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... rather read the Perfect Blue novels to see them.⏎ Theron Martin ⏎ Rating: 3 ⏎ The pop idol stan has long been a staple character in idol series of all types, but series which specifically focus on the stans, rather than the idols, have been few and far between. This new entry seems determined to address one question: does a stan of a girl group being female make that individual any less creepy? Based on the first episode, the conclusion seems to be that the character of the fan rather than the gender is the more important factor. ⏎ A good chunk of the episode focuses on the activities of the most obsessive side of fandom. A lot of those parts are stuff we've commonly seen before: the handshake and photo op gimmicks, cheering at concerts with light sticks, fierce debates over who is Best Girl, suffering while waiting in line for a coveted priority position, and so forth. This is often played for humor, with one of the funniest moments being the struggles that the fans undergo to endure sitting in line, but none of that is mean-spirited. It's also the least interesting aspect of the episode despite the humor. Things get a little more interesting when both the writing and characters get more analytical about their situation and the suggestions are made that for some – especially protagonist Eripiyo – the fandom may be an escape from a boring work environment. ⏎ The episode gets most interesting when Eripiyo starts analyzing her own fandom. She's pretty much fallen for Maina, the shyest and least popular of the main of the girl group, but after two years of obsession with Maina she's finally starting to realize that maybe the intensity of her is burdensome for the girl, and Maina certainly isn't giving her any signals to the contrary. Hence by the end of the episode she's starting to distance herself a bit – even physically in the case of the photo op. The big twist at the end of the episode is that she may be reading Maina all wrong; it's not Eripiyo that Maina is uncomfortable with, but her own feelings. ⏎ This is, basically, the standard otaku dream scenario, where an idol comes to cherish the devotion of a fan enough that she may fall for that fan. However, I don't think I have ever seen that done before with a yuri subtext. I am actually somewhat interested to see how far that aspect might be developed, as Eripiyo does not seem to consciously classify her devotion as romantic. I'm also a little interested to see what direction the series goes now that this possibility has been opened up. Hence I'm giving it a middle grade for now think there could be more potential here.