Kanade Amou

Shinji Ogawa

Tsubasa Kazanari

Ryoko Sakurai

Genjurou Kazanari

Chris Yukine

Miku Kohinata

Hibiki Tachibana

Sakuya Fujitaka

Aoi Tomosato

Yumi Itaba

Kuriyo Andou

Shiori Terashima

With the coming of spring, Hibiki Tachibana and Miku Kohinata start their first year in high school school at the prestigious Lydian Music Academy. That their idol, the singer Tsubasa Kazanari, also attends Lydian is just an added bonus. Neither of them know that their lives are about to change forever. Neither of them know that the first, awakening beat is almost upon them.
<br><br>
(Source: Rightstuf)

This review contains spoilers. Any spoilers beyond the first episode are marked with spoiler tags. It's also my first anime review, plz dun hurt me ;-;

&nbsp;

#Overall Thoughts / TL;DR
*Symphogear* is a fun, music-heavy anime that blends a lot of generic action elements together in a new way. Though it has some darker moments, it is overall a light, fun anime that can be enjoyed by anyone who can read subs (obviously it would be difficult to sub an anime where the characters sing for a massive portion of the anime). I would only recommend avoiding this if you don't care for Japanese singing. 

# First Impressions

I found the first episode to be a strange mixture of happy scenes and disturbing, dark scenes. Particularly the initial transformation sequence of the main character at the end of the episode invokes a knee-jerk gag reaction due to the body  horror involved. (Luckily, this is the only time that brutal sequence is shown.) I wondered if the series was trying too hard to be tragic.
~!img(https://i.imgur.com/b4hGdrQ.jpg) img(https://i.imgur.com/BgnbyEq.png) img(https://i.imgur.com/iSLE5uf.jpg) img(https://i.imgur.com/x1P25Ew.png) 
*does this look like a normal transformation sequence to you?*!~

I had heard the music was good but even so it exceeded my expectations. Animation and art seemed pretty decent quality too. The first episode managed to hook me in, despite the aforementioned shortcomings. I wondered if it may not be so trashy after all.

#Setting
*Sympogear* is set in a more-or-less modern Japan. The primary differences are the existence of powerful 'relics' which can be awakened through song, and the existence of eldritch abominations called 'Noise'. The noise are impervious to conventional weaponry and turn humans to ash on contact, so battle songstresses wielding relics manifested as weapons and armor do battle with them. Anime being what it is, only grade-school girls are 'compatible' with relics.

#Major Characters
*In order of introduction, more or less. Names written in Last First format.*

img120(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/senkizesshousymphogear/images/f/f5/Miku_Infobox.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20170825083945) **Kohinata Miku** -- Hibiki's roommate and close friend. Tends to serve the token normal girl and emotional support roles. Has several small yuri moments with Hibiki, if you're into that sort of thing.
 
img120(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/senkizesshousymphogear/images/c/cf/Hibiki-PJs.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/185?cb=20170624125645) **Tachibana Hibiki** -- The main protagonist. Although she's not exactly a reluctant hero, Hibiki's primary motivation is to protect her normal life. Although she has no qualms about mowing down Noise, she becomes distressed if her opponent is human, attempting to reason with them and only fighting if forced to. Although powerful, she is not a 'Mary Sue' character as she has her weak points -- just don't expect them to get in the way too much unless diverted by villain plot armor. ~!Unlike the other relic wielders, she cannot summon a weapon and thus learns martial arts to be able to fight!~

img120(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/senkizesshousymphogear/images/a/ac/Tsubasa_Gear.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20170821161336) **Kazanari Tsubasa** -- The first relic user, who wields a sword-themed relic. Cold exterior, due to seeing herself as a human weapon rather than a human being. Also seems especially hostile towards Hibiki ~!due to Kanade effectively sacrificing herself to protect Hibiki. Later makes it up to Hibiki and becomes a close partner!~.

img120(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/senkizesshousymphogear/images/b/b0/Kazanari_Genjuro.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20160119144049) **Kazanari Genjuro** -- Commander of the Noise-fighting organization, and a fatherly figure to the relic users that work for it. A training maniac that appears to have an obsession with Bruce Lee movies, he's so ridiculously strong he could easily have been the protagonist, ace, or primary antagonist of a shounen anime. 

img120(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/senkizesshousymphogear/images/9/93/Chris_Nehushtan.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/185?cb=20170624130437) **Yukine Chris** -- The first human antagonist introduced. An underling that works for 'Finé', she appears to have the ability to summon and control the Noise. Tsundere personality. ~!She later flips sides after Finé disposes of her.!~

img120(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/senkizesshousymphogear/images/d/d2/Fine_Casual.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20161011094732) **Finé** -- The primary antagonist. Her plan is initially unclear, but seems to both require relics and can be impeded by them. Can summon and control the Noise. ~!It is later revealed that her soul has taken over the body of the primary researcher that aids the protagonists, and that her plan is to destroy the moon in order to lift the curse of confusion that has been cast on mankind.!~

###Character Quality
Although I can't call the cast original by any means, they're certainly fun. In other words, though the originality is low, the execution was very good. I believe most audiences can empathize with them well enough to care about them, even the villains to an extent. Character development is at an acceptable level for a show of this length, but nothing to rave about **Character Score: 82/100**

