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
