WORLD DAI STAR

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA DramaWorld Dai Star: Encore!

REVIEWS

• 

  DekorationXanNex

  85/100
  World Dai Star shines brightly with an amalgamation of realism in theme and magic in presentation

  When I think of theatre anime, recent examples jump to mind first. I love Revue Starlight. And Kageki Shoujo was also fun in its own right. And now I can add another one, World Dai Star, to that pocket. And, much like the other entries within this “sub-genre” of theatre shows it takes that concept and adds its own elements. It takes a bit of the realism of Kageki Shoujo and mixes it with the “x-factor” of Revue Starlight, creating an amalgamation of symbolic and thematic through lines with its characters while also brimming with magic.

  __Thrust upon the stage, what more then to act__

  One of the key components of how I think World Dai Star really excels at its jobs of portraying theatre is in its showing. The concept of World Dai Star is about girls living together in a troupe, with the goal of creating a “World Dai Star” or a top of the line actor. And to do so we must have the characters act in plays, not just to fulfill that requirement of the story but also to show characterization, growth, and, the act of acting.

  To act is to take on a character. One must embody the essence of the role, if they are to act as a suave prince hindered by nobility, attempting to free themselves from the chains of society their body language might reflect that. They may stride with energetic jumps, open their arms to show compassion and empathy, welcoming the world. They may hold their head high and raise their voice to be heard. Or if the role is subdued, a princess about to be ferried to the moon, their actions may be reserved, the body language tight and gentle, hesitant in moving because the very act of moving will spirit them away.

  What World Dai Star excels in, is being able to show these intricate details in the subtext of acting by animating it in a way that you can really see the characters move, the tiny gestures, the ornate sweeps, every motion really pops out in the animation where it almost feels jarring.

  Animation is an important part of anime, and World Dai Star does not skimp out on really making sure key details are emphasized with its production, adding not only a visual treat but also layers of additional meaning that you can take from. It makes seeing these plays not just a plot device for the story but a way to show how characters interpret these plays, and by doing so characterizes them and adds parallels to the theory of acting.

  __to act, to play, a world away from it all__

  There are different methods of acting, like method acting, embodying the role in an immersive way to have the actor really become the character, even stripping away parts of themselves to mirror a role. There’s textbook acting, understanding the character through analysis and objectivity, playing it as written to the tee because that is the story’s intention and that is how to get the most meaning with the most safety. There’s interpretative acting, having the actor use themselves as a means to create the character and a unique version of that role.

  All of these methods, with their benefits, and downsides, are showcased in the show. Along with other avenues and intricacies of acting, these are all placed in the forefront with the show’s cast of characters. Each one may feel at first like a trope but beyond that they are instilled with the complications of acting.

  For instance, Kathrina shows at first the strengths of textbook acting, how much she can memorize a play to the exact word to replicate a “perfect play,” but that perfect play is flawed. Not because she herself is a poor actor, but that perfection is not interesting, and an audience can easily tire from something that isn’t surprising to the extent that they may as well just read the play themselves. We also see a downside in what happens when a play doesn’t go exactly as planned and the textbook actor has to improvise, which in Kathrina’s case is near impossible since she has spent so much time honing her one craft.

  We also have Panda, who shows the strengths of acting for an audience, as in, reading the room and playing the emotions of the audience. If the audience is wowed by a certain action or enamored in a certain way she can bend the play to feed into that. While making sense to garner audience attention and to get a response, if she tunnel visions into that, it can also backfire. Instead of paying attention to making a decent play and making something meaningful for everyone, she’s just pandering. And we see that be shown in the show.

  The show is able to introduce and give a bunch of different elements to acting, and critique them, giving pros and cons while also representing that actors can take on any method but also change and advance with them.

  Inevitably, not every character got equal amounts of development and so some of these aspects of acting symbolized through the characters may not have gotten equal treatment, but with those that they focused on, they did a good job of really representing them.

  __ to bring us beyond to the stars__

  But it isn’t just in the characters that represent this, it’s in what the characters can do. Yes they can act, but they can also activate special magical powers. Not in a metaphorical sense either. I mean quite literally these characters have special magical powers that aid them on the stage. This is that x-factor.

  I think this aspect may push the show into either territories of being extremely cool and flashy, to perhaps a bit goofy in presentation. It’s quite a thing to see a character, for instance, stopping time to memorize the script of a play and then flex on her fellow actors. Or its quite a thing to see a character grow angelic wings while they sing to captivate an audience. But I love it. Each special power represents a different aspect of the characters and helps bring out the aforementioned parallels to real life acting in a visceral way. And it adds intrigue and mystique to the story in a way that really pushes it forward.

  Not only are we attached to the plays and the progress made there, on the characters growth, but also in how they may use their powers. How those powers may evolve but how they can create solutions and how they may make certain moments on stage pop out.

  Perhaps the way the show explains the powers but not really explains certain powers in concrete terms may be a bit frustrating to some, and I can see that. That and it possibly feeling over the top and goofy with the mixed in realism may not be for everyone. But for me it adds in enough dimension and complexity that really makes the show worth it.

