Since Selection Project is an idol anime, we’ve had high expectations for its playlist. Indeed, the anime delivered well in that regard. Every song played in the anime was pleasant to listen to, and we’ve, without shame, played them on repeat. They evoke the perfect emotion for every scene, and seeing the girls perform at the end of every episode is always a pleasant treat. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for the animation during their performances.

By that, we don’t mean the general animation. What we mean is the anime’s tendency to switch to full 3DCG during the girls’ performances. Even though this isn’t always the case, most of their performances are rendered this way. It’s not necessarily bad or a reason for dropping, but seeing them in that art style makes it seem like we are playing a dancing or singing video game. It just leaves much to be desired.

The anime stars nine girls of different backgrounds and personalities. Naturally, we had our doubts as to how the anime would tackle all of these characters. Given that it only had a very limited number of episodes and was set as a competition, then it could have either been rushed or some characters were set to be sidelined. Well, Selection Project exceeded our expectations with that plot twist near the end.

The anime delved into all nine girls’ stories halfway through the series, and it even managed to pull off interesting character developments along the way. The great surprise, however, came when all the girls decided to pull out from the show. This earned the anime more time to further expound on their characters, while also not letting anybody down.

There are not that many good idol anime in the market, so a comparison between two or even more series is unavoidable. Even so, the similarities between Selection Project and Idoly Pride, another idol anime that aired earlier last year, are so uncanny it can’t be shrugged off as coincidence. The entire premise of the first half of both series is nearly identical. However, that doesn’t mean the former is just a clone of the latter. The differences between them became clear the moment the girls stood their ground. That said, it is now up to the fans whether or not to let their similarities bog them down and whether or not to enjoy both series as they are.