced to the point of almost being forgotten in favor of "plot progression", which there isn't much of. The plot moves every which way in random zig zags and curves that make no sense, and then towards the end tries to wrap it all up immediately without any explanation of how it came to be really. Eruna's awakened power was sort of explained why she was given it, sort of. But her progression to becoming as strong as she is at the end was done quite half-assed. The entire show feels more like a parody of anime than a legit concrete story.

Now, it's fine to make a show rely on comedy to make light of the plot and give people the impression that it's not taking itself too seriously. But when the comedy falls flat on almost every scene, it makes you question the validity of the show's existence in the first place. I found myself not laughing almost at all throughout the entire series, save for a few scenes here and there, which was quite disappointing. If the plot is already as ridiculous as it is, then at least make a better effort to make me laugh. It usually doesn't take that much. Perfect example is a simple story like the one in Blend-S. Uses parody of anime & otaku culture and has a very simple premise but the jokes are fantastic throughout. I didn't have to force laughter out of myself like I tried to with Mikagura here.

There's plenty more to say about the story of this show, sadly it's mainly more ranting in my case, so I'll continue to art.

The art & animation felt very off and inconsistent.. In many scenes, more than I've probably seen in my overall tenure with anime, which was reignited early this year after a 15 year hiatus. It feels like there wasn't too much quality assurance done before this show was slapped onto TV screens. The characters are often misshapen, the faces take a turn for the worse especially in high action scenes, and sometimes certain characters lose their body proportions (Otone, in many instances, is a good example).

The animation also has its own issues, but it's not the worst I've seen. The combat sequences are probably where most of the budget went, but they do range from not good to not terrible quite often. The environment or setting is pretty flat. The colors don't have much of a gradient to them most of the time.

Sound... well the voice acting was pretty great I thought. I'll expand on that in the character section.
The soundtracks I felt were not to my liking. I normally won't skip tracks that often in series where I enjoy the music, but I found myself skipping several times here except for the few episodes where it had changed. Sound effects throughout the show were okay, not great or memorable in any way to me.

Character. This is where I felt the few bits of comedy that worked, did because of the capability of the voice actors (Japanese). Each one is quite a unique individual in their own way, and their voices and characterization was done pretty well. There are a few that were not up to par with some of the others, such as Yuto. His backstory felt meaningless and then he became a backdrop character who was never really looked at again. The cute loli Himi seemed interesting but went from a fun supporting character at first to an empty shell for the second half of the show, it's too bad because she was one of my favorites.

So did I get enjoyment out of this show? Well, I guess enough enjoyment to binge it through to the end in one sitting, if you can call that enjoyment. More like I just wanted to see what sort of resolution would come from this giant mess of a show. But yes, there was some enjoyment to be had, mainly from the moments where I told myself that the writers of this show do not want you to take it seriously in the first place, and for a few moments that would keep me content with it. Until the end, that is.

I don't think I can say wholeheartedly that this is a great show. Neither a good one. It's not the worst I've seen, but it all depends on how you approach it. If you are looking for a show that takes itself seriously and gives you a solid storytelling experience, rich character depth, incredible eye candy art, and memorable songs, look elsewhere.
On the other hand, if you are just in for some over the top shenanigans without much purpose, a very upfront yuri main character, and somewhat decent action scenes occasionally, then Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku might entertain you for at least a little while. 4/10

P.S. I realize now that this review was longer than I had hoped. Ah well.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Bimii , ryui=yuri Foreall908 - Nov 27, 2022	0 replies	by Foreall908 »» Nov 27, 2022 1:56 AM
	Is this yuri or just baity? Say-My-Name - Nov 26, 2022	5 replies	by iLatrell_ »» Nov 26, 2022 1:43 PM
	Poll: Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Jun 22, 2015	101 replies	by Serafos »» Apr 12, 2022 8:53 AM
	Poll: Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku Episode 11 Discussion Stark700 - Jun 15, 2015	41 replies	by Serafos »» Apr 12, 2022 8:07 AM
	Poll: Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku Episode 10 Discussion Stark700 - Jun 8, 2015	33 replies	by Serafos »» Apr 12, 2022 7:16 AM