Kirarin☆Revolution

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Writing my very first review because I couldn’t stand seeing this manga left with only a negative one. T_T

Story

I read Kirarin☆Revolution multiple times when I was within its intended age group (like 13 years ago), and I absolutely loved it. It was my very first manga, which gives it a special place in my heart, but nostalgia alone isn’t what makes it work. Yes, it is full of classic shoujo clichés, but that’s also part of its charm (much like any other shoujo). The story is not focused on realism, but on growth, effort, and believing in your dreams.

Kirari starts knowing absolutely nothing about the ... idol world, but after falling in love with an idol, she becomes determined to enter that world herself. She is a complete disaster at first: she can’t sing or act, and even simple things like baking or sewing go hilariously wrong... but she works tirelessly to learn everything from scratch. Her determination, attitude, and natural brightness show that she has the potential to shine. The story reinforces that dreams come true only when you give your all, that luck and opportunities favor those who work for them, and that good things happen when you remain genuine and kind, even when it's hard.

Characters/Relationships

Kirari’s journey is about resilience, kindness, and emotional growth in a highly competitive industry. She faces several rivals who often use underhanded tactics, but Kirari never stoops to their level. Instead, she overcomes them through honest competition, creativity, positive thinking, and unwavering dedication. While some are completely overwhelmed by this, others (llike Fubuki) eventually come to respect her after recognizing her genuine effort, talent, and perseverance, becoming more like “friendly rivals.”

Hiroto’s "colder and harsher" side of his tsundere personality often pushes Kirari to face reality, fueling a healthy determination that helps her work harder and fight for her goals. His bluntness can sometimes hurt or be frustrating, but it frequently serves as a grounding force. In contrast, Seiji plays a supportive role: consistently kind, gentle, and emotionally aware of what’s happening around him. He offers comfort and stability, and ultimately helps both Kirari and Hiroto realize their feelings for each other. This was never a true love triangle, as Kirari’s feelings for Seiji were more idealized than romantic. Over the course of the story, she genuinely falls in love with Hiroto and gradually comes to understand her true feelings.

Erina, Kirari’s first rival, is a stereotypical jealous character whose “cute and innocent” façade hides manipulative behavior, which can be uncomfortable but is intentional. The reader sees through her act, while fans in the story (and even Kirari, who considers her a friend) do not. This reflects how real-life idols can mask unpleasant behavior behind a perfect public image. Though sometimes cringeworthy, her role reinforces the story’s commentary on appearances, competition, and authenticity. It's a pattern also seen with many of Kirari’s other rivals, who project calm, friendly or mature images while being much harsher/evil behind the scenes.

Art

The art style of Kirarin☆Revolution reflects the era in which the manga was released, with its large shoujo eyes, expressive faces, and soft, flowing lines. This style perfectly matches the lighthearted, optimistic tone of the story and appeals strongly to its younger/girly audience. While not hyper-detailed, the artwork is incredibly charming. The outfits, in particular, are a standout feature: from Kirari’s cute costumes to the flamboyant and playful idol stage outfits, each design adds personality and energy to the scenes, reflecting both the fashion trends of the time and the imaginative, whimsical world of japanese idols.

As an artist myself, I find this style deeply inspiring; not only for its expressiveness and charm, but also for the way it captures emotion, the vibrant energy of the idol world, its overall cuteness, and how perfectly it matches Kirari’s bright and cheerful personality. Even today, the art maintains a nostalgic appeal that makes it a joy to revisit!

Final Thoughts

While intended for a younger audience, this manga still offers enough emotional nuance and character development, with a clear structure and well-balanced pacing. The manga is superior to its anime adaptation, even though the anime was a major success. Kirarin☆Revolution may not appeal to readers seeking realism, darker themes, or modern aesthetics, but when considered in the context of its lighthearted tone, its intended audience, and the era in which it was released, it sure delivers a warm and meaningful story about kindness, perseverance, and chasing your dreams. The only reason I didn’t give it a perfect score is that I would have loved to see more of the romantic moments and the development of the relationship between Kirari and Hiroto. The pacing felt a bit rushed from the moment they clearly realized their feelings to the beginning of their relationship and then to the story’s conclusion. I enjoyed it so much that I would have happily read even more if the story had continued tho!