#Plot
This is the main area the show suffers in. However, it is not terrible, simply rather generic. The blandness is somewhat offset by the characters dealing with events in a reactionary manner for most of the show: the protagonists don't know ~!or, perhaps, pretend not to know!~ who their enemy is, and thus have to react to threats as they appear. However, this is somewhat diminished once the primary antagonist shows her face -- aside from a few small hiccups, ~!like Hibiki going into an animalistic berserk mode,!~ the plot becomes more or less predictable. However, excluding the ending, there is virtually no *deus ex machina*, and they don't use too many cheap plot devices. **Plot Score: 52/100**

#Animation

A good point for the show. Animation is fairly smooth, without any noticeable inconsistencies. The concert in the first episode and the battles throughout the series stand out in particular. It's not on the level of, say, Unlimited Blade Works or Onepunch-man, but it's definitely up there. **Animation Score: 85/100**

#Sound
As expected from an anime called more or less 'Swan Songs of the Valkyries', *Symphogear*'s music is simply *phenomenal*. Particular tracks worth noting are 'ORBITAL BEAT', 'Gyakkō no Flügel', and 'Gekisō Gungnir'. *Music Subscore: 100/100*

Music isn't the only component of sound though. Sound effects are about average. Nothing to complain about, but nothing that stands out from the crowd. Voice Acting is a little harder to judge. On one hand, the seiyuus are excellent. They have to be in a show where the characters sing as they fight. On the other hand, the writers made the always questionable decision to use English for foreign characters... and proceeded to fail miserably. So badly, I suggest having your finger over the mute button for some episodes. Thankfully this only happens in a couple episodes, and the later installments in the franchise drop Engrish in favour of magically making everyone speak Japanese, much to everyone's relief. *Voice Acting and SFX subscore: 85/100*
**Sound Score: 90/100**

Start with idol singers. Add yuri and elements from TTGL, Madoka Magica, and Blue Exorcist and blend on high.

