Idolish7 (styled IDOLiSH7) technically premiered last November, but it is, really, a winter anime, so it wasn’t on my radar until a couple days ago. Once I did notice it, I gave it a try, just to see how closely it would match my expectations. Sure enough, it’s exactly what it looks like: an anime involving seven bishounen in an idol group—along with, of course, their rookie manager, the young Takanashi Tsumugi. The first episode opens with Tsumugi’s first day of work at her father’s production company. She soon meets the young men you see in the featured image: Izumi Iori, Nikaidou Yamato, Izumi Mitsuki, Yotsuba Tamaki, Ousaka Sougo, Rokuya Nagi, and Nanase Riku. Her first task as manager? To decide which three of these prospective idols has what it takes, and which four must be sent home.
I came into Idolish7 with low expectations. At best, I hoped for a mildly interesting, entertaining romp with an enjoyable ED. And you know what? It is mildly interesting. In the two-episode pilot alone, Tsumugi faces a couple of tests designed to promote her growth as a manager. There might be some decent development ahead for her. However, she also appears to be, to some extent, the typical apologetic heroine. As for the guys: Yamato mentioned “revenge,” and I’m interested in that. But the others have yet to set themselves apart from each other and from other reverse harem characters in a meaningful way. Except for Rokuya Nagi, who does stand out—just not meaningfully. He is apparently French, which totally gives him a good excuse to invade Tsumugi’s personal space. (Uh… no. You’re not charming, Nagi.)
I suppose it’s still possible that Idolish7 will set itself apart from similar anime in future episodes. But will I continue watching long enough to find out? Unlikely, though you never know what I’ll be in the mood to watch on a given day. If I do, I’ll be streaming it on Crunchyroll.
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Cool review. Not my thing, though I think I did watch the first episode…..but I will double check. Unless they made a similar anime that’s exactly like the one I watched a little of before.
Thanks! And yeah, definitely not a show that makes me think of you. XD
Haha yeah I am not into the….stylish guys show. Makes my masculinity tremble in fear lol
give it another chance if you haven’t already. This one’s a slow burner that likes to make you think it’s cute and happy until suddenly it throws a piece of the puzzle at you, and you realize how much is actually going on under the surface and that there’s still more to come.
Give it til episode 5; if by episode 5 you’re still not quite sold on it, you’re probably not going to be interested enough to keep trying.
Thanks for the advice, Ollie! I’ll have to return to Idolish7, then. I think I made it through ep 3 or 4, then got distracted. But it sounds like it’s worth another try.