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Mar 1

Gripes with Mainstream Megasphere, as a fan of Anzu

Long post, so I can finally move on from this story.

I've actually had this one written up and drafted the next day (it was midnight...) after I've finished reading Mainstream Megasphere for myself. I've put this down and written it up again, but I originally told myself not to finish this because I feel like I didn't have the right to write this. I mean I'm going to admit that I barely know anything about the rest of the Megasphere Arc, therefor having very little knowledge of Anzu's struggles prior to Mainstream Megasphere. I thought I didn't have the right to comment on whether the arc presented a satisfactory arc for her, and because I know I'm the kind of person that is easy to please—just give me long declarations about how important Anzu is to the idols and ES and I'm already clapping with glee, because I love Anzu and I love seeing her be loved.

But with the new event starting, and long exchanges of opinions with my fellow AnzuP friends, as well as another thing I'll mention later, I feel like I really did want to write about my thoughts of Mainstream Megasphere after all so I can finally get it out of my system (that, and like two illustration wips I haven't quite finished yet, but that's for twitter so).

First off, I'd like to recommend reading @ATMforTKS' own summation of the failings of Mainstream Megasphere as a story for Anzu: "[EnStars] Mainstream Megasphere: Anzu's Disappearance on EnStar's 10th Anniversary:". It's in reading there work this morning that gave me the final push to clean up my drafts about my own thoughts, and they were much more eloquently and intelligently able to point out the faults of the story in Anzu's side that even I didn't immediately notice even after rereading the story again and again. Consider my own essay as a mere companion piece to theirs for an english speaking audience, as well as my own personal ramblings.

Bear in mind, I am an AnzuP. I like Anzu the most, she is my favorite Enstars character. If anyone reads this, please don't get confused that I'm absolutely only focused on reading this story with Anzu in mind, and miss some plot points or developments of the idols. Also gonna be nitpicky. and overthink. Please don't laugh at me for being a fan of Anzu who for some reason actually believed for a second that Happy Elements or their random new sub-writers would know her lore or even care to develop her.

I wanted to do my absolute best to not let other people's opinions on the story to cloud my own, since I did go out of my way to read the story myself and poorly explain it to others too. After reading, there was a sour taste in my mouth that I couldn't understand where was coming from. At a glance, this story had all the Anzu glazing that should please a simple-minded fan like myself.

But then I realized it's because everyone who liked Anzu, who knew her history, who knew how deep her character ran, who knew her story beyond as a vessel for the player, had expectations for Mainstream Megasphere. I mean so did I. I admittedly dropped enstars for a year, but had to dust off the app just to read the story. The story had potential, and it's initial summary was one that many AnzuPs like myself had fantasized for a decade.

Anzu "runs away from being a producer, and the idols chase after her," it's a classic what-if scenario I've read in multiple fanfics before, and even came up with my own version on my head multiple times.

"But why did you put such high expectations for material regarding Anzu in this story anyway? She's just the player character" is what most enstarries might be thinking. I'm not gonna tire myself out by going through all the reasons why she's more than that, or why fans of Anzu specifically still hold high expectations for the story to cover her character in the way they used to. We just did. We had expectations.

I think the best way to summarize why Mainstream Megasphere wasn't able to deliver a satisfying story for Anzu is because, well, fans who know her expected (or more accurately: HOPED. WISHED. PRAYED) for it to tie back to her Kimisaki Academy lore, and her feelings portrayed in the Ensemble Stars Novelization. For the feelings and actions now to mirror the ones she had back then. For there to be a 10th year celebration of not only Ensemble Stars' idols, but also of its protagonist too. Its protagonist who have a history that is longer than the game she is housed in now. But because it didn't, all I can see now when I reread Mainstream Megasphere is how it's premise has been done much better in its predecessor's game.

I feel so silly looking back at tweets where I hyped up the story in its initial first two batches of story releases (the first 11 and 15 chapter drops) because my livetweet thread (as insufficient and full of misinterpretations as it currently stands) ends in such a "meh" note. Not happy or dissatisfied. It was just fine. There was something that was very lacking in the final release batch that bothered me. I noticed it in the second batch too, but the Megasphere hijacking was so silly that it slipped past me. I enjoyed how far the idols would go to see Anzu, and how they willingly put their careers on the line just to be able to speak with her. But the cracks in the story were showing back then too.

