The appeal and reviews of Uta no Prince-sama♪ Maji LOVE Revolutions

Uta no Prince-sama♪ Maji LOVE Revolutions - Revolutionaries of Love and Dreams

Overview

"Uta no Prince-sama Maji LOVE Revolutions" is a TV anime series that aired from April 5 to June 28, 2015, and is based on the popular game developed by Broccoli. The series follows the growth and challenges faced by the idols belonging to Shining Agency, and the third season in particular depicts their further growth and great revolution of love. It is directed by Hoshino Makoto, produced by A-1 Pictures, and has music by Elements Garden.

■ Story

ST☆RISH, winner of the legendary newcomer award Uta☆Pri Award, and newcomer composer Nanami Haruka have been expanding their field of activity in the entertainment industry together with Shining Agency's senior idol QUARTET NIGHT. However, as the battle for the opening artist of an international sports festival begins and each entertainment production company competes by sending their best to the competition, what will Shining Agency choose? What future awaits ST☆RISH, QUARTET NIGHT, and Haruka? Idols who have exceeded 2000% will now spark a great revolution of love!

■Explanation

The "Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji LOVE" series, based on the popular video game released in June 2010, was aired for the first season in July 2011 and the second season in 2013, and has been supported by many fans. The characters that appear have become even more radiant with the support of their fans, and have grown into dazzling idols. Then, in the spring of 2015, the third season, "Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji LOVE Revolutions," was aired, and the revolutionaries of love and dreams returned to the stage once again. The dynamic music scenes have also become even more powerful, captivating viewers.

■Cast

・Nanami Haruka/Sawashiro Miyuki/Ittoki Otoya/Terashima Takuma/Hijirikawa Masato/Suzumura Kenichi/Shinomiya Natsuki/Taniyama Kisho/Ichinose Tokiya/Miyano Mamoru/Jinguji Ren/Suwabe Junichi/Kurusu Sho/Shimono Hiro/Aijima Cecil/Toriumi Kosuke/Suzuki Reiji/Morikubo Shoutarou/Kurosaki Ranmaru/Suzuki Tatsuhisa/Mikaze Ai/Aoi Shouta/Camus/Maeno Tomoaki/Tsukimiya Ringo/Nakamura Yuichi/Hinata Tatsuya/Yusa Koji/Shibuya Tomochika/Imai Yuka/Shining Saotome/Wakamoto Norio

■ Main staff

・Original story: Noriyasu Agematsu, Broccoli ・Director: Makoto Hoshino ・Series composition: Tomoko Konparu ・Character design original: Chinatsu Kurahana ・Character design and chief animation director: Mitsue Mori ・Music: Elements Garden
・Production: A-1 Pictures
Produced by Uta☆Pri R Production Committee

■ Main Characters

・Haruka Nanami A composer affiliated with Shining Agency. She mainly composes songs for idols from the agency, but recently she has also been working on music for commercials and the like. She is usually modest and calm, but when it comes to composing, she can get too carried away.
・Otoya Ittoki
ST☆RISH. Having spent her childhood inspired by songs, she aims to become an idol. She is good at emotional vocals and aggressive dancing. With her bright and positive personality, she has recently been making a name for herself on variety shows.
・Masato Hijirigawa
ST☆RISH. After learning piano, she decided to pursue a career in music. Taking advantage of her natural tendency to delve deeply into things and her soft singing voice, she has expanded her horizons to include stage performances and musicals.
・Natsuki Shinomiya
ST☆RISH. She received special training in viola as a child, but discovered the joy of singing and decided to become an idol. She is a kind and sincere singer, and her singing voice is the No. 1 in the group. In recent years, she has been the image model for cosmetics for women, which has made her a hot topic.
・Tokiya Ichinose
ST☆RISH. Having been active in the entertainment industry since before the formation of ST☆RISH, she has a wealth of experience and knowledge, and is highly skilled in both singing and dancing. Although she may appear cool at first glance, she is diligent in her studies and has received high praise in a wide range of fields, including dramas and movies.
・ Ren Jinguji
ST☆RISH. The natural star quality she inherited from her late mother blossomed as an idol. Her glamorous and sexy performances are popular, and she receives constant offers to be a fashion model for shows and magazines. Her favorite instrument is the saxophone.
・Sho Kurusu
ST☆RISH. He aspires to be an idol, inspired by his senior at the agency, Hinata Tatsuya. He has a manly personality and is the best dancer among the members. He makes use of his high physical ability and has appeared in many popular action dramas and movies.
・Cecil Aijima
ST☆RISH. Born in Agna Palace, a country protected by Muse, the goddess of music. Wanting to make people happy through singing, she became a member of ST☆RISH. With an honest and innocent personality, she is growing at an accelerating rate as an idol.
・Renji Sue
QUARTET NIGHT. Although he is easygoing and easy-going, he is serious about his work and takes good care of his colleagues and juniors. He is the most active in the agency, appearing in dramas, variety shows, radio shows, and stage shows. He shares a room with Otoya and Tokiya at the Shining agency dormitory.
・Ranmaru Kurosaki
QUARTET NIGHT. She used to be in a band, but after the band broke up she was scouted by Shining Saotome and has been with him ever since. Her unpretentious behavior, unlike that of an idol, has made her popular. She shares a room with Masato and Ren at the Shining Agency dormitory.
・Mikaze Ai
QUARTET NIGHT. She has a beautiful and mysterious aura, is silent and never shows her emotions. She can sing and dance perfectly. She shares a room with Natsuki and Sho at the Shining Agency dormitory.
Camus
QUARTET NIGHT. Born into an earl family in Silk Palace, a foreign land of permafrost. She is immensely popular as an "earl idol" and is full of dignity and elegance. She shares a room with Cecil in the Shining Agency dormitory.
Tsukimiya Ringo is a very popular cross-dressing idol, but on the inside he is a proper man. His free-spirited, unconstrained style of performance has earned him a wide fan base, and he is also highly trusted by his junior idols.
Hinata Tatsuya is an active idol who appears mainly in action movies and TV dramas. He is a teacher at Saotome Academy and also serves as the right-hand man to the president of Shining Agency.
Shibuya Tomochika is an idol affiliated with Shining Agency who is active on TV variety shows. She was Haruka's former roommate and still has a deep friendship with her.
Shining Saotome: President of Shining Agency. A former idol, she had a huge hit during her active days, "Ai Yuni," which sold 20 million copies and has yet to be surpassed. She is a person who transcends conventional wisdom in all of her words, actions, and thoughts.

