Shiny Colors Summary & Commentary Dumping Ground (Units)
Many details have been omitted for the sake of easy comprehension. Always dig deeper and check out the source material if you are interested in someone.
As the title suggests, the writing is half summary and half commentary, and my commentaries is subjective.
Illumination stars
Music of day and night

It is the early days of Illumination Stars. The girls received their first fan letter, and it is from a little girl. Since she always draws three shooting stars, Meguru has remembered her and is grateful that she and her friends always attend their event. That girl and her best friend love Illumination Stars, and they will always listen to the latest release and join the live event together.
Some time has passed, and the Producer started to realize that that girl has stopped coming to the event. It is revealed to us that since that girl and her friend have separated. The little girl did attend the next event later, but without her friend. But still, she decided not to mention the separation in her next fan letter. She keeps lying by saying how they have talked about the new songs at the café, or how they all sang the latest Illuminate songs at the karaoke. But one time the Producer caught her lying. She said that she is happy about the latest live event, even though they were soaked, while the reality is that since there was a heavy rain, the event was moved into an indoor venue at the last minute. However, the Producer feels like this is more like an innocent wish than a blatant lie.
Some more time has passed, and the letters with shooting star drawings eventually stop coming. Maybe everyone has noticed that, but they decided to not talk about it. The little girl has moved on with her life. But one day she has found her old MP3 player in her pencil case. It still has some battery left, so she puts on the earphones and plays the song. It is those Illumination Stars’ songs that she and her old friend were excited about. And songs carry such a powerful emotion that the little girl gets to experience the good old days.
For the Illumination Stars, they are certainly moving forward. They sing from a small CD shop to the big stage. But at the same time, it is getting harder and harder to see the faces of the fans clearly. But that’s OK, because they believe that no matter the distance, their songs can still reach their heart.
Commentary
Whenever people talk about SC commu, there will always be some people who say, bro you need to read YOUR/MY Love Letter. Yeah it is pretty good. But when it comes to like, the quintessential, the most representative piece of work that ever came out from SC, I will always believe it is this one.
Both of them actually share a similar concept. The focus of the story is not really about the idol, but the people influenced by them. In fact, you don’t need to know anything about Illumination Stars before reading the story, because it didn’t matter that much.
I reckon the story wants to talk about how relationships are not going to last forever. Granted, we may get closer with each other, but unfortunately in most cases it will only get further and further. And the scary thing about it is that sometimes we just don’t notice it at all, or we will just not expect that one relationship will just cease to exist one day. I remember one saying that said something like, you will never know when was the last time you hung out with your friend at the park. Sometimes you do notice that, and you want to do something about it. Maybe you tried to call them, or asked them out. But you will eventually reach a point of realization that, what is the point of doing all of that when they clearly do not treasure the relationship, and it is just you who want to maintain that connection that no longer exists.
Anyway, in the end of the story, the little girl remembers her friend when playing the old song. I also resonate with this a lot. Whenever you play an old song, you will just remember the first time you heard it, or the time that the lyrics pierced through your heart. I can always vividly remember when I have been given an opportunity to be somewhere I never dreamt of, the song I was listening to was M@GIC. And it is really like a magic, to remember a certain kind of feeling from a song.
That’s why I reckon this is the best piece of story in SC. There is a lot of stuff that you can’t stop thinking about after you read it, and I will strongly recommend everyone to give it a go.
Spotlight on a tiny star

If you don’t know, Mano received Pi-chan the bird from her neighbour. Mano never told her neighbour that she has become an idol, so she decided to do so. Her neighbour already knew that from the beginning, but still, she is glad that Mano personally told her.
Later, Mano’s neighbour invites Mano to visit her. It turns out it is the neighbour’s friend who wants to see her. Since Mano is an idol, the neighbour’s friend wants to ask Mano to promote the photo book that her deceased daughter had self-published. Mano is quite conflicted about it because of course she wants to help, but at the same time she doesn’t want to abuse the power she gained from being an idol. Meguru and Hiori sensed that there is something wrong with Mano, so they have a sleepover with Mano and then suggest to her that she should talk with the Producer.
The Producer understands what is troubling Mano and decides to talk to that friend alone. That friend apologises to the Producer as she realises that she is taking advantage of Mano, but she still wants to ask for help as she tried many things but no result. After some back and forth, the Producer comes up with an idea of organising a charity event and invites that friend to sell the photo book at one of the booths that has been reserved for her. The event is very successful. That friend sold all of the books, and everyone is happy.
Commentary
To be honest, this story feels like something that was released 5 years ago. The style for Illumination has changed quite a bit over the years, and they have returned to their roots, which is my way of saying this story is very boring and I hope they will never write something like this again. As a matter of fact, I found Hiori’s monologue about how the girls have different perspectives but yet align with each other, and her lack of confidence in catching up with her team in the after-story (the event P-SSR) way more interesting than the story itself.
Alstroemeria
Tangled up in Pink

