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Studio : GONZO
Licenced by : ADV Films
Length : 51 Episodes
Year : 2003
Genre : Drama - Slice of Life - Shoujo - Sports
Synopsis :
(by SleepyLafiel)
A young girl, Sora, travels from Japan to America in the hopes that she will be able to try out and perform in the circus stage show, Kaleido Stage. But once she arrives, troubling encounters after encounters befall her, preventing her from making the auditions in time. Can she still fullfill her dream even with the antagonism of the current star of Kaleido Stage, Layla Hamilton?
Alternative Synopsis :
(by Jessica Crucy)
Sora Naegino is a young woman with a dream. She wants more than anything to perform in the circus called the Kaleido Stage and become a Kaleido Star! Kaleido Stars are the top performers in the Kaleido Stage circus.
However Sora is in for a rough start. Layla, one of Kaleido Stars top performers, doesn't like her, two of other new girls Julie and Charlotte are always causing trouble for poor Sora and her boss Kalos is being extra hard on her it seems.
But with a lot of hard work and the help of her friends Anna and Mia, maybe, just maybe, she can achieve her dream.
Added : 2005-10-30
Synopsis by : SleepyLafiel / Jessica Crucy
Last update : 2009-07-09
Last update details : Seiyuu modified
Score : 9.27
Number of reviews : 11
Link(s) :
Official #1 : Kaleido Star Official Site (Jp)
A-Source #1 : Anime-Source.com DVD Review by Himitsu (Complete Set)
Song(s) :
Opening #1 : Sugar - Take It, Shake It
Opening #2 : Chihiro Yonekura - Yakusoku no Basho e / To the Promised Place
Opening #3 : r.o.r/s - Tattoo Kiss
Ending #1 : Sugar - Real Identity
Ending #2 : Sophia - Boku wa Kokoni Iru / I am Here
Ending #3 : r.o.r/s - Escape
Release(s) :
2005-10-05 -- Episode(s) 49 by Freedom-Rise. BT Link
2005-09-28 -- Episode(s) 52 by Anime Tracker Coalition. BT Link
2005-09-23 -- Episode(s) 48 by Freedom-Rise. BT Link
Found 61 releases. Click here to [ Find them! ]
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Posted by : Vortex_Magus
Posted on : 2008-10-10 
Kaleido Star is an amazing show. It starts on an original premise - a girl running away to join the circus - and showcases her development into a talented, mature, and confident performer.
The focus of the show is on Sora, a girl who dreams of being a performer and is constantly thrown into situations out of her depth. At first you find Sora likeable, if somewhat cliched, but as the series progresses, it is easy to see her changing into something far more than your typical wishy-washy airheaded shoujo lead. Kaleido Star does an *amazing* job with this.
Don't get me wrong - Kaleido Star is far from perfect. While most characters are likeable enough, the show repeats two basic plot formulas several times. No characters are really standout except for Sora and Layla, and there is zero romantic progression with zero strong male presence, except for the occasional ridiculously good-looking villain. The music was mediocre at best - suited to the anime, but not particularly standout past the context of the story.
But you know what? Despite all of the flaws I can easily list off the top of my head, Kaleido Star was still amazing enough that I'm giving it a ten. The show is family-friendly, light, and entertaining, yet it manages to accumulate depth and importance. It is the kind of show, that despite being drama and shoujo and whatever else you want to call it, that will resonate with any audience at any time. It is, quite frankly, beautiful.
Posted by : crazy3jackal08 
Posted on : 2008-02-21
There was something about this series that was inspirational. I'm glad i didn't miss this series because its up there in my list.
What I love most about this series was how the character development was strong which mixed in well with the story. The story tells a story of someone who could accomplish anything if they truly put their hearts to it. I would recommend this to anyone looking to learn a few things about life.
I just couldn't stop watching episode after episode. Once I saw Sora in the first few seconds of the series, it automatically hooked me. Her character is no doubt one of the best I have ever seen in any series.
This series deserves your time, you won't regret it. This series gets a perfect score in all aspects. Also the way they fight is with beauty and Grace. You'll see what I mean if you take a look on it.
Posted by : du5k
Posted on : 2007-04-26 
Kaleido Star is your very default "main character chases dream" anime, it's just that these stories comes with different dreams but same character. Well, it wasn't a bad style, it still sells well. The "dream" in this series is to become the best performer. Well, along the story it changes a bit here and there, but basically it's the same thing.
Then introducing out main character: Naegino Sora, it's easy to guess what kind of character she's like; enthusiastic, big dream, hardworking, determined, influential, etc.
Then came the supporting characters. A friend who will support her, prince charming, the amazing star, the funny friend, etc.
