What do you get when you combine idols and the romance of the three kingdoms? A clusterfuck presumably right? Wrong, you get a fun romp of Koumei from the Three Kingdoms being isekai’d into modern day Japan. With a mission to make aspiring idolstar, Eiko, world famous. Since he believes her songs have the power to bring world peace. The series reminded me of another series called “Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad” in more ways than one. How did it do that? And was this anime able to keep such a ludicrous concept interesting throughout its run?

I’m unfamiliar with the Romance of Three-Kingdoms and Chinese history as a whole. So I was hesitant on picking up the series feeling that it wasn’t for me. I was relieved that “The Romace of the Three Kingdoms' ' wasn't required reading. Nonetheless, I was surprised at how much fun this show was, given the concept. I was expecting it to be the usual “smart man enters foreign territory that the audience is familiar with, and now has to get used to our culture.” I’ve seen that done in all kinds of media. Personally, I don’t think it can be executed more flawlessly than the way it was handled in SDF: Macross, but I digress. Koumei, being as smart as he is, doesn't stay in his dumbfounded state for long, and ends up throwing the world he’s in for a loop rather than vice versa like I’d presume. In fact most of the early episodes follow a monster of the week like structure, but more on that later. For now, I’d like to focus my attention towards the music. Possibly the most crucial component for making such an odd story work.

Once again, I’m not too big into idols, or its culture. I think idols peaked with Lynn Minnmay from SDF Macross, dammit there I go again. Anyways, it presents a handful of idol songs that might have left Koumei speechless, but me being indifferent. Despite the show being centered around idol culture and that kind of music, the show also presents the audience with bits of rap, folk, and rock. The standout track from the OST the OP. BAN BAN A CHIKI CHIKI BAN BAN, is such a great opening song and the visuals are a wild trip of wild flashing colors and silly looking dance moves. The song never appears in the show itself, but still holds as one of the only worthwhile tracks for me.

Despite the bombastic visuals of the opening, the animation and art style does its job. The animation only becomes notable when there’s a performance. The dance moves along with the eccentric on stage antics/exaggerations is clearly where the show’s budget went. Otherwise, I found the show pleasing to look at. I think it was a tasteful move to demonstrate what it was capable of only when absolutely necessary.

Similar to the visuals, I found the voice acting to be quite well done. Eiko, Koumei’s (and Eiko’s boss to a lesser degree) seiyuus went above and beyond. Okiayu Ryoutarou does an exquisite job giving Koumei the cunning and calculated, yet warm demeanor his voice holds. But it’s a shame that once we enter the second half of this series, his voice becomes a faint voice echoing in the distance more and more. Because once we enter an arc dedicated to getting Eiko a spot on a world famous music festival, the scope of the Koumei’s strategies expands as does the cast, for better or for worse.

Though many saw Kabe’s inclusion to the story as a detriment, I did not. Actually, his debut episode is still one of my favorites in the show. I thought the way the show presented his rise and fall from fame was a well executed change of pace from the norm. The way his story was cleverly implemented into the story was seamless. However I do think that from the episode after his debut onward, the show does slowly lose the magic it once had. Early on I had wished that the series wouldn’t be a monster of the week ordeal. Each episode presents a hurdle that spells out the end for Eiko’s singing career, only for Koumei to miraculously pull through and come in clutch with his stratagem. I got my wish and as stated, I was pleased, initially. But the more the series progressed, the more of what made this series so fun became relegated to the sidelines. That being, Kongming. And it’s a gradual deviation, because instead of the series focusing on the titular duo of Eiko and Koumei, more and more side characters get introduced. And as a result, the focus shifts and the time spent with Eiko and Koumei in the same area becomes infrequent.

Kabe is often seen as the catalyst for the downfall of this show. But I disagree as I think it was Nanami’s arc that sealed it’s fate into mediocrity. The last exciting moment dedicated to kong-ming that reminds me of why I love the first few episodes so much, shows up again in Kabe’s rap duel with Kongming. Arguably the best moment of the show as we get an insane spectacle of their raps being personified into dragons and ancient chinese soldiers. Couple that Kabe’s solid verses getting decimated by Koumei’s eloquent soliloquies had me in stitches.

Afterwards Kabe doesn’t have much impact on the narrative, with his ‘hoora’ being a diss track he made for Azaela being performed live in the climax of the show. Calling her out for being two faced and fake like she is. Speaking of fake, Nanami’s “bond” with Eiko was my least favorite aspect of this series. Eiko’s relationship with Kabe at the very least was relegated to being nothing more than co-workers and being decently acquainted with one another. Eiko comes across Nanami performing on the street for fun and is moved by her performance. This wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the fact that their relationship moves at lightning speed. And before you know it, they’re already at the “the bffs split up phase” when, shocker, it's her band that’s been Eiko’s rival for the 100k follower challenge. Episode 7 onwards is dedicated to the following: Kabe bonding with his old pals, Nanami’s relationship with Eiko, Eiko trying to find her voice trying to impress a snobbish producer, and Azalea's group's uprising. Koumei is hardly present and most of the three kingdom references are completely dropped.

It doesn’t help that the episodes become padded with Nanami’s song being played by both Eiko and Nanami spontaneously throughout. Not to mention, the laziness is only more apparent when these scenes are accompanied by stills or just shots of their audience smiling. Although I was never a huge fan of Eiko in the first place, she served as a good foil to Kong-ming. Being this young woman who’s in touch with current trends and being eager to rise to fame nicely contrasts Koumei's calm, smart, and whimsical demeanor. And though he’s from a different time period, he assimilates to the new world he’s presented rather quickly. And as I said earlier, the show didn’t let this trope overstay its welcome and for that I was pleasantly surprised. However, I would’ve preferred it if the series took this concept and experimented more with it than just dropping it completely. Perhaps if it were to show one of Koumei’s stratagems being foiled by either modern tech or something that exists now that didn’t then. Though it does show that Koumei wasn’t an infallible person in a touching scene where he feels guilt about not partying with the soldiers of his king's army before what would be their final battle. It doesn’t focus on Koumei or his stratagems after a certain point, and instead we’re given backstories to characters that aren’t nearly as interesting as the man who this show is named after.

Paripi Koumei reminded me of another series called “Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad”. In that both are music series that deal with the long road it takes to become a superstar. But not only because of that, but because both develop a habit of playing the same few songs the in-universe characters created ad-nauseum throughout the series. And it’s done so often that it makes emotionally gripping moments feel like a parody of itself. The show started out with a ridiculous concept that surprised me with how well it worked. Once the show enters the “100k like” arc, it becomes a slow downward spiral into mediocrity. And if I want more of the magic that made this series special, I’d pick up the Romance Three-Kingdoms before I’d pick up the manga.