English Dub Review: Ensemble Stars “Marionette ~Part 1~”

Overview (Spoilers)

We get a glimpse of Nazuna Nito’s past before he became a part of Ra*bits, a story that’s filled with bittersweet and tender memories. Prior to Ra*bits, Nito’s life had been dominated by another idol group, Valkryie led by the eccentric Shu Itsuki. Supposedly, things had been faring well for the group until Nito’s voice began to change, forcing Itsuki to create some creative liberties to preserve his group’s image. Question is: just how much micromanaging can Nito take before he realizes he’s had enough?

Our Take

To have this flashback arc take places after the events of last week’s episode is both a reprieve as well as a curse. While it’s entirely possible that Nito’s history will somehow influence Trickstar in the future, the episode feels slightly out of place, at least in the current context of the plot and the debut of student council president Eichi Tenshouin in last week’s episode. Certainly, it’ll be interesting to see how Nito’s story will impact the plot for the rest of the season.