#pretty rhythm: rainbow live

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group B Round 1: #B8 vs #B1

#B8: Middle school idol drama

Eighth-grader Ayase Naru becomes the manager of local fashion store Prism Stone. Here, she begins learning “prism shows,” which is an idol show performed on ice skates.

She meets a girl named Rinne, who asks her if she can see rainbow music. She then goes on to enter many tournaments with her friends and uncover the mysteries of the prism world.

#B1: Coming-of-age story set in a “utopia”

Tells the unique coming-of-age story of Saki and her friends as they journey to grow into their roles in the supposed utopia. Accepting these roles, however, might not come easy when faced with the dark and shocking truths of society, and the impending havoc born from the new world.

Titles, propagandas, trailers, and poll under the cut!

#B8: Pretty Rhythm: Rainbow Live

Propaganda:

WHERE DO I START.

First off: Lesbian activities. Ayase Naru and Rinne Amagi are very close friends and even end up living together. Naru is also only one of the few characters without a proper love interest which really helps further the Naru/Rinne ship.

Otoha Takanashi: often talks about fairy tales, but the only characters she ever sees as Princes are women. Baby lesbian, I love her.

Second: DRAMA. So two of the characters (Ito and Kouji) actually start dating, but their parents do not approve for reasons they are evasive about until it is later revealed in the story—[This part of the propaganda has been cut by admin due to possible spoilers]

Third: banger music. This series includes many covers of popular 90s dance tracks from band TRF, which I am fond of. It also has a lot of unique music written for the show itself which is also good, especially for a children’s show.

Trigger Warnings: It might need the emotional abuse tag for specifically one of the characters’ parents, who is a pretty extreme perfectionist when it comes to her daughter. But nothing else aside from that. It’s a kids’ show, so it never goes that far in terms of actual harm. Most things also get resolved peacefully.

#B1: From the New World (Shinsekai Yori)

Propaganda:

Shinsekai Yori is not the flashiest show, or the fastest pace, but the slow and steady build of the horror and mystery will keep you entranced from beginning to end.

At it’s heart, this show is a coming-of-age story. We follow the protagonist from her childhood to adulthood, with all the messiness in between. From puberty and discovering sexuality, to learning the darker truths of society and having to live with unwanted knowledge, we see through Saki’s eyes. The setting of this world is a post apocalyptic future, and what society has been rebuilt as is one of the main mysteries we discovered.

This show is very complex and dark and sad, but it’s absolutely beautiful. The visuals, backgrounds, character expressions, music all come together to create something truly unique. The only show I know to compare it to might be Psycho-Pass, for it’s similarly deep deconstruction of society. However, whereas Psycho Pass is one of the most praised anime of all time, Shinsekai Yori is barely known. This is a shame, because it truly has something special to say that everyone can relate to. How hard growing up can be, fighting against your own hormones, traditions, adults, family, friends, your moral code.

This is not a happy story; it’s a bittersweet, cautionary tale.

Trigger Warnings: Animal Cruelty or Death, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore, Suicide

If you’re reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

[curejiraiya]

i'd like to talk about the follow up tweet please, thank you

So like your initial thought reading this tweet, is that his wish was fulfilled because Kouji got with Ito, and Takeyuki (Jo) was Kouji’s dad and Gen was Ito’s dad, therefore in a way they got together; and I mean I can’t say that doesn’t make sense, but I do think there’s a better interpretation of this; or at least one that I like a little bit more lol

To me this is a story about two fathers wanting more for their children. The goal of a parent is to have their child grow up in a world that’s better than theirs. And something I’ve written about before is the changing political climate between the 80s and the 2010s when the story of Rainbow Live takes place. When Jo and Gen were teenagers in Lucky Star it simply was not acceptable for them to be together. I’ve definitely written on this before. 1985 was the beginning of the AIDs crisis in Japan. The public was under the assumption that it was PHYSICIALLY dangerous to be a gay person. That gay people were dying for their sins.

So my interpretation is that Kouji’s father’s wish isn’t that he wants Kouji to be with Ito, Gen is the one that reached out to Jo asking to reform Lucky Star. At the time Gen had two children, he and his wife were in a completely different point in their lives than he was when Lucky Star disbanded, and so was the world. Like it’s now the mid 2000s and Gen and Jo are both adults. So Gen thinks that maybe it’s okay that Lucky Star is a thing again, he thinks maybe the two of them could be a thing again. 