Premise:
Kirarin(star) Revolution starts out with the typical "kid wants to be a famous star and immediately gets an audition/record contract with a huge music corporation or the coveted lead actress role.

However, the difference in those other cliche shows are the characters and the wacky hijinks they go through before getting to that high status of life. It's a lot more fun seeing the journey, you know! I would have loved a few scenes of the idol auditioning process being much harder (especially since they weren't even looking for her type). She should have had to go through rounds of eliminations and call backs, but ... against the (shoujo) odds she beats out hundreds of others.

Plot:
I don't mind the unrealistic plot. Being a shoujo reader means you have definitely seen more far-fetched junk. We all love a dose of fantasy and once in a million chances, but that's really the only thing KR has ... Kirari is super lucky .

I mean she is the epitome of luck (even throughout her clumsy mistakes). I ain't gon be mad though. I would love to have the ability to transform into a brand new, flowing gala dress after a mere poker card ripped my blouse and pants.

Art:
As far as the artwork, it is the trash of the Earth. I know that is super harsh, but it is how I feel. It is also the epitome of poop. Some animes/mangas get flack for oversized eyes. Mind you, this is one of them. The flack is well-deserved. This chick's eyes take up 3/4's of her face in huge oval mirrors. There are literally pages with disproportionate eyes which no one but the reader points out (maybe the editor thought the manga was too far-gone to care anymore). It's a shame that a huge focus is on her eyes because they are beyond ugly to me.

The outfits are okay. Hiroto and Seiji's idol outfits make me snicker a bit because they look like white geese with fluffy collars. Some of Kirari's outfits are cute.

The art's not very detailed besides a few fold lines here and there.

Also, don't read this manga online, because a bunch of the scanlations are too dark and an eyesore.

The thing about good art is sometimes it will make you continue a terrible manga just because it's so visually appealing. I remember wanting to drop Black Bird a few times, but I chose not to because of the excellent artwork (and a few other characters I liked). Maybe if I liked the art here more, it would have had more of a chance.

Characters:
The characters are flatter than a pancake butt. None of them were endearing to me. I didn't even like the cat, but I'm not a cat person so... I did like Kirari's school friends and Kaname to an extent.

Kirari is the usual good girl with a heart of gold who loves to eat and make friends, but, unlike let's say Mikan (from Gakuen Alice), I never cared for her. She just came off too annoying. At least, it's acknowledged she's a bad singer.

Hiroto is the worst tsundere ever. It would have been more believable if he was a sensitive guy who was trying to be more bad-boy like and tough. None of his cold-hearted responses or mean jabs felt sincere. It's like he picked at everything Kirari said just so he could have the title of tsundere. Some things were said for almost no reason.

Loose Example:
Kirari: I look so nice in my new clothes
Hiroto: Those clothes would look good on a horse *cue frown-y, emo face*

Erina was just ugh! I hate the jealous, female love rival character that appears in almost EVERY shoujo manga ever! She's not cute enough (like Elmo) or cool enough (like Numbuh 5) to be talking in the third person.

Seiji was flat too. I suppose he was the princely, sweet guy to Hiroto's tsundere guy. His swirly glasses were cool though.

Also, I didn't like the childhood lover who waited all this time to but into her life.

Relationship:
I never went far enough into the manga to see when and if Seiji began to like Kirari back.

I do like SOME cliches like the tsundere acerbic boy falls in love with the cute girl who is the epitome of sunshine. In this case, I didn't care who ended up with who. My guess is Fake-tsundere (Hiroto) and Big Time Popstar (Kirari) probably ended up together.

I tried to skip to later chapters to see who Kirari went with or the big shoujo kiss every manga has but I couldn't do it... I got so BORED! X___X

Conclusion:

I had to force myself to keep reading this manga. If you don't get enjoyment from reading it from the get-go, then drop it!

Perhaps, the anime is better?

Anyway, if the plot doesn't defeat you then the artwork will or the characters' flatness will deal you fatality! Kirarin(star)Revolution is a critical K-O!