Shounen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 49

(BASED IMO)

Hey, Uta no Prince-sama fans, this may be the right anime for you. Like idols singing and dancing? Idols with beautiful faces? We'll you have come to the right anime. Shounen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 49 is right for you! You'll be experiencing songs, and dances in some of the episodes!


STORY:
It's about boys trying to be idols so they'll be known worldwide. So far, each episode is telling their lives before they joined the idol group "SHONEN HOLLYWOOD" and random stuffs happen each episode.

ART:
The art is a bit realistic. But there are mistakes or other drawings that I don't like because it doesn't ... seem to fit the background perfectly. And their faces look like weird, I haven't seen an anime that has the drawing like this, but the character designer has done a good job.

SOUND:
The seiyuus used in each characters are just perfect, except for Amaki, Daisuke Ono would be perfect, Kakihara-san is not fitted with Amaki. The background song fits with the atmosphere of the anime, happy and joyful songs are perfect! The OP song & ED song are okay to me.

CHARACTER:
Their attitudes are like high school boys having their time of their lives dancing and singing happily, not like us otakus spending our time in front of the computer/laptop watching anime and stuffs. I really enjoyed some of the characters.

ENJOYMENT:
It's a bit dull. And the hell, it will also have a season two. I laughed.. because of their faces(no offense to the fans). Well, there are times that I copy them while dancing.
It was okay.

OVERALL:
In the end... Meh. Just meh.

Well this summer season of anime had some really good shows and some really big disappointments. 'Shounen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 49' though was the biggest surprise for me. A nice slice of life with a lot of J-Pop 6/10

I'm genuinely impressed with the show, it doesn't mind telling you straight out some of the negative aspects of show business (especially how Japan produces their Idols) they have some profound lines here and there...I'm not a big fan of J-Pop so the music isn't really why I enjoyed watching this (and I'm sure with less of it I would have given it a higher score), ... there's also no yaoi even if you would assume that by having an all male cast!
We follow our characters in what they're doing in their everyday life as well as their training to become Idols. Kakeru is a high-school student that was scouted, Ikuma the oldest member used to be a delinquent, Kira has always been in show business as child actor, Shun wants to become a musician, Daiki is an orphan and fan of the original Shounen Hollywood...so a colorful bunch that got together under 'Shachou' (former member of Shonen Hollywood) who manages the guys. We find out more about each ones backgrounds and dreams later on.
What I appreciate is, that you don't only see those characters having the time of their lives and saying things like 'This is great, I'll fulfill my dream of becoming an Idol...blah blah' sunshine and rainbows. No. They actually say things like 'I don't want to do this' or 'this is ridiculous and embarrassing'. They are holding a mirror on male Idols and what they have to go through. This show is more realistic and less melodramatic than other anime in the same genre, and partly responsible for that is the experienced manager, who tells Kakeru how it's going to be for him in the future. His friends won't be his friends anymore once he's famous, they'll probably sell private story's about him (whether they are true or not), the media is merciless and you won't make it with just talent or just hard work, and getting a fan base takes time. The manager already went through that, so he knows show business is never a save career. All those uncomfortable subjects are processed and I think 'Shounen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 49' is refreshingly different. So even if you don't like J-pop like me, this show has a lot more to offer than just hot guys and music. The members want to accomplish something out of the ordinary (maybe you have dreamed of performing on a big stage one day too), they're still young and inexperienced and many times lose hope and want to quit. The character development is well done, and so are the dialogs, and the pace of the anime is relatively slow, which I always prefer in slice of life.

Now what I don't like so much is the animation, compared to other anime it's really nothing special. The bands performances weren't spectacular, sometimes it was rather cringe worthy. And some moments were simply dull. But I was always waiting for the next episode because I wanted to know if they will become successful Idols, and if in the end that was what the boys really wanted. The journey of them becoming the next big thing looks pretty exiting.

- Edit
Season two for 2015 confirmed ^^

With an all male cast, you'd expect the producers to take the usual fan-service route as we watch the bight, glistening lives of these up and coming idols. But Shounen Hollywood gave me a pleasant surprise.

First, this show won't please everyone. That's just that. For the same reason not everyone loves a bubbly romance or a quirky comedy, it's all preference and personal taste. Also this is just going to be an informal review focusing on the pros of the series.

