Autumn 2021 First Impressions – Selection Project

Streaming: Funimation

Episodes: 13

Source: Multimedia project

Episode Summary: Ever since she was young and bedridden in the hospital, Suzune Miyama has admired the Selection Project idol Akari Amazawa. Years later, Suzune has the opportunity to compete as one of her region’s representatives during the 7th season of Selection Project. However, Suzune isn’t alone; she’s joined by talented girls from around the country who are all vying for the same distinction.

As the regional finals near their conclusion, the competitors are all asked to sing a final song – Akari Amazawa’s debut single, as a tribute to her after her untimely death in an accident a few years prior. Suzune’s pure voice is striking, but as the song nears its climax, she nearly passes out on stage. Whether this is what prevents her from winning her group is debatable, but she leaves the competition to walk home, defeated. But is this truly the end of Suzune’s quest to follow in Akari’s footsteps?

Impressions: There are many roads to success, and in the modern age sometimes the non-traditional ones make for the most interesting stories. While I’ve never been a regular viewer of TV series like American Idol, I’m low-key fascinated by the way it’s become a vehicle for certain lucky folks to achieve fame. By allowing the public to vote on their favorite performers every week, one might think of this as a very direct way to tap into the preferences of those who are most engaged in listening to popular music, and yet sometimes it’s not the actual winners who go on to have more name recognition and success. Adam Lambert, American Idol Season 8’s runner-up comes to mind; I feel like I hear about him more often than Kris Allan, the actual winner (though that may partly be due to the fact that several friends of mine were heavy into Adam Lambert stan culture at the time). In any case, sometimes it’s not the winners who go on to have long and illustrious careers, but the dark horses who make a stronger, more lasting impression.

This episode implies heavily that Suzune is, in fact, one of those sorts of idol candidates. She’s got the motivation, she’s got the drive, and she’s got an element of tragedy (you know, nearly passing-out on livestream) that may have prevented her from getting all of the votes she needed to win, but will definitely ensure that she’ll be remembered beyond the end of her season.

I’ve read a lot about the supposed “right way” to get published, not necessarily because that’s something I want to do, but probably because I have sort of a voyeuristic interest in what some of my recently-published friends have been up to. In my high school years, the goal was simply to write and then send physical manuscripts to various publishers in hopes of getting someone to pay attention to you. Nowadays, with the rise of influencer culture and the importance of platforms like YouTube and Instagram, the path to success is varied and complicated. One might get lucky and catch the eye of a literary agent. One might go the path of self-publication. Either way, an optimistic person will notice that the old pathways to success, those which gatekept many potential authors from the exposure they surely deserved, aren’t quite as necessary anymore. There’s more than one way to skin a cat, or to get a book published.

And there’s more than one way to be a successful singer. I may not have a lot of investment in idol culture (all ethical debates aside it’s a fandom I don’t have a lot of time to indulge in anyway), but I do find the glimpses into it that anime provides, though they may be overly-sunny, do reveal at least the hard work that individuals put in to be noticed within that framework. Even though a doorway may close on one opportunity, the internet’s appetite for underdog stories will definitely open up another.

Pros: Suzune’s emotions at coming in a close second place are deeply palpable. As someone who’s at times had a complex about not being acknowledged, I have some sense of what it’s like to smile and congratulate a winner while also believing that victory should have been your own. The final scene, as Suzune sadly walks back home from the TV station, is very relatable.

Suzune’s parents also seem extremely supportive of her dream, rooting for her and crying on her behalf from afar. Even if this dream is momentarily derailed, at least she has a supportive environment to go home to.

Cons: So much of this episode is taken up by introductions (there are, of course, a lot of characters) that the actual moments of the competition – you know, the part that’s meant to be climactic – seem almost like an afterthought. That’s really the issue I have with many similar anime series; it would be more satisfying to introduce the cast organically, but because of its multimedia nature (I’m guessing that there are at least albums in the pipeline for this series, and likely more related goods and events) there seems to be a need to make sure the characters get equal screen time. Unfortunately the only one we’re really invested in at this early point is Suzune, so it feels as though there’s something being taken away from her to serve other character we haven’t really met yet.

Content Warnings: Some early scenes in a hospital with IV’s. Scenes of potentially medical distress (a character nearly passing out on stage).

Would I Watch More? – Probably not, but I don’t have anything too critical to say about this premiere. Idol culture’s been explored through many lenses as of late, so why not a reality competition program?