I formed an incredibly personal connection to one of the characters in the series; I had never seen her issues portrayed and solved on screen like I did here. Among the other characters, while I did not enjoy some of their personalities, I enjoyed how the show used them to deliver several messages throughout each episode. One example is the young idol Miria, who I am not particularly fond of, but I was very fond of her arc where she learns to accept her place in her family. It’s a real struggle that I (and I’m sure many others) have actually experienced. If you can look past not knowing every intricacy of every idol’s life and look at the overall message, then it may be worth watching for you. Some of the problems focused on are struggling with the idea of not being good enough, balancing your outer self with who you want to be, expressing yourself when in a limited situation, being happy with yourself even when you’re in a tough situation, and finding out what you really like and want to do.
The arc that I found most compelling occurred at the end. This paragraph could be considered vague spoilers, but you should also know that as soon as the problem is introduced in the show, the outcome is quite obvious (it’s more about how they get to the answer). One character tells her friends that she believes she is not good enough; no matter how hard she tries, they always seem to shine brighter than her. Looking at herself, she sees that the only things she is “good” at are not unique. This problem of “not being good enough” is shown in a lot of anime, but I’ve never seen it resolved the way it was here. Usually this involves characters accepting the other for who they are and telling them that they simply are good enough. It involves almost no change from the central character (or the origin of this change is from an outside source), and the problem is frequently considered “addressed” and done with. In Cinderella Girls, she is forced to examine herself and makes a promise to herself that she will keep trying. It is an active solution, one that she has to keep working towards. I really admired how the change came from making a promise with herself and that the end wasn’t her simply accepting everyone telling her that she was fine. She decides to look forward herself and accepts that the way she sees things can be true, but they can also be changed. As someone who struggled with self-esteem issues my whole life and has truly felt sometimes that I can work hard and never achieve the same as others, it was really inspiring to see a character on stage go through that change herself.
Overall, an appreciation for Cinderella Girls relies on the ability to personally connect to any of the characters, problems, or solutions. There are many shows out there that one can appreciate simply because they are well written, executed, and without having to form a personal connection (I am thinking of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood). This is not one of those shows. The overall plot is nothing new. Most of the characters are nothing new. What’s new is how they interact with each other with music at the core. If you want to see characters find success with who they are as individuals, with some nice music as a bonus, then this is worth checking out for you.