If you've been watching loads of fast pace, action packed shows and need a little breather, then maybe you might want to give this ... anime a chance. Shounen Hollywood is a slice of life through and through, and also one of the most realist works I've seen in a long time. The art style itself is more realistic then most anime (but hey different's not bad and it is all still just an art form). It's has a slow, easygoing pace most of the time, and that's where I think this series deserves some credit. It doesn't try to entertain it's audience with tones of drama, traumatic back stories, or shinning comebacks. Rather we see these teenagers as they struggle with their personal problems, insecurities, how they deal with each other, and how they ultimately grow together to make Shounen Hollywood (their group) a success.

Anyone familiar with the world of music would know that it takes A LOT of time and work if you want to make a name for yourself. And I like how Shounen Hollywood takes it's time, using a good majority of it portraying how they're just practicing to improve nonstop. Cause the reality is, your not going to get those fans unless you put your best efforts out there.

A last point worth mentioning is how fun this is to watch if you are a J-pop fan. Btw, I said this show was realistic but there's probably some people who would beg to differ. And I want to clarify that this show is realistic from a more Japanese perspective. Just different cultures, different values, different norms, you probably get it. So anyways back to my point. The Japanese idol industry is quite different then western pop music, and it was great to see it from a behind-the-scenes sort of way. There were several moments when I saw how several of my favorite guy groups had done or said the exact same things as these characters. And I laughed when realizing, like the Shounen Hollywood members, they probably get embarrassed having to say cliche catch phrases and pickup lines too. The songs themselves remind me of the J-idol style of music.

Despite what I've said about it, Shounen Hollywood does have times it could have been better. I truthfully enjoyed it but after all is said and done, I really can't say it was an extraordinary show. Other reviews say plenty on what kind of flaws it has so I won't. But since none of them highlighted what Shounen Hollywood did do right, I though I'd be the one to at least mention them.

"Shounen Hollywood" is a heartwarming tale of teen idols.

When first coming across this anime, I instantly chose to watch it for its attractive men, and idol theme. Falsely thinking it would be a story resembling Uta-Pri’s, I spent this summer slaving over each episode, hopelessly waiting to see the boys actually perform as idols.

Kakihara (Natsu [Fairy Tail]) captures Amaki’s fiery spirit with his thin, but strong voice. He brings the boy to life, not doing a bad job at singing either. Likewise, Ohsaka’s (Staz [Blood Lad]) airy voice is perfect for the calm and insecure Kakeru. Ono (Kuroko [Kuroko no Basket]) also did a nice ... job with Shun, continuing to amaze me with how his voice can switch from thin to rich and thick. His voice is very pleasant on the ear. Moving onto Aoi (Mikaze Ai [Uta-Pri]), it surprised me how his voice changed. Aoi has not been in a lot of animes, but being a singer, his voice floated across the notes. Lastly, Yamashita (Hiro [Glasslip]) was brilliant in his role of Kira. Having fewer roles than some of the previous actors, he made himself sound like one of the pros. Kudos to all.

As previously mentioned, I was excited to learn that there was to be an anime about music this Summer 2014. I patiently waited for the series to get through the character development and onto treating me with some actual idol scenes, but I was not rewarded for my efforts. It seems that the next season of the series is when the boys are actually shown in their idol career. Nevertheless, this was a very disappointing part of my watch. Now, the art style is very hard to get used to a first, for it is very realistic, and very unique. I did not like it, but now it’s warmed up to me. The music in the anime is very average. There were no one hit wonders or breathtaking OSTs. Overall, I felt that this piece was extremely typical.

If you found this anime and watch to watch it because of sexy idols, stop right there. This season of the show is purely character development, with a side of music. I suggest you go searching for another anime. However, if you are patient enough to wait through the first season on the whim that the second might actually have some action in it, then I say you should watch it. It is not a bad anime, though it's not that good either.

-

Story - 6
The story, be centered around five boys trying to become idols, is very good, but it would have been nice if more could have been explained.

Art - 7
The art is very weird at first, and takes a moment to get used to -- alright, maybe more than a moment. Even having gotten used to it and making through all twelve episodes, it's still a bit much for me. The art style is very realistic, but in the most odd and unique way.

Music - 6
The music is so-so. There are a few catchy tunes the characters sing, but nothing awe inspiring or jaw dropping.

