Stellar Step 1

Author: Shogo Hayashi

Illustrator: Ancotaku

Label: MF Bunko J

Release Date: 25 January 2023

My Score: 4/5

The story takes place on an earth devastated by a meteorite crash event. After the event, new nations were formed and they went to war over their territories. Instead of fighting with soldiers and armies, however, the wars are fought with idol battles. The story follows Rain, a top class idol who has never lost. But then she meets Hana, a girl who wants to become an idol that everyone loves, and loses to her in a rehearsal match. Rain finds herself wanting to meet Hana again and a special bond forms between the two of them.

This ended up being a very nice surprise. The story felt generic at first with it hitting predictable plot beats and taking itself a bit too seriously, despite the silly premise. I also found it hard to get invested in the plot at first as it was unclear why these nations were at war in the first place. But there were so many twists that I did not see coming that caught me off guard to the end of the volume. Reading this after the first volume of Shibou Yuugi de Meshi wo Kuu, I was happy to see Rain forming relationships with others and growing as a character. It made her a lot easier to get invested in, even as her character arc felt predictable. Her relationships with the others were sweet and I like that her forming a connection with Hana leads to her forming deeper relationships with other characters. And some of my complaints about the beginning were addressed in the narrative later on in a way that made the issue feel intentional. As an example, it's unclear why the nations are at war and what they get from the War Stage where the idols compete, because Rain doesn't know and she doesn't care. She only cares about winning. So it makes sense why the reader wouldn't understand the stakes of the War Stage because the narrative is told through Rain's eyes. I ended up really enjoying this volume and I want to read more and find out what happens next.

Given that I got this at the same time as Shibou Yuugi de Meshi wo Kuu, for the same reason (they both ranked highly in KonoRano 2024), and the two have protagonists that start off in a similar state, I find myself wanting to compare the two. When I compare them, Stellar Step comes out on top. Shibou Yuugi was slightly more entertaining, but I didn't become invested in the story or the characters, the way that I did with Stellar Step. I do think that Shibou Yuugi has more long-lasting appeal though. I can see Shibou Yuugi going on for a long while yet, while Stellar Step doesn't feel like it has enough plot to go on for longer than 2 or 3 more volumes without becoming stale. There is one big difference between the series though: despite feeling like it might be heading towards being tragedy porn in the beginning, Stellar Step is ultimately about tearing down oppressive systems and keeping hope. Whereas Shibou Yuugi, based on the first volume, has no interest in tearing down the oppressive system at the core of it's premise. At the end of the day, I prefer stories about changing unfair things rather than accepting them, which is why I ultimately prefer Stellar Step.

There are a couple of other things I want to quickly address. The series does have a slight yuri element, but I would be shocked if it ended up having an explicit romance between Rain and Hana. The two don't come off as romantic and it doesn't feel like it's heading in that direction. Also, boy idols and adult idols are not mentioned as being a thing in this universe. All the idols we see are young girls. This is pretty typical of idol series, but it makes me want to see an idol series that focuses on both boy and girl idols at the same time (bonus points for non-binary idols as well).

D.va by CKYM

D.va by 민트초코

Mei by Ancotaku

Mei by Ricky

Mei by ​나루

Reaper by ​듀공

Sombra by Natsu

Widowmaker by Loliel

(more fanart than fanskin, part of the Fantasia project)

Today’s KAITO module of the day is:

Snow Miku Sky Town Summer 2021 by Ancotaku!

The beautiful Luka Module of today is :

「Megurine Luka 10th Anniversary Items 」

By ancotaku

Original work, by Ancotaku https://ift.tt/2KcxHve

Today's Luka Module Is:

Megurine Luka 10th Anniversary Items by ancotaku!

Hatsune Miku Vocaloid Artist: Ancotaku

Source – Artwork by Ancotaku – Tumblr/Twitter

Onsen Musume cross-media project new character Sei Ryuzin (CV: Yuki Nakashima). Original design by Ancotaku .

Source: https://onsen-musume.jp/character/ryuzin_sei

Serie de Figuras Hatsune Miku Winter Live

Serie de Figuras Hatsune Miku Winter Live

¡Las figuras de Hatsune Miku Winter Live de TAITO Corporation, basadas en una ilustración de Rin, Miku y Len de 餡こたく / ancotaku, estarán disponibles pronto! Comenzarán con el lanzamiento de Rin este mes, seguido de Miku en noviembre y finalmente con Len en diciembre.

https://twitter.com/Taito_Toys/status/1177523556969635841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1177523556969635…

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Stellar Step 2

Author: Shogo Hayashi

Illustrator: Ancotaku

Label: MF Bunko J

Release Date: 25 April 2023

My Score: 3/5

Following the events of volume 1, Rain and Hana have joined the Iron Nation, a rival nation that was revealed in volume 1 to have abusive practices when it comes to training their idols into winning weapons. Rain and Hana are quickly separated into two different teams - one for experienced idols, and one for inexperienced ones. In the dorm for experienced idols, they train all day every day, singing until they lose their voices. In the dorm for inexperienced idols, they are referred to only by numbers instead of names as they are taught that they are not human - they are weapons.

With Rain and Hana separated for the majority of this volume, the volume shifts it's focus on to Rain as she deals with the reveal that happened at the end of volume 1 and how it impacts her relationship with Hana. She also has to learn how to stand on her own two feet again, without Hana there to support her. The volume also focuses on Flare, Rain's rival, particularly in the back half. Flare's a pretty interesting character and it was cool to get more of an exploration of what makes her tick.

I didn't like this volume as much as the first one. It didn't have any of the twists that surprised me, and the story felt formulaic and generic a lot of the time. I do find that this series takes it's premise a bit too seriously for my tastes. The premise of idols are soldiers is so silly, and the tone of these volumes is so dour without any humor, that I can't say that it's much fun to read. The volume still had it's good points though, with the continued development of Rain being a high point. The story ends on a cliffhanger, and it's been almost a year since this volume came out, but I would read a volume 3 if it ever gets released.