So here we go. The movie prequel to the TV series. Let me just say this at the start that the idol genre is an unknown territory for me. I've never watched an idol show before this and I didn't know whether I'd honestly like it. But that said, I did enjoy this movie and this is due to the pacing of the show. Being a movie and not a TV series it had the opportunity to take a slower, more progressive approach to plot progression. And what this means is that it had a very refreshing pace which made it enjoyable to watch. Story wise itisn't entirely sunshine and daises since it had its fair share of darker than normal moments, but as a result it portrayed a what was to me more realistic view of the idol world, especially of people who want to debut and their management. I found myself cringing a lot but that didn't have to do with the quality of the story, but more the content. The way the characters acted wasn't something I was entirely used to, but I didn't have any problems with them.

On to the artwork. I found the still artwork to be rather pleasing, though the animations did seem awkward some times, though it didn't distract too much from the actual story.

Sound mixing wise there wasn't anything bad about it. Voice actors suited the characters and the background noises were fine too.

Ah the characters. The 7 idols did feel like a rag tag band of aspiring girls, but that's what you would expect of a small talent agency that scouted girls with a mix of personalities. And it was evident that some of them didn't really have a mature way of thinking and I liked that. Though the story didn't focus on all of the girls, but mainly 2 of them and their character progression. What I enjoyed the most about the characters is that they (I know I'm repeating this) seemed like actual girls starting out.

Overall it was a movie/canon I'd recommend if you're into idol shows. Hell I'm not but I wouldn't mind watching this series. 9/10 because I enjoyed it but I'm wasn't an idol fan so I couldn't completely immerse myself.