Dropped Callback Pattern (?)

I kept pointing it out while reading the story, but I noticed that the first batch of chapters had a pattern where the idols would woe over Anzu's resignation, and their inability to notice her suffering sooner, then reminiscing about an event where she had helped them in the past. (this point would be even stronger if I could name the particular stories/events they are referencing, but while I am familiar with what each is, I don't actually know the specific names. So sorry about that. If you read the story you'd know.)

Knights, 4katsuki, Crazy:B, Ryuseitai and Fine did it.

Trickstar discusses it in a more general way, but they don't really need to go into specifics since Anzu is consistently integral to their story anyways. Plus Hokuto made one in his earlier talk with Anzu.

MDU arguably did it? moreso giving a nod to how Chitose started out as coworkers with Anzu and how he's been concerned of how she's been doing for a while now.

When the second story batch released, that patten mostly disappeared as the idols went to the planning stage of their escape to see Anzu on land. It's not like I was seriously expecting every single unit to have a chapter crying over Anzu's disappearance lol. Lots of people were excited to see how the other remaining units reacted to Anzu leaving, but I do understand that repeating that over and over again verbatim would be boring. Mixing that in with their individual contemplations on whether to participate in Trickstar's rebellion would be great, and it had room to bring up Anzu's involvement in their unit too.

Don't get me wrong, there ARE references to how Anzu had helped them in the past, but the references suddenly are either pretty recent or non-specific.

Ra*bits was great! Great mix of contemplation for their involvement, experiences with Anzu, and callbacks to past event(s)

Eden and 2Wink referenced a more recent story event, but generally talked about their experience with Anzu as a whole.

Esupuri referenced an earlier story in the Megasphere arc, which I won't complain about like with MDU because they are very new.

Valkyrie, Undead, Switch and Alkaloid were pretty general, with either "She has helped us a lot so we're grateful to her" or "this particular idol really cares for her" type of deal without specifics. Focused more on the situation at hand/plan for the rebellion.

Did MaM have a reference? I feel like his line about regretting not doing something to help support her sooner reminds me of Hospital Visit, but everyone in the story has said something in the same degree so maybe it's not. Goes into the generalized pile ig.

It didn't feel as personal to Anzu as it did as the first story chapter batch, if that makes sense? I'm willing to give my approval for Eden's since they didn't try to shoehorn being grateful to Anzu as a unit, but mostly focused on Ibara's personal feelings about her as a fellow producer.

What was also interesting to me was Esupuri's involvement. As the newest group with the least attachment to Anzu, it almost felt like they were peer pressured into participating in the rebellion (in my opinion). Esu was the only one really worried about Anzu, and was concerned because all their seniors were up in arms about her resignation and he feels indebted to Anzu. Yume, Raika, and Kanna mostly just follow their leader; they even asked him why he was so worried. I saw JP tweets of people feeling sad that Yume was so cold, considering he's come to acknowledge Anzu in previous stories, but I don't particularly mind. They appreciate Anzu as their producer but not as a friend, unlike the others.

There's always the possibility that the references flew over my head, I'm not exactly the best at remembering stories outside of when or how Anzu is involved after all, so I'm willing to be called out for incorrectly judging the second batch of chapters.

Did they *need* to follow this pattern? No... but it was such a shame that they didn't. They were already off the a great start with everyone reminiscing their history with Anzu, and how important she was in their journey. Proceeding with that pattern and committing to it with all units, new and old, would have been wonderful to players regardless of whether they project onto Anzu or not.

It really felt like someone else was at the helm for some of these chapters, and I watched the way people react when these dropped too. When the first batch dropped, many were sure Akira was involved, but suddenly the reactions from the JP side that I saw started to become unsure after this, and even more so with the final release. It was such a shame, it would have been so cool to see all the OG units reference older events as a callback, to look back on the game's 10 year history.

We're all in this together (?)

