The Kaleido Star Vol-1: Welcome to Kaleido Stage (2004)
Animation Production: Gonzo
Released by: ADV Films
Episodes: 1-5
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

A week or so ago we took an early look at the upcoming DVD release for Kaleido Star New Wings Vol-1 from ADV Films and as you probably saw by that review I am enthralled by everything about this show, from concept, to the artistic trapeze performances and the extraordinarily amazing story and characters, Kaleido Star is an animated triumph unlike any other anime series before it or after.

Now that our review for Kaleido Stage New Wings volume 1 is online I thought it would be a good idea to go back to the start of the series and see how Sora’s journey begins and how she ends up as a member of the elite Kaleido Stage.

Let’s Fly!

Story

“Sora is an ordinary girl with an extraordinary dream -- she wants to be a Kaleido Star
The Kaleido Stage is a circus extravaganza with death defying stunts, flying trapeze artists, and magical clowns. The top performers of the Kaleido Stage are a handful super acrobats known as Kaleido Stars. When sixteen-year-old Sora Naegino arrives in San Francisco with little more than her dreams in tow, she has a chance encounter with mysterious man who immediately recognizes her potential for the stage. Sora can’t believe her luck when the stranger turns out to be Kalos, owner of the Kaleido Stage. But things are never really that easy, and Sora will have to turn cartwheels to get past the power of a Kaleido Stage diva named Liela. ” - DVD box

Review

This first volume in ADV Films’ release of Kaleido Star contains episodes one through five in the series, which include:

Episode 1: My Amazing Stage Debut!
Kaleido Stage is the world’s most amazing performance stage with many of the leading trapeze artists and entertainers from around the globe taking part in unbelievable performances that dazzle audiences young and old. Anything can happen here, including dreams coming true.

Today it’s Sora’s dream that has brought her to Kaleido Stage. She dreams of the day when she finally can take part in the elaborate performances here and maybe even act side by side with her idol and the reason she is here, Layla Hamilton. However, when she ends up being late for the auditions her dreams quickly crumble. Now the only thing that stands between her and Kaleido Stage is an unexpected role in tonight’s show! Can Sora pull it off?

Episode 2: My Amazing and Lonely Challenge!
Sora is now a full-fledged member of Kaleido Stage! Now if only her fellow performers and rookies could accept her and the way by which she made it into the show things will fall into place nicely.

Things are never that easy though and Sora ends up at the other end of a challenge by Layla to perform her Golden Phoenix routine. If she fails to do it she is to leave Kaleido Stage immediately. Can Sora pull off this complicated routine within one week’s time?

Episode 3: The Amazing Distant Stage
Kaleido Stage is ready to debut a new show and all the newcomers are set to star in it, that is, all of them except Sora! Our protagonist will instead be handing out toys to the kids who come to the show, but even though it may not look it this will be an important role for her! Do your best Sora!

Episode 4: Try Hard and You'll Get an Amazing Chance
With the production of the new show heating up and pressure mounting Mia requests that Sora and Anna join her in the role of the Fairy Godmother. To pull this off they’ll need to execute a new routine they name Triple Illusion, but can they perfect the routine in 3 days? It won’t be easy!

Episode 5: My Amazing Distant Family
Sora’s father has come from Japan because he and his wife are worried about their daughter and he thinks that the right thing for Sora is to come back to Japan. What will Sora decide? Kaleido Stage or her home…

This my friends, is what anime is all about! Imaginative, energetic, colorful, inspiring, captivating, and fun, Kaleido Star is all of this and so much more. The show definitely justifies all the hype that preceded its release when it was first announced in Japan and at times easily surpasses any preconceptions we may have had of it.

The core premise of the series is fairly simple and reminiscent of many great anime series dating back to Attack No.1, a very popular Volleyball-themed series from the early 70’s. At the center of the story we have Sora, a young girl who dreams of one day becoming a star of Kaleido Stage, the world’s most extravagant stage production (think Cirque de Soleil), but before she can accomplish this she must first work her way through several challenges and obstacles that will be put in her way. Friends will be made and rivals will appear to test her skills and mental stamina, and through it all she must thread her own path and find the road that will lead to her dreams.

So in many respects this series is setup very much like a traditional sports anime series. The feel is the same, the obstacles and rivals that tend to populate these types of works are all well represented and even some of the pieces of music that accompany the training and testing scenes take you back to those of other works that set the anime world on fire many years ago. However, while a certain level of familiarity and popular sports anime elements are present in this series, Kaleido Star takes them to a whole new level and infuses them with a different flavor that make them feel renewed, rather than revisited.

In terms of the storyline, these five episodes basically are designed to set up Sora’s journey into the world of Kaleido Stage and introduce the people that will play the roles of friends/supporters, rivals, and magical guide. This crucial part of the narrative is handled with tremendous elegance by the show’s writers who spare us the cookie-cutter approach that fills the early episodes of so many other shows. By the time episode five is rolling along we are in a comfortable place with Sora and the Kaleido Star universe that allows us to immerse ourselves fully into plotline and cheer for our heroine.

In terms of the competition/tournament aspect of the show, Kaleido Star shines like no other series I’ve ever seen! With its brilliant stage productions designs, unique costumes and imaginative use of color and textures Sora’s testing grounds are some of the most welcoming and alluring of any anime world I have ever visited. I give the designers and animators that worked on these scenes a great deal of credit for what they were able to pull off.

Production-wise the show is as beautiful to look at now as it was in the previous season. The theatrical segment in which Sora takes on dual roles was tremendously enjoyable and magnificent to look at. The animation is mostly speaking very good, with the theatrical segment adding an extra level of pizzazz. The soundtrack is fun and lively to listen to with several pieces that capture the spirit of Sora’s personality and spirit. The voice acting was needless to say very well done, with the English dub being particularly well directed and acted.

On the DVD front this is another great release from ADV Films, that comes loaded with many goodies! These bonuses include a small cardboard standee of Sora and a character profile sheet inside the box. In addition the DVD itself comes with production sketches, clean copies of the opening and ending theme songs and previews for several other ADV Films releases. Both the audio and video transfers seemed perfect with no visible problems to report on.

Final Thoughts

A terrific series about one’s pursuit for his/her dreams and the road there. Kaleido Star is the kind of journey every anime fan should take and enjoy.

Kaleido Star gets our highest recommendations!

Jeffrey Couto