SELECTION PROJECT

ANIME

STATUS
COMPLETE
EPISODES
13
RELEASE
December 24, 2021
LENGTH
24 min

DESCRIPTION

Suzune Miyama has been sick since childhood, but always used idol Akari Amasawa’s music for courage and smiles through hard times. Now in her final year of junior high, Suzune is auditioning against thousands of contestants to become one of nine chosen idols in the “Selection Project”—the exact audition competition Akari used to gain fame. Will she follow in her icon’s footsteps?

(Source: Funimation)

CAST

Suzune Miyama
Hinaki Yano
Rena Hananoi
Saku Mizuno
Mako Touma
Shino Shimoji
Uta Koizumi
Mizuna Shirakawa
Nagisa Imau
Ruri Arai
Nodoka Yagi
Hina Youmiya
Shiori Yamaga
Miharu Hanai
Hiromi Hamaguri
Nozomi Nagumo
Ao Yodogawa
Yuka Iwahashi
Sumipanda
Daisuke Ono
Akari Amasawa
Saori Hayami
Seira Kurusu
Saori Oonishi
Ayano Sakata
Ai Kakuma
Karin Ono
Kaori Ishihara
Sami Yodogawa
Mari Hino
Shouko Miyama
Kikuko Inoue
Megumi Yagi
Kyou Yaoya
Chiyo Kurumada
Reimi
Nami Imau
Rika Kinugawa
Himeko Koizumi
Harumi Sakurai
Ryuuhei Miyama
Tarusuke Shingaki
Kaya Yodogawa
Ryou Sugisaki

EPISODES

Dubbed

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REVIEWS

guavagudetama
98/100
Predictable, but certainly not bad.
TL;DR/Spoiler Free: The show is pretty good; Good animation and great visuals during the performances, really good music and a good plot despite being fairly predictable at points. The last episode had a good deal of filler but other than that I loved it. 9.8/10 // 98/100
Despite my high score I complain a lot in this review and also go on tangents so if that annoys you it's best to read a different review

Spoilers Below!!
Like literally the first sentence lol

~~

Selection Project is a show that is predictable from the beginning, but that doesn't make it bad. At the beginning of the show, we follow Suzune who is part of the titular Selection Project, which I'm gonna refer to as "the competition" for the rest of the review to make it easier for me to process my own thinking.

Suzune is in like, the semifinals or whatever it was and she loses because her heart has a problem during the competition and she collapses. Guess what happens! The girl who won the round drops out for her

I'm not saying it's bad, but Seira, the girl who beat her, could have been a background character and this show could have been 12 episodes and a more concise story. The last episode had like 15 minutes of filler, and I think cutting Seira and letting Suzune win despite her collapse would have been more interesting and saved time.

So that was the first predictable moment for me, and then when the group meets we get two things that were easy to predict back to back. So, the group of nine finalists are having their first meal together, and they do introductions, and Rena says something along the lines of "don't forget we're all rivals here. So, obivously, she warms up to them at the end

Once, again, not bad, Rena is probably the most interesting character next to Suzune, but it's like super obvious that's gonna happen. All the other girls get along super well, so they're all going to last through the competition and debut as idols

Which like, is exactly what I wanted out of the show I love idol groups, so every time Sumipanda hints at the fact that only one of them can win I'm like "ummm no!" and then they all survive the round.

The best plot point is when they're told they have to vote two girls out of the competition since all of them made it to the final round cuz there's like. SO much to unpack.

Firstly, Nagisa has a great breakdown (it's not really a breakdown I don't really know what word to use to describe it) in the episode where this is introduced. Even if it's short, the part where she tells three of the other girls that they need to vote people out and she has a plan and they're like "no that's super sketch we shouldn't coordinate votes" THIS happens:

The other three comfort her cuz they're all close and assure her she's not getting voted out (spoilers she doesn't) but like she was right for this one for real like I would be doing the exact same thing as her

[TANGENT BEGIN]
Speaking of doing the exact same thing as her, I play games like Survivor and Big Brother online and even though I pretty much already knew the outcome of this vote (although there was an unexpected bit I'll get to later), during this arc all I was thinking about was "the obvious vote is Uta and Shiori."

