This anime was surprisingly well done despite my pickiness when it comes to music-related shows. I had expected something kids-oriented, similar to a Love Live thing, but got something a lot more realistic. Some of the great things that stood out were the song choices, the voicings in the a cappella arrangements, the stunningly beautiful character design, and the overall character development and dynamics. The best character dynamics was probably between the two senior members of the a cappella group, Airi and Rei. Airi holds some deep self-conflicts related to maturity despite being one of the older members, and Rei isa fantastic foil to her. I also really enjoyed the bond between the bassist Kuma and beatboxer Ururu. The show also did a superb job juxtaposing the skill level differences between the two a cappella groups that are featured in the show.

The internal conflicts within each of the juniors are predictable, especially Musubu's, which render the external conflicts with each other rather predictable too. But the show does a good job of unraveling the conflicts like they are high school kids, because, well, they ARE high schoolers. The seniors look at each other like they don't know what to do at a number of different points in the show, and that was really realistic.

Speaking of realistic, Ururu is a YouTuber who, for once in an anime, ISN'T a viral sensation. The show had no need for any of the main characters to become viral. Although, the only thing that felt unrealistic was how the rival a cappella group Parabola was seemingly a viral sensation and just so happens to have acquaintances and family members of the main characters as members... coincidentally... But that was the only part that felt cliché.

A lot of the other shortcomings I've noticed are really nitpicky. For example, my personal taste, I thought Parabola didn't get enough screentime for me to truly understand what exactly they were going for, and why they were adamant of having Rei be a part of it. The whole Parabola part felt almost like an antagonist for the Temarizaka High a cappella group, maybe that was intended to be a foil? Uta felt a bit weak as a protagonist, but then again she does have a super shy personality with a strong inferiority complex.

For a short series that covers a niche topic like a cappella, the show did a decent job of portraying relatable character dynamics surrounding a simple plot. The overall tone of the anime is light-hearted and very cute. Pacing is on point. It's been a while since I saw character designs that are so well done.