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The first thing to take into account is its unique music, since it's one of the most important things the show has to offer. I'm always stumbling upon idol songs on AnimeMusicQuiz, and almost all of them sound pop. But when I heard the rock song "Black Sapphire" from ARP, I was curious to watch the anime. Indeed, there are both pop and rock songs in this anime and the variety of genres is a big plus and something special for an idol anime.
But ARP Backstage Pass isn't all about its music. In 10 episodes, it creates an idol group consisting of 4 people, by showing their personalities, their bonds, their training sessions and their singing/dancing performances. It is like a documentary and this is something really interesting that is often found in sports anime as well; with the only difference that here, the main purpose of the anime is to show how this group behaves and communicates, without having a higher goal (e.g. a match, a tournament, a concert).
A big warning to people who can't stand computer-generated imagery, since most of the live performances are full of it. And another one to those who hate watching scenes that might be characterized as "fujoshi bait" by some - they are unavoidable here since the main target audience are people that just want to enjoy cute guys dancing and singing. But like I said before, this is not the only thing ARP Backstage Pass has to offer.
For more details about what ARP really is, which does not change the anime experience, it is a group of male virtual reality idols who have their own youtube channel. So in fact, this anime is just a promotional work to win new audience. What I haven't fully comprehended yet is who the idols' voice actors are; if they're hidden on purpose, or if their voices are somehow computer generated. I could not find information about that online.
To sum up, what ARP Backstage Pass has to offer is music, enjoyment and a taste of some idols' lifestyles and struggles to achieve their goals. For a 10 episode experience, to me, it was amusing. If the content suits your tastes for a relaxing watch, give it a shot.
