Episode rating average: 6.76923077

There's something missing that keeps me from giving this a full 7. Sometimes there are scenes that don't seem to have a point, or incomplete thoughts that never get resolved. The CGI is kinda cringe-y, too, but outside the OP it only happens in a few places during performances.

More than the quality of the writing, I'm kind of disappointed in how generic the music sounds. Given that this is a Bushiroad project—you know, the company that put out _Love Live!_—it's surprising how similar all the bands sound. Granted, it makes more sense in this series than in _Love Live!_ that there's instrumental music at all, since the girls are actually playing instruments on screen. But maybe that's limiting to the sound they can get. Bands made up of teenage girls with keys, drums, guitar, and bass can only sound so many different ways. They can't even throw in low voices to break it up, because there are no boys in any of the bands that perform at Space.

When producing a music anime, making the music catchy and memorable is kind of important. I'm afraid none of the songs in this franchise are anywhere near as memorable as what Bushiroad put out in _Love Live!_. The tunes are groovy enough, but they don't have much sticking power, not for me anyway. (If I sound like a LL! fanboy, I freely admit that I'm still an active player of its mobile game three years on. But it's kept me around with really, really good music.)

_(Review cross posted to season 1's page in case Bushiroad gets a second season greenlit.)_