After he second batch of stories dropped, and some time after the final story batch released, a lot of JP fans were quite upset at the implication of the story. In the second batch, Mao and Makoto told everyone to really think about whether they would join Trickstar's rebellion against Megasphere to bring Anzu back, because it could come at the cost of their very careers as idols. If they get caught, the main selling point of Megasphere could collapse, and all the participants could be called inauthentic frauds who strung the audience along with a false promise of 24/7 accessible idols. That's why each unit had to think over what Anzu means to them, in order to decide whether to partake or not. Many JP fans were upset at the notion that the idols are all willing to put their careers on the line for Anzu. Many fans, who I'm guessing prefers to enjoy enstars from the perspective of a "fan" and not as "producers" per se, felt betrayed at the idea that the idols would rather their careers all fall than to lose Anzu. It apparently gave them the impression that the idols are blatantly saying they will choose Anzu over their fans, which upset them.

I'm an Anzu fan, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I think this hit a sore spot because all the units unanimously agree to partake in the rebellion against Megasphere.

It seemed to have crossed into some people's minds how valid it is for each unit to participate in this possibly career-ending rebellion. At a glance, of course they would! They all care for Anzu and wants her to be the one to produce them till the very end. But realistically speaking, at the cost of their careers? Do all of them really have a strong enough bond with Anzu to put her over their idol careers?

Again, the post by HNKW/@ATMforTKS already discussed this in a much better and objective way btw please read it.

It's easy to assume that all the units care for Anzu so much that they are willing to go through hell for her. Everyone is made to play the game from Anzu's perspective, therefor it would be normal for players to project their own affections for the unit as the perspective of the producer, who is Anzu. Things like minitalks, and campaigns where idols give fanservice to the player, like Valentines or Halloween voicelines, helps to blur the line between Player and Producer too. So one might think that the Producer(Player) is really close to the unit, but what about the Producer(Anzu)?

Realistically speaking, not every idol/unit should be as gung-ho in retrieving Anzu to the point of risking their career as much as Trickstar does. For Trickstar, it's a given: Anzu is their 5th member, that's their ride or die. They treasure Anzu as much as she treasures them, and they know they wouldn't be where they are without her efforts.

To be fair, they did address this in the story: newer units like Eden, Alkaloid, Crazy:B, and Esupuri were initially unsure of whether Anzu was worth pursuing because they respected her decision to leave and didn't want to risk their careers, but still agreed anyways because she had helped them. Which is a fine enough explanation, I'm sure they also must have had faith in the rebellion actually succeeding too, which would lessen the hesitation to participate (not that they mention that, it's just a guess on my part).

I get that every unit should feel close to Anzu, I really do! But I can't help but wonder how much of it is a generalized or idealized version of the unit's relationship with Anzu, or simply an outcome of wanting to give maximum player fan-service for those who don't consider Anzu as her own character but just a vessel for the player, regardless of Anzu's actual involvement with them (by-product or overthinking and cynicism). The fact that they settled on who gets to pick Anzu up with rock-paper-scissors is indicative of the story framing it as if everyone equally wants Anzu to be brought back no matter what, when really it should depend? Or at least I agree with Subaru that Trickstar should have def went down LMAO

I know the game wants to frame it as an all or nothing type deal for the player, it'd be awkward to accidentally write someone's favorite unit off. It's like I can't help but be stuck in a position where I'm so happy they are putting everything on the line for Anzu—their producer, peer, and friend—but also feel like it's insufficiently explained and forced.

From what I saw, it seems that JP fans of certain groups, who don't feel like *Anzu* is particularly close to their favorite units, don't understand why they would participate in the rebellion. One could argue that we should take the author's word for it and take the contents as it is, but there's a difference between interpreting something differently from the author(s) and noticing contradiction with information or relationships.

"Well, are you saying you would have preferred if only a few units cared for her disappearance, and the rest didn't care enough to help bring her back?" Not really... I think they should all be concerned and participate to get her back, but they could have done a better job at selling it more considering not all units have a bond as strong as the ones Anzu shared with her peers in Yumenosaki. It doesn't help that some of the units were very simple and general about why they decided to help Trickstar. Especially with their careers on the line. More convincing to make up for their canon lack of interactions with Anzu.

Did I buy it? When I first read it, admittedly I did, but after sitting on it for a while and seeing fans of the units react negatively, I was like hmmm maybe they are onto something (cynicism). For many players, "she's nice and we owe a lot of her" isn't enough to risk their careers for (Esupuri and Alkaloid's initial hesitation was good), especially if previous stories doesn't back it well or they don't explain their thought process well enough. Like psh I don't need to imagine what it would be like if the fans of the idol units found out that they idols left Megasphere for Anzu, I already saw it IRL lol.

