"LEMON ANGEL PROJECT" review: A moving story of youthful brilliance and chasing musical dreams

LEMON ANGEL PROJECT - Lemon Angel Project -

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Broadcast period

January 7, 2006 - April 1, 2006
KBS Kyoto January 6, 2006 to March 31, 2006 (Episodes 1 to 13) Every Friday 25:30 to 26:00
AT-X January 9, 2006 to April 3, 2006 (Episodes 1 to 13) Every Monday 10:30 to 11:00
tvk January 9, 2006 to March 29, 2006 (Episodes 1 to 13) Every Monday 26:15 to 26:45

■Broadcasting station

UHF, AT-X

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 13

■Original Story

AMG Entertainment

■ Director

Daisuke Chiba

■ Production

・Animation Production: RADIX ACE ENTERTAINMENT
・Produced by: Lemon Farm

■Works

©2005 AMG Entertainment/Lemon Farm

■ Story

In the summer of 2016, the activities of the beautiful idol unit Lemon Angel, who was at the height of their popularity, came to an abrupt end without warning.

--Ten months later.
Minaguchi Tomo, who entered the high school he had promised to attend with Kono Yui, a senior whom he had once admired, was invited to audition for the Lemon Angel revival project. He then learns that Yui was the creator of Lemon Angel. For Yui's sake, Tomo decides to audition for the new Lemon Angel. However, Lemon Angel must be made up of the finest girls with the best singing and dancing skills...!
Jealousy and harassment swirl around the auditions for the new Lemon Angel... and singing, dancing, and lessons after lessons. In the midst of all this, Tomo begins to gather around his friends, as rivals who can help each other grow.

Soon, six beautiful girls gather together. Their fates begin to change...!

■Explanation

Cream Lemon is a super-hit OVA series that tells the story of girls' various dangerous experiences. Its TV series version, Lemon Angel, aired in 1987, boasted overwhelming popularity as a pioneer of late-night anime. Now in 2006, Lemon Angel is being revived with a new look as the LEMON ANGEL PROJECT!! With a completely new setting and story from the previous work, you can look forward to the LEMON ANGEL PROJECT, a success story of six new idols led by fate, filled with tears, laughter, and even a little sex appeal...(?)

■Cast

・Satoshi Minaguchi/Ryo Shihono/Saya Yuki/Ami Koshimizu/Miru Nagisa/Mai Kadowaki/Erika Campbell/Miri Chihara/Fuyumi Sakakibara/Juri Hirama/Miki Suwa/Miki Maruyama/Yui Kono/Kaori Shimizu/Shinya Himuro/Takehito Koyasu/Ryota Kogure/Hideki Ogiwara/Masami Kudo/Kenjiro Tsuda

■ Main staff

・Original work/AMG Entertainment ・Director/Daisuke Chiba ・General supervision/Shuzo Noguchi ・Series composition/Masashi Takimoto ・Character design/Yukari Watanabe ・Concept design/Tomiya Hoshinoe ・Design work/Pocket Beat Graphics
Chief Animation Supervisor: Koji Yamakawa Art Director: Mitsuharu Miyamae, Kenichi Kurata Art: Baku Production Color Design: Masato Sasaki Composite Director (Cinematographer): Takehiro Sodeyama Editing: Masahiro Goto Music: Kazumi Nakamura, Akira Sasaki Sound Director: Koichi Kikuchi Sound Production: Multi-C-I Producer: Ryutaro Kawakami, Hiroyuki Oizumi Animation Producer: Motoki Ueda Animation Production: RADIX ACE ENTERTAINMENT
・Produced by: Lemon Farm

■ Main Characters

・Minaguchi Satoshi

Age: 15
Born January 11th, 1st year student at Hakuoh Gakuen High School, blood type O

Free-spirited and innocent. She has strong emotions, laughs a lot, gets angry a lot, cries a lot, enjoys a lot, gets depressed a lot, and bounces back quickly. This makes her seem somewhat androgynous (childish). She is sensitive to trends, but is shy when it comes to romance. When she is particularly embarrassed or stressed, she somehow starts speaking in a "desu-masu" tone.

