Winter 2020 Anime: 22/7

Synopsis

Miu Takigawa is a girl who loves music but rarely expresses herself because of her shy nature. One day, a letter from GIP Production arrives at her mailbox. The letter invites her to become a member of a mysterious music project. It turns out that she is not alone: seven other girls have been summoned there to participate. All of them seem interested in joining the project, except for Miu herself!

Comments

22/7? What kind of title is that? For those who completely unaware, 22/7 or Nanabun no Nijyuuni is an idol group project that lately got attention because of the activities of one of its members, Sally Amaki, who gained many followers on Twitter thanks to her funny meme posts, which make her different from the usual idols.

However, her character isn’t the central figure in the anime. The first episode is focused more on the character of Miu Takigawa. What’s great about the first episode is that 22/7 is able to introduce Miu as a sympathetic character. She has to work because of her family’s financial situation, but she is also a shy person who hates to communicate. Because of that, she has been fired from her job because of her reserved nature. This is actually why she becomes an idol even though she is not particularly interested in them. She needs money. If to get the money she really needs to do something that she hates, then at least she would work in a field that she actually likes: music.

22/7 is also executed with the great visual touch that consists of a lot of evocative images. One of the best shots is probably when Miu is crying under the rain after she had sold her musical instrument. The shadow of the railings she walked by formed the keys of a piano, which shows that she is depressed with her family situation yet she can’t separate herself from music.

Other than that, the first episode seems like a typical idol anime. There is a mystery element, though it is probably not by design, about the existence of a mysterious entity that chooses them as idols. This entity acts like their music director who gives them directives about what to do as an idol group. Who is this entity? Is it an allegory for a gacha game player? It may be something that is not intended as mystery though, so don’t be surprised if the solution probably won’t satisfy viewers. It could be a little narrative distraction, but overall it is still an idol show

Any fans probably will notice that Miu’s voice sounds a bit rough. That is probably a little weakness of 22/7 anime because other than that, it is a solid episode. The visual is great and unlike some idols shows, they are willing to humanize the main character as someone who is not interested in the idol scene. It will be interesting if the next episode will focus on other character and shows their human side too.

Facts and Figures

Screenshots and Trailer

The Indonesian Anime Times