So what special about Kaleido Star? Well aside from the rather good animation, I can't really find anything special. But what’s worth the attention is the execution of this rather overused storyline, which is done pretty darn well. Sora got a lot of screen time, which allows her to powerfully convey her thoughts across without repeatedly ranting about the dream. The fail-and-try-again-and-succeed routine does seem to appear pretty often, but Kaleido star pump it up with more humor, more emotions, more suspense, etc. It wasn’t really special, but it was well done.
Plot-wise
Well, the bad stuff: Very corny intro; no effort seemed to put into the Kalos character; the fail-try-succeed routine repeats too many times; sometimes, too much exaggeration.
The first half of season two is rather bad too, they should have end it nicely with just season one. They introduced another super-clichéd emotionless bad-guy-turn-good-guy and a rival-turn-friend character, and kept showing the main character getting tossed around by them, which makes it VERY irritating. Luckily they ended it nicely for that season.
Story Style
More humor and emotions of the main character are probably the best selling point of the series. Because this kind of plot is used, you probably already know it’ll be like; main character overcomes obstacles with sheer determination and made her dreams come true. It’s just simply, well, well executed.
But I just can’t agree with some of the things they said. Well they said to realize their dreams you must risk your life while training and all that... if you didn't become the top, you’'re fired... I don't buy all these logic. They overdo it with the hard work thing, and they’ve made it unrealistic.
Animation
Aside from the start of the show where the characters face looks distorted sometimes, I gotta admit the animation’s really smooth. Even during the acrobatics, the animation is crisp and clear. Especially the last performance, it’s so beautiful I could cry.
Music and Sounds
Kaleido star always seems to have a lot of background music playing. The theme songs are rather good, especially the second and third opening theme, but the first op is terrible. And I find the "sparking" sound a little excessive sometimes.
Overall
If you don't mind this kind of old plot, you should give it a try.
Posted by : MoBoss79
Posted on : 2006-11-11
Kaleido Star is definitely a diamond in the rough! It caught me by suprise! The characters are all enjoyable and you root for them as the story goes along. Sora is of course the main character and goes through challenges the moment she gets of the plane. Visuals are amazing and the action sequences are stunning. This series is definitely a different approach for Gonzo, which is known for its action series and stunning art work. Kaleido Star is definitely a beautiful series and slips in hidden messages about hard work, determination, overcoming obsticles, and keeping good friends around you. I do recommend this for anyone who wants to see something different than your normal action anime.
Posted by : djmaca
Posted on : 2006-06-25
I just finished Kaleido Star within 2 days. The verdict? Nice but uncomparable to other Gonzo works that were much, much better.
Plot: 10
The idea of a stage that has a different type of gimmik is great. Acrobats instead of actors performing a play seems a bullseye idea.
Characters: 7
The characters though is as appealing as the idea. Though they do still have that same feel like other Gonzo characters...
Graphics: 8
Too much lights sometimes causes bad glare, but that may be just me...
Story: 8
The flow is not too fast nor is it slow. But then the second season was really frustrating. I was thinking "when the hell Sora hit back?"
Overall: 8
Some anime are like cars. If, let's say, Last Exile is a Ferrarri, this one is like a Civic. Still it is good to try this one out, but on weekends only.
Posted by : Himitsu
Posted on : 2006-01-01
I really enjoyed watching Kaleido Star, but I don't think it's a 5 star show. This series had many magical moments, beautiful animation, touching characters, inspirational messages, and even stunning costume designs - personally, my most aesthetically valued area.
No one can review this without mentioning Gonzo. The animation in this series is dramatically smooth, with beautiful vibrant colours! Every aspect of Kaleido Star was produced by the makers of my favourite series. The character design by Hajime Watanabe also did Kodocha and School Rumble (not my favourite series, but the character design influenced me to watch it in the first place). The direction is by Junichi Sato, he also directed Princess Tutu and Pretear. And I've already mentioned Gonzo's animation.
Sora Naegino is terribly dubbed. That's all I want to say.
The story was... standard. It's quite difficult to lead a unique direction with this type of theme. But surprisingly, there wasn't a lot of awkwardly cliche moments. Or even moments where the characters continually laugh when the audience doesn't find it funny at all (you see this a lot in Harem series).
Not a comedy series, but still funny. The humour was taken from the same things:
1) from Fool, the perverted stage-spirit
2) from Ken and his supposedly unrequited love.
I would have prefered more emphasis on the romance area, I found a more lovey-love atmosphere between Layla and Sora than Ken and Sora. No romance aspect, but they do surprisingly well without it.
The OP and ED themes were nothing special, same goes with the songs. But if I had to choose one, I would pick Tattoo Kiss, it somewhat gives me a nostalgic feeling since it has a more "old school" beat.