And Jo hesitates. He hesitates because he doesn’t like the idea of changing the relationship with his family. He loves his wife and his child. Obviously I’m interpreting this as he’s gay, but you can be gay and still in love with your wife. This has happened throughout all of history. Because love isn’t solely romantic. He doesn’t have to be sexually attracted to women to feel like a father, like a husband. To him, his place in society was to be the man of this household. To protect his wife and child. I think it would be wrong to interpret that he didn’t like this aspect of his life. Because you can still be happy if things are perfect. 

And Jo’s wife Natsuko knows of this relationship because she tries to put a stop to it. She’s the one that keeps Jo out of Lucky Star because she wants to keep her family together. She knows things would change forever if the two of them were back together. And she’s afraid of that. I understand, they had a child together and she wants to keep their traditional marriage. I don't think she's really in the wrong here, I don't think she could ever be wrong to fear her husband leaving her. To fear what the AIDs crisis has done to gay men throughout the world for the man she loves.

So to me Jo’s feelings, his wish that he passed down to Kouji wasn’t to be with Ito. It was to live in a world where Kouji could love anyone he wanted. A world where he and Gen could’ve been together. That’s the world that the queers of the 80s and 90s wanted for the next generation. The ones that were being killed by the epidemic hoped for a future where the next generation could unequivocally be themselves. A world where you didn’t have to make the hard decision between the one you love or a family and potentially your life.

Picking one or the other was a decision that both Gen and Jo had to make, and they had to be on the same page or tragedy would strike. And that’s what happened. 

But Kouji Mihama was born in the year 1998, and for him and all of the future generations of queer children, they’re finally not forced to make that decision. It’s been slow over centuries but the world is finally progressing towards a place where people can choose who they’re with. And for Kouji that means anyone he wants. It means he isn’t restricted. He can choose to be with Ito if that makes him happy. But in this world gifted to him by his father he can choose to be with Hiro.

The thing about Jo’s wish is that it doesn’t matter who Kouji ends up with, just that he gets to choose freely. And if he chooses Hiro he can be with him without having to give up another aspect of his life like Gen and Jo had too. Kouji can be with Hiro, and Ito can be with Otoha, and it’s still fulfilling the wishes of their parents. That’s part of what Gen said, Kouji and Ito should be able to give it a shot because they’re just teenagers. It might not work out, they might grow apart from each other, but that’s part of being alive. That’s part of them being able to freely love whoever they want. That's his feelings fulfilled.

Thank you

[inushit-rage]

[hothotmiso]

[lunawings]

While I was in Japan during March 2024, I was able to visit the Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live 10th Anniversary Exhibit. This is my favorite anime of all time, so it was an incredible honor.

Unfortunately, you could not take pictures in many areas and I always try my best to be respectful and follow the rules. So, I will describe it.

The walls of the first room were covered in several tapestries depicting each individual episode of the anime, so you could reminisce about everything that happened as you slowly walked through the room. In the middle of the room, there were several exhibits perfectly recreating every single paper, notebook, sketch...

Hokkaido itinerary? Wakana and Bell's test scores? Momo's Happy Rain costume sketches? Naru and Bell's manager applications? The score to pride? Any piece of paper you can think of that appeared in PRRL, it was all HERE! Recreated with meticulous accuracy...

The next room was the photo room where you could take pictures in Prism Stone or in front of Rinne's feathers.

Something else they had here which was really neat, was all of these mini photo ops of various scenes from the anime that you could put your plushies or figures into! As I rarely have someone with me to take photos of myself at events like this, and I rarely post them even when I do, NGL I loved it. I wish I had brought something! I did have a PAF Naru on my bag I could have used, but it would have taken time to unpin her so unfortunetly I did not.

The next room contained an exhibit of various merch from throughout the years.

Unfortunately, there wasn't really much merch to look at in the classic section. Just the guitars, some stones, and the Smart Pod Shot. But I definitely think there was more than that back in the day! There has to have been because I own at least one thing that was not in here (a pool bag) haha!

They also had a REAL prism guitar on display, which apparently they are actually going to sell at some point!?

The last part of the exhibit before going to the gift shop, was a hallway with messages from all the voice actresses and the director. This was also a zone where photos were banned, but I remember in the director's he acknowledged Rainbow Live as being the only Pretty Rhythm season to achieve a 10th anniversary celebration and ended his commentary with "Glorious Pretty Rhythm" hahaha. Next was the gift shop...

