I think "KING OF PRISM" is a necessary wild card of a content
The other day, I had the opportunity to have a manga-loving friend show me two of the "KING OF PRISM" theatrical films. While I had seen various impressions and news about them on X, and was vaguely aware of the excitement of the cheering screenings, I had never actually watched them properly. It was a time filled with euphoria for the duration of two movies. As someone who usually enjoys content through reason and imagination, I needed content like this wild card.
The two films I watched were as follows.
The first thing that surprised me was that, since it was a cheering screening, I thought it would just be a show, but there was actually a narrative story.
"KING OF PRISM by PrettyRhythm" follows a boy who encounters Prism Shows, becomes fascinated by that world, and aims to become a Prism Show performer himself. It reminded me of interviews with young actors who said they "aimed to be in musicals after seeing The Prince of Tennis musicals." It is important to encounter good content when you are young.
"King of Prism: Pride the Hero" is a story that depicts the setbacks and growth of Hiro-sama, the central character of the previous work, through a Prism Show tournament. The villain's villainy was easy to understand, which was great. In the end, Hiro-sama winning not through technique but through expression reminded me of figure skating, which shows art that is not centered on technicalism.
In this way, I felt that the two works I watched incorporated various expressions from past anime works as homages in a good sense. What interested me most after watching them was, "What kind of input did the director and screenwriter have to think of this kind of output?" It had a very Heisei-era flavor, including the anime and variety show expressions. Since the way the villains were defeated felt like the atmosphere of villains being defeated in Mobile Suit Gundam, perhaps it also has a Showa-era flavor.
Recently, when I enjoy manga and anime, I end up reading or watching them with logic and imagination, thinking, "If this is the setting, then this development will happen," "So they went with this route," or "Considering current society, this is..." and "Why did they choose this setting or story?"
However, "KING OF PRISM" blows all those assumptions away and "forces" you to enjoy only the show in front of you. That pressure and message feel very good. Also, the songs are genuinely cool. The quality as idol footage is high.
I usually find it embarrassing to watch idol anime, but it is silly in places and easy to make jokes about, which helps eliminate the shyness when supporting idols. You can go back and forth between enthusiasm and making jokes. There is a sparkle there that is different from typical idol anime.
And I convinced myself that this accumulation of 3DCG anime expression leads to the expression of the idol scenes in "Tamon-kun, Ima Docchi?". (Although the production companies are different.) Thank you, technology.
Congratulations on the 10th anniversary of the "KING OF PRISM" series. I don't know what else you will do, but I want you to go beyond my assumptions and imagination.