So, at the beginning of the competition the group split up into units based on their best skill between Singing, Dancing and Instruments. Uta, Mako and Shiori chose Instruments and formed GapsCaps. Ao, Nagisa, Hiromi and Nodoka (seen in the above screenshots) chose Dancing and formed Splasoda. And Suzune and Rena, all alone, formed SuzuRena by choosing Singing.

Now, everyone in the competition like each other at this point but if we think about these groups like alliances, we notice that there's a 4-person, a 3-person and a 2-person. Based on what Sumipanda said, we can assume this will be the only vote, so we don't have to think about how this will affect future votes like in Survivor because there won't be any.

From Nagisa's perspective, she has 4 votes on her side and needs 2 more to confirm her safety. So, realistically, she should go to Suzune and Rena. Suzune and Rena are at the bottom of the food chain socially due to them being isolated by the groups and isolating themselves for various plot reasons. Uta and Shiori are both very popular people, one being an actor since she was a small child and the other being from a rich and influential family, it's easy to see why you would want to vote them out in this popularity contest based on the public's opinion.

If they choose not to, simply go to the other group. The two are isolated and also refusing to vote anyone, they'll be disqualified anyway so you should vote them so you can stay!
[TANGENT END]

But no, everyone decides not to vote

I saw that coming from a mile away for reasons stated earlier, and they all get disqualified.

So now comes like, the best part of the show where they all become an idol group and like perform on the street?? idk I thought it was cute but I don't have much to say about it.
There is one thing that caught me off guard where Suzune like goes into a coma?? thankfully it lasts like a few hours and she makes it back in time to perform but that scared me lowkey like dead serious I thought she wasn't gonna wake up and they were gonna give them a sad ending for a bit there.
Also props to Nodoka's improv skills during the part where they have to stall for time because Suzune is still in a coma

Never change Nodoka, never change.

but yeah, last ep they officially debut as idols, roll credits, it's cute, I loved it, 9.8/10 // 98/100
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Idou
100/100
This show is everything I never knew i wanted, this isn't just an anime, it's memory i will cherish for a long time.
Going into this show, I sure was sceptical at first coming from other idol animes, and expecting the typical "Happy Fun Time, Sing and Dance" show, but I sure was in for a surprise with this one. The first episode hooked my in with the concept as it felt very new and different compared to other idol animes, and I the main protagonist is impossible not to love an cheer for throughout the whole show.

Some of the episodes in the first half can be a bit filler, but it's also much needed as a good build-up for the second half of the show which completely blew me away. Every episode in the second half of the show made me feel like I was watching a Makoto Shinkai movie, and tearing up a bit from the lovely story, the heartbreaking twists and the overall love that these characters truly have for eachother.

The main protagonist Suzune Miyama, isn't just your typical "I wanna be a star" school idol protagonist, she doesn't connect singing and dancing to just making people have a great time, but is instead, instinctly chasing after her dream of giving the hope of life to everyone around her. It is revealed in episode one that she has a heart disease which made her bedridden for the majority of her entire life, but through a miracle, she became healthy for the first time in her life and was finally able to sing and dance like she'd always wanted.

The true passion, enthusiasm and hope, that shines thorugh Suzune, is enough to make anyone appreciate the life their given, and really makes the viewer think about what miracles constantly surround us. It's a show about celebrating life itself, how much of a gift it is, and the fact that we should cherish every happy moment in our lives forever. The anime includes many fresh topics and themes into the idol genre, and is doing what Love Live has been trying to do for the past few years.

The show packed a ton of story into 13 episodes, but still manged to not skip any important parts. The viewer is tasked to slowly seek and find the secret hints about the characters throughout the episodes, until they are revealed.

This anime is a rollercoaster of emotions, but the real show starts at the halfway point, where we get to know the story completely. Watching the trailer to this show, gives you literally below 1% of what the real story is, as it's completely hidden away from the viewer. The entire story is a gift for the viewer to unpack as every episode passes, and you get to find out the backstory of the wonderful protagonist, Suzune Miyama.

So if you're the type of person who loves musical animes, heart-aching backstories, and tears of joy, then Selection Project is the show for you.
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