Series / Idol x Warrior Miracle Tunes!

Idol x Warrior Miracle Tunes! is a Japanese tokusatsu series which aired from April 2017 to March 2018 on TV Tokyo. It is the first installment of the Girls x Heroine! franchise created by OLM, Inc. and Takara Tomy with cooperation from Shogakukan (who ran the manga and held the auditions) and LDH (who choreographed the dances). The series is directed by Takashi Miike.

The Demon King and the Dokudoku-dan have stolen the Music Kingdom's Sound Jewels and converted them into Negative Jewels, which cause anybody who touches them to turn into a Negative Jeweler. Poppun, Rockie, and Clanosuke are sent by the goddess of the Music Kingdom to recover these jewels. Meanwhile, Kanon Ichinose and Fuka Tachibana audition to be part of Mai Kanzaki's new idol group, Miracle2. The audition is used to recruit them as Idol Warriors called Miracle Tunes.

The show was a Sleeper Hit and found a lot of success with the main demographic in Asia. It also received two different manga adaptations. Miracle2 was also Defictionalized and the group debuted in real life as their characters. The show received a European remake, "Miracle Tunes!".

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Idol x Warrior Miracle Tunes! provides examples of:

• The Ace: Mai is a top idol, and the other girls admire her for being both a capable performer and a responsible leader. The only thing she's actually not good at is cooking.
• Aloof Big Sister: Sopra is very affectionate to Alm, but Alm doesn't reciprocate. In episode 4, Sopra tries to hug her arm, but Alm is seen pushing him away.
• Always Camp: Kojiro, the girls' make-up artist and stylist, acts in a very flamboyant and feminine manner.
  • Camp Gay: Kojiro says he wants to "die in the arms of a handsome man" and tries to kiss his fitness idol, Chris Maeda. In episode 17, the characters explicitly mention that he is gay when he tells them he's fallen in love with Mizoochi. When he is turned into a Negative Jeweler in episode 21, he targets good-looking men and puts them under his spell by blowing kisses at them.
• Barrier Maiden: Akari and Hikari's main abilities are creating shields with their Miracle Tambourines.
• Battle Rapping: Some of Miracle Tunes' fights with Negative Jewelers are prefaced with rap battles when they have to use the Hip Hop Jewel to fight.
• Big Bad: The Demon King plans on using the Sound Jewels to create a song that will corrupt the entire universe.
• Big Good: The Goddess of the Music Kingdom, who is also the kingdom's ruler, is the one who gives Miracle2 the power to become Miracle Tunes to take back the Sound Jewels.
• Bittersweet Ending: Miracle2 saves the world, and it's no longer a threat under the Demon King. The Demon King is purified and even starts an idol group with the reformed Dokudoku-dan, now known as the Wakuwaku-dan. However, all the Fairy Rhythms and Yukie return to the Music Kingdom, and the Goddess of Music ceases contact with them. Miracle2 can no longer transform, either.
• Brought Down to Normal:
  • Yuzuhara used to be an Idol Warrior but no longer has these powers.
  • At the end of the series, the Goddess of Music says that Miracle2 will no longer be Idol Warriors from this point on, as they have finished their duties.
• But Now I Must Go: The Rhythms and Yukie return to the Music Kingdom after the Demon King has been defeated.
• Butt-Monkey: Out of all of Kanon's classmates, Rudolph seems to have the worst luck and the most run-ins with Negative Jewelers, making him a Distressed Dude. He also often misses the chance to meet Akari in person.
• By the Power of Grayskull!: "Jewel, set! Live, start! Call me Akari/Hikari/Mai/Fuka/Kanon! Tuning your bad heart, we are the Idol Warriors, Miracle Tunes!"
  • To transform into the Frilly Upgrade:
    All: Crystal Jewel, set!
    Kanon: Final live, start!
    All: Miracle Tunes, Final Mode! Tuning with the Crystal Melody!"
• Chekhov's Gunman: Yukie is actually a fairy from the Music Kingdom. Sure, Kanon has a dream about "Rinrin" in the New Years episode, but it turns out her resemblance to Yukie wasn't just for show.
• Chick Magnet: Ryo is a very popular child star who has legions of fans. One of them turns into a Negative Jeweler in his debut episode, and Miracle Tunes has to protect him when her Negative Aura starts turning all of his fans against him.
