English Dub Review: Ensemble Stars “Howl”

 

 

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Trickstar’s gotta work extra hard this week to convince Anzu to be their producer. The pop group needs every edge they can get as the Student Council-backed band Akatsuki puts on a sell-out performance, then convinces their audience to leave before the next act even comes to bat…cold. Fortunately, Trickstar is able to team up with Undead and twin performers to join their crusade in helping change the school for the better. Better yet, Anzu agrees to join the cause as well.

Our Take

First thing’s first, the visual aesthetic of Ensemble Stars has been turned up quite a bit and instantly helps the series look a bit more impressive whence compared to other Funi-fare. Of particular interest is the life performances featuring Akatsuki which utilized a mix between 2.5d/3D modeling that helps viewers forget about the fact that they are listening to Japanese pop music and instead focus on the much more interesting visual eye-candy. Even in the more traditionally-produced scenes, there are definite notes of accentuated effort, especially when we’re first introduced to the Undead complete with silky shadows draped over a coffin.

Again, having all of the songs in Japanese language is annoying, but the premise of the show, even if it’s got a lot of the same hits that make other anime of this ilk, is enough to keep me interested.