#it's past 12 am here but maybe somewhere in the world the week hasn't passed yet...

[macaronnya]

Fresh(?) Impressions (13)

Other parts: |Trickstar| |UNDEAD| |2wink| |Ra*bits| |Akatsuki| |fine| |Ryuseitai| |Knights| |Valkyrie| |Switch| |MaM/Double Face/Crazy:B| |Eden| |Alkaloid|

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Hello Enstarries~☆ Finally, the last part is here! Since Alkaloid is special in the sense that it's the main focus for the first 3 chapters in this game, I decided to also read the first chapter in addition to their Episode 1. And god did it take a long time to finish it. It makes sense for the main story to have each episode last long but the pacing is also quite slow. At least, to what I'm used to.

DISCLAIMER!: Everything said here is for entertainment purposes only and not meant to attack anyone. This is not an accurate description of any characters but my subjective rambling for fun, so please don't take it too seriously. (Just to be safe, I'm kinda scared of elite idol fans) Also, you will hear me mention other games a bunch of times bc I'm that bad and uncreative at explaining and I'm still grieving A3!EN's shutdown. Eng is my 2nd (or 3rd?) language so there might be some weird grammar or spelling mistakes. And I write at 3 am usually.

Without further ado....Let's Ensemble!☆

Hmmmmmm Alkaloid.....a unit compromised of "underachievers". Forced to comply to the higher ups like how card soldiers have to obey the Queen of Hearts. Well, I still don't know what exactly the theme is but the aesthetic is kinda cool Ig. I like their outfits. The colors go well together and the little differentiations aka the pips (and shoes too, but those are not that important) are a smart detail here, since there are 4 members for 4 symbols! And it's nice you can see them on their gloves & jacket as buttons and medals. Although the silhouette is pretty simple, it doesn't look boring at all through such details and and other things. I like the hats very much! Now, their songs are not really my thing, at first. They don't sound boring but I needed a bit of time to warm up to them. I'm not sure if it's just my lack of cultureness but it gives me strong Vocaloid vibes. And yes, I know Vocaloid is just j-pop and alt but that's just what came first to me. That goes especially for Distorted Heart and Believe 4 leaves, though I admit I haven't listened to them as much as others (similiar situation as 2wink). I kinda thought they were rivals or smth like that to Trickstar at first when I went through the whole enstars playlist and also saw comments saying they prefer Alkaloid as protags in contrast to Trickstar. All in all, I don't have a strong opinion on them yet but they get a pass 👍

6/10 - pretty alright I suppose

Hiiro Amagi

Man Idek what to say. He really just went "I'm gonna destroy a whole part of the entertainment industry bc my bro won't come home." And to think I thought he was just a normal guy.... I'm having a bit of a hard time describing him tbh. He's friendly, eager to learn new things, very optimistic, vvveeeerrrryyyy keen on getting along with everyone but switches tunes immediately the moment he disapproves of them, is pretty perceptive of potential danger or in serious situations and stubborn. His lack of common sense and him just thinking every new thing is a city thing & his bluntness is a funny running gag. Dude has no idea what a smartphone is, how did he even get recruited as an idol and make a resumé??? Spade fits him, since one popular speculation is that it represents knights and he's good at fighting and athletic stuff I'd say. That and he is the leader of the card soldiers (if that really is the theme). Smth about the clash of clear blue eyes and strong red hair and his hairstyle makes him pretty dashing.

6/10 - a pinch of psycho but he'd make a great neighbour

Aira Shiratori

His I love~ is kinda annoying, though it's kinda neat as a catchphrase bc it sounds like his name Aira. I wonder whether he cane up with that before or after starting his idol career 🤔 His obsession with idols is also slightly worrisome but at least he's relatively respectful (to the idols). He's average in the sense, that nothing stands out to me except those things. I got used to his voice eventually but it did remind me of a squeaking duck toy at first, in a bad way. I guess he's the heart bc I love~ and how he's just the most expressive emotionally? At least, you can read him the most easily out of the four. Although, clover would fit him more bc that's supposed to represent the commoners.