Amana is preparing for an audition to be the cover girl of a magazine and asks her teammates for help. Chiyuki suggests that if Amana wants to win, she should do some research on the magazine and its readers. Amana recalls the name of the magazine is Apricot, which turns Chiyuki to stone. Amana asks what’s wrong, and Chiyuki replies that there was a defunct magazine that shared the same name. Nonetheless, she says Alstroemeria will always stick together and cheer for her. However, Chiyuki is hiding something: she was actually a big fan of the old Apricot. Much of how Chiyuki’s world is built can be attributed to the culture, fashion, and handcrafting that Apricot once featured. She secretly admires Amana for being the cover girl.
Later, Chiyuki decides to help Amana by bringing some old issues she owns to the office. The Producer passes by and helps her out. He notices how many similarities Chiyuki and the old Apricot share. However, since the new Apricot is looking to refresh its brand, a girl like Amana is a better fit for the cover. The Producer praises how considerate Chiyuki is to her teammates, but at the same time, he reminds her to think about herself too. Chiyuki proceeds to give the magazines to Amana, saying she found them in a second-hand shop. Amana happily receives them, while also sensing that Chiyuki was a loyal reader of the old Apricot.
Meanwhile, when Tenka goes back to the office, she happens to hear the Producer having a phone call with the staff at Apricot. The staff tell him the whole audition is just a gig, and they have already chosen Amana to be the cover girl. The Producer can’t believe his ears. The staff continue, saying that since they want to rebrand and attract young readers for the reissue, Amana the gyaru is the perfect candidate. It is still a brilliant job offer, so the Producer has no grounds to reject the proposal.
After that, Amana and Chiyuki are clearly not doing well, as they both figure out what the other thinks about the audition, but they don't have the courage to put it into words. Chiyuki decides to have a drink with Hazuki. Hazuki says the Producer is going to stop her from joining the audition, as teammates competing for the same thing is problematic. But still, Chiyuki says she is surprised by how jealous she is toward Amana, so she has to do it for her own self-satisfaction. Once she heard Apricot was reissuing, she felt like she'd found a lost treasure of her own, even though that treasure is owned by her teammate now. Hazuki encourages Chiyuki to follow her heart, saying it is okay to be childish sometimes.
After that, Chiyuki takes the initiative. She first sends a message to the Producer telling him she will join the audition, then she tells Amana in person. Chiyuki reveals how meaningful Apricot is for her, so she has to join, even though she still wishes Amana to win. Meanwhile, once the Producer receives the message, he greatly discourages her and tells her to be patient as he needs time to figure things out. Tenka then slips into the office and asks him about the phone call he had. He comes clean and tells her that Amana has already won the audition. Still, the Producer is unsettled by this result, so he proposes to the staff to let Amana and Chiyuki fight fair and square. But the staff basically call him an idiot, saying they chose Amana for very good reasons that should be respected.
The Producer has no choice but to tell the truth to the girls in a meeting. But before he can say a word, Amana says she wants to quit the audition and support Chiyuki instead. Chiyuki then says Amana is most likely to win, so she should be the one to quit. The Producer then tells both of them that Amana will be the winner. It leaves a sour taste in their mouths, so they leave the office to cool their heads.
The girls can hardly speak. Chiyuki invites Amana to speak from the heart with some trickery, and Amana says she is actually scared of losing, as she doesn't know if things can get back to how they were if she fails. But they also remember one thing: Alstroemeria always sticks together. They finally hear the words in each other's minds and decide to move on as Alstroemeria. Amana and Chiyuki both join the audition. While Amana talks about what new elements she will bring to the magazine, Chiyuki showcases her knowledge and connection with the old issues. Despite how hard she tries, Amana wins.
As a conclusion, Amana takes part in a catwalk show, while Tenka and Chiyuki are in the audience. When Chiyuki is waving a pink light stick and cheering for Amana, Tenka thanks her for not giving up, so that Amana could also realise what is most important to her. Chiyuki’s vision gets blurred, and she asks Tenka if she can rest on her shoulder. Tenka asks if she still feels frustrated, and Chiyuki says she originally wanted to hide it deep down, but now is a good time to say it. She shouts loudly into the crowd how mad she is for losing. But still, Alstroemeria always sticks together.
Later, the Producer receives a phone call: someone invites Chiyuki to participate in a film festival, with a red carpet and movie premiere. The Producer wonders why they picked Chiyuki, but then he notices one of the judges from the Apricot audition also works for the film festival. Chiyuki followed her heart and worked hard, and now, something good has finally happened to her.
Others
Beyond Fruition

Kiriko, Mikoto and Haruki are tasked with participating in a documentary for an exhibition. The topic of the exhibition is about fruition, and Haruki actually writes a poem to be part of it. At the same time, Rinze, Tenka, Mei and Hinana are tasked with promoting the 283 live performances movie. The Producer asks them to film a bonus discussion section for the movie.
In the discussion, the girls are asked what they would think if some members of the units were swapped. They unanimously agree that it is impossible to imagine, as the core values of the units have already embedded in their hearts and it would be difficult to adapt to a new unit. Then they are asked what would happen if the unit disbanded. They say that it would be difficult for them as the reason why they opening their eyes, working hard, and deciding not to quit are all thanks to their teammates. But then Hinana throws a curveball and asks the girls when they think it will end.
Meanwhile, Haruki struggles to write her poem and asks Mikoto what she thinks of fruition. Mikoto says that since she doesn’t know what her goal is, she simply takes one step at a time. Tenka feels puzzled by what Hinana has said. To make matters worse, one of her clan members in the game tells her that he is going to be AFK for a while. This makes Tenka feel even more lonely, so she asks the Producer for advice. The Producer tells her that what matters is the precious memories she makes along the journey.
Hinana happens to meet Haruki. Haruki brings up the poem she struggles to write, as she still doesn’t know what fruition she is looking for. Hinana says if you can’t decide then just don’t think about it. These words echo what Mikoto has said, and Haruki finally draws the conclusion: maybe right now she can’t decide her goals, but with the people who support her, she is going to keep searching and find it someday.
So, if you struggle with your future, just imagine what Hinana would say. It is that simple.