Enstars Log

Summary: UNDEAD has a job to perform at an amusement park and later finds out they're performing for children.

Notes: I'll be honest, this one was... weird. It's only 4 chapters long, but they manage to fit in a whole lot of weird comments from Kaoru in such a short span of time. No important lore of note either.

Recommend?: Skip this one

Summary: Kanata goes missing for a few days, and Kaoru and Souma search for him at the aquarium as fellow members of the Marine Life Club. Anzu comes along, and Kaoru tries his hardest to spend some time with her alone, but Souma isn't having it. Kaoru finds Kanata entertaining visitors at the aquarium, and it turns out that the aquarium has fallen on hard times. As the Shinkai family owns the business, Kanata has been desperately trying to save it for the sake of the animals. Madara manages to scrape together an impromptu live at the aquarium that Kaoru, Kanata, and Souma participate in. Wataru, Rei, Sora, and Hinata also happen to be visiting as guests.

Notes: Interesting interactions between Kanata and Madara, as well as Kanata and Kaoru. I already like Kanata as a character, but he's grown on me more since reading this story. Sora's appearance in this was also very cute; Hinata helps him from becoming overstimulated by colors, and Sora shows that he can "see" dolphin calls. Rei doesn't have much of a role in this one, he's just kind of hanging out and being embarrassed by Wataru.

Recommend?: Yes, especially for Marine Biology Club fans

Summary: Rei invites 2wink and RYUSEITAI to work as attendants at a beach house his friend owns. 2wink hands out flyers while RYUSEITAI serves customers and moves equipment around. Hinata decides this isn't enough and plans a set of challenges for both units: Beach Flag and watermelon splitting. 2wink ends up winning, and they get the right to perform an impromptu Live at the beach house.

Notes: A cute story that isn't lore-dense, as it's mostly just the kids playing around and working diligently. Rei spends most of the big day asleep but has a cute beach outfit anyway. Kanata reveals he likes cold soup and tries to put ice cubes in ramen broth, and he says weird shit about watermelons.

Recommend?: Good but skippable

Summary: Kaoru is given a modeling job by Eichi (this story seems to be shortly after WANTED!!! takes place). Anzu asked Arashi to help him practice, but Arashi sends Izumi instead. Because the theme of the job is weddings, Kaoru starts thinking about his sister's arranged marriage and struggles with his photos. Izumi becomes frustrated with him, and Kaoru leaves to the seaside where he cries and tells Kanata about his problems. After he feels better about the situation, he comes back and Izumi combs his hair and does his makeup. Kaoru is able to take better photos, and Izumi stays to help him keep practicing.

Notes: The story that might make me start enjoying Izumi. It's a very good Kaoru-centered story, but Izumi is great in this one too. Not much to say since it's a short story, but there's some interesting Hakaze family lore in here.

Recommend?: Yes, if you particularly like Kaoru or Izumi

Summary: Details the events surrounding Kanata, Chiaki, and Akatsuki 1-2 years before ! era. It particularly concerns the Shinkai cult and how the "living god" Kanata is saved and--metaphorically--transformed into a human being by Chiaki.

Notes: Oh my god. Oh, god. I don't even know where to start with this one. Given the long list of content warnings, I expected it to be a harder read, but it wasn't that bad and I got really hooked by it. I'm not a huge RYUSEITAI fan, but the bond between Kanata and Chiaki is so compelling that it doesn't matter. It also gives us some more insight into how the Five Eccentrics are targeted by the Student Council which is heartbreaking in its own way. Madara is also here, and his relationship to Kanata is expanded upon. Overall a really lore-dense story that gives interesting context to future Kanata-related stories. It's 54 chapters but totally worth it.

Recommend?: Yes, with caveats. The most brutal moments for me personally were the ones about Kuro being bullied; while the story focuses mainly on the Shinkais and their bloody history, a lot of it is in the past tense. As in, no, there is no cannibalism or human sacrifice in the story itself. I found the content warnings to be largely erring on the side of caution, but your mileage may vary.

Summary: Souma tells Adonis about how he's been feeding and looking after Kamegorou, a pond turtle being kept by the Marine Life Club. Adonis and Anzu come along to meet the turtle, and Kaoru and Kanata cause some mischief along the way.

Notes: A short story that illustrates the very early Marine Life Club dynamic. Kaoru is particularly unbearable in this one, but Souma's enthusiasm for turtle care and his interactions with Adonis make up for it.

Recommend?: Fine but skippable. Exhibits some early-! roughness. Another one for Marine Bio Club fans.

Summary: Hinata and Yuta come to the Light Music Club only to find that nobody is there, and Anzu's sports jacket is on Rei's coffin along with an illegible note. They immediately suspect foul play and recruit Koga's help in sniffing out Rei and Anzu. Meanwhile, Anzu is just helping Rei look for a borrowed pair of glasses and an umbrella he misplaced outside. Rei's phone is also dead because technology is beyond his capabilities. The characters keep getting caught in the rain and just missing each other until they reunite at the end.

Notes: A very sweet story that makes me believe in Rei/Anzu a little bit. I'm always endeared by how kind he is to her—and by extension the player she represents. He shows so much love and consideration in this story, from reminding her to be careful in the rain to gently joking around with her. One thing I wonder about in this story is who he borrowed those glasses from in the first place. I suspected either Tsumugi or Keito, and I feel like I remember Rei talking about borrowing glasses from Tsumugi in a different story. Possibly Devils? More rereading is needed. The Aois are also interesting in this story, in that the differences in their personalities shine through clearer than usual. Koga's frankly dog-like sense of smell continues to confound me.

