Surprisingly thoughtful

Spoilers are marked.

What was good:
I agree with another review which gave an overall rating of 8.0. This is a good show for those who have a soft spot for the angst within Japanese idol culture. The show explored and portrayed human nature sometimes surprisingly well, and the most tense scenes often had clear and strong dialogue. I tended to skip a little through some very slow moving scenes, but the overall plot progression was good, especially in the later half of the drama.

Rationale for ratings:
Story: 9/10 - the dialogue between characters were realistic, not over exaggerated as some shows tend to be. The actual story was pretty good, but the dialogue made it even better.
Acting/Cast: 8/10 - The actors fit their roles. The idols were properly acting like idols, the other actors were convincing too. The acting/camerawork was decently immersive. Not incredibly masterful, but solid.
Music: 8/10 - soundtracks were fine!
Rewatch Value: 7.5/10 - I don't actually know, I haven't tried rewatching it.
Overall: 8.5/10 - it was surprisingly thoughtful. I was most impressed by the dialogue when a character would state what they idealized/wanted, and that implicitly revealed that they understood their own selfish desires. Not a bad adaptation from a novel. (Thank you to the subbers.)

SPOILERS AHEAD:
I actually thought the ending was good. I would have been disappointed if Mimika or Keita went back on their promise to each other. However, the ending did leave a lot unexplored in that anyone who watched to the end was probably invested in the future of both Mimika and Keita after they graduate... and we got nothing.

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