A3! and Uta no Prince-sama are musical anime focusing on performance, romance, and brotherhood. Both series were adapted from their original otome games, which is common within the reverse-harem genre. With a similar background and premise, which fan-favorite reverse-harem musical is better?
A3! Features a Musical Theater Company Brought Back from Bankruptcy
In A3!, a theater company is at risk of shutting down given its large debt and lack of shows. The anime stars Izumi Tachibana, the daughter of the former director for Mankai Company who hopes to resurrect and save the business. Desperate to find new actors for the all-male theatre company, Izumi takes to the streets to advertise and recruits young actors. In A3!'s anime adaptation, Izumi acts as the placeholder for the players' character in the original otome game.
As the new and inexperienced director of Mankai Company, Izumi slowly but surely recruits enough men to make up the Spring Troupe led by the bright and passionate amateur actor Sakuya Sakuma. He supports and inspires the other troupe members who are reluctant to perform and often fight. After the Spring Troupe's successful debut performance of the "Romeo and Julius" retelling -- focusing on friendship rather than romance -- the company manages to recruit Summer, Fall, and Winter Troupes all comprised of different members.
A3! has two seasons that span 12 episodes each, with four six-episode parts devoted to each seasonal troupe. The different members live together in dormitory rooms attached to the theater. Since each one is comprised of strangers with very different personalities, they have to overcome their internal strife in unique ways so they can properly perform together. As they learn to work in unison by understanding each other's pasts and fears, they learn to put on better musicals and stage plays.
Uta no Prince-sama Brings a Super Idol Group Together
Uta no Prince-sama centers around Haruka Nanami, a young producer and songwriter entering Saotome Academy. This performing arts academy is comprised of aspiring idols and music producers who compete to land a spot at the Shining Agency after they graduate. Producer and idol classmates are told to pair up to create music together, but Haruka quickly finds herself with multiple male idols asking to be her partner. In the original otome game, players take the spot of Haruka to interact and produce music for the male classmates.
Unable to pick one partner, Haruka and the boys convince the academy to let her produce music for them as a group rather than as individual idols. Together, they form a boy group called STARISH with Haruka producing and managing them. As STARISH rockets to fame in their debut, the members compete for Haruka's love and affection while also strengthening the brotherhood between members.
A3! vs. Uta no Prince-sama: Which Is Better?
With A3!'s four seasonal troupes and Uta no Prince-sama's three different idol groups, both anime offer an army of attractive male characters with a variety of character types for viewers to feel drawn to. While the series are comparable in many aspects, their unique spin on the musical and reverse-harem subgenres vastly differ. Despite being labeled a reverse-harem, A3! focuses heavily on the developing brotherhood and platonic friendships among the theatre troupes. With friendship driving the plot, romance falls to the wayside and Izumi's role as director is downplayed. Alternatively, romance is heavily focused and incorporated throughout Uta no Prince-sama, with heart-fluttering scenes between Haruka and the various idols in each episode.
While A3! puts on stage musicals, the members of the theatre troupes are primarily actors. Most of the practices and performances focus on acting rather than singing, making music a secondary element within the anime. Meanwhile, Uta no Prince-sama is about singing and music production, offering many more songs for viewers to experience and enjoy. While some idols of STARISH act and make their movie debut like Syo Kurusu, singing and dancing remains their top priority.
Uta no Prince-sama is the longer-running anime series with four seasons compared to A3!'s two-season span. Popular in both their anime and otome formats, these series are sure to appeal to any fan of the musical and reverse-harem subgenres. However, Uta no Prince-sama has superior execution in both its musical and romance aspects, making it the clear winner in this battle of musical reverse-harems.