Anzu's internal conflict?

Another great time to remind that AnzuPs had expectations for this story when the Anzu made a cameo on Hokuto's unbloomed, and when the summary of the story dropped with its preview.

Put yourself in the headspace of someone who is a fan of Anzu, as a character. We got a very dramatic unbloomed illustration, and a summary that says Anzu has run away from the pressures put on her shoulders so the idols chase after her to bring her back. To fans of Anzu, alarm bells would ring. It was so easy to draw parallels from her time in Kimisaki Academy, her motivation and loyalty when she arrived in Yumenosaki, her outlook as a producer to the idols etc.

We've seen Anzu run away before! The reason she arrived in Yumenosaki is an outcome of her decision to flee from Kimisaki. We've seen how her cowardly (in her opinion) departure left people confused, with a lot of mixed reactions. People who didn't understand why she left but rationalized it in their own different ways.

And Enstars wanted to have their own take on that? This could be huge for her, to see her fall into the same pit she did in the past. It was possible that unlike her Kimisaki friends who couldn't reach out and give them a piece of mind till long after, the idols will actually be able to tell her how they feel immediately. and we could see how things could have happened differently.

(putting google translations for now... sorry....)

We might have gotten a glimpse into how Anzu feels about running away AGAIN, after vowing to never do that again. People tend to forget while constantly joking about how much of an "overworked girlboss" Anzu is, but she really personally cares for the idols, and she has pride in her work as a producer. She had, in some occasions fought to keep her position and prove she can be a good producer for them. The better producer she is, the more she can lift those idols up. So to be driven to the point where she has lost all confidence in herself had so much potential, and I think the first chapter with the talk with Hokuto was really really good! The fact that Hokuto's unrelenting and overwhelming trust in Anzu has become a weight she can no longer carry, and she envies his confidence in her because has lost all of it herself was so heartbreaking. The food was good and I was eating like a king.

Then I read the chapter where Hokuto, Eichi, Tetora, Kuro, Arashi, Yuuta, and Rinne find Anzu in the 2A classroom in Yumenosaki Academy. The set-up was done very well. Hokuto thinking of 2A when reminiscing about his journey as an idol, and thinking that Anzu must have thought of that too was really sweet.

My problem is when they finally get to confront her about why she ran away. Throughout the first and second batches of story release, the idols also makes sure to note that they do not think they should assume what Anzu felt when she ran away. They have their guesses, especially since they found out Anzu has been posting short promo videos under "@nazonofan_X" (what a cool callback...) but one of the main reasons they came to retrieve her was to at least talk to her and understand her position, if they can't convince her to come back with them. So I was excited for that. Not allowing the idols to speculate frames her conflict as possibly being something that's not common or predictable, something deeply personal to her.

Hokuto and the gang guesses that the reason why Anzu resigned and left Megasphere is because she is terrified of the consequences if her production will lead the ES idols towards defeat against Mellow Dear Us; that everyone will not only be disappointed in her as a producer, but the ES idols as well, and their reputation could tank because of her shortcomings. Anzu doesn't want to cause trouble for the idols, so she left so she doesn't have to be the one to produce them. Perhaps if Anzu was not the one to produce them, then maybe they'd have a fighting chance. Because she has lost all confidence in herself (Re: when Subaru said that Hokuto telling Anzu to do her best next time, when she already tried yet failed, did nothing more than make her feel cornered). Anzu then decided to cheer on them in her own way while on land, by creating promo videos for them. Because even though she left of her own accord, she can't get them out of her head. With each new video she made of the idols, her admiration and appreciation for them grew even more too. She wanted to fight for them, in whatever way she can even as she returned to land.

—and I think that's all so very sweet!! That's so sad and beautiful! It's a realistic worry for her to have when her actions will put not only herself but the idols on the line, and they are against such a terrifying foe like NiceP and MDU.

but... something was off. I'm not going to pretend I didn't have expectations for this confrontation, that I didn't have my own version of these scene play around in my head before the official version released. I'm not going to pretend I wasn't reading this story with a "Kimisaki Anzu-lens".

If this was the conflict the author(s) had in mind when they wrote the story, then who am I to argue. I'm the one who put big expectations on the story to reference such a key part in Anzu's history in her game where she came from (Ensemble Girls!) even though there was no explicit basis on that assumption..........