• Child Prodigy: Fuka's character description literally calls her a dance prodigy.
• Clap Your Hands If You Believe: When the Demon King arrives in the human world and crushes Miracle Tunes, Kanon begins singing "Catch Me!" to overcome his Negative Aura. The rest of the girls break out of the Negative Aura and does the same, while everyone around the world joins them in song. This weakens the Demon King.
• Color-Coded for Your Convenience:
  • Pink: Kanon
  • Purple: Mai
  • Blue: Fuka
  • Gold: Akari
  • Silver: Hikari
• Combat and Support: Kanon, Mai, and Fuka can fire energy beams from their Miracle Takts. Akari and Hikari can also fire energy beams, but their main source of use with the Miracle Tambourines is to create shields.
• Cover Innocent Eyes and Ears: When Kojiro tries to kiss Chris Maeda, Fuka covers Kanon's eyes.
• Dance Battler: Miracle Tunes purify Sound Jewels via song and dance, and the Sound Jewels they recover provide alternate music genres for them to change their battle strategies.
• Dancing Is Serious Business: Miracle2 is an Idol Singer group and must use song and dance to "tune up" the Negative Jewelers. The dances in the show are choreographed by EXPG Studio (the same dance studio who does the choreography for E-girls and EXILE) and Miracle2's music videos showcase their dance abilities well. What makes it even more impressive is that the girls are only 11 to 14 years old.
• Depraved Homosexual: All of the people Kojiro has shown interest are men, and he swoons over them a lot. When he was turned into a Negative Jeweler, his main method of spreading his Negative Aura was by blowing kisses, and his targets were men. He also develops a crush on Chris Maeda and Mizoochi, attempting to kiss both on separate occasions.
• Design Student's Orgasm: The opening and ending sequences uses a lot of CGI, especially in the later versions, such as the third opening.
• Don't Think, Feel: Akari says this word-for-word when she tries to attack a Negative Jeweler head-on with only the knowledge from a Bruce Lee movie.
• Dub Name Change: In South Korea, the show was renamed Miracle Melody, with Fuka's name changed into Viola, Akari's name changed into Sunny, and Hikari's name changed into Shiny. Also, KariKari was renamed "Sunshine Sisters."
• Elevator Failure: Kanon and Ryo get stuck in an elevator in episode 19 of the show. Luckily, it only lasts a few minutes as they are able to escape.
• Enemy-Detecting Radar: Akari and Hikari can use the Miracle Braces to locate Sound Jewels and Negative Jewelers.
• Fanboy:
  • Rudolph is a huge fan of KariKari, especially Akari. He even has her picture as his lock screen on his phone and even though he is Kanon's friend, he prefers Akari over her when it comes to idols.
  • Ryo's manager, Shiomi, is a fan of Yuzuhara and calls her "Mayu-tan." When he turns into a Negative Jeweler in episode 42, he wears a jinbei and headband with "Mayu-tan" plastered all over it.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Hikari is way more level-headed and professional about her work than Akari. Akari is Hot-Blooded and a Sore Loser, while Hikari gets her to calm down. When Akari rejects a photoshoot because she's afraid of earthworms, Hikari decides to take the job anyway.
• Freudian Trio:
  • Id: Kanon tends to act on impulse. For example, in episode 5, she wanted to rest instead of practice.
  • Superego: Fuka is very task-oriented and hard-working. In episode 5, she wanted to practice instead of rest.
  • Ego: Mai acts as a mediator between Kanon and Fuka whenever both of them get into a disagreement.
• Foreshadowing: Several characters are briefly mentioned in episodes before they actually appear, such as Ryo and Jupiter Kazuo.
• Foreign Remake: The Italian/Spanish co-produced remake, "Miracle Tunes" debuted in 2018. The show itself was filmed in English, but the Italian dub premiered first.
• Genki Girl: Kanon is always smiling, cheerful, and looks for the best in everyone.
• Girlish Pigtails: Kanon's hairstyle is in double twin tails while the rest of the girls wear ponytails.
• Gratuitous English:
  • Rudolph, one of Kanon's classmates, is played by half-British Andrew Knight, and almost half of whatever he says is in English.