  __a star that shines brightly __

  I think World Dai Star is a pretty good show that manages to give enough dimension to a concept that may seem expected through its inclusion of not only realism that ties itself to parallels to the theory of acting but also in its magical realism, in the way it can really shine and bring out spectacle. The show is entertaining, it can be a bit goofy and over the top, it can be sentimental and emotional, it can even be a tad bit cheesy depending on your sensibilities but it’s got heart, and it’s definitely got soul.

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• 

  MegaTheRealOne

  70/100
  This Girl Created Life Out of Thin Air, and Nobody Questions It

  (Originally Reviewed on Serializd)

  In a separate review that I have made for a separate product on a separate website, I have talked about the dangers that come with creating a piece of fictional media with the intent of turning it into a franchise. Having this mindset could potentially blind the creators behind said product, especially when creating the first installment of said product, which would most likely end up in the product in question turning into a complete disaster that no normal person watch catch themselves taking a part of in any sense of the word. However, that doesn't stop plenty of people from taking this approach for the things they make, and anime is no exception to this. There have been many instances where a property has been made with the purpose of being part of a "mixed-media project", one that essentially provides many different products all based around the same story and characters for the masses to enjoy all at once, such as with manga, anime, and video games all being made around the same time. Naturally, this could end up being a complete disaster, as creating all of this content for one property with lack of interest could potentially result in a lack of interest, or even worse, disdain from its audience, but thankfully, there are also plenty of MMPs that manage to work out rather well for themselves in one of those departments, such as the case with Stella of the Theater: World Dai Star...... or just World Dai Star, because who has the time to say that entire title.

  I had absolutely no clue about this title going into it, as is usually the case when it comes to any show I watch from this sub-genre of animation. I was just scrolling through some lists, looking for some shows that were not listed on Letterboxd, even though every single anime on the planet is on that site somehow, and I managed to stumble into this, so after digging a little deeper into it and figuring out that it wasn't pornography, I decided to give it a shot. Although, I wasn't sure how I was gonna like it, because given how the poster presented itself, it looked like it would be the OPPOSITE of what I would like. Then again, I did give Opus Colors a shot and ended up tolerating that show, so I figured I would have about the same reaction to this, so I watched the whole thing, and I ended up enjoying it WAY MORE then I did Opus Colors. It definitely isn't perfect, nor is it that original or fascinating compared to many other shows out there, but the way that it presents itself and builds up this world makes it that much more entertaining and interesting to watch as it keeps going, albeit with a few bumps in the road.

  The story is typical for the kind of show this is, being yet another story about a world that revolves around one certain art, and of course, the main character strives to be the best in said art, which we have all seen a million times before in one way or another, but there is a certain earnest nature and level of quality that is presented here that does make this story much more captivating and interesting as it would originally appear to be, the characters are.... also typical for the type of show this is, with the personalities, arcs, and traits they are given also being extremely generic, but the way they are characterized and act throughout the series makes them more enjoyable to watch rather then putting me to sleep, the voice acting is pretty good, where you can tell many of the actresses are putting a lot into these performances, especially when the characters have to perform on stage, which is great to hear, the animation is........ also typical for the type of show this is (are you seeing a pattern here?), but it does manage to get the job done and look really nice while doing it, while looking even nicer when they get to the characters actually performing on stage, given more frames of animation to work with to make them come to life that much more, and the dramatic/humorous bits are........ well, you can take a wild guess, but again, the way that these characters react and respond to all of these moments do make them work much more.... for me that is, probably not as much as others.

  Aside from how generic and recycled the show may be, especially for those who have seen these kinds of shows many times before, there are some other things that the show does need to work on, such as with the existence of FILLER, YAY! Now, I will admit, this one is a very minor complaint, as most of the episodes in this series, in one way or another, do contribute heavily to the main story, feeling imperative to where it all goes by the end of the series, but there are at least 2 episodes that are definitely just filler, either by focusing on other characters or by utilizing plenty of flashbacks that don't contribute that much to anything whatsoever. But again, like I said, this is nowhere near as bad as something like Opus Colors in that regard, so I will let it pass. What I am not too keen on passing over though is that, much like plenty of other shows like this, this one isn't save from having THOSE jokes be a part of it. Of course, it's an anime, so you have to kind of expect that when going into it, but the thing is that, for the most part, this show's sense of humor is not sexual in any way whatsoever, nor is most of the moments in the show really, except for one specific joke and scene that happens in one particular episode. It doesn't completely ruin the entire show, but it feels extremely out of place when compared to everything else, and it can take you out of what you are watching, so that is something that I wish was kinda...... y'know, fixed, but whatever.

  Overall, despite how generic it can be, the existence of filler, and that one no-no joke, this was a pleasant surprise that I was glad to have watched at the end of it all, taking a seemingly boring premise and adding plenty of life and interesting elements to it to make it that much more interesting, having a selection of characters that are very likable and fun to watch on-screen, and it manages to provide a lot of insight in the main theme that it tackles that does kinda make you think as you watch it. I would recommend it for those who are fans of anime like this, as well as those who just need something light and easy to watch, because while it doesn't do much to stand out from other shows of its kind, it should still prove to be entertaining, fun, and emotional enough to where you don't mind it at the end of the day. Also, little fun factoid of this franchise: it was actually partially developed by Bandai Namco, which was pretty cool to see. Although, I didn't see any kind of Pac-Man reference in this entire thing, so I'm sorry to say the show is now garbage because of that..... them's the rules.

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