But I (personally!!!!) felt like something was different between the first chapter, and the chapter where they confronted Anzu. Like there's a subtle difference in her conflict.

(For this part, feel free to disagree with me. I know I might be overthinking things, or projecting her Kimisaki conflict too much into her Mainstream Megasphere conflict. I am willing to be thrown tomatoes for my assumptions)

There's like a conflict between writers about WHY Anzu ran away and resigned from Megasphere. As I read Chapter 1, what I read was Anzu struggling because she didn't want to disappoint herself and the idols. Like it was all internal. "I can't choose", "I'm jealous [of Hokuto's strength]", "Please don't trust me so much", "I can't do this anymore (bear the weight of victory or loss in her shoulders)"; what I got was that Anzu felt so bad about her defeat in Dynamic Diamond because she believed they had a fighting chance, so when they lost, it made her lose all confidence in herself. She's fallen short on her expectations on herself, and possibly the idols too. She isn't fit to be the producer who will lead them to victory no matter how hard she tried, even though she wanted to be strong enough to lead them. Ibuki's line, wondering why Anzu took it harder than the actual idols who participated in DD, kinda even hinted as much. It was personal.

Again, I didn't read the entire Megasphere arc, so I didn't know Anzu was also in conflict with NiceP's methods until I read other people's thoughts on Mainstream Megasphere. Anzu is the kind of person who would pay out of her own pocket to support the idols of Yumenosaki even after she graduated, supported NEGI who wanted to bring more attention to female idols, went independent/freelance to be able to support the idols in her own way even if it conflicts with ES, and worries for the idols who will be left behind if NiceP's producing methods become commonplace. If we ignore my ramblings related to my personal reading of Anzu's conflict, then objectively Anzu feeling despair and defeated over being boxed by NiceP's system that she rejects/is in conflict with and has no confidence she can lead them to victory while playing by his rules is also a very good conflict for her! Like Subaru said, she's been pushed into a corner!

It goes back to her reasons from running away from Kimisaki Academy too. Anzu perceives her fleeing from Kimisaki Academy as an outcome of her cowardice and selfishness. Reika and Chizuru also see it in the same way to some extent; she ran away (to leave her old past behind and to start anew,) leaving behind the friends who cared for her to pick up the pieces.

When Anzu ran away once, it was to escape from the consequences of her actions. When Anzu ran away now, I thought it would be because of something similar. She ran to protect the idols and herself, ran to not disappoint them and herself, like how she ran away to save herself from Kimisaki. It was an intrapersonal conflict that made her resign as a Producer of ES. or at least I thought that was what they were going for.

But then the confrontation of Anzu in Yumenosaki Academy revealed that the conflict was external. "You're scared of us losing", "people would be disappointed in you as a producer, and thus to us as idols" are focused on what other people would feel. We don't get Anzu's parroted line, we have to take the boys' words as fact. Anzu left because she doesn't want her poor production to lead them towards defeat, and have their public reputations suffer because of her. Because they could lose and be humiliated if they continue to put all their faith in her leadership. That they would be disappointed in her if they realized all that faith they put in her was for naught. It was an interpersonal conflict that made her resign as a Producer of ES.

Not because she despaired over her own shortcomings, not because she's wants to escape from the consequences of her choices, not because she rejects NiceP's system, but because the public might come to be disappointed in the idols if her decisions will lead them to failure/defeat.

Look, I'm not saying both conflicts can't coexist, they absolutely can! Naturally, if Anzu lost all confidence in herself as a producer, then she'd be scared about how that would affect the idols' reputation if they lose. How the idols would take it. How the public would take it. It's definitely possible that I'm just overthinking things and projecting her Kimisaki lore too much.

But for lots of Anzu fans, we wanted this story to be a celebrating of her story, of having her own ego, just as much as it celebrates the bonds she's built up with the idols for the 10 years that the game has been running. For the story to respect and understand her origins too. It would have been the perfect callback, in the same way the story is already chalk-full of so many callbacks.

But it didn't deliver on that, they didn't want to make her struggle seem ego-driven and personal, and instead played Anzu's struggle as something safe and relatable. Because all of us can relate to the feeling of being scared about not living up to the expectations of others, right? Chitose even said as much.

