Lapis Re:LiGHTs — Anime Review
I love a good idol anime, especially since I hail from the times of Idolm@ster and Love Live! Unfortunately, even though this anime HAD idols, it was a little bit of a mashup and ultimately caused the show to have very little to no real substance.
I want to start on a positive. Usually for an anime like this, which has an abundance of characters to be annoyed by, I found myself quite liking all but one or two of them. They all were unique and had interesting personalities which had the chance to shine. There was just no hook for any of the characters, or a backstory, for me to really want to delve into and discover more about them.
This can’t be said for our main protagonist, Tiara. She wants to follow in her older sisters footsteps and become a great Witch. That’s… really it for the show in terms of a plot. There’s a mention of earning points to save herself and her group from being expelled. However this really is not a huge focus, even though it practically is the only negative impact on the story line as a whole.
Each episode feels self contained. There’s slight plot development when the show decides it wants to create a little drama. For the most part though, it’s very slice of life.
It does leave a little to be desired. As a whole the anime feels very lack lustre. A lot of work was put into developing the girls as idols prior to the anime being made, and this was the main source for me wanting to watch it when it released. There was also, within the last month, a mobile game released for the franchise. This game, albeit really quite fun, does nothing to tie the girls together with being idols, fighting magical monsters (as they do in the game and only mention doing in the anime) and going to school.
Personally I believe this was just simply another idol anime to add to the slab of what’s already been published. If you want magical girls who can fight/sing, watch Shoujo☆Kageki Review Starlight instead. Only idols or school idols? Idolm@ster and Love Live! both do a better job at establishing a plot and likeable characters to enjoy their journey. Or if you simply wish to watch magical girls fighting monsters, most anime lovers would happily recommend Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica.
Total Score — 5/10.
It wasn’t BAD… but it wasn’t GOOD either.
