I don't know what exactly I was expecting, but this wasn't bad. I don't usually watch slice of life animes (is this even considered slice of life?), let alone idol animes. I've tried to get into stuff like Hypnosis Microphone and Enstars multiple times, but I really just can't vibe with stuff like that. Even after finishing Tsukiuta, I still can't fully vibe with the songs in the series. The "shakin', sugar, sugar" still haunts the back of my mind, though. It's kinda catchy.
Right off the bat, the show was introduced with the 12 idols introducing themselves on TV just like idols would. Unfortunately, even after I've finished watching all 13 episodes, I still can't remember all of their names. The plot didn't intrigue me enough, and the character development kinda lacked. I didn't really feel any big attachment to anyone, except for maybe Shun, in addition to my already Hajime-obsessed self. But, really, I kind of had high hopes for Hajime. The plot sort of let me down. The characters felt a bit detached? I couldn't really build the bond I wanted to with them, or empathize fully, or whatever it's supposed to be called. It started off super boring, but as the story progressed, it got better. That was one of the good things, I guess. Each character was able to get an episode dedicated to showing their struggles, too. They were able to highlight how even idols were human, fiction or not, and we all have struggles. It was a fresh thing to see, in contrast to some animes and movies I've seen and dropped due to the lack of imperfections. This was, overall, quite enjoyable. I'll probably watch the second season once it airs.
