Paripi Koumei

Zhuge Kongming earned a reputation as one of the greatest tacticians of the Three Kingdoms period of third-century China. Having led his army through countless grueling victories, Kongming falls gravely ill during the Battle of Wuzhang Plains. The weariness and regret stemming from the seemingly never-ending war catch up to him, and as he draws his final breath, Kongming wishes that if he were to reincarnate, he would be reborn in a more peaceful era.

His wish comes true, and Kongming wakes up in modern-day Tokyo with a younger body and his memories intact. Thrust into an unfamiliar world, he finds his way into a nightclub and meets Eiko Tsukimi, an aspiring singer whose performance immediately captivates him. Pitying his confusion, Eiko takes Kongming under her wing and teaches him about the current world, which leads to Kongming's interest in contemporary music. Seeing Eiko's immense musical potential, Kongming vows to make the world recognize her and soon takes on the role of her manager.

Unsurprisingly, the music industry is unforgiving to those who make even the slightest mistakes. Still, Kongming is determined to accomplish his goals—even if he must utilize the war stratagems he famously used in his previous life!

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Tsukimi, Eiko Main

Hondo, Kaede Japanese

Zhuge, Kongming Main

Okiayu, Ryoutarou Japanese

Kabe Taijin ing

Chiba, Shouya Japanese

Kuon, Nanami ing

Yamamura, Hibiku Japanese

Owner Kobayashi ing

Fukushima, Jun Japanese

Eiko's Fan ing

Hanae, Natsuki Japanese

DJ Satori ing

Sekitoba, Kung Fu ing

Kimura, Subaru Japanese

Kido, Steve ing

Endou, Daichi Japanese

Iriomote, Mia ing

Kobayashi, Yuu Japanese

Aoi, Hiroyuki Producer

Tsuji, Mitsuhito Producer

Itou, Youhei Producer

Matsumura, Kazuto Producer

Reviews

Jun 16, 2022

SingleH

Recommended

Paripi Koumei is very silly and very good, and while there isn’t much you can say about it in a review, there’s very much to enjoy when you actually watch it. The legendary Chinese tactician, Zhuge Liang, being isekai’d to modern-day Tokyo, becoming the manager of an adorable amateur EDM idol, using his strategic prowess to conquer the world of music, and leading the girl to stardom using the art of war is easily the most confusingly out-of-left-field storyline I’ve seen in years. Despite having such a weird premise, though, it sells you on the characters instantly, and you just watch it like a normal ... show. But it isn’t normal. It’s really goofy, and the fact it was so easily able to make me forget about that simple truth says a lot about how undeniably enjoyable and engaging it is. I know most of us were drawn here by the modern classic that is Paripi Koumei’s opening theme, because that music and those dances are absolutely stellar, but believe me when I say this show is so much more than well-marketed memes and gifs. Zhuge Liang, or “Koumei” (Kongming), as they call him, is immediately charismatic, affable, and hilarious, and despite this comical portrayal of his historical self, the show actually did its research when referencing his life and accomplishments, as well as how his old strategies are applied to helping Eiko, the adorable amateur, realize her dreams and achieve her goals. Eiko herself—and every other character we meet throughout the show for that matter—is also equally lovable for her own unique set of reasons. Please don’t forget that taking a step back reveals a show about a borderline mythical Chinese tactician from antiquity helping a wide-eyed anime waifu become a famous pop star. This is dumb shit. But that doesn’t matter. Well-written, likable characters are well-written, likable characters no matter what, and no matter how absurd the gimmick is, the underdog story this series has to offer is seriously uplifting.