Recommend?: Good, especially for Rei fans, but skippable

Summary: Rei is in an usually stormy mood, and he brings it to UNDEAD's attention that a photo of Kaoru with a girl has appeared in a scandalous magazine article. He reassures them that he'll be able to take care of the situation through his connections, but he scolds Kaoru for his playboy behavior and urges him to rethink his priorities; does Kaoru care more about girls or being an idol? Except later it turns out the whole thing was fabricated by Rei, and he put on the whole act just to get Kaoru to consider his future. Nazuna temporarily rejoins Valkyrie so that they can perform in the Starlight Festival, and Ra*bits has earnest talks about their own priorities and how much the group means to them.

Notes: This is one where Rei makes strange decisions but ultimately has compelling reasons. I'm fascinated by his habit where he decides on a course of action independent of anyone else because he's convinced it'll be helpful to others' growth and development. It usually tends to work out well, but sometimes his plans backfire and produce unexpected results. I'm interested in this habit as one of Rei's character flaws, though I don't know that I'm totally satisfied with how it's written in canon. Back to Romantic Comedy, Rei also explains that he yearns to connect to Kaoru but doesn't know how, and he wishes to stand with Kaoru as equals but won't force him to stay in UNDEAD if being an idol isn't important to him. This thought process becomes really compelling to me when I think about how often !-era Kaoru blows off idol practice and how much Rei struggles to work with him; Kaoru is clearly someone Rei has high hopes for, but there's always a sense of miscommunication between them throughout this era. The story is also worthwhile for Hajime as a character, as he shows some strength and willingness to stand up for himself and his desires.

Recommend?: Yes; lots of good moments for UNDEAD and Ra*bits (and ex-Valkyrie) fans.

Summary: Hajime and Subaru take on a part-time job in school working as waiters for the Chocolat Fes Fair, which turns out to be surprisingly popular. Chiaki, Kaoru, and Anzu arrive too, and Kaoru and Anzu briefly help out.

Notes: It's a really cute story that focuses on Hajime and Subaru's relationship :) Subaru calls him his little brother, and they inspire each other as friends and idols.

Recommend?: If you're a fan of Subaru or Hajime

Summary: After the events of Summer Vacation, UNDEAD visit a deserted island rumored to have mermaids. They get shipwrecked and wander around in search of food and water. Adonis proves to be skilled at survival, and Rei gets accosted by bats in a cave. The group eventually finds the island's beautiful cove and Kaoru thinks about his mother.

Notes: The story that makes me question if Rei really does have night vision and I've just fooled myself into believing he's been joking about it all this time. This is a pretty short one, but it's fun and not very dense. Rei makes an allusion to bathing in tomato juice, which I belive that he would actually do. He also insists that he can't travel overseas without his coffin that contains his home soil, which is straight up just lore from Dracula, and it doesn't seem to be true anyway (see: all the travelling he did during The War and the fact that the idols fly to New York during Road to Show!!). Whatever brings him comfort?

Recommend?: Good but skippable

Summary: Keito, Eichi, Shu, Kaoru, Izumi, and Chiaki go to the arcade, accompanied by Anzu. They play a bunch of games, but Kaoru is visibly off the whole day. When the group pairs up to play a shooting game, Kaoru tells Anzu that he was crying earlier because of an emotional moment with his older sister, who is having an arranged marriage to someone she doesn't know.

Notes: Kaoru :(( also Eichi writes a check for 1000 yen which works out to about 7 dollars USD and that makes me laugh a lot. For the most part a fun, low-stakes story.

Recommend?: Yes, mostly for Class 3-A shenanigans.

Summary: UNDEAD plans to appear in a radio show. Rei knows that Adonis isn't good with speaking, so the group practices by being on a Yumenosaki broadcast. Things go roughly for Adonis, but eventually he finds his stride and opens up to the group about his motivations for becoming an idol. They all have some dinner to celebrate.

Notes: Not much to say about this one, other than that I didn't really like how Adonis was treated by the other characters and was kind of uncomfortable with it. There is some interesting Adonis lore later on in the story, which I did appreciate, and his difficulties in communicating (especially in a foreign language) is something I resonated with. Also we find out that Kaoru thinks beef is supposed to be well-done.

Recommend?: Not really, unless you're interested in Adonis lore (which is the best part of this story) and you're willing to endure Enstars' racist moments.

Summary: Kaoru is told by Anzu to come up with a date plan, and later he finds out that he's part of an Inter-Unit Project along with Natsume, Niki, Mitsuru, and Chiaki. Kaoru is made the leader of the group because he's the only one with any real experience with girls. However, he struggles to be helpful and loses confidence when he realizes how little he actually understands them. Chiaki helps him loosen up, and eventually everyone in the group helps each other come up with interesting date plans unique to their own personalities. The project is a big success that guarantees the possibility of future Inter-Unit endeavors.

Notes: This is a very early !!-era story that I read a second time, and it really feels more meaningful with more context about Enstars. This is particularly true with Kaoru's characterization, which is night and day compared to his !-era self, and his struggles with responsibility and romance are clearer. His conversation with Rei in the last chapter is also more interesting now that I've read Romantic Comedy; Kaoru has significantly grown up from being someone Rei had to lecture, and he and Rei are more obviously equals.

Recommend?: Yes

Summary: Adonis and Anzu find a cool rock that they believe might be a fossil. They ask Rei for help in identifying it, who tells them he will ask for Nagisa's advice. Nagisa tells Rei that it's a normal rock, and Rei reveals that he knew all along but didn't want to disappoint his juniors. To make up for everything, Nagisa invites Adonis, Anzu, Rei, and Ibara to a museum to look at real fossils. The power goes out while they're there, and Rei tries to pull a little prank on Adonis and Anzu. Ibara tries to suck up to Adonis and fails.

Notes: I love Rei in this story. His kindness and silliness shines through in equal amounts, plus his illustrations are beautiful.

Recommend?: Good but skippable