■Subtitle

・Op.1／The dice are cast
・Op.2／GOLDEN★STAR
・Op.3／EMOTIONAL LIFE
・Op.4／Innocent Wind
・Op.5／Code：TVU
・Op.6／Saintly Territory
・Op.7／ONLY ONE
・Op.8／ORIGINAL RESONANCE
・Op.9／NEVER…
・Op.10／Answer
・Op.11/Thank You ・Op.12/Evolution Eve ・Op.13/Maji LOVE Revolutions

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・The dice are cast
・1
Lyrics by Noriyasu Agematsu; Composition by Noriyasu Agematsu; Arrangement by Jin Fujima; Sung by QUARTET NIGHT (Reiji Suou (Shotaro Morikubo), Ranmaru Kurosaki (Tatsuhisa Suzuki), Ai Mikaze (Shouta Aoi), Camus (Tomoaki Maeno))

・OP2
Shine 2 to 13
Lyrics: Mamoru Miyano; Composition: Noriyasu Agematsu; Arrangement: Junpei Fujita; Singer: Mamoru Miyano

・ED1
・Maji LOVE Revolutions ・1-13
Lyrics by Noriyasu Agematsu; Composition by Noriyasu Agematsu; Arrangement by Hoshino Iwahashi; Singer by ST☆RISH (Otoya Ittoki (Terashima Takuma), Masato Hijirigawa (Suzumura Kenichi), Natsuki Shinomiya (Taniyama Kisho), Tokiya Ichinose (Miyano Mamoru), Ren Jinguji (Suwabe Junichi), Shou Kurusu (Shimono Hiro), Cecil Aijima (Toriumi Kosuke))

・Insert song 1
・GOLDEN☆STAR
2, 12
Lyrics: Noriyasu Agematsu Composition: Noriyasu Agematsu Arrangement: Haruki Mori Singer: Shining Stars (ST☆RISH & QUARTET NIGHT)

・Insert song 2
・EMOTIONAL LIFE
・3
Lyrics: Noriyasu Agematsu Composition: Noriyasu Agematsu Arrangement: Hoshino Iwahashi Singer: Otoya Ittoki (Takuma Terashima), Natsuki Shinomiya (Kisho Taniyama)

・Insert song 3
・Innocent Wind
・4
Lyrics: Noriyasu Agematsu Composition: Noriyasu Agematsu Arrangement: Junpei Fujita Singer: Ai Mikaze (Shouta Aoi)

・Insert song 4
・Code TVU
・5
Lyrics: Noriyasu Agematsu; Composition: Jin Fujima; Arrangement: Jin Fujima; Singers: Ren Jinguji (Junichi Suwabe), Sho Kurusu (Hiro Shimono), Cecil Aijima (Kosuke Toriumi)

・Insert song 5
・Saintly Territory
・6
Lyrics: Noriyasu Agematsu; Composition: Jin Fujima; Arrangement: Evan Call
・Song: Camus (Maeno Tomoaki)

・Insert song 6
・ONLY ONE
7
Lyrics: Noriyasu Agematsu Composition: Noriyasu Agematsu Arrangement: Hoshino Iwahashi Singer: Ranmaru Kurosaki (Tatsuhisa Suzuki)

・Insert song 7
・ORIGINAL RESONANCE
・8
Lyrics: Noriyasu Agematsu Composition: Noriyasu Agematsu Arrangement: Jin Fujima Singer: Masato Hijirigawa (Kenichi Suzumura), Tokiya Ichinose (Mamoru Miyano)

