When I first heard about this anime, I thought of myself 'hey, is this going to be another 'great' idol anime'? Well, let's see how it goes, shall we?
Locodol revolves a group of fellow girls: two of them, Nanako and Yukari, as 'locodols' or local idols, under the name of 'Nagarekawa Girls', and two manning a mascot character, Yui and Mirai.
This basic story starts with Nanako given a 'locodol' job by her uncle, who works in the city council. She met Yukari before they were to perform for the first time together. Afterwards, it continues with the lives of the pair, meeting more new characters and experiencing some wacky moments. The story isn't very special at all, since it is a typical story device to have someone or a group to have progress along the story. Hence, the English title 'Ordinary High-School Girls Tried Being Locodols'.
The story doesn't show any idol industry shenanigans, which is good, because I love a relaxed story that doesn't involve any butchering of idols.
Now, I never heard of a locodol before, which is something unique about the story. Apparently, there are also other locodols around too, from different cities. They help to promote their own cities and also to bring the spirit to the residents. I think that the idea is interesting, although I like to see more of locodol action.
The story ends with a very sweet conclusion that leaves no gaping holes behind.
The characters have different personalities which I find quite similar to other characters. Nanako is quite a pessimist, with a lot of worrying that burdens her down. Yukari seems like a perfect person, but she can be clumsy sometimes. Yui is a typical small character yet so strong she can do interesting acts in her heavy mascot costume. Mirai is a shy person but is still sociable.
Throughout the story, both Nanako and Yukari learn more about themselves and they have nice development. They meet more new people who then support them in their own future events. Eventually, the whole town adores these locodols.
Nevertheless, all the characters are very cute, especially Nanako's 'nanyako' stuttering.
The art is pretty nice. The scenery looks gorgeous and I love the colour choice. It felt a bit like it was painted in many scenes, which give a nice touch. The character designs are cute and the facial expressions can exaggerate for comic relief, hence very cute too. There are some chibi designs which I think are cute too.
Most of the time, the atmosphere where the locodols perform are quite lively. It may not be a very big concert but more of a small-scale concert for the residents. The costumes they wear are great and the dancing animations are smooth and cool.
Despite not having a lot of songs, the quality is good. The opening and ending songs, both sang by the Nagarekawa Girls, have a certain relation to the anime and they have a good singing voice. They may not be as famous as other awesome anisongs, but it has its own standards. The background music is nice and cheery. The voice acting is great too, as they express their emotions well. There are some recognisable voice actors, especially from Yukari and Mirai, and a few supporting characters and other locodols.
I admit it that I enjoy this anime despite a simple story. It may not be a famous anime, but it still is a great one to enjoy.
A quick look at MyAnimeList's anime recommendations from this anime, I see other idol anime like Love Live, Wake Up Girls and Idolmaster. Honestly, this anime stands differently from others. These other anime have a group, while this anime has a pair. There may be following a similar route towards progress, but they encounter different experiences. So, if you are one of those guys who can't remember all the group members in a particular group, I think this anime shall be your first.
If there's a second season, dig me in!