At the time, I saw some tweets speculate that some parts where written by different authors (can't give source, just trust me bro. I saw them with my own eyeballs, I know I retweeted them but can't be bother to dig for it) and when I saw those tweets, I couldn't help but agree. Or perhaps its my Kimisaki-Anzu lens clouding my vision. It's like two different writers wrote the first and last batch of chapters. Or there was a main writer who gave the outline of the story, but the sub-writers didn't know Anzu's character to properly enough connect the dots.

I'm not a writer nor a super Anzu expert, so I'm not gonna pretend like I could have written it better. Maybe if they just acknowledged that Anzu's reasons for leaving were more internal rather than external, it would have been much better. But god forbid this game even allow Anzu to have thoughts of her own anymore.

What was the point of making NiceP expect to see Anzu's own kind of production throughout Megasphere if they won't even let her have a personal thought of her own? NiceP wanted to see Anzu's colors as a producer, but then the writers didn't bother to acknowledge her character outside of being a producer? Her greatest strength wasn't her personal outlook as a producer, but simply that she's well-trusted by all the idols to a fault?

Anzu left, then she returned

If I had a nickel for every time Anzu runs away and leaves a group of people in shambles over her sudden departure, I'd have two nickels!

Eh, for this one I can definitely say my Kimisaki-Anzu lens is clouding my vision. Just a bunch of minor observations I have.

I'm surprised that only Koga was really angry at her. Most people are apologetic towards her, is confused why she would leave without saying a word/in spite of her character, or is disappointed but chooses to respect her feelings. I guess it's because they really put a lot of trust and care in Anzu that they are giving her the most benefit of the doubt. The idols unanimously understand that only a real moment of weakness could force Anzu to leave in such a haste. But they should be allowed at the other possible implications it might have, even though they are generous enough not to speculate about Anzu's feelings. They didn't even think about it, they shut down any speculation immediately. I know it's because the writers don't want the idols to assume the worst of Anzu (and essentially, the player, as to not hurt their feelings). To be fair, in Engirls, only Reika was really mad rather than betrayed, so Koga might be a parallel to her. But Reika's anger was more solid and attempted to shame Anzu more, meanwhile Koga was quick to forgive when she returned.

The entire rebellion/Megasphere hijacking was so silly, no notes.

I saw a tweet about how there should have been more chapters of the idols getting angry at Anzu (for leaving without saying anything), and chapters about Anzu getting angry at the idols (for the rebellion) which i agree with. They never addressed it, but Anzu has every right to be mad. She left because (according to the story) she didn't want to risk their careers by making them lose under her guidance, yet they proceeded to risk their careers to be able to bring her back to the Megasphere. Oh, sweet irony (I have a comic drafted about this, hope I can finish it.....)

I know this one is likely an unintentional parallel with EnGirls, but the bit about how Anzu couldn't stop thinking of them (the idols) after she left made me immediately think of Suzu/the Rock Band Club.......

The way Anzu left but couldn't stop thinking about the people she left behind, so she supports them from the shadows without the people she behind knowing? Anzu, with deep care and affection, cheering them on from afar? OOOOOOH ANZU. She may leave her people but she will never stop thinking about them and loving them with all her heart. That's the kind of person that she is.

I love the talk with Tetora. In fact I might prefer it over Hokuto's speech in Yumenosaki. While I love Hokuto's speech, so grand it felt so much like a marriage proposal (swoons), I think Tetora's better connects with Anzu on a personal level, in my opinion. Hokuto's feels like a more resolute and grandiose version of what he said in the first chapter, in a way that, unlike before, puts all the weight on his shoulders and removes it from Anzu (I believe in you, so please believe in me too. I'll protect our memories, and fight to affirm the time I spent with you). Tetora's speech declares trust in Anzu as a producer, but in a way that isn't overwhelming. Tetora doesn't try to reject Anzu's feelings and tries to relate with her instead, and reaffirms the bonds she has with everyone (I hate myself. But my friends support me, make me feel invincible even when I act stupid or become a failure. I want to support you, in the same way so many people have supported me too).

