The dog also walks and hits an anime. No.13] "Wake Up, Girls! The Movie: The Second Part" - An ensemble drama of life-size idols that make you want to cheer for them.

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The reason why the last part of the second part is so simple is because it is a passing point.

The second part of the movie version of "Wake Up, Girls!", "Shadow of Youth" and "Beyond the Bottom", which was produced as a continuation of the TV series, has been released.

The title "Wake Up, Girls!" is the name of the seven-member idol unit, commonly known as "WUG! It is an idol industry ensemble drama set in Sendai after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

The subtitle is a reference to the titles of Akira Kurosawa's films, including "Seven Samurai. The film's two feature films, "Kagemusha" and "Dondoko," are thought to be taken from "Kagemusha" and "Dondoko," respectively.

In the previous series, the story began with the gathering of the seven members. The first theatrical version, "Seven Idols," centered on Mayumu Shimada, a former member of a major idol group, and depicted how the seven members overcame their backs and embarked on the path of idolism amidst difficulties, and how the unit started in earnest.

The TV series contrasted the way of being an idol with the rival "I-1 club" and depicted the growth of WUG! and showed them up to the conclusion of the "Festival of Idols," which they entered with the aim of winning.

The sequel film version tells the story of WUG!'s subsequent major debut, their entry into the Tokyo market, their setbacks, and their renewed challenge to the "Idol Festival. (There is also a spin-off work, "WUG-UUU-GARU ZOO!").

(There is also a spin-off, "Beyond the Bottom. I wanted to see more of it. This evaluation also indicates that fans are becoming more and more excited about the story that has been built up in the series up to this point.

If winning the "Idol Festival" was the highlight of the show, they would have wanted to see more of it, and they would have wanted to see more of the drama of each member. Also, from the same perspective as the fans in the play who were watching from the audience, they would have wanted to enjoy the full-size singing and dancing on stage by the seven members of WUG!

There was only one reason why this time it was so easy to do so. This is not the pinnacle of the show. Director Hiroshi Yamamoto said in an interview in the pamphlet that he wanted to go even further.

However, I can already understand the desire to see the full song and dance. That's just the way it is!　Because WUG! itself has gone on so far in such a way as to stir up such a feeling of "wanting to cheer".

Characters' presence like a live-action drama

Among the abundance of idol anime, "WUG" is often described as, dare I say it, a "modest" work.

There are no 3DCG stage scenes and dances, which are now well-known in idol anime. Most of the characters' hair is black or brown, and there is no pink or light blue, colors that do not exist in real life.

The character development, which is related to the Great East Japan Earthquake, is less bluff and more like a live-action drama than an anime, from each line of dialogue to the settings of the past.

That is why the viewer was taken aback when there was a pantomime in the dance scene of the movie "Seven Idols," the first episode of the series (as if he or she had seen a real girl's pantomime!) .

And when the girls are distressed or burst into tears, the scenes are sad and emotional.

The adults around the idols are also deeply formed; the lack of prominent drama in each of the seven WUG!

Junko Tange, the powerful female president of Green Leaves Entertainment, the company to which WUG! belongs, is a former idol, and the advice she gives the members of WUG! She also shows her chivalrous spirit by rushing from afar to help her former idol and ally Katsuko Sato (Reiko Sapphire), who is a singer with no talent, when she is in danger.

General producer Toru Shiraki, who heads the rival I-1 club, is the man who once launched Tange and Sato as the unit Saint 40. In the TV series, he seems to be a cold-hearted person, but in the sequel film, he receives instructions from his superiors and engages in mature conversations with Tange, showing that he still has a passion for idols in his own way.

As realistic as the setting is, the severity of the competition is also keenly felt: the idols of WUG! and I-1 club are shaken by their troubles, but grit their teeth and compete for survival. Through this process, they discover the meaning of their own hard work and the reasons for continuing to be idols.

The story is an ensemble drama, and there is no single standout protagonist. Shimada Mayu, who has a relatively dramatic past as a former I-1 club center, is no exception.

The entire film is a live-action drama style, and is a very royal idol story. Therefore, people of a certain age group who have seen "WUG!" may feel a certain nostalgia.

Because the future is unknown, every moment is sparkling.

The most distinctive feature of "WUG!" that sets it apart from other works is the link between the real voice-acting idol unit and the content of the main story.

When the project was launched, unknown newcomers were selected for the cast of this work through auditions. The real "Wake Up, Girls!

It is not unusual for the cast of an idol anime to form a voice-over unit for a limited period of time. However, "WUG!" started by gathering seven newcomers, having them form a unit, and having them engage in real idol activities, and then pulling in various elements from there to compose the work. That is what makes it unique.

Of course, the drama and setting are fictional. However, the film is filled with elements borrowed from reality as much as possible.

For example, the line "WUG! is WUG!" by Mayu Shimada in the play is a line that Mausu Yoshioka, who plays the character, actually answered when asked about it. For example, the sunglasses worn by Minami Katayama in the play are the personal belongings of cast member Mimi Tanaka. The list goes on and on.

Fans of "WUG!" enjoy the anime that reflects the real seven idols while cheering for them. Or, while enjoying the anime, they are also supporting the activities of the real-life WUG!

Therefore, "WUG!" as a work of art will not stop until the activities of the real WUG! Director Yamamoto also said in an interview that if any event happens to the seven cast members, for example, someone leaves the group, "it will be reflected in the play.

While such a geeky way of enjoyment is possible, the beauty of "WUG!" is that it can be enjoyed on its own without knowing any of the characters.

There are some works based on video games that cannot be fully enjoyed without knowing the original work, but this is not attractive as a stand-alone work. WUG!" is a series of works that can be enjoyed by those who have seen the previous episodes, but the strength of the anime alone is that it can be enjoyed by a wide range of people as a story about the idol industry.

Whether you are watching the anime or watching the activities of the seven members in real life, you will find yourself wanting to cheer them on as they work hard and earnestly. This, more than anything else, can be said to be a characteristic of idols.

And what will happen to "WUG!" in the future is unknown, including whether a sequel will be produced and how far the idol unit will go. I believe that it is precisely because they are walking the same timeline toward an unknown tomorrow that they are so appealing as life-size idols.

(Text by YAMAYU)