The background music? Lacking. Especially in variety.
They also made a big deal out of the "divine move" (sort of reminds me of Hikaru no Go). And then when it was done, I didn't find it astonishingly amazing. Surely, if I was in the real-life audience, then I would be flabbergasted because it definitely does not look PHYSICALLY possible. But the lack of splendid frames downplayed this "amazing" move.
Exciting, but not addicting.
Posted by : Yuun
Posted on : 2005-09-26
To me Kaleido Stage is a very magical and unique anime that I've ever watch in my years of watching anime. I believe that anime without Romance is a waste of time and that an anime for whatever genre it is, unless it comes along with Romance. Kaleido Star proves to me an anime can stand alone and be one of the outstanding one out there even without romance genre. Yes, Kaleido Star is the 1st anime of other genre than Romance that ever caught my attention and heart.
Seeing how our Heroine name Sora struggle to be a Star of Kaleido Stage really in touch with my emotions. I develop many mixed feelings in this anime and realize that how wonderful and magical that this anime could make me felt. At times, you'll felt anxious, curious, angry, sad, happy, excited and etc. There are many times when I was so into the anime that I forgot about the time. (I even Skip school because I couldn't bare the feeling of excitement to finish the series.)
Animation Qualities :
GONZO is famous for their magnificent heavy 3D animation and since Kaleido Star is the productions of year 2003, I aspect it to be a 3D animated series but surprisingly it? Kaleido Star is just like any other anime out there without much 3D or CGI image being put into it.
Yes, as far as I concern Kaleido Star is beautifully displayed with beautiful and magnificent colors. It felt every comfortable and the simple animation make it even appealing. The animation is not particular Special but 100% suitable with the series. The presentation is very well portrayed and animated.
Characteristic:
I don’t think I’ve ever seen such well develop and built characters in other anime but Kaleido Stage characters is more than words could describe. The characters are beautiful and simply eye catching. Every character is given a fair amount of development enough to make every single one of them attractive and audience could have the choice of their favorite characters.
My personal favorites would be Rosetta and I’m a fan of Sora as well. Yes I’m very entertained with the other characters since I was able to feel close and comfortable with all them. There are even characters that make you hate them and forgive them later and even felt sorry for them. (Example: Yuri and Leon...)
Sora was simply amazing and I believe that if anyone could ever change their own destiny, Sora will be the one. To top it of, Sora gives hope to others and even changes their destiny and dreams. Simply put Sora is a very developed character and I’m really attached to her.
I don’t think Kaleido Star would be beaten down easily by other anime when it comes to characters and their development. Simply put, Kaleido Star has the Magical Spell to glue your eyes on the screen and that Spell comes from the Characters. This section is the strongest point of this series or so I believe...
Story Plot:
I’ve learn a lot from this series to the extend that I’ve changed a lot in my real life. I learn the importance of taking things seriously and struggles without giving up is the way to success. Sora have shown a great deal of courage and strive hard with the never give up spirit to move forward. When she meets with tough challenges, she cried and put her own feet back on the ground with amazing spirit and courage. This is our Sora and the entire series all about, it is not easy to become a Super Star on one of the most prestige Stage in the world, the Kaleido Stage!
The story plot is very well unfold and the way they do it simply amazing. Why is that so? The show not only amaze the audience with the breath taking scene but it also touch the audiences heart and warm them when they’re cold and cool them when they’re hot. Sometimes I felt like I’m among the audience in the anime watching their performances live. This is a very mysterious feeling of being absorbed into the anime that I can never put into words.
BGM & Songs:
The opening and ending is very well done! The songs were suitable for the anime and give the anime more atmosphere and sensation. I found myself singing side by side with the opening and ending most of the time. As for the BGM, they fit nicely into every scene and give you the feeling and a very pleasant mood as you continue watching the series.
Overall:
I would say this is a master piece and is the best anime ever produced by GONZO. The series touches audience feelings and this is what really matters in any Movie or Anime. Kaleido Star really is a truly amazing series, and personally I never felt regret over watching this series at all. I even thank GOD for given me a chance to do so!
This anime deserve the best Score since this anime is much too perfectly well done for its own genre. It might be even better if there were ROMANCE in it but like I say, even a person who craze only for ROMANCE anime could fall for anime like this proves that this series simply amazing. The finale is beautifully made and signs its end with satisfaction beyond words.
Yes I enjoy this series beyond my own expectations and I’m very please with it. Will there be any anime out there that could satisfy me to this extend? Well I do not know what the future holds for me but as far as I concern, I’ve never felt so satisfied watching an anime like Kaleido Star before and I would recommend Kaleido Star to anyone out there! Since this is more like a family anime so I encourage everyone to watch it with their families. This is a MUST WATCH ANIME!!!!