# Heinzes' 2010s Anime Cleanup Series #3
____
~~~__minor spoilers within, consider yourself warned__
img660(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/403423894683254785/667213508500258816/Symphogear_Transformation.png)
>Don't give up on living!~~~

_Senki Zesshou Symphogear_ is not the kind of show which immediately inspires particularly deep reflection unto itself, but it's brisk pace, hooky premise, and overblown action and drama most certainly cover for that. On the point of “immediacy,” the show delivers quite strongly as entertainment, and managed to surprise me with the amount of thought and thematic threads I was able to pick out with the reflection required to write this review.

The series functions as a kind of amalgamation of elements from mecha/sci-fi, magical girl, and idol/music anime influences. As such, the series derives some of its appeal from a fairly unique fusion of elements from these genres, though this also means, inversely, that the story beats will ring very familiar and perhaps a tad predictable to anyone familiar with the typical structures of said genres.

Any feelings of not being particularly dazzled or impressed by the plot or narrative structure aside, it becomes more apparent that the series’ strongest intervention is in the category of its characters, and further the ways in which they play off each other in their consistently escalating situation. The cast is largely endearing, covering all the archetypes you might expect in a show like this in fine form. Our heroine Hibiki proves to present an interesting intervention for the typical magical girl protagonist; with the way her character arc confronts her reasons for fighting and wanting to protect others, we see an interesting and all too rare reconciliation between her altruistic and her more self-centered personal desires to preserve friendships and that which is of importance to her specifically.

Really, if the show can be said to be about anything in particular - aside from the literal plot of transforming singer-heroines who fight techno-drone/alien/mutant monsters - it would probably be about reconciling differences in perspective. This potentially could link the text of this show into a broader philosophical/political discussion about mutualism (though not with any clear gesture toward the conceptualizing of anarchist polities). However, the way in which _Symphogear_ embraces emotional realities and the impact of immaterial abstractions builds towards a satisfying, if somewhat narratively predictable, example of a high-octane action series. Any tangential thought experiments or suppositions it could lead any theory/philosophy nerd like myself down are purely secondary.
____
Final Grade: __B-__


Fists and feelings. A fresh enough take on an all too familiar idea.

__Some spoilers for S1, but not major spoilers. Heavy spoilers for Episode 1 tho.__

I think I can say with complete confidence that I have never seen a show quite like Symphogear, and I do mean that every way possible. Despite the tags it has on MAL and Anilist, it is technically not a mahou shoujo in the traditional sense. Its technical term is mecha musume, where mechanical elements are used to enhance the transformations of the girls, which makes sense because we see all these kinds of machines and different weapons be used constantly throughout the series. From sawblades, to a giant scythe, to giant swords with boosters on them, and so on. One of the girls even uses guns and rockets as weapons, but you can also give monsters the middle finger by just punching them good. The gears that the girls use is called Symphogears, or relics that can be used by singing to activate them and even increase their powers, even if it could lead to their own death if the situation calls for it. 


The reason why I decided to watch this show from beginning to end is because after I finished the wonderfully tranquil and emotional Aria series, I was itching for some action, and after my Discord buddies recommended it and I saw the protagonist Hibiki Tachibana punch an actual mountain on YouTube, I became convinced that I needed to watch this show. Plus, AMQ (Anime Music Quiz) kept screwing me over by using the openings in the show, so I figured that watching it would help me out. But the point is that I wanted some dumb fun action show, and while it can be a bit frustrating, I think I got that and more out of this series overall. Despite some issues that I have with it, I can say that I really enjoyed this series throughout its run, and it’s quite impressive that it spanned throughout the 2010’s from 2012 to as recent as 2019, even though that clearly wasn’t the intention at first.


So, before I begin talking about the first season, I should mention a few background details. First of all, this show was literally just made to promote Tsubasa’s seiyuu's singing career and there wasn’t really a plan for the rest of the seasons. This is obvious when you finish S1 where it ends on a pretty happy and conclusive note. Thing is, the OST did so well that the show continued, even with an entirely different studio. Encourage Films was the studio that made S1, and then the show was continued by Satelight. Satelight also co-produced Fairy Tail, and made Log Horizon as well, and they may have been somewhat involved in the production of S1.

The other thing is that the director for S1, Tatsufumi Itou, also sadly passed away due to brainstem hemorrhage and died on May 23rd. However, his death was not officially announced until July 1st because of the request of his wife Mariko Itou. He was only 55 years old when he passed away. He was a key animator and has storyboarded for many different anime, such as Princess Tutu, The Aria Series, Casshern Sins, and many more. He also directed Shugo Chara! Party. Regardless of my opinions or anyone else’s opinions on S1, the fact of the matter is that he helped create this series, and the result was something that flourished and became popular in Japan and has grown some popularity in the West. My point being is that he deserves respect for his work, and I can only hope that his wife and friends are doing well and that he can rest in peace.


youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOXaWCRv_68)

To begin with this series, Miku Kohinata goes through a destroyed city, caused by some kind of disaster. She’s carrying some kind of flowers in the rain, symbolizing that she lost someone important to her. After getting off of a bus, she goes to a grave with the name “Hibiki Tachibana”, which also has a photo right above it. She starts crying over the loss of her best friend, and while all of this was going on, an ominous poem about a little bird continued to sing until it coughed up blood, and she also mentions how her friend continued to sing until her last breath, hinting at what’s to come.