  • Akari and Hikari are sisters who just returned from the United States, and some of their dialogue is peppered with English words.
• Heel–Face Turn: The Dokudoku-dan stop the Demon King from attacking Miracle Tunes in episode 50. By episode 51, they have reformed completely and have renamed themselves as the Wakuwaku-dan.
• Heroic BSoD: It counts as Heroic RRoD too: Kanon goes through a slump that lasts for three episodes, starting with the Demon King stealing her Crystal Jewel. At first, she manages to cheer up from it, but it turns out that when he shot her, she became vulnerable to Negative Aura and eventually loses her voice after fighting a Negative Jeweler. And after losing her voice, she feels even gloomier and sits out of Miracle2 promotions.
• Hot-Blooded: Akari is fiercely competitive and protective of her friends.
• Idol Singer: The main characters are an actual Girl Group who also debuted in real life as their characters to perform at concerts and live events.
• Inelegant Blubbering: All the girls sob uncontrollably when they go to the mirror to thank the Goddess for her guidance after she disappears in the final episode.
• It's All My Fault: The Demon King steals Kanon's Crystal Jewel in episode 41. She blames it on herself and starts crying for not practicing more and paying closer attention.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold:
  • Fuka is a grump and disagrees with the group's decisions some of the time, but she does have their best interests in mind.
  • In Kanon's daily life, Yunta, who sits next to her in class, is pretty rude to her at first, but he helps her a lot, with Rudolph even calling him a Nice Guy.
  • Akari and Hikari are both very rude to Miracle2, but after they awaken as Idol Warriors, they mellow out and become nicer to them.
• Joshi Kousei: All the girls, save for Kanon, are in middle school. Kanon is in 6th grade; Fuka, Akari, and Hikari are in 7th grade; and Mai is in 8th grade. However, the school they attend, Angie Private Academy, is a private Elevator School that doesn't have a school uniform.
• Lethal Chef: Mai cannot cook. In episode 6, she cheerfully creates a disgusting-looking cake on Ryo's cooking show, and in one episode, Fuka tries to stop her from making snacks for Akari and Hikari.
• Long-Lost Relative: The Goddess of Music is Mai's mother.
• Lost Voice Plot: In episode 42, Kanon loses her voice from the Demon King striking her with a ray of Negative Aura. Since she can't sing, this causes rumors in tabloids that she may quit Miracle2 soon. She gets her voice back in the next episode after trying to protect her fans, who gather in support for her return.
• Ma'am Shock: When Madame Nechigae appears to Kanon's friends in episode 47, Yunta asks, "Who are you, ma'am?", causing her to get angry. However, when Rudolph asks, "Who are you, miss?", her mood instantly changes for the better.
• Magic Dance: Miracle Tunes must dance in order to purify Sound Jewels.
• Magic Idol Singer: All of the main characters are Idol Singers whose magical powers consist of singing and dancing to purify the Negative Jewels.
• Magic Music: Along with dancing, Miracle Tunes sing to purify Sound Jewels. The Sound Jewels they recover (particularly the Hip Hop, Rock, Techno, and Enka Jewels) help them change music genres and defeat their enemies.
• Merchandise-Driven: Well, the show was produced in cooperation with Takara Tomy, one of Japan's biggest toy manufacturers, after all. And the Gotta Catch 'Em All theme of the series with the Sound Jewels basically feels like a commercial in every episode.
• Metaphysical Fuel: In order to transform and fight, Miracle2 must gather enough Harmony Energy, which can be obtained from making people happy through their live performances.
• Missing Mom: Mai's mother passed away, though episode26 hints that she was the Goddess of Music all along, which is later confirmed in episode 45.
• Monster of the Week: In almost every episode, Miracle Tunes has to battle a Negative Jeweler, a human who is Brainwashed and Crazy from a corrupted Sound Jewel.
• Musical Spoiler: "Ten Made Todoke" is heard in the first episode... even though it appears halfway into the series as the show's second opening theme song.
• Naïve Everygirl: Kanon is optimistic, kind, and faces situations positively.
• Never Trust a Title: Sometimes the titles of the episodes only touch upon a minor plot point in the episode. For example, episode 6 is titled "Mai's Cooking Trouble" and Mai being a Lethal Chef only took place within the first 5 minutes of the episode.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Akari's favorite singer is Mariana Drande and Hikari's is Fritney Spear.
