(12 episodes)
What’s it about ?
Er, I’m not quite sure yet, even after having seen the first episode. The big selling point is that the voice-actresses of the four main characters make up the Sphere idol group, but that doesn’t make a story. There are some hints that those four middle-schoolers may be on the way to become idol singers, but it’s way too early to be sure that’s the direction the series is going for.
Characters
Saki [Ayahi Takagaki], the well-bred one. She’s scheduled to be moving away to Tokyo in a matter of days, but didn’t feel like warning her three best friends beforehand. She’s quite a handful.
Natsumi [Minako Kotobuki], the hot-blooded one. She’s rightfully annoyed that Saki, her partner in the tennis club, has just dropped all their plans, and spends the whole episode nursing a grudge.
Yuka [Haruka Tomatsu], the airhead. She’s obsessed about some washed-out idol group, a running gag that fails to be funny however many time the episode comes back to it. Obviously she’s worried about her friend-group collapsing, so she seeks the help of…
Rinko [Aki Toyosaki], the quiet one. Who’s a priestess in training at the local temple. She contrives to gather the four at a wishing stone hidden behind said temple. The thing seems to have worked in the past (they won a singing contest a few years ago), although that’s hardly tangible evidence given the low level of competition.
What is actual tangible evidence is that they somehow manage to fly up the sky after inadvertently all wishing for it. Wait, what ?
Production Values
I saw this through the eyebleed-o-vision webcasted preview, so it’s hard to tell the level of scenery porn yet. It’s alright, I guess.
Overall Impression
I’m not quite sure what to think of this yet, especially as I have no clue where it’s going. Obviously it’s a Sphere vehicle, but those are a decent bunch of voice-actresses, and they seem to have gone out of their way to avoid their usual pigeonholes.
Okay, I’ll admit I’m curious.