Customer Reviews

Kaleido Star - Welcome to the Kaleido Star (Vol. 1)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sometimes an anime that is out of your regular genre surprises you. While it is possible to mistake Kaleido Star for a 'magical girl' anime, it really bears more resemblance to sports and idol anime, and I'm not drawn to those. Be that as it may, I have an opportunity to watch the early episodes of Kaleido Star, and while acrobatic wannabe Sora Neigino has no magical powers, she has a magical way of getting through her challenges that quickly charms the watcher.

After missing an audition for the Kaleido Stage, a series of clumsy mistakes manages to catapult her into a job. Despite the protests of the beautiful Layla, who is the current star. And indeed, a very talented and egotistical woman she is. Kaleido is a performance are much like the Cirque du Soleil put on, with even more spectacular displays. When you aren't following the plot, there is a great deal to watch and admire.

The episodes focus on the lives of the characters, more than on the stunts, Layla and her partner Yuri, Carlos the owner, Ken who is both gofer and stage manager, and Fool, the spirit of the stage (and the closest thing the show has to magic). Fool appears as a costumed doll with a knack for the tarot and mildly perverse remarks. How these players and the many others deal with their challenges and reach their goals is the meat of Kaleido Star.

Brilliantly scripted and acted, Kaleido Star has enjoyed great success in Japan, where it has run to 51 episodes. The work is extremely watchable, and, more important, bears up under repeated watching. It is aimed at the warm and fuzzy loving younger set of watchers, but I found myself getting quite involved in the story. This is very much a family anime, with a strong emphasis on values and very little that is even slightly risque.

I gave this a try even though I usually prefer magical girl anime, and I was very surprised. The animation is beautiful and the story is inspirational. Kaleido Stage is a bit like Cirque Du Soleil, but it has themes like ballets (Romeo & Juliet,etc.) instead of just random tricks. Sora the main character goes through ups and downs as she tries to rise to the top and become a Kaleido Star! If you only buy one anime this year, this should be it!

16 year old Sora Naegino has come to America to try out for Kaleido Star, a Cirque de Soleil-like extravaganza that picks only the best talent to perform in its shows. At a loss as to the location of the show when she sets down in America, she goes to ask a magazine vendor for directions. A stranger overhears her question and kneels down beside her, looking at her legs, even touching them and telling them how nice they are. Leaving her suitcase unattended as she tries to get away from this pervert, her belongings are stolen by a thief. Sora shows her acrobatic skills as she captures him.

After being delayed a the police station as a suspected runaway, she finally gets to the audition late and is not even allowed to try out by orders of the resident star of Kaleido Star, Layla Hamilton. She is allowed to stay on and watch the show. When a trampoline performer is sidelined by an accident, the owner of the show, Kalos, who just happens to be the stranger that had looked at her legs before, asks her to take the injured performer's place. Sora will have to prove herself as she will have to perform before thousands of people with no rehearsal.

These first 5 episodes are mainly about Sora's attempts to fit into the troupe, even though most of the performers are hostile to her. They believe that she has some personal connection to Kalos that lets her achieve unearned status and oppurtunity. Everyone else has to work hard for the little time they get on stage while Sora walks in off the street without even a rehearsal and gets stagetime. Despite this, she is able to get the respect and friendship of some of the troupe due to her hard work ethic and dedication. Mia and Anna, two of her fellow performers begin to realize that Kalos may have shown her special consideration due to her abilities. Then there's always the Spirit of the Stage, a lecherous doll that appears to Sora to give her advice, saying that he only appears to those destined for the stage.

This first volume was excellent. The animation is great. The voice acting first rate. The characters are great. Lots of humor. Some drama. It really makes you root for the success of Sora. Highly recommended.

No great extras here, just the standard clean opening/closing, production sketches. Does come with a little Sora cardboard standup if that wows you.

This anime has some of the most beautiful artwork I have ever seen. The colors are amazing, the opening song is catchy, and the style is great. It's also very good natured and clean cut; the only pervert is the Phantom of the Stage, and he makes you laugh, not cringe. The potential love interest, Ken, is genuinely sweet and kind, there is a kindly policeman who pops up at just the right moments, and the "bad" characters are only bad because they are harsh to the protagonist,Sora, not because of any unforgivable offenses on their part. The plot is somewhat predictable, requiring minimal brain activity, but the show does not become boring. A sincere, smile-provoking DVD.

This is one of my favorite Anime's. I've read alot of negative reviews on this and I think those people are just nit-picking. Okay, Ken's voice is a little odd. So what if the dubbed version doesn't match perfectly to the Japanese subtitled. It's extremely hard to translate and match up what the characters are saying. I think our American voice actors/actresses do a marvelous job and I commend them on their work. This is a great story with cute characters. It's also very funny. The goals and aspirations of the characters are relatable to problems we may face. (Of not the same actual problems, obviously.) It's a great story for the kiddies as well as people as old as I am-23. My husband also enjoyed this series. So it's not so cute guys will hate it!

This is a very cute anime series. It is about a girl named Sora, who travels from Japan to America to live out her dream of being a performer in the famous Kaleido Stage!

The thing that stands out to me the most in this series is the art and animation. All the scenes are brightly colored, and the performances are amazing. Also, the characters are fun, each with their own unique personality and strange habits and quirks.

The story itslef is the only thing really keeping this series from getting 5 stars, in my opinion. On a whole it's wonderful, but the individual episodes sometimes end up feeling very much like a soap opera. Fans of dramatic shows or action might be put off by just how cute this show is.

Art: 9/10 Animation: 8/10 Story: 7/10 Characters: 8/10 Overall: 8/10 Trying to get a friend or family member into anime? This might be good for people who enjoy Cirque du Solei type shows. Swearing, violence, and sex are virtually nowhere, so this would be okay for kids ages 8 and up.

This is a really cute anime about a girl who wants to join the circus! It has romance, comedy, and awesome animation!

I saw the first episode via a demo disc in Newtype USA. I thought it would be cheezy, but it turned out to be very well animated. (It has a fresh new style that's totally not generic) The characters are beautifully animated and the storyline is just plain cool. Buy it, you won't regret it!

THis is a great anime. I saw the first episode in the May issue of NEWTYPE. Sora Naegino first saw a Kaliedo Stage Performance with her parents when she was young and from then on she wanted to be a performer at the Kaleido Stage. She has many conflicts, and has many funny moments. Bishie ALERT: there is one totally hot bishie Yuri, and the other bishie who obviously likes Sora is Ken.

by they way this series is directed by Junichi Sato who also did : Pretear(orginal creator) and Sailor Moon (episode and series directorand Sailor moon r(storyboard,series director) So of course this is an awesome series!!!! CHECK IT OUT!! (the op and end songs r very catchy too!! i wish there was a sountrack!!)

THIS IS A MUST BUY!!!!

This DVD was so cute! It's about Sora Naegino wanting to become a star at the Kaleido Stage. The first day she arrives, she twists a little girl's arm and has to take her place! If you like acrobatic stunts, and alot of magic sort of things, than Kaleido Star is right for you.

This DVD has clean closing and opening, six ADV previews, sketches, character profiles, and a Sora Naegino Standee. I can't wait for the second DVD of Kaleido Star to come out on June 22!