Two years earlier, we met our protagonist, who is a high school girl named Hibiki Tachibana, a fairly normal high school girl who goes to a concert by herself because her best friend Miku Kohinata invited her but couldn’t actually make it to the concert due to her aunt getting in an accident. Hibiki doesn’t really follow the two idols that are about to sing, but she goes anyways because a free concert ticket is a free concert ticket. In the background, one of the idols and a main character, Tsubasa Kazanari, is a bit worried about how the concert will play out. Her best friend Kanade Amou tells her to be more open minded and optimistic, telling her that singing is fun, and they should just enjoy singing. Kanade is the more extroverted and outgoing of the two while Tsubasa is the more introverted girl of the Zwei Wing idol duo. They also seem to work for the government, and Section 2, a government agency who specializes in saving people from disasters led by Genjurou Kazanari, who’s Tsubasa’s uncle and Hibiki’s eventually martial arts teacher as well as action movie bro with her.

So, the concert begins, but the duo can only sing one song before the concert is attacked by Noise, monsters that are capable of reducing a living organism to nothing more than ash. They kill a lot of people in the concert, and of course, this is where the singing magical girl fights come into play. Kanade and Tsubasa transform and use their weapons to stop the Noise, but they’re quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of them, and Hibiki, who seems to be the only survivor from the audience (this comes into play later), is attacked and is unable to escape. Eventually, one of Kanade’s armor pieces is damaged and is lodged right into Hibiki’s chest (Again, this comes into play, very soon might I add). Kanade chooses to save her by singing her climax song, a song that pushes the wielder to their absolute limits, and past them. To the point where it can cause either severe internal damage, or even death, which is exactly what was mentioned right at the start. All the Noise are destroyed, and Tsubasa loses her best friend. This causes Tsubasa to become a solo idol, causes her to have an internal struggle throughout this season and later on, and Hibiki to eventually become a Symphogear two years later at the end of episode 1 to save a child.

Needless to say, this show starts off pretty dark. Darker than I had expected, and this does work in S1’s favor…. sometimes. Other times, it can be quite frustrating to watch it drag on with drama, especially the drama involving Miku. For what it’s worth, I was interested in seeing how the rest of this season would play out, especially since people often claim this is the worst one.

After Hibiki saves the kid from Noise, the kid is reunited with her mother and Hibiki is now a Symphogear girl working with Tsubasa, with Hibiki’s special ability is punching everything in sight, and Tsubasa can conjure swords, make it rain with smaller laser beam swords, and make giant swords that fall from the sky. Tsubasa butts’ heads with Hibiki because at first, she doesn’t really want to work with someone else, and when it’s revealed that Kanade’s Gungnir is the same as Hibiki’s, which is still stored in her chest unlike Tsubasa who uses a pendant to transform, it causes Tsubasa to further put up walls, calling herself a sword that cannot feel anything. Eventually, Tsubasa fights Hibiki and she refuses because she doesn’t want to fight the person she’s working with and is trying to be friends with. Genjurou stops Tsubasa, and Hibiki says that she’ll work hard to replace Kanade, which is the worst thing you could say to her given her situation. If nothing else, I certainly feel for Tsubasa’s plight and can sympathize with her. At the same time, Hibiki is trying to be friends with Tsubasa, but is continuously denied. I do like their dynamic and Hibiki is at least endearing, if nothing else (aside from GX, that was awful). Tsubasa eventually does admit that she loves singing to a concert that she’s doing in episode 9 and decides to go on a tour around the world, but that happens later on.

What does annoy me about Hibiki in this season is that she keeps saying that she really wants to save people, which is repetitive. Miku even calls it a hobby, which is really dumb, and not in the fun way. Do fire fighters save people because it’s a hobby or is it because it’s their job? This is a reoccurring plot point, which is frankly done better in G, but is done worse in GX. Outside of that, she’s an optimistic and energetic girl, despite all of the harassment and nonsense she had to deal due to the concert attack, which is also a reoccurring plot point I’ll talk about more in later seasons. She also doesn’t want to fight other people, and would rather talk things out with her enemies, which is more focused on in the later seasons as well. This can either cause endless frustration like in GX or can actually be a well defined part of her character like in G, XV, and especially in AXZ. In this season, it’s not a big focus aside from when she fights Yukine Chris, the fourth and final Symphogear girl in this season.

Yukine Chris is a unique girl to say the least. Despite her angry attitude and somewhat violent outbursts against her enemies, she is the kind big sister type of character, especially when it comes to two different girls who are introduced in G. Before she becomes that girl, she is initially hostile towards the other two Symphogear girls, particularly Hibiki, who doesn’t want to fight against her. Eventually, her Symphogear transforms into Ichaival, a gear which is capable of shooting bullets, laser arrows, and giant missiles. After getting defated and later saved by Hibiki, the villain of S1, Finé, decides to leave her behind and steal the Nehushtan armor from Chris. What’s interesting about Chris is that she suffers from self loathing due to the destruction that she blames herself for and claims that she hates singing because of that. She grows as a character in later seasons and resolves her inner demons with the help of the other girls. She eventually helps fighting the Noise and Fine in this season and becomes one of the three main Symphogear girls.  

Next character is Miku Kohinata, Hibiki’s best friend and roommate in high school. She’s generally a cheery and helps Hibiki with her homework, but as the season goes on, she worries about Hibiki’s consistent disappearances due to her new double life. She eventually discovers that Hibiki is a Symphogear when Hibiki saved her life during a fight. What annoys me is that Miku is angry with Hibiki about keeping it a secret, when Hibiki was obviously operating under basic superhero rules of a secret identity and had to keep it a secret because the government told her too. This gets resolved in the episode afterwards, and I genuinely think this drama could’ve been cut out from S1 without much change. It just feels pointless and annoying. Beyond that, Miku’s relationship with Hibiki does get the spotlight in other seasons like G and especially in XV, but we’ll talk more about that later.