• Non-Human Sidekick: Each girl is partnered with a Rhythm (a fairy from the Music Kingdom), who also serve as the Series Mascots. Kanon is partnered with Poppun (pop music), Mai is partnered with Rockie (rock music), Fuka is partnered with Clanosuke (classical music), and Akari and Hikari are partnered with Alm and Sopra, the Goddess' attendants. They can communicate to the girls via mirrors and the Miracle Pods.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Transformation magic doesn't hide the fact that Miracle Tunes is Miracle2, which is why they have to battle in secret. Furthermore, Akari and Hikari, as well as Professor Komuragaeri, find out who Miracle Tunes are just by looking at them.
• Parental Abandonment: Both of Fuka's parents are doctors working overseas and they are rarely home, leaving her to be Raised by Grandparents. In episode 12, Fuka gets jealous when she sees Kanon's mom visiting her after her parents cancelled their visit to her.
• Plucky Girl: All the girls are determined to fight for justice, particularly Kanon, who won't hesitate to put herself in danger to save everyone.
• Privileged Rival: KariKari was already a popular Idol Singer duo in the United States before debuting in Japan.
• Put on a Bus: The Dokudoku-dan disappear after episode 28 and come back in episode 35. They were largely absent during the Crystal Jewels arc and were briefly replaced by the Super Negative Jewelers.
• Quirky Miniboss Squad: For the large majority of the show, Miracle Tunes fights the Dokudoku-dan, a silly group of Deluxe Negative Jewelers, instead of the Big Bad, the Demon King.
• Raised by Grandparents: Because Fuka's parents are busy with work, she lives with her grandparents.
• Recap Episode:
  • Episode 26 recaps when each of the girls first became Idol Warriors.
  • Episode 34 is basically the girls preparing for Kanon's surprise birthday party while recapping the episodes where they first used the Hip Hop, Rock, Techno, and Enka Jewels, as well as Final Mode.
  • Episode 39 recaps all the times each of the girls found their Crystal Jewel.
  • Episode 40 is also a recap episode, where a fairy from the Music Kingdom questions Miracle Tunes' knowledge on how they became Idol Warriors.
  • Episode 48 is another recap episode, this time told from the Dokudoku-dan's perspective.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Kanon, whose color is pink, tends to be easy-going and naive, while Fuka, whose color is blue, is very cool-headed and is more dedicated to accomplishing tasks given at hand. They disagree sometimes.
• Redemption Equals Death: Once the Demon King has been tuned up, he cries from the Sound Jewels' song and vanishes with a smile. Or not: the finale shows that he's still alive, but reformed.
• Refusal of the Call: Fuka turns down being an idol warrior at first. She changes her mind once she sees that one of her teachers from her elementary school has turned into a Negative Jeweler.
• Schmuck Bait: The Dokudoku-dan kidnap Kojiro and slip Kanon a ransom note demanding the Sound Jewel Case in exchange for his safety. It's obvious that the Dokudoku-dan would never uphold their part of the deal and losing the Sound Jewel Case would be a "Shaggy Dog" Story for Miracle2. Yet, instead of consulting the other girls about the problem, Kanon decides to take the Sound Jewel Case with her anyway and go to the exchange point by herself without anyone knowing. It's no wonder it didn't end well.
• Secret-Keeper: Yuzuhara is the only human outside of Miracle2 who knows Miracle Tunes' real identities. Once an Episode, she is always trying to distract other people in order to let them transform and defeat the Negative Jewelers.
• Secret Secret-Keeper: Kanon's mom accidentally sees Miracle Tunes' transformed state, but she decides to keep it a secret from her.
• Ship Tease: Kanon gets Ship Tease with both Yunta and Ryo. With Yunta, he's mean to her half the time, but he's really kind to her at the same time. With Ryo, he's always impressed at how positive and upbeat she is, and he is quick to comfort her if she flubs a public appearance.
• Shot-for-Shot Remake: Unlike Americanized versions of tokusatsu shows like Power Rangers, the only big changes in the European Miracle Tunes remake are those done related to changing the setting from Japan to Europe, song lyrics that retain the Japanese instrumentals, or giving more explanations to the audience. The characters have personalities that align with their Japanese counterparts and episode plot points are largely unchanged to the point where some Western fans of the Japanese original have complained.
