Although longform magical girl anime that arent Pretty Cure have been on the decline in recent years there has still been a few such shows that have come out that shook up the formula in different ways. One such magical girl anime is this years Gushing Over Magical Girls which is basically about a magical girl fan who unwittingly becomes part of the evil organization that her idols are fighting against. Its an interesting concept but given that it is also an ecchi anime it also has a very high amount of fanservice to the point where it could be classified as a borderlinehentai while I still watched it and found some enjoyment in it regardless there may be some magical girl fans who may want to see an anime with its basic concept but feel alienated by the egregious amount of fanservice. Before I even heard about Gushing Over Magical Girls however I had already made the decision to watch an anime that was essentially as YouTuber Gigguk would later call it in a YouTube video PG13 Gushing Over Magical Girls. Now that PG13 Gushing Over Magical Girls has finished its run however I must really ask the question Can Acro Trip really be a suitable replacement for Gushing Over Magical Girls? I may have described the basic premise of Acro Trip already but of course I should go into more detail. The magical girl fan here is Chizuko Date a middle school student who is staying with her grandfather in Naniga City for a week. This week turns into an indefinite amount of time however after Chizuko witnesses a battle between the towns local magical girl Berry Blossom and the evil organization Fossa Magna having become tired of seeing the same things over and over again in the multiple different places she has moved to she becomes enamored with Berry Blossom and resolves to stay in town so that she can see more of her new idols battles. Unfortunately these battles gradually become less exciting to watch because of how pathetic of a villain Fossa Magnas mastermind Chroma is. Eventually Chizuko encounters Chroma and because of Chizukos passion to make Berry Blossom stand out more and her ability to come up with ways to make his evil plans actually have a chance of working Chroma recruits her into Fossa Magna. Although Chizuko initially refuses the offer....well lets just say that fate has other plans for her especially since Chromas base happens to be underneath her grandfathers house. First of all I should mention that apart from being a magical girl anime Acro Trip is mainly a lighthearted comedy. In that department....well its just okay. I may have cracked some smiles or even chuckled a bit at some of the jokes Acro Trip tells but I cant really think of anything that made me laugh out loud. There wasnt too much of a story either it was mainly Chroma and Chizuko getting into wacky shenanigans mostly in regards to the formers evil plans. It almost doesnt matter though as these two characters do have a fun dynamic with each other. I do wish that the series ended in a more satisfying way though I feel like whatever story was there could be wrapped up by something better than a standard hot springs episode. The original manga is already complete with only five volumes though so if this is also how the manga ended I dont know if it did since I havent read the manga as of writing this review there isnt really anymore material that could provide a more conclusive ending. Oh well. The cast of characters present in Acro Trip are a bunch that can be amusing at times but also feel a bit lackluster. For example as amusing as he can be as an incompetent villain Chroma doesnt feel like he has a real reason for why he wants to be the evil mastermind he is. One episode does have a flashback that shows what gave him the idea to become an evil mastermind in the first place but its the kind of thing that makes you think What? Thats it? I guess it fits him since he is really not good at being bad but there are at least some fictional incompetent villains who at least have a concrete reason for turning to the dark side that isnt just This guy wants to be an evil mastermind so I want to be one too Another character who I feel is lacking a bit is the magical girl fighting him Berry Blossom herself. As cute as her character design is and as relatable as the insecurities shes shown can be shes just not that interesting of a character overall. It is a little amusing seeing how much Chizuko freaks out when shes in close proximity to her idol though. Voil is the name of the animation studio behind Acro Trip. If it sounds unfamiliar dont worry this is actually the studios first project. It does show however as while the art is very colorful the movement can be stiff at times. Well I can at least praise how well Yone Sawatas unique artstyle was translated into an anime format it couldnt have been easy The opening and ending themes Fragum by Inori Minase and Reversible Baby by KanoeRana respectively are both upbeat songs that fit the mood of the anime well. I especially liked the latter given its cute animation sequence and the catchy song that has occasionally gotten stuck in my head. The voice acting was also solid and each character was wellcast. I wasnt too sure if Miku Itou was really a good fit for Chizuko before the anime came out but she did a decent job Overall Acro Trip is an okay anime. I personally prefer Gushing Over Magical Girls mainly because it has better animation and a slightly more memorable cast but if youre someone who likes the basic premise of that series but doesnt want to watch it because of all of the fanservice Id say that Acro Trip is a decent replacement. I may be incompetent at writing reviews but I can at least say that much