I got NTR'd and so should you (but not literally).

Spoilers through the whole review, since I don't feel like restricting what I type, but if you're interested in a story that's like Shribako x Sakura-sou except with a harem, just read it...

  Even as of finishing up this review, I'm still having trouble figuring out whether or not I liked this manga, and because of this I don't plan on splitting the characters/story in to separate paragraphs. Mainly because I think the story it lacks in a few areas, and it hurts the characters because of it. But it depends on how you look at the story. A harem vs. a sort of career/hobby manga (?), almost like Shirobako combined with Sakura-sou Pet Ga Kanojo. Personally I went in expecting a harem manga out of it, but about halfway I changed the reason I was reading it. It was almost like the harem was used as a driving force of the plot, but only in the beginning - it was like the author changed why they were writing the series because they didn't want someone to have to win. The harem conundrum. Either way, I'll keep the typical ramblings short this time, because I was looking forward to putting writing down my thoughts outside of a note. Not enough space in those dang things.

  I'm not sure if it's best off to start with the long part or the short part when writing a review, so I'll just burn through the typical garbage about visuals: The art was excellent, but not exceptional. The backgrounds weren't anything special, but they were simple and clean. I think some of the panels used to show the setting could've popped a bit more. The characters were all clean and unique, save for the band members, but they weren't important so it wasn't the end of the world. I would drop a screenshot here, but it's hard to find a scene that really shows what I mean without having to edit out spoilers, since this is at the top.

~I Don't Literally Mean NTR~  With that out of the way, the fun part... except I'm not sure what to write. I think the story truly gave me the feeling of what NTR is like - and it tore me apart. The harem starts out, building itself up like they're friends. Except for when I look back on it, it always felt like there was some sort of distance between them. It irked me back then, but it felt like it could've been built up for a harem ending of who would win. I think it compares to the same feeling I got from reading Nisekoi, the characters despite being friends, are still a little weary of each other. At some point I probably looked past it, maybe around when Eriri and Megumi started talking more, or near the end when you see that Eriri and Megumi are still talking, even when the main (god I forgot his name already) was being a little pety/dense. But god damn the ending killed me. Literally everything ripped apart that I believed built their characters. It almost felt like a friend of mine got poached from my own project and I was jealous. I was involved in this game being built and the drama, and it felt like a piece of me left, and I fully commend the author for giving me that feeling. It hurt, it really did. Not an enraging pain way, like Nisekoi, or Rent a Girlfriend weekly pain, but sort of like when you accept that a friend isn't who you thought they were. Except that the friend is now an opponent working for someone you were gaslit in to believing is ""evil"". I still don't get why they portrayed her as crazy. Are people with dreams crazy?

~Distracted by a Shiny Object~  Honestly writing this review feels like the scene where Eriri is throwing out her drawings because she thinks she can do better. I think I need a side tangent to clarify what comes next, so here we go. Have you ever felt anxious about turning in (or especially presenting) some sort of work because you don't feel it's good enough, but when you were making it, you felt like it was coming out fine? That's the sort of feeling the author was trying to go for when they were explaining why Eriri and Utaha left. They were using Mr. nice guy MC to hold them to higher standards so they can get better, because the stuff they put out is going in a product. Except he doesn't do this, because he's not a douche and he's getting literal free professional work put out and he doesn't want to stress his friends. But Eri stopping her drawing because she doesn't think her drawing at the moment, after putting out some amazing art, really had me thinking on whether or not it's realistic. Do people quit sports because they played well one game and had a string where they didn't? Especially in the pro league (where she supposedly is), it's not something that happens. As someone who likes rhythm games, sometimes I play good and sometimes I don't. I'm not going to quit because I play bad for a bit, it's just motivation to get better. But maybe that's me. It might be different when you've built your life around something.

Anyways back to my main dicussion.

  My problem with the story is that it was taken the most unconventional way, almost to make me feel hurt. There was never any discussion between the main and the girls about what standards they wanted to be put to, or whether or not they were fine working their lives out on it. The main always saw himself and the work he was asking them to do as an inconvenience to them rather than that it was all their project. And the girls never explained to him clearly, that they wanted to work their hearts out - to put out another level of quality - so that they can better themselves. It was always shadowed in mystical text with "deeper meanings" that the dense bastard couldn't read through. The subtle/slight level of realism I mentioned was built up (obviously outside of the whole harem scenario), and it was thrown away a bit at the end. Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe wanting to contribute to something bigger would be what most people would choose. But ending it with them all transitioning to working for the "evil" lady because he didn't want to put that level of stress on his friends would've been a much smoother transition than literally NTR-ing me out of characters I enjoyed. They wouldn't have had to pull the "don't hate them BUT...." line, and it wouldn't have felt like it ruined a friendship. It almost felt like the interactions at the end were hollow. Personally I don't think I would be able to forgive someone if they did something like that to me, but maybe I'm just not the best person.
~And finally, a Conclusion~  While I can't exactly say I enjoyed it, I can't say that I hate it either. I feel like it ripped my heart out, properly. It feels justified compared to something like Nisekoi, even if the ending was a bit of a cheese so that no one wins. For that, I'll always give it a fond place in my heart, and without a doubt I'll remember it among the vastness of the genre - but at the same time I can't exactly give it an amazing score, because it wasn't something remarkable. I think in the future I'll read some of the side story content, and maybe that'll change my feelings on the main series, if it does I'll update this, and maybe flesh out my thoughts if I can figure out some way to do that, because all things considered this was pretty messy. One thing will keep true though, if you're interested in the harem genre, you should definitely give it a read.