Posted by : anishell
Posted on : 2005-09-24
I really love this anime. Usually I dont watch something more than once even if it's good UNLESS it's really really good and this is just one of them.
First of all what I really love about this anime is the circus perfomances with all the bright colors and beautiful effects. It's like Circus Du Suliel. most of the performances give me the goose bumps because they are just so exciting and breath taking.
Secondly, there is something always new in every episode whether it's the perfomances or Sora's determination to become a Star. When Sora is in trouble or in a depressing situation, you can feel nothing but feel sad for Sora. But things would tend to chip up as Sora finds a solution to her problems.
There is abit of romance too so this will be very interesting for girls. There are plenty of humor too to make this anime very delightful to have as a DVD.
I think both the English and the Japanese voice acting are good. But it seems like Sora voice acting in the English dub version have lost some enthusiasm in the last half of the series. But overall, this anime is absolutely pleasing to watch and to keep to share with all your friends and family.
Posted by : 1412kid
Posted on : 2005-07-21
Another quality work from Gonzo.
Honestly, I had second thoughts before starting to watch this tittle but allow me to begin, shall we.
The plot exclusively focuses on the main heroine, Naegino Sora, and how she manages herself in Kaleido Stage. In addition, any other character development is placed together alongside her. It's worth mentioning that the creators of this anime took a wise decision on not placing too many scenes on how to perform certain acts in the Kaleido Stage, because had they allowed it that would only complicate the main purpose of the story. Moreover, comedy is plenty in this series too and blends naturally even at the most serious moments.
By the way, the music is satisfying, however, I do feel that certain BGM scores have been used redundantly over all this anime (anyways, it fits in-depth with the scenarios). As for the OP and ED songs, all of them are quite enjoyable in a way.
Next, we have the cast introducing characters that are quite unique, each one possessing their individual personality. For example, there is a charater named Yuri Killian who at the begining you may think he is a good, supporting person, but at the half section of the series you'll surely get to witness his true colours. In addition, the past for each character is also narrated in the show (ok, not too much like Naruto).
Enviroment is formed together with CGI's. Like any other Gonzo production expect to see a variety of interesting view and stage play; another thing, do not expect the heroine staying over at one place and job only.
Overall, a funny title for the whole family to watch over and over again. However, the result is that some more impact is missing in this anime, making it unable to become a true masterpiece. In short, if you're tired of watching anime with serious or depressing content, this plain but great show is not bad. I give it a four out of five.
Posted by : Guido
Posted on : 2005-01-12
When I first heard of "Kaleido Star" and got acknowledged that Junichi Satou was the author behind it, I didn't think twice to get that series.
And boy did my expectations pay off, yes, indeed, they did!!
Why you will ask me I'm so fond for that man?, because Junichi Satou was the man responsible for Pretear, which I'm very fond of.
The embellishing work that he achieved in Pretear, he turned it into a beautiful masterpiece for all family audiences within Kaleido Star.
What I do not understand is why anyone else has been unable to see the genius that this man is in both his artwork and directorial style?
Anyways, returning to topic:
What I can really tell you is that once you get used to the plot, you might be able to feel the ride from this comic but persevering anime.
The positive things I can tell you about Kaleido Star are:
1) Has comical or funny antics which never get overboard or exaggerated.
2) There's a multiple cast of characters which you might end loving some of them.
3) It lasts 51 episodes.
4) There's clear emotional development for the main characters, as also a theme of self perseverance; never giving up about the goals you set during the course of your life.
5) It teaches about fighting for a dream.
Though it takes time for the story/plot to develop, that's why it has to be covered up with some fillers during the initial episodes, however, the filler episodes are neither senseless nor useless; there's clear morale or fable teaching in them that never gets old, if you're a firm believer about achieving your goals.
Posted by : fuzzyponsays
Posted on : 2004-12-14
Kaleido Star is a great, unique anime ( think Cirque de Soleil meets Full Moon wo Sagashite ) that I would recommend to anyone who is looking for something fun and entertaining to watch.
The story line follows Sora and her attempts to become a star at the Kaleido Stage... a kind of artistic circus. The plot line is continuous, no bad guy of the day gets defeated sort of thing. The personal growth of the characters and their interactions are also well-developed and relatable to watch. As far as characters go, they are either very well-developed or virtually non-existent. The main character, 16-year old Sora, is completely loveable and fun, and you will always find yourself rooting for her.
The animation is done very well in bright vivid colors that reflect the anime's overall light tone. The music is decent. After all, they are putting on performances.
Kaleido Star is definitely one of my favorite "fun" animes to watch when I just want to laugh and not think about philosophical things or watch a lot of fighting, but still is exciting and addicting to watch.
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