It is said that if the "Angel of Music" smiles upon you, your dreams of becoming a singer will become reality. Only those who are lucky enough will ever reach stardom. Three young women, Akari, Yuki, and Nozomi are complete strangers, yet have one thing in common. They aspire to become pop singers like their favorite idol singer, Reika.

Akari, who was raised in a church, loves singing and dancing in her church choir. But, that's not enough for Akari and she aspires to become an even greater singer and performer. Although, her guardian, the Father of the church, objects to a career in singing, Akari is willing to risk everything for her dream.

Yuki, who is already self-dependent, works part-time as a crewmember for stage production at Reika's concert. Even though she has little money, she too has a passion to become a superstar. She is willing to work hard and save every last penny to finance career if that is what it takes to become a star.

Unlike Yuki, Nozomi is the daughter of a wealthy family. Although her parents are protective and insist her trusty butler accompany her everywhere, Nozomi seems to have no worries. She is a huge fan of Reika and is awed by her performance and music. However, unlike Akari and Yuki, she has different motives for becoming a singer. In order to meet her her idol, Reika, she believes she has to become famous to be noticed.

The road to stardom is filled with trials and tribulations that the three girls must endure. As the girls continue on their quest to fame, they realize that it is a lot harder than it seems and before the spotlights and glamour, it takes more than just a pretty face and voice to make it in the music industry.

While watching Chance Pop Session I couldn't help but be reminded of an older anime series quite similar entitled Glass no Kamen (The Mask of Glass), which is about acting. Unfortunately, I felt the storyline of Chance Pop Session seemed a bit cliche and "sugar-coated" as it lacked the intensity as Glass no Kamen had. However, I wanted to keep in mind that many domestic and new anime fans have not been exposed to older anime and in that sense, Chance Pop Session does bring a new and refreshing change to the usual anime found in domestic release.

The artwork for this series was animated by Mad House and is very appealing to the eye. The opening scene in each episode features the "legend" of the Angel of Music and is illustrated in CG instead of regular 2D animation. This scene caught my eye right away and made me anticipate what was yet to come. The remaining portion of Chance Pop Session is animated in traditional 2D format. The artwork is crisp and for the most part, nicely detailed. Also, the scenery and bright colors also add more dramatic effect to the series.

But, the aspect of this series that stood out the most was the music. Playing a huge role in the storyline, the music tracks were kept all in their original Japanese format (including in the dubbed version), which I found quite refreshing. Perhaps, changing the music would have resulted in a loss of dramatic impact the series has. The soundtrack of Chance Pop Session was produced by the famous Avex Mode. The songs are created in Jpop fashion and are quite catchy. The music gives the series a unique style and seems to bring the anime series to a whole new level.

The Chance Pop Session DVD has many different features available. It has the traditional option to hear the series in English or Japanese. The English dubbed version is more than adequate and the voice actors did a fair job of portraying their Japanese counterparts. The translation was accurate and the subtitles were easy to read while following the story. Also, included in this DVD are five episodes of Chance Pop Session, character sketches, Japanese promotional ads, production backgrounds, opening and closing sequences, and a How to be a Popstar booklet. Unlike some DVDs, your money is well spent if you purchase this DVD.

Even though the storyline is not fully developed as some other anime series (in this genre), the music, artwork, and features make up for it. Different from the usual genre of anime released domestically, Chance Pop Session shows a side of Japanese culture that we can rarely watch. I hesitate to label this a "shoujo" anime even though it has the workings of what is considered a "girls' series" in the domestic market. I think anyone who enjoys music and good animation will find this series worthwhile.