The Ones Reflected in her Eyes - 54 vs 4

Post-Mainstream Megasphere release, a lot of people on the JP side were complaining at how ridiculous it was that the finale was a 54 idols vs 4 from MDU. they said it was a weak cop-out, that it made Anzu look indecisive, and was extremely unfair. I think they explained that pretty well within the story (MDU didn't think much of it themselves and was still confident in their victory, Anzu had promoted the ES idols via "@nazonofan_X", the viewers of DD were looking for an underdog story, there was no actual rule about how many idols Anzu could choose) but like I said before, that's a matter of taking the story as it is vs noticing conflicting information and feeling dissatisfied by it.

Objectively speaking, it's because there's no way the writers would make Anzu choose who she thinks would be the best idols to represent ES for the final event. That would involve putting a real solid opinion on her person lol. Plus they can't have Anzu's views misalign with the players, who might have their own ideas on who the best idols are LOL

It's not like I disagree that Anzu would choose all 54 idols. That ALL 54 IDOLS are the ones she can imagine in that grand stage for the finale. That as an audience, that's who she imagines/wished to see on stage. That's very in character for her. She admires all of the idols, and thinks they all deserve a chance to shine for the finale.

The development of Anzu going "I can't choose" (unsure, lost all confidence) to "I can't choose" (with conviction and intention) was pretty powerful. I like how MDU and NiceP said that a production with 54 idols in a single performance is proof how trusted Anzu is as a producer, because choreographing, planning and organizing a performance of that scale would require a lot of skill from both the producer and idols.

The outcome of Anzu choosing all 54 idols to perform in the finale doesn't feel wrong. It's mostly the framing of it that feels incorrect/inadequate. She can't choose, so she won't—I just wished there was a bit more too it than just her wanting to showcase all the idols (influenced by her time making the promo videos). Like wanting to stick it up to NiceP and breaking free from his rules or something like that. I would say that they should frame it as something more rebellious, for example by making it so that there was a member limit placed or something (???), but their finale already went up and beyond NiceP's expectation so readers might already consider it an unorthodox and rebellious strategy as is. More rebellion from her to match the rebellion of the idols. You're telling me she partook in two rebellions, and there was a third(?) one and she wasn't a part of it?? My rebellious girl??? (It was for her, instead of being a participant)

If you already consider Anzu deciding to bring in every ES idol on stage in the finale against MDU as her rebellion, then the previous point could be moot. Anzu's never the one to take charge in rebellions in the same way as Yako or Trickstar anyways. She has always played a subtle supporting role. Still, if the story framed ES ALL STARS as her rebellion or rejection of NiceP's system, that would have been awesome. Instead, it feels like an outcome of her overflowing love for the idols—sweet and heartwarming, but it doesn't feel like it was written with Anzu's character and history in mind.

Also like, did the writers not remember that Anzu went freelance/independent? This actually crossed my mind as soon as I read the first batch of story chapters bc I was reading my old tweets and remembered that NiceP addresses Anzu as if she was part of the P-Association, when in the timeline Anzu has already went freelance but is still contracted with ES. If NiceP wanted Anzu to produce MDU so badly, why not just hire her normally lol. JK I'm not stupid, I know ES has a monopoly on the Japan Idol market and NiceP would need to put MDU in ES to be able to successfully promote them there, and bag Anzu at the same time. I just think it's weird they seemingly forgot. If they retcon that Anzu has been primarily working in the Trickstudio (to the point of envy from the other units) I'm gonna be so mad.

Final Thoughts

I'm not the smartest person, not really the analyst type. I definitely took the story for its word when I was reading the story, and it didn't immediately click in my head what I thought was wrong until I saw other people's tweets and went out of my way to reread the story. I have a very Anzu-centric lens on while reading. and had lots of biases and expectations as a fan of Anzu who knew her lore from EnGirls and the EnStars novel. My interpretations could very well be incorrect, it wouldn't be the first time it's happened. I could very much be wrong about a lot of this, and just simply fussed over things not going the way I wanted.

That's not to say I dislike the story, there was lots of love from it! I'm so easy to please, just glaze Anzu and I'm already cheering. I just wished there were more layers to it, more complexity. More of Anzu's ego at the forefront of her actions. I'm going to choose to believe the people who say that Akira wasn't involved in the latter chapters, they probably just oversaw the writing.

I wrote this so I can get all my feelings out, so I can finally let go and move on to better pastures. Even if I'm wrong or stupidly misanalysed some details or no one else reads it, I'm happy I wrote it.

Because I love Anzu, and nothing could have started without her.