Re:Stage! is a Japanese multimedia franchise by Pony Canyon and Comptiq. Part of that is the Re:Stage! Dream Days♪ anime, which clocks in at twelve episodes. The director of the series was Shin Katagai, and it was written by Team Yoree. The studios that produced it were Yumeta Company and Graphinica.
Re:Stage! Dream Days♪ aired during the summer 2019 season of anime, and is available to watch on HIDIVE.
Re:Stage! Dream Days♪ is an idol anime, that focuses on a girl called Mana who joins Marehoshi Academy’s Lyrical Tradition Dance Club. With the other members, she strives to become an idol and win the Prism Stage competition.
That premise will no doubt feel really familiar for anyone who has seen an idol anime; it pretty much hits many of the typical tropes.
There are girls with prior idol experience who had given up, a student council president who is firmly against idols and girls who lack confidence in their abilities.
There may be some very familiar tropes in play here, but tropes are not bad. A little familiarity now and then is by no means a bad thing, unless you’re coming to Re:Stage! Dream Days♪ expecting something new to the idol genre.
It may be familiar, but Re:Stage! Dream Days♪ does have elements that make it stand out; first and foremost are the relationships between the six main characters that make up the idol group the show focuses on.
They pair off nicely into three couples, and part of the charm of this anime is the exploration of the relationships between the characters. Of course, they get character development through being convinced to join the Lyrical Tradition Dance Club, but it is when they are interacting with their specific partners that the show tends to shine best – well, those moments and the performances, of course.
This is an idol anime, and the soundtrack to accompany it is top notch. What is particularly nice is that there are other idol groups besides KiRaRe who get their opportunities to shine as well, so there is a bit of variety when it comes to the song. KiRaRe are the main focus though, so of course they contribute most to the soundtrack.
Going back to KiRaRe effectively being split up into couples, the show definitely encourages the shipping of characters. All six pairs offer some really heat-warming moments, whether that is just the girls encouraging each other or just really hanging out.
Re:Stage! Dream Days♪ may tread some familiar territory, but it is incredibly fun when it does so. It does have its more serious moments, but there are also some great bits of comedy; especially when it comes to the rival idol groups.
Score: 9/10
Re:Stage! Dream Days♪ is a familiar yet fun experience, that really stands out with its focus on the characters’ relationships.
Rory Muses 
The world needs more idol anime like this one. Aikatsu Friends! is the closest we got and apparently PriPara is close but I lost the urge to continue it.
Fav couple are Mana X Sayu with Kae X Kasumi 2nd.