Character - 8
The characters were actually developed. I got to see why each one wanted to become an idol, all that was hindering them from growing, and watching them overcome challenges they were faced with. I would have liked more background on the old SHOUNEN HOLLYWOOD, but it is what it is.

Enjoyment - 6
What started out as amusing just became mundane by the time I reached episode twelve. "Shounen Hollywood" had a lot of potential, but it didn't use much of it.

Overall - 6.4
Overall, "Shounen Hollywood" was a charming story that gave me an inside look to all the characters' minds, but it was missing several important elements like background development, and most importantly -- actually showing the boy dance and sing on a real live stage in front of a large crowd.

I never get interested in writing a review before but this anime is really underrated and underscored even though it did it's job well. Please beware that english is not my native language and the review is more and less cover both seasons.

At first I thought Shounen Hollywood will be just like other generic idol animes like Utapri or Idolmaster. But this anime actually took a different route, and it was a great decision. Instead of talking positive craps like 'idol is about your heart', Shohari taught the audience that 'there is no thing such as an eternal idol'. This shows conveyed the reality ... in a very humble way; not criticizing it but also not glorifying it. You can dream as high as you can, but Shohari reminds you that dream can change and your future does not equal your dream.

They are practically talks about realistic things such as the importance of handshaking event, had to do embarrassing introduction, forced to do ridiculous TV job as a newbie, fans rejection of the new debuted group (Shohari actually has 2 generations and this anime revolves around the junior group), the rotation of who stands on the center, etc. One part I like about it is that they don't restraint of showing the rivalry between band members, but also not exaggerate it to turn into unnecessary drama. Before rival and friend, they are team mates.

The anime takes a slow pace, slow enough to make general audience get confused which direction this show is taking. But actually every episode this anime has its own importance. If you miss one episode, you will miss one great moment of character development. The characters are lovable and relatable, at least for me. Their worries are too ordinary that we even forgot we also has that kind of useless worry when we were young.

The script was also well done. It was not the best out there but it has deeper meaning than what it seems.

The voice acting is OK too, at least for the junior group. The casts for 1st generation was kinda unfit, but you can endure it because they are not the focus of the show. On the other side, the music is really good. They don't make it half-assed even though this is an underdog shows. I really love the OP and the changing ED songs are entertaining too, to the extent I never skipped it.

Animation is so-so. There are a lot of derp faces but not that much to turn you off. Instead they compensate it with an awesome backgrounds. Well, you can't expect much from a low-budget show.

Overall, it could be hard for a non J-pop fans to get into this because this anime bring a lot of J-idol references and that is one of the reasons why I enjoyed it. I as a fan of Johnny's, think that this show tried to make a vague reference of real Idol like AKB (the handshaking event) or Johnny's groups (the scene of counterfeit photos in unofficial idol shop, their performance in Mste, and actually the 1st generation kinda resembles Hikaru Genji). However, if you wanted a fresh Idol anime without unrealistic nonsense and you have enough patience in your mind, then you should not miss Shounen Hollywood.

*) probably will edit this after season 2 completed

I generally don't write reviews on anything I've seen, but I really think I should write on this anime.

From what I've seen on many websites, people bash this anime because it is not like Uta no Prince-Sama. Personally, I'm glad it's not UtaPri. I do enjoy UtaPri, but there are some things that I like here more the UtaPri.

People also need to realise that UtaPri and Shounen Hollywood may be about idols BUT one does not focus on love and beauty of the idol life, but the realism of it.
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Story [7/10]
The story does start off a little slow, but it is very enjoyable. It is ... about high school boys who want to be idols, but they face hardships. They are the second generation of Shounen Hollywood. However, many people are not fond of them being a second generation and send very hurtful letters to discourage them, however these boys persevere. These kids do it through hardwork and build up their talent without going to a school specifically for it. These guys start from the ground up. The only problem is it doesn't explain too much on why they were chosen for the group. (Maybe it does next season).

Art [7/10]
The art...is a little bit awkward for me. I got used to it though. It was pretty realistic, but there are some moments where the art was a little iffy.

Sound [8/10]
I really like the songs, but there weren't any jaw dropping songs. I think their voices go well together. My favourite song is Eien Never Ever.

Character [8/10]
The character development is very good. I'm not too sure where some people say it was absolutely terrible??? But of course, there are a few things that seem kind of confusing, but not enough to outright say it was terrible.