Which was honestly super disappointing... I was prepared to spend a lot of money here, but in the end, I barely bought anything. Everything, EVERYTHING good was blind and the stuff that wasn't was just so expensive.

Like, they had this set of Hiro cards with his magazine covers and debut poster and I really wanted them but when I actually saw them it was like... 2,000 yen? FOR THREE CARDS!? Those tiny little cards you can see up there below the keychains?

????????????

Am I missing something!?

In the end I bought two Wakana boards and two clear files. And the one blind thing I couldn't resist was the Prism Stone badges... which turned out to be Otoha x2 and one Ann. Gah.

I also might have bought a Wakana plush doll, but she was sold out. Out of all the Rainbow Live girls she was the only one sold out both here and at Tokyo Station Prism Stone.

And here were the bonuses I got. Including, yes, the AiPri card. So for people who saw me posting it over on @pretty-idol-hell, this was where it came from.

I also got a very special letter, which I am saving to translate at a later date...

Outside the event was an up and running Pretty Rhythm machine, or so I thought. Wow, no line! I said to myself as I happily bounced up to it only to find the coin slot taped over and a sign reading it could not be used. Darn. (I know there's no prism stones left in the wild, but come on, there's no free play mode...? Well, I guess even if there was they wouldn't want people loitering around the exhibition.)

Anyway, as you read I did have a few complaints, but it still makes my heart happy that this event existed at all. I loved all the time and effort that went into making all the recreations of things!

[sevendays-art]

hope this meme isn't over yet

[blee-bleep]

tonight's effort on the prrl doodle board

[hellohimawarihana]

Did you find it odd that Aikatsu and Pretty Series follows their henshin in reverse order in terms of method?

We'll start with Aikatsu first. With the exception of Planet, all of them are basically like this, running in the dimension inside Fitting Room and dress up starting with tops-accessories, bottoms, and shoes.

I won't include Planet here since it shakes the formula by being done in one ping while transcending from 2D to 3D models.

Then in Pretty Rhythm, there's the scanning system, which usually start from the bottom of their body.

(left: Aurora Dream; center: Dear My Future; and right: Rainbow Live)

Then PriPara borrows some elements from it by the shoes coming first before the rest of the outfit.

Post-PriPara, they're pretty much the same: shoes, tops-bottoms/dress, and accessories.

(left: PriChan; center: PriMagi; and right: AiPri)

In short, Aikatsu starts the henshin with upper part of the body, while Pretty Series inverses this by having foot-first transformation.

[pretty-idol-hell]

When I was in Japan I bought this Prism Stone acrylic stand display thing which looks like the wheel where you scan stones into the Pretty Rhythm arcade game. (Some assembly required.)

Well, I finally put it together and WOW!

How cool is this!? I put some of my fancier-looking stones in it.

I am trying to think of something I could use the fake acrylic ones it came with for. Maybe glue them to an itabag or something. (Something I would never dare do with real prism stones.)

[karendollywaltz]

Pretty All Friends - Icons

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group B Round 3: #B8 vs #B2

#B8: Middle school idol drama

#B2: Girls aiming to become top stars in a Takarazuka high-school

Details and poll under the cut!

*#B2’s tagline has been changed.

#B8: Pretty Rhythm: Rainbow Live

Summary:

Naru Ayase is an 8th grader who can see the colors of music when she listens to it. For Naru, who is extremely good at decorating, becoming the owner of a shop like Dear Crown was her dream. One day, she finds out that the manager of a newly-opened shop is recruiting middle school girls who can do Prism Dance, and immediately applies. Naru begins to Prism Dance at the audition, and an aura she’s never experienced spreads out in front of her. At that moment, a mysterious girl named Rinne asks her if she can see “rainbow music.”

Propaganda:

WHERE DO I START.

First off: Lesbian activities. Ayase Naru and Rinne Amagi are very close friends and even end up living together. Naru is also only one of the few characters without a proper love interest which really helps further the Naru/Rinne ship.

Otoha Takanashi: often talks about fairy tales, but the only characters she ever sees as Princes are women. Baby lesbian, I love her.

Second: DRAMA. So two of the characters (Ito and Kouji) actually start dating, but their parents do not approve for reasons they are evasive about until it is later revealed in the story—[This part of the propaganda has been cut by admin due to possible spoilers]

Third: banger music. This series includes many covers of popular 90s dance tracks from band TRF, which I am fond of. It also has a lot of unique music written for the show itself which is also good, especially for a children’s show.

