The Observation Deck: Kageki Shoujo!!

7 min readMar 25, 2024

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

TW: Discussion of sexual assault

Fun fact: I was almost a theater kid…for like a semester and then probably would have been done with it. In reality, most of my time in high school was spent working on our newspaper, writing and editing articles, and at one point recording a news podcast which may or may not still be on the internet somewhere, who knows.

It was between Theatre and Male Chorus, and while I picked the latter largely because it worked better with my schedule, part of me almost regrets not picking the former. Something about the sense of community that existed between theater kids, many of whom were close friends at the time, was fascinating. Regardless of the many stereotypes these kids tended to fulfill, they were having fun.

Kageki Shoujo!! brings with it a lot of that same spirit. However, it is also heavily imbued with the harsh reality of being a high school-age girl in a competitive environment, with all the nerves and anxiety that can come with it, especially in a Japanese school setting.

The story follows the 100th class of the Kouka Acting School, a branch of the prestigious all-female Kouka Theatre Troupe. Given the historic number, as well as the enrollment of former JPX idol Ai Narata, the administration is expecting a lot of great things. However, Ai is not the only one they are keeping a lookout for, as 15-year-old Sarasa Watanabe is also bursting onto the scene with a whole lot of raw charisma and height.

A Story of Two Perspectives

One thing the series does very well is contrasting the personalities and backstories of its two main characters, the previously mentioned Ai and Sarasa. At least, for the first few episodes anyway.

Ai decides to apply to the acting school, not out of any particular passion for theatre or stage production but as a way of escaping her terrible home life and previous controversy with her former group. Because of this, she sees the school as an escape from men. The biggest reason for this, as is revealed in an early episode, is due to inappropriate sexual behavior from her stepdad and lack of concern from her mom. This leads to a significantly diminished appetite for interacting with others, including her female classmates.

Sarasa, on the other hand, has little to no experience with fame and the creepy behavior of men that can often accompany it. The minor exception to this was her interaction with Kabuki theatre due to her childhood friend Akiya. However, after her one experience on stage filling in for someone during a Kabuki show, she was immediately banned from performing ever again by her grandfather due to the way Akiya’s grandmother treated her. Despite this, her outlook on getting into Kouka and spending time with others is decidedly positive.

Ai spends the vast majority of the opening episodes feeling annoyed at Sarasa’s endless positivity and attempts to befriend her. Sarasa, meanwhile, feels increasingly dejected and confused by Ai’s behavior. It isn’t until after Sarasa saves Ai from an interaction with a couple unsavory guys that their relationship takes a turn for the better.

The contrast in their personalities becomes less of an emphasis as the show goes on. Ai is significantly more jovial and even in some cases seems romantically interested in Sarasa, whereas Sarasa starts to feel the stress of her situation, and she isn’t the only one. The two begin to understand each other not only through interactions but by experiencing things the other has not.

Future Stars

Despite the primary focus on Sarasa and Ai, there is a surprising amount of detour surrounding other characters in the 100th class. Another character who gets a significant amount of development throughout the series (culminating in an episode later on focused entirely on her backstory) is Kaoru.

Similar to Ai, the reputation of Kaoru’s family proceeds her, as both her mom and grandmother are former Kouka actresses. Even though she is serious about her dream to become part of the troupe, most assume she is only being forced into it because of tradition, removing any sense of individuality from her decision-making. This causes her to be much more stern and serious when addressing the other first-years.

Unlike, say, Brother’s Conflict, which tries way too hard to characterize the entirety of its main cast while also pursuing romantic subplots, Kageki Shoujo!! focuses on a few characters and does them significant justice. Ayako’s issues with being shy and being told she needs to lose weight, problems that young girls actually go through, come across much more lived-in and real because she is given attention and characterization across multiple episodes.

The only real problem with Kageki Shoujo!! ‘s story is that, well, it feels unfinished. Not in the classic “read the manga” ending fashion that is typical with a lot of series, but rather that first season-ending basically begs for a second season. After all, the acting school only takes two years, so even if it wasn’t based on a manga, it would naturally beg the question of how their second year plays out and if any of them find the success they are looking for.

Family Feud

Despite not knowing each other at all before the start of the series, the relationships the girls form with each other throughout it are genuinely believable. Sure, at the end of the day, a lot of them are going to be vying for the same roles, as is shown in the final arc of the series. Inevitably, there are going to be winners and losers and that means some of them won’t reach their goal of playing certain roles.

However, it is still possible to form friendships in competitive spaces, and the Fighting Game Community is a great example of this. Many top players across various games simultaneously compete against each other, more often than not for money, but also spend time hanging out and improving at their craft together. This sentiment carries over well into Kageki Shoujo!!. All of the girls have their own reasons for being at the school but still manage to find similarities and bond over them.

So, Where’s the Showmanship?

Normally, if a show does not have much going on in the way of notable animation or musical moments, I tend to leave it alone. This is because, while it is getting better on both fronts, my knowledge is still less than average. Thus, the commentary often feels half-hearted and undercooked.

However, with Kageki Shoujo!!, the lack of significant musical moments in the series does feel worth commenting on. There are definitely some, like Ayako’s solos near the middle and end of the series which are both performed very well. However, for a series that focuses on a school specifically for musical theatre, there isn’t a ton of emphasis on it. Not a requirement, by any means, and it did well enough without it, but would have been nice to see more singing, especially with more of the girls involved.

Conclusion

Kageki Shoujo!! was surprisingly engaging. I ultimately picked it up on a whim after seeing the manga in a bookstore one too many times, and it largely delivered. Is it gonna have the same dramatic impact as a Sangatsu no Lion or even a Blue Period? Personally, I don’t know that it will for a lot of people. But, aesthetically it has a great presentation, and there is enough done right with the writing that it will be enjoyable for some. Fair warning, just don’t go into it expecting a happy-go-lucky kid-friendly set of topics.

77/100

Did you all watch Kageki Shoujo!!? Let me know in the comments.

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