Enjoyment [9/10]
I quite enjoyed watching this anime. I really liked how it focused more on the realism of the idol industry and was not all happy 24/7. I also liked how they didn't throw any romance in here. I really think that's what made me enjoy it so much.
---
Overall [8/10]
It's a pretty good show. I recommend it to those who want to see something that deals with hardships and realism of the idol industry without all the mushy love scenes and ideas.

I watched both seasons of Shounen Hollywood.

Most important: this anime is really underrated and I recommend it.

This is not a generic anime and should not be judged before viewing.

This anime is dripping with metaphor and depth. This anime is bittersweet. I found this anime both depressing and joyful at times. I found this anime emotionally engaging.

The passage of time and one's youth is a predominant theme in this artistic work.

... If the above doesn't appeal to you, then if you're interested in the entertainment industry then you'll find Shounen Hollywood entertaining.

I really could feel the artistic vision here. It's difficult to put into words but this was definitely a ‘passion project.’ There was a ton of potential here but I'm forced to give it a 7/10 for technical reasons. I still strongly recommend it.

The bad: production quality is mediocre at best. It is arguably poorly directed. My greatest criticism is that 26 episodes is a lot of time and that time could have been used more effectively. There was so much potential for greatness and some of it was squandered.

I expected to drop this on episode 1 but it completely blew away my expectations. Just give it a chance.

This is only a small review.
As you may know, Idols' anime are not the most popular when it comes to story, plot and character development. (Utapri is alive just because of the fangirls and the "good-looking seiyuus") So if you think there won't be a good Anime about idols besides Love Live, you're wrong.

Shounen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 49 is a nice and almost simple anime that show us the way an idol is and have to be born, how to act and also, how the idols feel themselves.

Nice music, a good character development and well desings is a cool combination; it ... will include questions about life with Kakeru (one of the main characters) and the clichè part of being an Idol with Tomi but keep in mind: Shounen Holywood is great, you have to watch at least 3 episode to know if it is your thing or not. If you don0t like it, that's ok, but that doesn't mean Shohari is not good.

Did you expect something cliché like boys singing and dancing and lalala? Then, that’s a wrong impression you have there mate. Shounen Hollywood Holly Stage for 49 is way beyond that.

One word is all it takes to make any anime worthy to be watched: interesting. It’s simple. If you think it’s interesting, then watch. If not, then don’t. It all boils down in asking yourself: Is it interesting enough to make me watch it?

So? What makes this anime interesting?

Well, what is an idol? Is being an idol the right path to take? What does it takes to be an idol? --- ... These are the questions that swirls around the anime.

The episodes are mild and slow-paced, in a good way. This anime shows a different angle of idols. The masses only see idols as they are on screen, on a poster or on a picture. They shine. They sparkle. They always smile like they don’t have any troubles. However, what happened before all of that? What kind of road could they have taken to get there? What kind of lives do they lead?

The characters are fascinating especially, the five main characters. They aren’t boring at all since they have different personalities which blend well together. Each of them has quirks that make them interesting and stand out on their own. In addition, they are all eye-candies. Red, pink, blue, yellow and green… I couldn’t pick out a favourite out of the five.

So? Is it worth it?
Yes, I enjoyed watching this anime. Actually, I didn’t expect it to influence me this much. I’m so glad that I stumbled upon this show. I don’t mind watching the two seasons all over again.

Reason for watching: Music genre animes are kind of my thing, and the characters here look good.

TL;DR: Story plot and character designs are VERY weak, Character Art is pretty and distinct, Songs are pretty catchy too. Watchable.

Overall, a 6 for this show, thanks to the Art and Sound(music/ songs).

Story-wise, it has a very weak plot, trying to tell the story from a first person narrative, yet at the same time having storylines that occur on a wider perspective which includes the narrator(main MC). The story flow is not smooth, but it isn't all that confusing either. There are no build-ups to "climaxes", only when the ... scene started playing then I realize: "Oh, this is the main event of this story line". Even for a "slice of life" overall concept with little exciting events occurring, the story isn't executed well enough to relay that "regular things happening in my daily life as an idol trainee" feel. The events that happens throughout the show just happened, the transitions done for them are too rough.

Art and Sound aspect are good enough for me to finish watching the show. There were some inconsistencies with the Animation and Voice Acting though.