・Insert song 8
・NEVER…
9
Lyrics: Noriyasu Agematsu; Composition: Noriyasu Agematsu; Arrangement: Tomohiro Kita; Singer: Reiji Suwa (Shotaro Morikubo)

・Insert song 9
Evolution Eve 10, 12
Lyrics by Noriyasu Agematsu; Composition by Noriyasu Agematsu; Arrangement by Jin Fujima; Sung by QUARTET NIGHT (Reiji Suou (Shotaro Morikubo), Ranmaru Kurosaki (Tatsuhisa Suzuki), Ai Mikaze (Shouta Aoi), Camus (Tomoaki Maeno))

・Insert song 10
・Thank you・11
Lyrics by Noriyasu Agematsu; Composition by Junpei Fujita; Arrangement by Junpei Fujita; Singer by ST☆RISH (Otoya Ittoki (Terashima Takuma), Masato Hijirigawa (Suzumura Kenichi), Natsuki Shinomiya (Taniyama Kisho), Tokiya Ichinose (Miyano Mamoru), Ren Jinguji (Suwabe Junichi), Shou Kurusu (Shimono Hiro), Cecil Aijima (Toriumi Kosuke))

・Insert song 11
・HE★VENS GATE -Beginning of the Legend-
13
Lyrics by Noriyasu Agematsu; Composition by Jin Fujima; Arrangement by Jin Fujima; Sung by HE★VENS (Eiichi Ohtori (Hikaru Midorikawa), Kira Kou (Daisuke Ono), Nagi Mikado (Tsubasa Yonaga), Eiji Ohtori (Yuma Uchida), Van Kiryuin (Hidenori Takahashi), Yamato Hinata (Ryohei Kimura), Shion Amakusa (Daiki Yamashita))

■ Evaluation and impressions

"Uta no Prince-sama Maji LOVE Revolutions" is the culmination of the series and the long-awaited third season for fans. The story depicts the growth and challenges of ST☆RISH and QUARTET NIGHT, while digging deeper into their bonds and dreams through new rivals and events. In particular, the battle for the position of opening artist gives viewers a sense of tension and excitement, and each episode depicts the personality and growth of different characters.

In terms of music, the music by Elements Garden further enhances the charm of the series. The opening theme "The dice are cast" and "Shine", and the ending theme "Maji LOVE Revolutions" have powerful melodies and lyrics that capture the hearts of viewers, and each inserted song is also a beautiful piece that reflects the emotions of the characters. In particular, "GOLDEN☆STAR" and "Evolution Eve" play an important role in livening up the climax of the story.

The character growth and development is also not to be missed. Each character enriches the story: Nanami Haruka's growth as a composer, Ittoki Otoya's positive attitude, Hijirikawa Masato's seriousness, Shinomiya Natsuki's gentleness, Ichinose Tokiya's coolness, Jinguji Ren's flamboyance, Kurusu Shou's manliness, Aijima Cecil's innocence, Suwa Reiji's caring nature, Kurosaki Ranmaru's simplicity, Mikaze Ai's mysteriousness, Camus's elegance, Tsukimiya Ringo's free-spiritedness, Hinata Tatsuya's leadership skills, Shibuya Tomochika's understanding, Shining Saotome's transcendent presence, etc.

The animation quality is also high, and A-1 Pictures' careful drawing and direction enhance the visual appeal. The dynamism of the live performance scenes in particular, and the detailed expressions of the characters, have the power to draw the viewer in. Colors and camerawork are also used effectively in scenes depicting the development of the story and the characters' feelings, achieving both visual beauty and depth of story.

■ Recommendation points

"Uta no Prince-sama Maji LOVE Revolutions" is a work that offers emotions and excitement that go beyond the boundaries of idol anime. The following points are the reasons why we can particularly recommend it.

1. **Charm of Music**: The music by Elements Garden has a powerful and beautiful sound that captures the hearts of viewers. The lyrics and melodies reflect the individuality of each character and help viewers understand the story more deeply.

2. **Character Growth**: Each character's growth and development is carefully depicted, allowing you to empathize with their dreams and bonds. In particular, Haruka Nanami's growth as a composer and the individuality of each member of ST☆RISH and QUARTET NIGHT shine through.

3. **Story Development**: A story full of tension and excitement unfolds as the battle for the position of opening artist and the appearance of new rivals unfold. The story progresses from the perspective of a different character in each episode, so viewers will never get bored.

4. **Animation Quality**: A-1 Pictures' meticulous drawing and direction enhance the visual appeal of the show. The dynamism of the live performance scenes in particular and the detailed expressions of the characters have the power to draw the viewer in.

5. **Fan Service**: For fans of the series, this is the long-awaited third season, and it is packed with fan service, including further exploits by ST☆RISH and QUARTET NIGHT and the introduction of new characters.

"Uta no Prince-sama Maji LOVE Revolutions" is a work that provides emotions and excitement that go beyond the boundaries of idol anime, and is a masterpiece that fuses music, characters, story, and animation at a high level. I highly recommend it not only to fans, but also to anyone interested in idol anime and music anime.