・Yuki Sayaka

Age: 16
Born May 10th, Horigaoka High School, 1st year performing arts club, blood type B

She is strong-willed, proactive, and egocentric. She has strong emotions and is quick to anger, but her straightforward personality means she doesn't hold back. She has been in the entertainment industry since she was young, so she seems to be completely immersed in the industry, but when it comes to love, she is a total beginner and has no experience at all.

・See the beach sand

Age: 15
Born September 14th Blood type AB

He is shy and thinks that no one needs him. He has not attended school since the third year of middle school. He does not say much and does not open up to others. He speaks in bits and pieces, but each of those few words he does say is often sharp. However, this is only because he is not good at expressing himself, and does not mean that he has a bad personality.

Erica Campbell

Age: 17
Born January 27th Blood type O

She is a quarter Brazilian and a descendant of Japanese immigrants to Brazil. She learned Japanese from her grandfathers and speaks it fluently. Perhaps because she has many siblings, she is a little older than her brother, and has the feeling of a kind older sister. She is cheerful, proactive, and optimistic, so she is well-liked by those around her.

・Fuyumi Sakakibara

Age: 15
Born August 3rd, Horigaoka High School, 1st year performing arts club, blood type A

Shy and passive. He lacks self-confidence and is not the type to push people aside. He is an airhead, and his clumsiness makes him a good match for Tomo. He is kind and caring, so others like him, but because he is too serious, he often worries about things that don't need to be done.

・Miki Suwa

Age: 17
Born April 3rd, second year student at Hakuoh Gakuen High School, blood type A

He has a rational personality and often acts in a calculated manner. He doesn't trust others very much and is not good at revealing his true feelings. He doesn't say much, but every word he does say is logical and solid. He has top class grades and leadership skills, so he tends to be seen as more mature than his actual age.

・Yui Kono

Age: Died at age 16. Composer of the first LAP period.
She was a bright and positive girl with a charm that attracted everyone.

・Himuro Shinya

Age: 38 Freelance music producer. Bassist himself. Cool but ambitious. He asserts that music, composing, arranging, playing, and singing are all techniques.

・Ryota Kogure

Age: 24. A novice producer in Nouvelle Music. He served as an assistant producer in the first LAP. He is dissatisfied with Himuro's cool way of doing things. He is young, passionate, and naive.

・Masami Kudo

Age: 21 Himuro's personal manager. He is obsessed with Himuro and is always by his side like a shadow (seems to be in love with Himuro). He will do anything despicable for Himuro. He is good-looking, but his personality is twisted in a dangerous direction.

■Subtitle

Episode 1: An angel wakes up from a dream (2006/01/06)
Episode 2: Evolution (2006/01/13)
・Episode 3／I will(2006/01/20)
Episode 4: Smile means love (2006/01/27)
Episode 5: Just be friends (2006/02/03)
Episode 6: Promise you (2006/02/10)
・Episode 7: I Want to Know You (2006/02/17)
Episode 8: Angels in the Forest at the Summer Resort (2006/02/24)
Episode 9: Symphony of Sorrow (March 3, 2006)
Episode 10: Blue Station (2006/03/10)
Episode 11: Immoral Scenario (2006/03/17)
・Episode 12/Mikazuki (2006/03/24)
Episode 13: Never give up (2006/03/31)

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Angel addict
Lyrics by Seiko Fujibayashi; Composition by Arata Tanimoto; Arrangement by Akira Sasaki; Sung by Tomo (Shihono Ryo), Haya (Koshimizu Ami), Miki (Maruyama Miki)

・OP2
・Angel addict
Lyrics: Seiko Fujibayashi; Composition: Shin Tanimoto; Arrangement: Akira Sasaki; Singer: Miru (Mai Kadowaki)

・OP3
・Angel addict
Lyrics: Seiko Fujibayashi; Composition: Shin Tanimoto; Arrangement: Akira Sasaki; Singer: Fuyumi (Juri Hirama)

・OP4
・Angel addict
Lyrics: Seiko Fujibayashi; Composition: Shin Tanimoto; Arrangement: Akira Sasaki; Singer: Tomo (Shihono Ryo)