5/10 - he'd spam fancams on twitter

Mayoi Ayase

Mans was on the ceiling for the whole meeting and nobody blinked twice. If that doesn't tell you what you need to know about the cast already.... Anyways, I love his hair color so much! A strong purple for a strong personality! Everything about him leaves a strong impression but ironically, he's very shy. Or rather incredibly self-depricating for some reason. He's like Muku (A3!) but cranked up. Breath in the same room as him and he'll apologize. His sprite (the right one there) first made me think he's some unhinged crazy dude and, I mean, he's not but his Ep.1 did feel like a thriller. He's pure-hearted but he sure makes it hard to believe. Surprisingly, he has a powerful singing voice and I'd say the best in Alkaloid. He REALLY went off in Believe 4 leaves, which is such a banger btw. I heard he chomps people and all I can say is ouch with those teeth.....He's clover, which....I guess is OK. He seems more like a deadly shy spy or introverted eccentric alchemist than a normal commoner but I mean nothing speaks against it.

7/10 - he needs to work on his choice of words but I guess he's a cinnamon roll?????

Tatsumi Kazehaya

Who thought of adding a christian into the idol rooster??? So now we have son of a family tending to a temple and one tending to a church. Well, he's a chill and responsible guy. Kinda curious whether he's catholic or a protestant. My limited knowledge of taking (protestant) christian studies instead of ethics in school is finally coming to use!/jk (not a christian here but in school in Germany, you usually have to choose between christian or ethic studies and protestant christian studies usually had the more chill teachers so yeah). I'm slightly surprised by how often he mentions things of the bible in the correct context (I think). Makes me think the authors properly researched their stuff but who knows, not me that's for sure. Anyways, the way he speaks and sounds reminds me of lying on fresh soft green grass swaying in gentle wind. Actually, he reminds me awfully a lot of Libra (FE: Awakening) with how he's not to be taken easy just bc he has a gentle personality. Kinda sudden but I wanna kiss his beauty marks. I predict he's gonna consider stopping his idol activites due to his worsening injuries but the power of friendship somehow heals him. Diamond doesn't fit him much since that represents nobles and merchants. Hearts actually represent clergy, which is a missed opportunity but oh well.

7/10 - I'm gonna stick my hand in the fire and say he's the sort of christian who doesn't use religion as an excuse to oppress 80% of the human population but to make the world a better place

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Conclusion

So uhm. Cool group I suppose. I'll get to know them better after reading the main story but for now I don't have a strong opinion on them. I'm surprised to like the the christian guy and the ceiling guy so much. Especially Mayoi with his screen time of not even a 4th of the chapter lol.

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Afterwords!

After more than a month, I finally managed to read all unit stories and can at last begin reading the "!" and after that the "!!" main story. Only took me until the 4th event in the EN server.......

I have to say, there's solid worldbuilding and it's not all just happy idol stuff, which is pretty neat. That is more or less the norm for most idol games these days and I'm not saying that we need to have brutally serious real life stories but what stands out is that the characters feel.....more 3 dimensional Ig? Like, there are stereotypes of the cute baby one or the outgoing flirt but they're not just that. They have realistic worries that come from working in the idol industry, have other characteristics not exactly befitting that archetype or difficult relationship dynamics bc they're people. They can have real problematic flaws that aren't just "Oh I'm soooo clumsy ><" or "I'm such a glutton hehe" but that's just what I've heard so far, meaning that's not really a complete plus point yet. The mix of this and the wackiness of everything else makes it very interesting so far. (Just like A3! 🥲) Or maybe I just haven't played enough games and am just overrestimating an older franchise.

The music is really good as well. I feel like in idol franchises, the intrumental is often only there to support the singing but here it's actually doing more!!! Like, the instruments compliment the singing and have many layers on their own. I like following different instruments each time I listen to a song for the nth time and see in what way it enriches the song. I guess the fever time or whatever it's called highlights it. The wide range of genres and styles is also a big bonus. And just to say it here bc I can't do it anywhere else: the shuffle unit songs are godly. Not a single miss yet. Noir Neige and Moonlight Disco are the best! For the unit collabs, pretty much half of them are really hitting the spot. The rest is meh. The cover series is H I L A R I O U S and cool if nothing else.

Maybe I'll do a comparison in the future with how I'm feeling about everyone then and my past impressions. But for now, this is the end! If you have anything you wanna share or say, just keep in mind all is for fun and we're here for a good time ^^. Until we meet again~☆