Wake Up, Girls! Shin Sho, roughly translated as New Chapter, is an original anime that followed the films and the first season. It is 13 episodes long although one of those is a "special" episode that is slotted midway into the season. The season is set after the movies where the group won the idol contest. However, it shows that even though they won, it does not magically make them popular as they are still currently struggling to get their brand out there. The idol industry is currently in a slump as even the amazingly popular I-1 Club is slowly waning, albeit still a juggernaut.
If you're coming from the firs season and movies, the first and most impactful thing to strike you upon watching this is the change in aesthetics. While it is subjective on whether an animation style is good or not, the eyes are really weird in this season and the proportions are off. It wasn't a good decision to change the aesthetic so drastically after a season and various movies. The animation quality is also worse with less attention to detail. There are some really noticeable scenes where the characters are seriously off-model and look extremely weird.
The animation is shaky with a lot of static scenes and voiceover from the characters. Unfortunately, a lot of these scenes have proportion issues with the characters so the static scene makes it even worse. The thing that Wake Up, Girls! apart from other idol anime was that it was more grounded and less idealistic. While the characters do remain overly cheerful and optimistic, each of them is facing difficulties from their inexperience. They are branching out from their comfort zone, taking on other roles such as appearances on shows, news and modelling. It can be difficult to watch sometimes since you know that they are going to make a mistake. However, they do learn from it and improve over time.
Key elements to the series are retained such as the appearances of several recurring support characters, including rivals and the like. The story tries to play off the rival aspect but it doesn't quite succeed as everything seems a tad bit too melodramatic. The weird rabid fans of Wake Up, Girls are back with an overused recurring gag that fails to be effective after the first few times.
While the first season showcases the group as they struggle to break through, Shin Sho has a boring storyline that lacks the meaningful drama of the original. It is filled with fluffy stuff that wastes time and potential. There is a change of focus on not only the Wake Up, Girls but also a trio of new characters with their own foray into the idol scene... which feels like a retread. Speaking of retread, the second half has a familiar feeling to it. The group needs to gain popularity for a concert so they work hard in their dance routines, beg for a song to be written by a famous composer, and try to get publicity. The series could have really explored the threat of the virtual idol who never ages and can be more intimate. Instead, it feels like it was thrusted in as an afterthought.
Every plot element is half-baked and never explored in nearly enough depth. An episode might make a big deal out of the stress that everyone is feeling which takes a toll on their friendship. It squanders its potential when the characters very quickly make up and become all buddy buddy again. There is a lack of new songs and music as apart from the new opening theme and closing theme, that's about it. IT reuses the same songs from the first season and movies. It lacks proper dance choreographing, instead opting for static scenes. Even during scenes with the group singing and performing, it's really a short truncated version that doesn't feel like it was suitable for the songs to be played at all.
The season stretches your belief towards the end with the problems that the group is encountering. Their rival seems to have unlimited money and ends up buying out everything. Despite all its flaws and inconsistency, the final episode was decent. It spends all its time on showcasing the characters doing what they do best: singing and dancing. The quick runthrough of their most iconic songs was a blast of nostalgia.
Overall, Wake Up, Girls! Shin Sho is inconsistent and isn't as good as anything that came prior. The new animation design is polarizing while the story lacks originality. Everything feels inconsistent but it does have a nice ending that finally does what you would have expected to focus on: the group performing and enjoying every moment of it.
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