Originally Reviewed on Serializd In a separate review that I have made for a separate product on a separate website I have talked about the dangers that come with creating a piece of fictional media with the intent of turning it into a franchise. Having this mindset could potentially blind the creators behind said product especially when creating the first installment of said product which would most likely end up in the product in question turning into a complete disaster that no normal person watch catch themselves taking a part of in any sense of the word. However that doesnt stop plenty of people from taking this approach for the things they make and anime is no exception to this. There have been many instances where a property has been made with the purpose of being part of a mixedmedia project one that essentially provides many different products all based around the same story and characters for the masses to enjoy all at once such as with manga anime and video games all being made around the same time. Naturally this could end up being a complete disaster as creating all of this content for one property with lack of interest could potentially result in a lack of interest or even worse disdain from its audience but thankfully there are also plenty of MMPs that manage to work out rather well for themselves in one of those departments such as the case with Stella of the Theater: World Dai Star...... or just World Dai Star because who has the time to say that entire title. I had absolutely no clue about this title going into it as is usually the case when it comes to any show I watch from this subgenre of animation. I was just scrolling through some lists looking for some shows that were not listed on Letterboxd even though every single anime on the planet is on that site somehow and I managed to stumble into this so after digging a little deeper into it and figuring out that it wasnt pornography I decided to give it a shot. Although I wasnt sure how I was gonna like it because given how the poster presented itself it looked like it would be the OPPOSITE of what I would like. Then again I did give Opus Colors a shot and ended up tolerating that show so I figured I would have about the same reaction to this so I watched the whole thing and I ended up enjoying it WAY MORE then I did Opus Colors. It definitely isnt perfect nor is it that original or fascinating compared to many other shows out there but the way that it presents itself and builds up this world makes it that much more entertaining and interesting to watch as it keeps going albeit with a few bumps in the road. The story is typical for the kind of show this is being yet another story about a world that revolves around one certain art and of course the main character strives to be the best in said art which we have all seen a million times before in one way or another but there is a certain earnest nature and level of quality that is presented here that does make this story much more captivating and interesting as it would originally appear to be the characters are.... also typical for the type of show this is with the personalities arcs and traits they are given also being extremely generic but the way they are characterized and act throughout the series makes them more enjoyable to watch rather then putting me to sleep the voice acting is pretty good where you can tell many of the actresses are putting a lot into these performances especially when the characters have to perform on stage which is great to hear the animation is........ also typical for the type of show this is are you seeing a pattern here? but it does manage to get the job done and look really nice while doing it while looking even nicer when they get to the characters actually performing on stage given more frames of animation to work with to make them come to life that much more and the dramatic/humorous bits are........ well you can take a wild guess but again the way that these characters react and respond to all of these moments do make them work much more.... for me that is probably not as much as others. Aside from how generic and recycled the show may be especially for those who have seen these kinds of shows many times before there are some other things that the show does need to work on such as with the existence of FILLER YAY Now I will admit this one is a very minor complaint as most of the episodes in this series in one way or another do contribute heavily to the main story feeling imperative to where it all goes by the end of the series but there are at least 2 episodes that are definitely just filler either by focusing on other characters or by utilizing plenty of flashbacks that dont contribute that much to anything whatsoever. But again like I said this is nowhere near as bad as something like Opus Colors in that regard so I will let it pass. What I am not too keen on passing over though is that much like plenty of other shows like this this one isnt save from having THOSE jokes be a part of it. Of course its an anime so you have to kind of expect that when going into it but the thing is that for the most part this shows sense of humor is not sexual in any way whatsoever nor is most of the moments in the show really except for one specific joke and scene that happens in one particular episode. It doesnt completely ruin the entire show but it feels extremely out of place when compared to everything else and it can take you out of what you are watching so that is something that I wish was kinda...... yknow fixed but whatever. Overall despite how generic it can be the existence of filler and that one nono joke this was a pleasant surprise that I was glad to have watched at the end of it all taking a seemingly boring premise and adding plenty of life and interesting elements to it to make it that much more interesting having a selection of characters that are very likable and fun to watch onscreen and it manages to provide a lot of insight in the main theme that it tackles that does kinda make you think as you watch it. I would recommend it for those who are fans of anime like this as well as those who just need something light and easy to watch because while it doesnt do much to stand out from other shows of its kind it should still prove to be entertaining fun and emotional enough to where you dont mind it at the end of the day. Also little fun factoid of this franchise: it was actually partially developed by Bandai Namco which was pretty cool to see. Although I didnt see any kind of PacMan reference in this entire thing so Im sorry to say the show is now garbage because of that..... thems the rules.