I don’t have too much to say about Genjurou Kazanari, but he is Tsubasa’s uncle and commander of Section 2, a government agency responsible for dealing with disasters for the Japanese government, including issues that have to be dealt with by the gears, like the Noise and other supernatural threats. He’s portrayed as the caring and levelheaded commander of the group, and often guides the gears to defeat their enemies. Despite being a human unable to fight Noise, he’s also capable of training the gears and he’s even action movie buddies with Hibiki, which is something I find charming. There’s also Ryoko Sakurai, the head scientist of Section 2 and is responsible for a lot of research of the gears, which she calls the Sakurai theory. She also speaks some hilariously awful Engrish to American soldiers, and it’s so unintentionally funny to hear it. She’s portrayed as a mysterious, but also very cunning scientist that knows more than she lets on.

Finally, there’s the main villain, Finé. She’s a character that gets referenced in every season following this one (except for GX), and beyond some interesting lore that gets explored in AXZ and XV, I found her character to be uninteresting and shallow. She wants to destroy the moon to remove the Curse of Balal, a curse that apparently makes it difficult for humans to understand one another, although the true purpose of the curse wouldn’t be revealed until the final season, XV. Eventually, Fine is defeated in a pretty cool final fight for the season. It’s also nice that there’s a little song with all three of the girls right at the end of the season to reflect on what has happened and what they learned.

Next, we’ll talk about the art and animation for this season. The character designs are very different in the next four seasons in comparison to this one, and honestly, I prefer the character designs in the next couple of seasons, because the character designs in S1 look a little too…simple. Characters go off model at times, and the fights are generally uninteresting aside from the final fight. There’s a good amount of still frames too, so maybe the success of the OST for this season allowed the team to improve upon the other four seasons visually, especially in regard to XV, which looks amazing.

Last but certainly not least, we have the voice acting and OST. I love Hibiki’s voice actress in particular, Aoi Yukki, who is a prolific voice actress and seiyuu. She brings so much energy and optimism to her role, and when she sings and screams, it feels really natural. I feel the same way for all of the characters, and I feel like they did great on the songs as well. Speaking of the songs, the entire show is filled with really good rock and pop songs throughout the series. They’re jams to listen too, and I enjoy all of them for one reason or another.

youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHW2iED_L6U)

All in all, S1 is a bit of a mixed bag. While I found Tsubasa and Chris’s arcs to be compelling enough to follow, I found the villain to be bland, and I was annoyed by the drama surrounding Hibiki and Miku. There’s not too much to this season that hasn’t been done before by other magical girl shows, but the foundation is there. It took itself too seriously, but I thought S1 was an ok start to a series that I ended up loving. We’ll talk about that more in the next review for G and possibly GX as well.

An ok start to a really enjoyable series that can take itself too seriously at times

<p align="right">[ img20(https://bestanimations.com/Signs&Shapes/Arrows/Right/right-arrow-29.gif) ](https://anilist.co/review/12743)</p>
img520(https://i.imgur.com/ppuxsl4.jpg)

'[Magical girl'](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_girl) or 'mahou shoujo' is among the most notable genres of anime. It has a rich history that stretches back to the sixties. Thanks to the success of *Sailor Moon* in the 90s, it defined anime for a generation. For many a nineties kid, anime *was* either [high-school girls transforming into uniformed heroines of justice](https://anilist.co/anime/530/Sailor-Moon/) or [buff dudes beating the snot out of each other for eight episodes straight](https://anilist.co/anime/813/Dragon-Ball-Z/). While the proliferation of anime (especially in the West) means there are more genres and shows to choose from, magical girl anime hasn't gone away: *[Little Witch Academia](https://anilist.co/anime/14349/Little-Witch-Academia/)* is both popular and recent enough that *I've* heard of it, *[Madoka](https://anilist.co/anime/9756/Mahou-Shoujo-MadokaMagica)* is a somber take on the genre with massive crossover appeal, and *[Pretty Cure](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Anime/PrettyCure)*, while an anime I'm only familiar with in passing, has been going strong since 2004, with new seasons produced *annually*. From this, it should be clear that magical girl shows remain a staple in anime. Given its prevalence and influence, it should be a genre I'm familiar with. That, however, wouldn't be the case. I'm thankfully now confident enough in my masculinity to not [balk at the idea of watching a magical girl show](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GirlShowGhetto), but it's still not a genre that I go for. Magical Girl shows just never particularly caught my eye and I'd worry that I wouldn't get a lot out of them. Before *Symphogear*, I had only watched three magical girl anime. First, there's *Puella Magi Madoka Magica*. Many see *Madoka* as a deconstruction of the genre instead of playing it straight. While I haven't watched enough of the genre to say whether or not this is true, either through the show's marketing or through fan word-of-mouth, *Madoka* certainly has a *reputation* for being distinct from other mahou shoujo and that's part of what got me through the door. Then there was its spin-off, *[Magica Record](https://anilist.co/review/6360)*. Finally, there's *[Cutie Honey Universe](https://anilist.co/review/3106)* which I genuinely forgot even *was* a magical girl anime until I filtered for "magical girl" on my anime list (to be fair, though, I think this was mainly because forgot about *Cutie Honey Universe* in general). From what I can tell, this is an [ur-example](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UrExample) more than anything, lacking many of the tropes and aesthetic sensibilities that make the genre what it is. From the trio of magical girl anime that I've watched, it should be clear that I only go for mahou shoujo that seem to significantly play with the genre.

That's part of the reason I decided to try out 2012's *Senki Zesshō Symphogear* or *Superb Song of the Valkyries: Symphogear*, though mostly referred to simply as *Symphogear*. Parts magical girl anime, parts idol anime, parts sentai show, parts *a mecha*, *Symphogear* is a show that catches your attention just due to how many things it juggles. An anime writer better than I even coined a term for *Symphogear* and similar shows — ‘[battle girl’](https://magicplanetanime.design.blog/2021/03/27/becoming-the-battle-girl-how-the-2010s-transformed-the-magic-in-magical-girl-anime/) as opposed to the more familiar magical girl moniker.

img520(https://i.imgur.com/0flp7XZ.jpg)