Character design is also one of the fatal points of this show. For someone who watches a lot of shonen, I would say I am quite acceptable of a wide range of mediocre character designs~ haahaha, well Shonen shows usually have a lot of support characters that are very lack luster, and most MCs in shonen are similar too. But the character designs here are just as interesting as a potato. The show does some basic focus on each character to showcase their persona, but that's as far as it goes. I know that there is a Baked potato (Kakeru), a Mash potato (Tomii), a Potato Wedge (Kira), a French Fry (Shun), and a Potato Salad (Amaki). But I don't know how they taste, or how they were made. The characters past were so lightly introduced they might as well scrap those stories. The development of the characters were also very very minuscule, especially when the story doesn't even showed those development in progress nor focus on their eventual character after their development. The worst character would have to be the Shachou/ God. 90percent of what he says doesn't even make sense. Th story introduced him as a person whose words are "difficult to comprehend immediately", as though his words are deep. NOPE. Do not doubt yourself when you can't understand his POV and guidance, because they are definitely words spout to fulfill the word count on an essay. Socrates words are easier to understand than this Shachou. The way ShaChou try to guide thiese young , impressionable teenagers are also really dodgy. Is fine if he doesn't understand these kiddos feelings and environment, but is not fine when he try to force his own POV onto them. *Sigh* I am only glad to see the Shachou on screen because I like the VA...

I decided to grade each and every scoring board a hard 10 because there is no f*cking way Shounen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 49 only scored an average lame 6.14.

Thanks to the popular notion regarding Idol-genre anime, both the studios and the audience always imagine such anime as flashy, colorful, packed with smokes and mirrors, and last but not least: easily digestible. For decades now, Idol anime is seen as a strawberry parfait of anime industry. Each season will always offer at least two or three Idol anime and they all seem to serve as a complementary dessert accompanying the main dishes such as Shounen-battle ... anime or formulaic Shoujo saga. Shounen Hollywood tried to be more than just a strawberry parfait. Unfortunately for the classicists out there, there is neither flashiness or smokes or mirrors in this anime. Shounen Hollywood focuses on only one thing: the trials and tribulations of being an idol in real life. Yes, the last two words may have already turned off the readers of this review.

Serving as the center of gravity is Kazami Kakeru, who accepts the offer of being an idol (or an ideal trainee, at the beginning) on a whim. In his core, he is a blank canvas who, as he dives deeper into the idol-hood, encounters more questions than answers. In fact, the whole five personnel encounter questions of their own as they deal with debuts, expectations, fame, disappointment, and (I'm not kidding) existential crisis. As this anime reaches it climax, the audience is served a flinching possibility of these idols most likely on the brink of failure. More often than not, IRL idol must gamble too much for rewards that are simply too little. Why are they still fighting their best to be an idol, then? Well, the season finale may not give the audience the solid answer but my gosh, these aspiring idols are very solid in their determination.

Personally, I get it-- very few people enjoy anime that offer more talking and less acting. Nonetheless, do not count Shounen Hollywood out just yet. Life is more than just about singing and dancing, and Shounen Hollywood totally nailed it.

#felixlovesanime

Reason for me writing this review is to help people make a decision if its worth their time watching the most cringey boyband in the anime world.

The story well i cant say its bad but i cant say its fun. Lets revive the former idols and become better sound like interesting thing but most of it is spendt learning uninteresting character stories and a random president who says strange things and does stranger things. I felt like it moved at a snail pace and and thats saying something. Its one thing about having a relaxing and chill atmosphere that everyone can enjoy like some ... other anime got but when you only have watched 10 min it feels like you have sat there looking at the series in slow motion.

Its an idol anime with the most cheesy and boring songs in idol anime history. If you want nostalgia of how old boybands were then yes this anime fits you on the money but if you atleast want decent songs there are others.

The characters are like the story and sound uninteresting and cheesy to bot although some of the tries to pass themselves of as more serious its not that fun cheesy thing that many other idol anime has but its that feeling there you feel every bone in your body cribbling and you wonder what in gods name have i watched. To summarise you got 1 uninspired idol , one over the top idol whos happy about everything , 1 who actually just wants to sing , one who wonder what he even does there and one with an inferior complex which i dont understand.

I didnt enjoy this at all quite simply i just watched it full through cause thats the kind of person i am. I have watched bad anime full through because i want to review them properly although if its on going i cant do that. And this anime wasnt enjoyable at all it was just push through and hope something good happens but that didnt happen.