There’s cost-cutting every once in a while, and the CG pedestrians are what they are, but overall this show looks fantastic. PA Works is generally a great studio anyway, but they really knocked it out of the park with this one. The music is fantastic—and not just the insert songs for the big dedicated performance sequences, which themselves are phenomenal. The characters will just be sitting in an office talking, and I’m not even paying attention to anything they’re saying, because I’m too busy loving whatever electronic music is playing in the background. The performances in the first two episodes were already so good, they actually reignited my three-year-old searing hatred for Carole & Tuesday. These people are on stage doing all these crazy movements from all these difficult angles with NO ROTOSCOPE, and their mouths are all animated perfectly in sync with the music, and I’m screaming, “Could you IMAGINE if Carole & Tuesday looked this good for even a FRACTION of a fucking second?!” I can see some elements of this show being unfortunately difficult to appreciate from the perspective of international audiences who don’t speak Japanese—especially during the rap sections, where every subtitle track I ed somehow managed to be a crime against both the English language AND the Japanese language—but with specific accessibility issues aside, Paripi Koumei truly is one of those rare TV shows that you can quite literally “recommend to anyone,” because it’s genuinely creative and fun to watch, and there really isn’t any other way I know how to express that in text. Just watch it, jam out to all its catchy tracks and gorgeous performances, cheer for its charming cast of memorable characters, laugh at its self-aware ridiculousness, and take a good few seconds to laugh at yourself for even being able to take seriously something this silly. Your willingness to do so will be a testament to the playful, happy mood it’s put you in.

Thank you for reading.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jun 16, 2022

LoveScope

Mixed Feelings

Well that was disappointing. I'm not sure what killed my enjoyment more, the lack of direction after episode 5, that same one song that was bland despite having a talented singer or Kabe. Wait I know, it was the padding and lack of Koumei. You know, the reason many of us picked up the anime in the first place? They somehow managed to make me not care about Eiko halfway through.

Maybe PA Works should have consulted with Koumei regarding how long they were gonna stretch an arc since they are so used to making original shows that span over 13 episodes? Nah let's just add ... more anime original crap and have Eiko sing that one song again, which was far less appealing than the OP or the fun ED which was also a cover. The stale rap battles/freestyles/whatever you kids call it these days didn't help either.

At some point I was hopeful they were done with the bs since towards the last episodes they handled a new characters intro and backstory decently, but then that falls flat with the pacing. It is a shame when you get talented individuals to make an anime and just squander everything like that but well, it is what it is. Honestly PA Works, just stick to making anime like Sakura Quest. Adaptations are not your forte.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Jun 23, 2022

sddsdd

Not Recommended

Funny

Came in hoping for a breath of fresh air and the dark horse of the season; left disappointed that the novelty of the premise couldn't save it from being a trite, paint-by-numbers story of musical success.

The core failing of Paripi Koumei lies in Kongming and Eiko's relationship. What should have been an interesting dynamic as the two work closely together to achieve a common dream instead feels unengaging and incohesive as, from the very beginning of the show, Kongming tells Eiko to leave all of the strategizing to him. As a result, Eiko's personal involvement in Kongming's plans drops to near zero as virtually ... her entire role is just to sing and follow Kongming's instructions to the letter– this abject imbalance in their relationship made it impossible for me to develop any sort of attachment to their shared struggle. The blind faith that Eiko (and other characters) have in Kongming is not only extremely boring, it obstructs any meaningful development in their relationship over the course of the series as they continue to accept Kongming's decisions without question.

Kongming's unilateral decision-making even goes as far as Eiko's singing, as he makes changes to the composition of her music that Eiko, rather than expressing reservations about (like you would normally expect), simply accepts with little complaint or input. That Kongming would be able to shamelessly meddle in something that constitutes the core of Eiko's identity should make it abundantly clear that her subservience to Kongming is ultimately set in stone.

Eiko having minimal influence in her own success reduces her character to the upbeat and determined singer whose entire role is to sing at the very end and mysteriously win over the hearts of the crowd. And while I was never a particular fan of her music, hearing her perform the same three songs (and have the audience react in the exact same way) over and over again only exacerbated how clichè and dull the entire experience was.

The clichès don't stop at just EIko, however, as the show (particularly the second half) is plagued with a plethora of tropes executed in the most insipid way possible: The genius musician who tells Eiko that her singing lacks her own character; the cynical and seemingly evil producer; the singer whose ion for music is no match for the greed of the industry. These all culminate in the finale of the series, which– without spoiling– is a nonstop series of developments so generic that I was genuinely left aghast at what the show had become.

I'll it that I initially found some enjoyment in seeing Kongming try to make it in modern Tokyo– but once that wore off, I was left with nothing more than a hackneyed narrative, whose themes of "ion in the face of corporatism" is directly contradicted by how entirely safe and bland the entire thing felt.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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