・OP5
・Angel addict
Lyrics: Seiko Fujibayashi; Composition: Shin Tanimoto; Arrangement: Akira Sasaki; Singer: Erika (Miri Chihara)

・OP6
・Angel addict
Lyrics: Seiko Fujibayashi; Composition: Shin Tanimoto; Arrangement: Akira Sasaki; Singer: Haya (Ami Koshimizu)

・OP7
・Angel addict
Lyrics: Seiko Fujibayashi; Composition: Shin Tanimoto; Arrangement: Akira Sasaki; Singer: Miki (Miki Maruyama)

・OP8
・Angel addict
Lyrics by Seiko Fujibayashi; Composition by Arata Tanimoto; Arrangement by Akira Sasaki; Singers by Yui (Kari Shimizu), Tomo (Ryo Shihono)

・OP9
・Angel addict
Lyrics: Seiko Fujibayashi; Composition: Arata Tanimoto; Arrangement: Akira Sasaki; Sung by Lemon Angel II (Tomo, Haya, Miru, Erika, Fuyumi, Miki)

・ED1
・Girls in Love ~Love Feelings~
Lyrics: Seiko Fujibayashi; Composition: Kazushi Miyakoda; Arrangement: Kazushi Miyakoda & Yosuke Haga; Singer: Nao Nagasawa

LEMON ANGEL PROJECT - Detailed evaluation and recommendation

"LEMON ANGEL PROJECT" is an anime series that aired in 2006, and tells the story of the revival of a beautiful idol group. This work is a remake of the late-night anime "Lemon Angel" from 1987, and the setting and story have been completely revamped to bring out new appeal. Below, we will provide a detailed review and recommendation of this work.

Story and Characters

The story begins with a revival project for the beautiful idol group "Lemon Angel," which ceased activities in the summer of 2016. The protagonist, Tomo Minaguchi, auditions for the new Lemon Angel to fulfill a promise she made to her senior, Yui Kono. Six girls with various personalities gather around Tomo, and the story follows their growth through singing and dancing lessons.

The character settings are very attractive, and each character's background and personality are carefully drawn. In particular, the charm of each individual character, such as Minaguchi Tomo's free-spiritedness and innocence, Yuki Saaya's assertive personality, and Nagisa Miru's shyness, enrich the story. In addition, the harshness and behind-the-scenes of the music industry are depicted from the perspective of adults such as Himuro Shinya and Kogure Ryota, and not only the growth of the girls but also the relationships around them are deeply explored.

Music and Video

The music is one of the major attractions of this work. The opening theme, "Angel Addict," was written by Fujibayashi Seiko, composed by Tanimoto Arata, and arranged by Sasaki Akira, and there are versions sung by each character. This brings out the individuality of the characters even more and leaves a strong impression on the viewer. The ending theme, "Girls in Love ~ Koisuru Kimochi ~," is also pleasantly sung by Nagasawa Nao, and helps to leave a lingering impression of the story.

Visually, the character designs are incredibly beautiful, with particular attention to detail in the girls' costumes and dance scenes. The technical capabilities of RADIX ACE ENTERTAINMENT, the animation production company, shine through, and the visual appeal of the entire work is outstanding.

Theme and Message

"LEMON ANGEL PROJECT" is a story about the growth and friendship of girls chasing their dreams. It is moving to see how they support each other and grow while facing real problems such as jealousy, competition, and failure. In addition, by depicting the harshness and behind-the-scenes of the music industry, it conveys the difficulty of chasing your dreams and the importance of moving forward without giving up.

This work has a message that appeals to the younger generation in particular about the importance of dreams and friendship. Through the story of the girls' coming of age, the audience will be encouraged to think about their own dreams and goals.

Recommendation

"LEMON ANGEL PROJECT" is a touching story about the revival of a beautiful idol group, and the quality of the music and visuals is also very high. It is especially recommended for the following viewers:

• People who are interested in beautiful idols and music
• People who like stories about growing up and friendship
• People who know the 1987 film "Lemon Angel"
• People looking for new anime

This work is a moving story about the dreams and friendship of girls, and the quality of the music and visuals is also very high, so it will be enjoyed by a wide range of audiences.