To me most of the best anime are ones that can be enjoyed for a multitude of reasons and be accessible for everyone. At the same time focus and dignity is important too. Some others would say that the directors vision is what matters the most and that everything else should be in service of that larger goal. Kaleido Star is a show that explores these viewpoints and more while on its own being an excellent sports almost shounen kind of story. With a supernatural element some shoujo drama and a big chunk of comedy it sounds like it should be a complete mess however right? But director Junichi Sato known for classics such as Sailor Moon Princess Tutu and Aria knew exactly what he was doing and created with over 40 episodes one of the most inspirational original anime Ive seen. Deciding on setting the story within a circus was such a genius move which allows for all the aforementioned ideas to work together. Grounded lots of characters with unique motivations coming together and with a surprisingly but not exclusively competitive nature. The circus itself Kaleido Stage has a very memorable design and is practically a character of its own. Speaking of characters our protagonist Sora is an immediately likable genki girl with energy rivaling the best shounen leads. A large portion of the anime is about her overcoming various obstacles in order to stay on stage challenge others in auditions for a role and most importantly make the audience happy. As her foil acts the initially abrasiveseeming Layla Hamilton a longtime performer that actually has been one of Soras idols before joining the stage. Both get a lot of character development over the course of the series and are not strictly just in a rival relationship with each other. To bring up the supernatural element I mentioned we have a small spirit of the stage called Fool whom only a few people can see. He is mostly a plot device but also acts as one source of comic relief in his antics with Sora which are somewhat of perverted nature but nothing terrible really and to add a sort of mystical atmosphere. A bit into the show Sora also becomes a role model herself for the adorable Rosetta. The other side characters are great too with everyone having a distinct personality trait that keep their motivations for being there always high up. One thing to note there are a few unintentional and one intentional red herrings implying a romantic subplot for the protagonist. This might be a spoiler but Im just gonna say there is no romance at least for the mc. For me this was pretty refreshing but others might be disappointed. There are two other major characters being introduced in the second half but first Im gonna talk about the structure of the series. The total of 51 episodes are divided into two seasons with two recap episodes in the middle. The first already has a pretty climatic ending and the second builds upon the outcome of it. The finale is one of the most satisfying endings Ive experienced in anime. The show has a very brisk pace and never meanders around. Aside from like 34 episodes in the first half that can feel like filler theres always a new and serious conflict happening for our main characters. Whats great here are the unique stakes thanks to the setting. Sora is in a different country and not in school betting all on her career in the circus to work out. Since the show doesnt just revolve around having to beat others and performances are adjustable possible mistakes can change the course of the story drastically. So lets talk about the performances then. They are really awesome. To bring up the sports and shounen parallels imagine the training arcs or montages building up to a fight to show off what theyve learned. Both however are fairly limited in what they can do. On a stage with acrobats though you can do all kind of crazy stunts and have intricate movement that actually makes sense to use. Of course tension from possible injuries and even death is there too. The animation in these are usually great too with only some still images being used here and there. Now Im gonna talk about the second season which will get a bit more personal. Ive seen a lot of people who dont like or outright hate it but for me it might actually be my favorite half as it expands on the themes of the show immensely. Entertainment itself is already a big subject matter within the show. For example Sora learns to understand the compromises of the stage as an art form and how different audiences have different expectations. She herself develops an idealistic maybe naive mindset that everyone should enjoy themselves. Introduced to counter this argument are May and Leon who are both extremely competitive and view their acrobatic talent and performance skills as a craft. May comes from a place similar to Sora wanting to be acknowledged by Layla. Leon however seeks a crew and audience that actively wants to see only the technical best. The drama around this is really well done and nuanced and everyone learns something from the other at the end. The show also never implies Soras the correct one. I find this really fascinating and it can be applied to so much of course including anime as a medium and industry. At last Im gonna give some viewing considerations for those that decide to check this series out since obviously nothing is perfect. First in spirit of Soras ideal the anime can often feel very childish. The humor is very slapstick with limited animation and in general the artwork quality and character designs arent the best. This is not to say there arent a lot of great animated sequences though and the color design and backgrounds are pretty pleasant. Another thing some plot development is a little contrived and the supernatural part confusing. The drama in the second season can be a bit exhausting which is probably why a lot of people dont like it. These are the only bad parts I can think of really. Kaleido Star was a fantastic experience for me and I would recommend it to everyone especially if you like sports anime.