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure quite how *Symphogear* ended up on my radar. It's certainly not because a *certain* moderator of Anilist aggressively advertises this show like he made the damn thing, often highlighting their favorite character from the show, Yuukine Chris. That would be *preposterous*. The earliest I can recall hearing about this show was via a review of its final season. As I was on the fence about watching this show, I held off from reading the review. Regardless of *how* it got on my radar, *Symphogear* landed on it, against all odds. No matter what fancy subgenres you place it under, no matter how many other genres it takes inspiration from, at the end of the day, *Symphogear* is a type of magical girl anime, a genre I normally don't go for. This introduction has been a long-winded (Alas! My poorly-kept secret is out once more — I am nothing but a windbag!) way of highlighting just how marvel *Symphogear* is in concept. Regardless of my opinion on its execution, as a fan of genre-blending, slicing, and dicing, I think *Symphogear* deserves to be a show on people's radars.

You may be wondering what made me decide to finally get off the fence, take the plunge, and watch *Symphogear*. Well, you see, dear reader, like many great things, it starts with a 90s J-Rock star from outer space singing his goddamn heart out. Yes, my friends, it is thanks to the great *[Macross 7](https://anilist.co/review/10858)* As I said in my review, I had a tremendous amount of fun with the show. It wonderfully mixed mecha action with song. I was hungry for more anime like *Macross 7*, so I decided to give *Symphogear* a shot. As it turns out, *Symphogear*'s studio, Satelite, is the very same studio responsible for every *Macross* show that released after *7*. 

I'm pleased to say that I enjoyed my time with *Symphogear*. I won't lie to you and say that I had nearly as much fun as I did with *Macross 7* — while still out there in concept, in general, *Symphogear* feels quite a bit more grounded than *Macross 7*. In ways, this makes it easier to take seriously (although, *Symphogear* can still be silly), makes it easier to believe in its genuineness. The con for me was that this made *Symphogear* feel a bit less energized than *Macross 7*, which can get quite hot-blooded in its passion; in comparison, it feels like *Symphogear* doesn't have enough wind in its sails. *Symphogear* never reaches the heights that *7* did for me, but that's all right. In and of itself, *Symphogear* is a fun show. Not quite a "marvel to behold," but something exciting all the same. It's really impressive not just how it juggles several genres and influences, but how it makes them *work*. More impressive still is the fact that this is just the beginning; there are *four* more seasons for this series to improve. Even if it doesn't do away with the things I dislike, the noise of the things that I *do* like could grow loud enough to drown them out.

img520(https://www.anime-planet.com/images/anime/screenshots/symphogear-4573-1.jpg)

In the world of *Symphogear,* mysterious, dangerous beings known as Noise (no, not [those](https://anilist.co/anime/120376/The-World-Ends-with-You-The-Animation/)) terrorize the planet. The power of noise is terrifying, with humans normally unable to harm them, turning into stone upon contact with the beings. But you know they say — fight fire with fire. Or in this case, fight noise with more pleasant-sounding noise — music. Using the power of song, a select few women wield powerful armor and weaponry known as Symphogear — the only material capable of repelling and protecting against the noise. In Japan, Kanade Amou and Tsubasa Kazanari were part of the Symphogear-clad duo known as [Zwei Wing]. Two years ago, disaster struck as noise suddenly attacked the concert. Kanade sacrificed herself to save a civilian in attendance, Hibiki Tachibana. In the process, a piece of Kanade's Symphogear lodged itself in Hibiki. Now, two years later, the powers granted to her by Kanade's Symphogear have awakened and Hibiki must work with the jaded Tsubasa to protect the innocent from the noise and those who wish to use the noise for their nefarious gain, all the while juggling keeping her double-life secret and discovering what it means to be a hero.

To get it out of the way early, let's talk about one of the most notable aspects of the anime — the music. Much like the aforementioned *Macross 7*, *Symphogear* features insert songs every episode. Like *7*, said insert songs generally play during the central fight scenes of the episode. However, don't go thinking that *Symphogear* completely apes from its spiritual predecessor. I'm pleased to say that, in function, *Symphogear* handles the music *better* than *Macross 7*. A big part of this is because, unlike *Macross 7*, *Symphogear* features a healthy rotation of songs. Before double-checking ([thanks, Symphogear Wiki](https://symphogear.fandom.com/wiki/Insert_Songs)) I swore that each episode featured unique songs, but no, most of the songs appear in multiple episodes (and episode one, as the introduction, is fittingly armed to the teeth with musical numbers). It's just that songs aren't reused ad nauseam. You'd also swear that the songs aren't reused as often as they are because they always seem to fit really well with the scenes that they're in. *Symphogear* is practically a musical in how context-sensitive the songs tend to be. When the characters sing their songs, they'll be singing about what's going on in their head at the time, making the songs all the more satisfying to hear. Part of why these songs work even in different episodes is because they're tied to the characters. The main heroines get two unique songs to their name, the second one usually relating to a recent character development. I love how music is tied to their powers, thus it makes sense for them to sing in battle. 

img520(https://i.imgur.com/vST3uP8.png)

As for a downside to the music, there's something to be said about the fact that I couldn't remember a number of the tracks. At first, I thought this was because the songs were a bit bland. But upon relistening to them, the memories flood back. They're all quite good; not my favorite songs ever, but good enough to recommend. There's genuinely a case to be made for repetition — a decent handful of songs spread across only 13 episodes means that, as good as they are, they have a hard time shining. 

When they *do* shine, though, they shine quite bright. The most memorable song and my personal favorite is Yuukine Chris' initial character theme, [Makyū Ichaival](https://symphogear.fandom.com/wiki/Maky%C5%AB_Ichaival). With the guitars and dark and strange techno downbeat, the song is *very* distinct. The instruments combined with Ayahi Takagaki's angry vocals fit Chris' mysterious aura and rough personality quite well. It's always sure to get me pumped. I can't help but bang my head during the repetition of "motto" and "zenbu." It's absolutely [marvelous](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/021/267/swedish_chef.jpg). The OP and ED are also pretty darn good, though I'm sure I remember them more due to the simple virtue of them being in every episode.

