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(All episodes watched): I like this show! LAP was a series which I had been downloading on a whim, without any great expectations, and had finally begun watching basically to free up memory space in my computer. I was pleasantly surprised to find this to be a highly enjoyable show with impressive music, jokes, drama and visuals (including what may be the cutest station break image ever, see episode 00). I like 13 episode series which take off with a more-or-less new premise, last long enough for me to thoroughly enjoy it, but don't overstay their welcome--that description would fit LAP in spades. Early on, I had my doubts about this show as pale green-haired Tomo, who has absolutely no qualifications (that we know of) to be a professional singer, enjoys what seemed a stroke of too-good-to-be-true luck and is asked to audition for the new band. But it turned out that there really was a fairly plausible reason for her selection, and this show was striving to be fairly serious and realistic, which I appreciate. The first thing you notice about Tomo (other than her hair) is that she speaks an exotic (Osaka?) dialect--it's obvious even to those who don't speak Japanese. LAP was a little slow getting started, as the first episode didn't reveal much; the secret of the original Lemon Angels was implied but not confirmed until episode two. For exactly that reason I took what is for me the rare step of watching two episodes of the same show back-to-back (I'm trying to keep up with something like 50 different shows). It soon became clear that this series was looking up; after a mere one or two episodes there was some depth, some interesting personalities and already a couple conflicts. I decided that it would be interesting to see how such characters are combined into a serious singing group, and felt encouraged. And, though not perfect, LAP never discouraged me. I wasn't certain at first if "comedy" would play a large enough part to be an appropriate keyword, but I know now that it definitely does. The show is genuinely funny at times (many comedies never are), and the photoshoot scene in particular had me LOLing. The plot is sometimes predictable, but the characters are fun and likeable. Tomo is ditzy and naive, but also honest, kind, and a trustworthy friend which anyone would be lucky to have. Saya goes from definite bitch to nice girl who you can sympathize with in the space of one episode. I wasn't all that thrilled by the paparazzi scandal arc, but I was pleasantly surprised to see what the last one involved--I had thought that the mystery of the original Lemon Angels was resolved once and for all, but that didn't turn out to be the case. There wasn't a rip-roaring climax, but it left me feeling distinctly good, which is something which doesn't happen often. The net effect is that LAP was such a fun show that I watched at least one episode per day, and sometimes two, right to the end. That may not sound particularly impressive, but I seldom do this and it has been a long time since a show seemed to warrant it. I would say this was a show which wasn't radically original, but pretty much did everything right and therefore was lots of fun. I'll be rewatching this someday. P.S: This marks my 500th review here at Mikomi! Who would have thought..? Last updated Saturday, September 13 2008. Created Tuesday, September 02 2008. | ||||||||
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