-Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight, Ep03

If you had told me that the director of this show had never worked with the director of Revolutionary Girl Utena, I would not have believed you.  And I would have been correct: the director of Revue Starlight, Tomohiro Furukawa, was assistant director on Yuri Kuma Arashi under Kunihiko Ikuhara.  And boy, does it show.

It's not quite as stylized and "out there" as Utena, but the ties are there.  The same fever-dream imagery, girls and swords, the same grand theatrical attitude towards itself.  Which is good, since Revue Starlight is ABOUT theatre.  Not surprising; the anime is based on a stage production that's half-musical, quarter-Cirque du Soleil, and quarter-Formula 1 Qualifying.  Which sounds weird, but trust me on this one... it is.  But in a good way!  If you've ever spent any serious amount of time in the theatre biz, this is a must-watch.  If you haven't, it's basically a sports series with a serious psychological aspect.  And singing.

A lot of singing.  In flat-out stage musical style.  These ain't pop songs, these aren't Idols, these are being sung by professional musical theatre actresses, many of whom have either been in or would join the stage productions.  And they're friggin' excellent.  It's been a long, long time since a series made me feel the way this one does.  I actually despise one of the characters... not because she's written poorly but because if you've spent any time in theatre, you know her attitude is... untenable.  That's good work from the writers.  But don't go into this expecting Idol happiness and fluff, you won't get it.  Does the possibility frighten you?

I understand.

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