The action of *Symphogear* works in tandem with the music to create very striking fight scenes. If I had to describe *Symphogear* in a word, it would be "flashy." Animation is delightfully fluid during fights, attacks are big and complex. For signature attacks, the show will often pause the action and display of the attack, like so:

img520(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xeGkpjwbUJU/T0kxyNtbhkI/AAAAAAAADzs/MQ8CPgJQad8/s800/screenshot20120107at110_001.png)

As I said in my [last](https://anilist.co/review/11433) review, I appreciate stylization, so the action of *Symphogear* was right up my alley. Along with the action, costuming helps add to *Symphogear*'s sense of identity. The designs of the costumes, the eponymous Symphogears, are quite striking, but I wouldn't say they slip into garish or loud territory. The designs appear more like futuristic battle suits rather than what you might expect from a magical girl show. This design choice also reflects the general aesthetic and sensibilities of the show at large — it's much more sciency than magical. A potential criticism is that the outfits might be a *bit* fanservicey, particularly Chris and Finé's. Honestly, though, as someone who typically dislikes fanservice, I thought they were fine in this regard. Granted, that's coming from someone who likes the outfits overall. If I was the type of guy to get humanoid figures, I might get some of the main trio. Actually, the Nendoroids [look](https://www.goodsmile.info/en/product/3531/Nendoroid+Hibiki+Tachibana.html) [pretty](https://www.goodsmile.info/en/product/3694/Nendoroid+Tsubasa+Kazanari.html) [good](https://www.goodsmile.info/en/product/4056/Nendoroid+Chris+Yukine.html)...

The designs of the Symphogears also lead us to the sentai elements of the show. Each *Symphogear* is distinct from one another yet sharing key elements. The designs really go a long way in making the girls feel like a part of a team like the *Power Rangers*/*Super Sentai*. Each has their niche when it comes to battling, with Tsubasa using swords, Hibiki utilizing her fists, and Chris utilizing long-range artillery. [A lot](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MoreDakka) [of it](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MacrossMissileMassacre).

img520(https://i.imgur.com/58XX9dW.png)

But what good would the team be without the characters that make up said team? I'm pleased to say that I enjoyed the characters overall. They're not very deep; what you see is largely what you get and their personalities can be explained fairly quickly, but I think it works decently enough for the show. Hibiki is a friendly genki girl who seems to have a heart of steel, Tsubasa is an aloof, skilled fighter whose icy disposition thaws the more she works with Hibiki, and Chris is a fiery, anti-social tsundere [with a chip on her shoulder]. While I stand by the characters' essences being distilled very easily, I don't want you walking away thinking they're a trio of static tropes. Hibiki's mood *does* falter at times, whether it's due to having to juggle her double life or because she's getting overwhelmed by the enemy.  I describe Chris as a tsundere, but seeing that I quite like her, it's a bit understated. She's not abrasive to her allies, and she's slow to make friends due to her abandonment issues. If she is a tsundere, she's definitely one of the more rounded, tolerable examples. Tsubasa is...okay, Tsubasa's probably a [Defrosting Ice Queen](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DefrostingIceQueen) played pretty straight, but she's probably my favorite character (if you notice her similarities to *White Album 2*'s Kitahara, you might realize that I have A Type™) But then again, Yuukine Chris is really, *really* cool, so Tsubasa has some stiff competition. And that's not even getting into the interesting supporting cast such as Kazanari and Ryoko. This is all to say that even if the characters aren't terribly deep, they're not super shallow, either. They're defined and interesting enough that you'll probably have a favorite.

img520(https://i1.wp.com/metanorn.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/SZS10-00043.png?resize=650%2C365)

Fortunately, there aren't that many downsides to *Symphogear* and the ones that exist aren't that glaring. I already mentioned the downside to the music and the possible objection to the fanservice. Besides those, there are times when *Symphogear* can feel a bit by the numbers, which is weird due to how crazy the general concept of the show is. One such time is the double-life plot. Throughout the show, Hibiki grows distant from her best friend Miku because of her duty to protect the city with her Symphogear. Hibiki is forced to routinely blow off arrangements with Miku and has to leave her into the dark due to her vow of secrecy. Miku grows increasingly despondent before she sees Hibiki utilize her powers. Hibiki then tells everything to Miku, promises to be more open, and the two make up. Now, this plot thread isn't *bad*; in fact, it could have been a lot worse — for one, there aren't a lot of the unavoidable misunderstandings that seem to plague other renditions of this thread. That said, this plot thread *is* a bit tired. It's doubtless something you've seen before and I can't help but feel it a bit cliche. It works perfectly fine in context, but its presence seems to make the show that much less fresh. I only single out this plot point because it jumps out at me — rest assured, there are other instances of things like this happening. While I praised the characters, they still can add to this feeling of the show feeling a bit trope-y. It didn't detract from my enjoyment too much, but I think there's definitely a disconnect between how unique the concept is and some of the execution of said concept. The show does retain unique elements and twists but when it falls back on heavily established character archetypes and plot threads, you notice it.

Finally, if I'm being honest, and I know this sounds harsh, the show just wasn't as "fun" as I hoped? I think the tone can leave a bit to be desired. I wouldn't call the show "serious" persé (a bit dark, and surprisingly bloody, sure, which are characteristics that drew me in), but if I bring in my friend comparison, ever the thief of joy, I find *Symphogear* a bit lacking compared to *Macross 7*. The show is a bit less goofy, a bit more competent, but I feel that takes away from the charm a bit, given the concept. And I know I'm not just making this up because I've heard others describe the first season of *Symphogear* as taking itself a bit too seriously.

That said, there are definitely parts of the show that lean into more fun elements, such as Hibiki's training montage. Overall, while the show isn't perfect, it's a (mostly) unique show that manages to take elements from various genres I enjoy to create an entertaining viewing experience.  My score is ultimately because *Symphogear* did little to wow me while not doing much wrong. And much like the last show, I know there's a lot of room for *Symphogear to improve. Ultimately, I'm sticking with *Symphogear*, excited to see what's in store for me.

