One of the best things about Idoly Pride that sets it apart from other idol anime is that it actually has a good plot going for it. Hoshimi Productions just lost their famous idol, Mana, in a fateful crash on her way to a concert that was about to change her life. She comes back as a ghost and only her manager and classmate Makino is able to see and hear her now. With her unmatched guidance, it is up to Makino to make sure that Hoshimi Productions continues on its journey with its new set of idols that actually involve Mana Nagase’s sister and another mysterious girl who can sing exactly like Mana. The anime did a very good job in tying up its knots and making the anime a comparatively good idol anime. However, the plot was so simple that it felt like it was really dragged on till the end. If this was an anime movie, I think it would’ve been a good one for sure but as an anime, it needed more but Idoly Pride failed in it.

But it is commendable that they still stuck to their simple plot because the music was extremely well done. The lack of depth of plot can almost be overlooked because the anime is just overflowing with good songs. We at Honey’s Anime found ourselves bopping to almost every song in every episode and that is the true essence of idol anime. We can definitely say that Idoly Pride did a good job in nailing that well! Moreover, the songs made us feel extremely nostalgic for old anime openings so the fact that they drew on what can be called the true essence of anime songs was just smoothly done.

In a lot of episodes, it felt like the other characters existed just to add charm and weight to the main characters themselves. There are four main characters and everyone else is an extra. While the anime is about the idol groups Moon Tempest and Sunny Peace’s journeys to the top, it lacked adding enough depth to them that would make us genuinely care what is going to happen to them. The only two characters that were fleshed out were Makino and Kotono because we cared about what happened to them in the very end. While the plot twist with Sakura having Mana’s heart was a great one, it was not executed very well because it became irrelevant as Sakura’s character wasn’t fully fleshed out.

However, all negatives aside, Idoly Pride had a great meaningful ending! We saw Kotono getting to see Mana and talk to her, reconciling what they had lost. Sunny Peace and Moon Tempest getting the award was a little dull but we get why the writers went that route to satisfy everyone and give them a happy ending. However, the best part about the ending was the kiss between Makino and Mana that almost everyone who watched this anime was waiting for. Their relationship stood out throughout the show and we all hoped that they would work out somehow. Mana disappearing was hard to watch but the ending was beautifully executed as she confessed her feelings to Makino giving him all her strength so that he can move on and live a good life.