Trigger Warnings: It might need the emotional abuse tag for specifically one of the characters’ parents, who is a pretty extreme perfectionist when it comes to her daughter. But nothing else aside from that. It’s a kids’ show, so it never goes that far in terms of actual harm. Most things also get resolved peacefully.

#B2: Kageki Shoujo!!

Summary:

After being forced to graduate from JPX48 following a controversial incident with a male fan, Ai Narata swears to never interact with another man ever again. Using her talents and strong desire to get away from men, Ai auditions for the exclusive all-female Kouka School of Musical and Theatrical Arts. The school is renowned for producing the best actresses that go on to perform in the famous all-female Kouka Theatre Troupe. Coming from the idol industry, Ai is the perfect candidate for the school’s hundredth generation class, but her aloof demeanor alienates her from her classmates. The eccentric Sarasa Watanabe is the only person who wishes to become Ai’s friend. She enters Kouka with the goal of becoming a top “otokoyaku” performer—an actress that plays traditionally male roles. After seeing a Kouka performance of The Rose of Versailles when she was younger, Sarasa dreams of performing as Lady Oscar one day. Unfortunately, Sarasa's inability to read a room causes friction between her and her classmates, including Ai, who reluctantly becomes her roommate and partner in many of their classes. Succeeding at Kouka will involve more than just raw talent for these young girls as jealousy, deceit, and the harsh realities of show business put their mental fortitude to the test. Will Sarasa and Ai be able to rise to the top and stand on the silver bridge?

Propaganda:

If theatre setting/schools is your thing, you’re probably going to love this series! We follow our protagonists and their schoolmates following their dreams to become actresses for the prestigious Kouka Revue. Not an easy road as they will have to face and overcome many challenges, the hardest ones coming from themselves. Indeed, the story is not afraid to address sensitive topics and their resulting traumas (see TW list) always rightfully handed. These episodes may be a bit hard to see if you’re sensitive to these topics, but the show never leaves you in discomfort: everything is properly addressed, and characters are cared for realistically.

The characters are all very well-written, portraying individuals with way more depth than they may appear at first glance. We follow their growth—or its start—during the series. Sarasa is a walking sunbeam, and her blooming friendship with the withdrawn Ai is a delight to watch. We learn to know—and love—all their classmates as well, as episodes switch focus to one or the other.

The OST is really good, with a catchy opening, and no less than five different versions of the ending song, a fabulous duet voiced by the cast! The animation features really pretty art with iconic details like the stars in Sarasa’s eyes. The series is a homage to Takarazuka and scatter references to famous real-life Revues and older famous shôujo manga series like “Versailles no Bara” or “Glass no Kamen”. Actually, it feels like a modernized version of their essence: roses, sparkles, spotlight, drama, all while staying safe!

This anime is like candy for eyes and soul, and I really hope we'll get a season 2 to explore the girls' voices further!

Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse, Pedophilia, Self-Harm

Nothing is too graphical nor explicit, just the right amount to let the unsettling situations be clear enough to watchers, and they’re always addressed correctly.

Child abuse/ Pedophilia: episode 3 (+4), about Ai’s traumas

Self-harm: episode 5 focuses on a girl with an eating disorder, forcing herself to vomit (not sure if that really counts as TW?)

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

[curejiraiya]

I'm freaking out they're so cute gosh they're so cute the big fucking bows Hiro's hair!!!!!!! the way it's parted!!!!! Kazuki's big fucking smile it enraptures me just even the way their suit jackets are cut like Hiro's is a reverse v because he's insane and needs to show off his stomach, Kouji's is long and flowey, Kazuki has a fucking short half shirt like they're showing their personalities IN THEIR SUIT JACKETS!!!!!! god I'm just

I'm just losing it

[icy-prism]

If you like any of the Pretty Series you are automatically a theatre kid. I don’t make the rules.

(This is coming an actual theatre kid.)

Like LISTEN TO SEVENDAYS LOVE SEVENDAYS FRIEND that’s literally like a broadway song to me.

[hothotmiso]

[lunawings]

New art for a Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live exhibition coming to the Yuraku Marui in March 2024.

[sevendays-art]

hi hi everyone. had to draw this to a. meet my yearly narinne fanart quota b. try new things w my style and c. heal my soul. i hope you like it 😊