~~~img200(https://i.imgur.com/Ulju21o.png)~~~

img520(https://i.imgur.com/RZTpw68.jpg)

While the first season of Symphogear isn't phenomenal, its a pleasantly-melodic start

Id heard about Symphogear for years before i first watched it early this year. Seemed cool, was down to watch it somewhere down the line. Eventually that day came and like... It feels like its exaggerating to say it changed my life but the fact i smile every time i see one of the girls from this show says a lot about what it means to me. I adore this show more than is maybe healthy. Possibly more than the show deserves but thats just the mind goblins talking. 
To say i fell in love with Hibiki Tachibana, Tsubasa Kazanari and Chirs Yukine would be an understatement. They are beautiful, and badass and genuinely well developed and good characters. Hibiki is a girl thrust into exceptional circumstances trying to do the right thing and find a worthy cause to fight for, Tsubasa is a hardened warrior trying to protect the innocent as best she can and to open up after losing the person closest to her, and Chris is a victim of the evils of the world and tries to correct the wrongs she has seen. The show does a spectacular job of exploring these girls struggles in its 13 episodes and them coming together as a team in episode 10 is legitimately one of then most heartwarming and beautiful scenes ive ever seen. Hibiki's speach about how she doestn materialize a weapon like the other girls because her hands must be free unit hold and unite people just...
God its so good.     
Stepping back from the lavish praise of the characters, i must say the plot is also fairly solid. Nothing to write home about but with a good side cast, particularly Chad dad Genjuro and hot as hell and surprisingly complex villain Fine, and a generally solid progression of events you'll never be left too bored and have enough time to breath and relax with the characters, giving you plenty of time to fall n love with the slice of life shenanigans that make the action truly work.      
Speaking of: While the characters have stolen my heart, the visuals and action stole my eyes. The first season looks pretty different from the later ones, with a different character designer and director working on this first season. This leads to the show having both softer looking character designs and a more out there's sci fi look to it  that i really quite liked a lot and kind wish stuck with the other seasons a bit. It immediately very nice to look at right out the gate, and the action was much the same. Fluid, exciting and punctuated by the fantastic electronic rock music and the girl's honestly iconic diegetic singing. It's a feast for the eyes and ears and somewhat impressively its nearly all hand drawn. A rarity for 2010's action stories. while the action gem would not be refined until the second season its nonetheless a beautiful spectacle and a joy to watch even if you took away the spectacular characters. 
WIth its combination of Characters that grabbed me by the heart, solid enough story and nice strong visual presentation it's no wonder i liked Symphogear a lot.  But those characters man... those girls are my goddesses. i love ek to bits. They made a solid action show into one of my all time favorites. I was crying by the end not because it was particularly sad but because i was overwhelmed with just.. a beautiful swell of emotions having followed this fun wonderful story to its conclusion. 
or at least the super satisfying conclusion of this first season. 
Theres 4 more to go, And its only uphill from here on nearly all fronts for Symphogear.

Symphogear is a joyously fun and heartfelt action show full of beautiful girls and incredible Music. 

img220(https://i.imgur.com/eV4aoFj.png)

Symphogear, or Senki Zesshou Symphogear, or if you want to call it by its ridiculously long "well this is certainly an anime title" name, "Symphogear: Meteoroid-Falling, Burning, and Disappear then..." (I'm not making this up, this subtitle is literally featured in the opening and is completely official) is a magical girl (?) action anime from 2012. It has 5 seasons, along with a new project which was recently announced, but this review is only about the first season.

I wanted to watch this because I was interested in watching some magical girl anime, and saw this had the tag. I watched one of the later season’s OPs and thought it looked pretty cool. This isn’t really a typical “Magical Girl” anime, as it’s also a sci-fi action show.

To describe it, it’s about a group of girls who protect the world from creatures called the “Noise” with the power of singing and friendship using weapons called “Symphogears”. If that sounds ridiculous, that’s because it is. Without getting into spoilers, expect plot twists, mostly towards the end.

The main character, Hibiki Tachibana, is an ordinary girl who’s at a music school called Lydian Academy with her friend Miku. Hibiki is one of the 3 Symphogear wielders in the show. The second one is Tsubasa, a pop idol who Hibiki is a fan of. The start of the show also has a concert of hers where the other member of Zwei Wing (Kanade) is killed by the noise. Tsubasa describes herself as a “Blade” and uses a sword. The third member who only really appears about halfway through the season is Chris, who’s  like an slightly angry character with a dark backstory. She uses guns, and although Tsubasa is my favourite character overall her attacks are a lot of fun to watch.

Oh and there’s also Genjuro, some guy who just appears occasionally to punch stuff. img220(https://i.imgur.com/0J6ITrr.png)
The characters are generally pretty fun, and my favourite was definitely Tsubasa.

The action scenes themselves are really enjoyable. They’re completely over the top and ridiculous, which is exactly why they’re good. Like, they literally BREAK THE MOON, it might as well be a super robot anime.
The art and animation in this show is… not the best a lot of the time. It’s kind of cheap looking and there’s a good amount of typical “QUALITY” anime moments. It’s not horrendous or anything, but I’ve definitely seen much better. It does seem to improve in the later seasons. The series also has some fanservice, but I don’t really have a problem with it and it generally didn’t get in the way of anything.
Another flaw this show has is the more “dramatic” stuff. Throughout the show there seem to be some attempts to be really dramatic and serious, but most of it is honestly just stupid and it sometimes feels out of place.

Overall I enjoyed this anime quite a lot and I’d recommend this anime if you like ridiculous action shows. 8/10

Symphogear Series Watch Order

Symphogear

Symphogear G

Symphogear GX

Symphogear AXZ

Symphogear XV