Overall if you like cute , cringey and uinteresting idol guys whos all random then this is the anime for you but if you want an anime with idols that makes you laugh , like and want to know more about then my advice is pick any other and you will hit better. I know i sound harsh on this anime but when i see it i cant give this anything good.

(Note: this a review for both Shounen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 49 and its sequel, - for 50.)

Shounen Hollywood tackles the lives of 5 boys as they work towards being idols - idols who shine, who inspire others, idols who are worth being looked up on. Quite the grand set-up, don't you think? One would expect a "kira-kira" fest, or a wave of "ikemen aura" seeing as it's about Japanese idols.

Except that this anime is actually so simple and realistic. It's so average - so average that it is, in fact, brilliant. From the media we consume (Jpop and Kpop), we have developed some high ... expectations of our idols, and oftentimes we complain about how they are so different from us, how they are so unreachable. However, in this anime, we get to see their journey on how they are before they were idols and what comes after debut. And no, don't expect dramatic scenarios like in Dream High (a kdrama about idols-to-be).

Story: 6.8 + Characters: 8
The episodes are almost on a day-by-day basis. Often, each episode focuses on one character to narrate their thoughts, their circumstance, and then show a development to their character at the end of the episode. It is a slice of life through and through especially with the slow pace and the normal-ness of the setting, not really too appealing if one is not a fan of the genre. The actual plot is actually not so much, I mean, the setting is there - the boys train to become and work as idols. The story works because of its focus on the characters and character development. It shows how normal the boys are, how they are in fact a far-cry from our image of idols - but with the slow pacing of the story, the idol lessons every day, the internal struggles of the characters, I can't help but be attached.

The characters are as normal as they can be. They actually seem so close to us: I mean, they are struggling like us! Sometimes they act so immature and selfish. Sometimes they doubt themselves. There's nothing extraordinary about the boys that sometimes, even I would doubt how these guys are going to be idols. The boys' talents barely pass the average level. In this sense, the story actually captures the essence of the idol system in Japan - the audience would see their struggle first, then see their growth and improvement throughout the years. I think that maybe the normal-ness of the anime is actually a tribute to this system. Japan's idol system after all induces the thought that idols are also humans, and any one can become an idol if they want to (so different from Korea's, where the idols should be as perfect as possible).

Even so, the anime does not show a "Just be yourself" vibe at all. Throughout the series, we see the boys develop to become more idol-like, whatever that is, and slowly grow up as they age. Moreover, the anime also doesn't go all omni-like. Sometimes it may seem that the president of the company has this all-knowing vision for the boys, but often everyone just really don't know how everything would go on. Just like in real life. There's no one babbling about "correct" ideals. Everyone just develop as they slowly collect experiences and meetings with people. The anime just really successfully shows the reality of people.

One more attractive note about the characters is how they are sometimes unpredictable (to me, at least). When we watch a lot of anime, we tend to predict their next actions based on the patterns and tropes from other anime, right? It's fun to see how my predictions would be debunked as the characters go do or say other stuff that I didn't expect.

Btw, 49 shows the story of the boys pre-debut, and 50 shows their lives as actual idols.

Art: 7
The art style also helped to the brilliancy of the story. It's one of those realistic style, so the characters don't have extraordinary and prince-like visuals as one would usually expect in idol anime. The characters have distinct faces, so one would know that the main boys do have good enough visuals (compared to the others) to be scouted to become idols.

Sound: 7
The soundtracks are all, again, average. They're the type that are not so remarkable on the first listening, but I do admit that some songs are actually my type and I liked them right away (as someone who actually likes Jpop). The voice actors did a great job with their characters: Makki's voice is tough but also playful, Kakeru's is calm like his character, Shun's is that boyfriend-type kind of voice (if you know what I mean lol), Tomii's is so distinct with the nasal sound and the VA did great with the optimistic character of Tomii, and Kira's is really good with the volume control and VA portrayed Kira's personality effectively with his technique.

Overall:
Honestly, this isn't for everyone. I think this would be more appealing to those who already has background on the JPOP scene. Personally, I got bored at the start and put it on-hold first because of the realistic art style, which I wasn't used to, and also because of the pacing. I found myself binge-watching it when I actually craved for a slice of life though, so I guess that's also one condition.