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Have you ever wondered just what it takes to become a pop star? Ever wondered what types of trials and tribulations those blossoming young stars have to endure? Chance Pop Session may be just the thing for you then. Granted, it may not be exactly the way the music industry works, but it definitely isn’t American Idol, where we reward individuals without talent based on what mindless sheep watching at home placing votes. Chance Pop Session, known in Japan as Chance Triangle Session, is the story of three young ladies hoping to be blessed by the Angel of Music and become the next big J-pop idol to hit in the scene in Japan. The three girls meet by chance at a concert performed by Reika, and each has their own reason for being there. They eventually end up at an exclusive music school ran by Akiba Kisaragi, once a famous vocalist in her own right and the same woman who gave Reika her break. The girls themselves each come from different and varied backgrounds. Akari Mizushima was dropped off at a local church and has been raised by the resident pastor and has led somewhat of a sheltered life. Akari has been involved with music virtually her entire life and her desire to become a vocalist is overshadowed only by her compassion for other people. Yuki Aoyama is a street musician, but has also done concert work for Reika. After having her entry fee money for the school stolen by a purse-snatcher, Yuki joins a local band and starts performing for passers by, and ends up having a web site dedicated to her. Yuki however is discovered and soon enrolled at the school due to her talent. Nozomi Kaibara is a rich and pampered young girl that is followed constantly by her family butler. On one hand, she has also led a sheltered life much like Akari, but only due to differences in social standings. Unlike her peers, Nozomi has a different reason for her interest in music and that’s simply to meet her idol Reika. I’ll have to be totally honest here, before the series arrived I didn’t have high expectations for it. In fact, I was pretty sure that it was going to be quite a horrid piece of work, but that was before I sat and actually started watching it. I was in for quite a shock for what I was about to see. Chance Pop Session actually is really a very good piece of work and very well thought out. I know that there have in fact been a few comparisons to American Idol, but once the girls actually got into school, the things that immediately came to mind was Fame. I’m sure there’s some people that can remember both the movie and the TV series, but it has some of the same vibe going for it. There are rivalries that come into play, jealousy from those that aren’t invited to become members of the more elite class, and of course the each students varied backgrounds and reasoning. However, there’s yet another aspect that I looked at this series from. Being a musician myself, it was quite easy to get into understanding the desire that each of the girls and it’s also easy to understand some of the emotions on the other side of things. Akari for example comes from a background where family members are a bit non-supportive of her decision to pursue a music career. For some of us, that’s quite easy to relate to The animation has more of that “grown-up” look as opposed to the more cartoon look of some other series. If you’ve seen anime like Perfect Blue, imagine that in more of a serialized form. It may not be the look that many people are used to, but it definitely fits the feel of the series. However, there are quite a few scenes that are repeated over and over again, obviously to save money in the budgeting department. The only things I didn’t care too much for was the overuse of songs, or rather a song in this case. It was fine to hear Reika’s song the first time through during her concert, but after hearing it in almost every episode, it does get a little old. Interestingly enough however, I did decide to do some investigation as to exactly what was done with the English dubbing. The Japanese music is left in tact and not changed in the least. So, how exactly do you manage to make an anime about pop music and retain some of that vocal quality? Pretty easy, you enlist the aid of seiyuu that have done more than just voice work, and the producers of Chance Pop Session have brought in voice actress' that have done just that. Interestingly enough, each of the main seiyuu aren't only still working in anime (or game) they are still recording, proving that at least in Japan there's a degree of multi talent, unlike in the US (because putting Brittany Spears in a movie was just such a brilliant idea.) A little cultural note here: for anyone who’s unaware of some of the culture in Japan, there are in fact musicians that set up shop (so to speak) on the streets in major cities and perform. This is nothing like the people that we’re used to seeing here in the US. It’s not people trying to make some fast cash by playing songs, and in Japan many times full bands will perform. Better yet, there’s no fear of being harassed by the police, and in many cases there are designated areas for bands to set up in. Overall, Chance Pop Session looks like quite a promising series and it will be interesting to see what direction the series heads. With animation done by Madhouse Studios, the same company that’s been responsible for things like Project A-Ko and Totoro and interestingly enough, Avex Mode, Japan’s top J-pop label who have signed and promoted J-pop artists like Max, Dream, and countless others. With such a unique combination of companies as well as some, it is almost certain that the series will gain some sort of a following here, and best of all, there’s no Simon present to tell our aspiring vocalists how much they suck. Chance Pop Session is one of those rare little gems that’s so different you can’t help but love it and it will most certainly have anime fans signing its praises for some time to come. Episode 1 - Angel Fate brings three young women together, chance will unit them. Their individual admiration for pop idol Reika brings each of them to her latest concert where they discover they too may be part of the spotlight, and the Kisaragi Music School will be the start of it all. Episode 2 - Destiny With a single goal in mind, Akari, Nozomi, and Yuki all make their way to the Kisaragi Music School. Unfortunately however, Yuki has a run-in with a purse snatcher which seemingly costs her the chance to follow her dream. Episode 3 - Class S Fate brings music into Yuki's life in the form of a street band while Akari and Nozomi continue their training at the Kisaragi Music School. Three students are chosen to the special S Class, and many of the students don't like the decision, while Akari and Nozomi have problems adjusting with their classmate who thinks she's a step above everyone else. Episode 4 - Fortissimo Rivalries begin to emerge at the music school while Yuki's new band continues to grow in popularity on the streets and on the Internet as well. Akari, Nozoni and Jun are asked to perform a musical piece together, but Jun's attitude begins to take it's toll on the others. Episode 5 - Love Song Jun has reached the decision that she needs to become a solo performed and is determined to prove herself capable. Meanwhile, Yuki has been asked to move from the world of street performer to the S Class, causing Jun to create more tension and unease among the students. -mike-
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