So, because hosannainexcelsis is an extremely trustworthy source I finally sat down to watch:
[Shounen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 49] - 1
Yay! I'm always happy to see someone watch Shounen Hollywood.
Despite hosannainexcelsis's recommendations I was extremely reluctant to check this title out based on it's premise e.g. a show about a troupe of guys trying to become a successful idol group. I've checked out a fair number of (admittedly all female) idol shows previously and they all tend to have pretty bad characterisation and a clear focus on characters just being "cute".
Yeah, I think it's a tough sell because a cursory glance at the premise and the promo art would lead one to think "Oh, it's just another idol anime with some pretty boys for girls to fantasize over." So when I tried to get firehawk to watch this, he responded "But I've already seen UtaPri." I don't blame people for being skeptical though, because the kind of grounded character drama that Shounen Hollywood is is so rare in anime that it would be difficult to believe you would find it here amidst a seemingly familiar premise. I think it'd almost be easier to sit someone down who wasn't familiar with anime and show them this than it is to get people well-versed in anime to watch it.
Shounen Hollywood immediately struck me as being different than those titles with a couple of scenes based on the strength of the writing. I know hosannainexcelsis has already written at length about this but this actually seems to be a story about guys trying to become idols in the real world, as opposed to a story about people who are basically already idols (e.g. paper-thin characters with one or two defining traits) 'becoming idols'. There's clearly going to have to be actual transformation and growth before any of these guys approach the status of being actual idols and there's a real focus on the particular minutia of the kind of theatrical work they take part in which suggests the author is knowledgeable about the topic in reality. It feels extremely grounded in a way that suggests this may play out more like a drama than I thought.
Yes, this is what immediately struck me in the first episode as well, that the main characters felt like, well, characters. Real, fleshed-out people, with strengths, weaknesses, foibles and quirks. It's such a big contrast to, well, most anime, but especially to other idol anime, where the characters usually feel like they've been crafted solely to appeal to a particular fetish a la Idolmaster. Even the side characters - the members of the previous generation of Shounen Hollywood who show up occasionally on the periphery, for instance - feel well realized. It's really great to see a show which can succeed so much based on its writing.
Visually, the show looked far better than I expected. There was a clear craft and vision to the cinematography and the character animation was actually pretty good. It felt like a fairly serious production which is now what I would have expected at all.
I will warn you, in all fairness, that the character animation does not stay consistent and there is some roughness and lack of polish to the character art that crops up from time to time. But it's not too bad - certainly nothing compared to the great collapses people have complained about recently - and the direction stays consistent, with a live action drama feel that compliments the grounded nature of the show.
So, overall, I was extremely impressed with the first episode. Unfortunately, I'm already in the middle of a number of shows which I really need to finish before committing to a fairly lengthy series but I will be returning to it in the future.
As long as you finish the series in time to consider it for AOTY voting at the end of 2015, it's all good!