  • How unchanged, you might ask? The Dokudoku-dan are still called that in the European version, even though none of them are Japanese and it would make more sense for the name to have been fully translated.
• Shout-Out: In episode 47, Madame Nechigae dresses up as the evil witch from Snow White. She has a basket full of apples along with her brainwashing music, which she tries to offer to Kanon's friends.
• Sibling Team: Akari and Hikari are sisters. Alm and Sopra are sisters as well.
• Sixth Ranger: Akari and Hikari officially join the team after episode 15 with their own unique set of weapons and a gold and silver color theme.
• Sound Stone: Miracle Tunes' goal is to recover the series' MacGuffin, the Sound Jewels.
• Smart People Wear Glasses: Erina, one of Kanon's friends at school, wears glasses and is one of the top students.
• The Smurfette Principle: Madame Nechigae is the only female member of the Dokudoku-dan.
• Stage Mom: Alice Kagurazaka's mother from episode 1 is seen hovering around, and she becomes the first Negative Jeweler in the series, leading her to freak out over Alice failing the first audition.
• Stepford Smiler: Hikari believes that as a professional, she must accept any job that comes to her even if she dislikes it. However, when Akari rejects a photoshoot for a farming magazine, Hikari comes to admit that she's tired of being an Idol Singer when people won't acknowledge how hard she works and how much she has to give up to get far in her career.
• Stock Footage: The Transformation Sequence, dance attacks, and tune up scenes are all pre-recorded and only pad the episode, especially when they're played in full every single time.
• "Stop Having Fun" Guy: Fuka is dedicated to training to become the best idol (and later on, an Idol Warrior), and she tends to disagree with taking breaks.
• Strictly Formula: The majority of episodes follow this format: Once an Episode, someone turns into a Negative Jeweler , Yuzuhara distracts people to let Miracle2 transform, Miracle Tunes defeats them through an elaborate song and dance ("Catch Me!"), and Miracle Tunes recovers a Sound Jewel.
• Team Mom: Yuzuhara is Miracle2's manager and acts very motherly towards them, but she dislikes being called one, as it makes her sound old.
• Theme Music Power-Up: Miracle Tunes have four different power-ups (not including Final Mode) that have them change music genres and dance to a remixed version of the Opening Theme song, "Catch Me!", to fight Negative Jewellers.
  • The Power of Rock: Using the Rock Jewel lets them sing and dance to a rock remix of "Catch Me!"
• Theme Naming: "Akari" means "bright" and "Hikari" means "light."
• Tomboy: Out of the rest of the girls, Fuka wears shorts more often than skirts, and she dislikes shopping.
• Tomboyish Ponytail: Kanon wears her hair in twin tails, while the rest of the girls have a half up-do. Fuka is the only one of them with her hair fully in one ponytail, and she is the most tomboyish of the group.
• Transformation Sequence: Miracle2 has a transformation sequence for each character, where they dance as their idol armor appears on their clothing.
• Transformation Trinket: Kanon, Mai, and Fuka transform by setting their Sound Jewels into their Miracle Pods. Akari and Hikari transform by setting their Sound Jewels in their Miracle Braces.
• True Sight: The Miracle Pods and Braces can reveal which humans have turned into Negative Jewelers.
• Vancian Magic: Being an Idol Singer is important to being an Idol Warrior because Miracle Tunes can only transform and use their magic if their Harmony Energy is at full capacity. They gather Harmony Energy from the excitement from their audience when they perform.
• Villain Song: "Doku doku-doku doku doku-doku Dokudoku-dan!"
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Fuka gets annoyed and angry at Kanon frequently, but she truly values their friendship. In episode 35, she's proud of Kanon for getting her first acting role. In episode 39, Akari mentions that Fuka had wanted to play a board game with Kanon, which makes her embarrassed. Also, in episode 41, after Kanon loses her Crystal Jewel, Fuka is the first to comfort her and gives her a bite of her birthday cake.
• The Watson: Kanon is treated as a source of exposition at first when Mai has to explain to her what to do as an Idol Warrior. This becomes less of a thing when Kanon catches up to her level of knowledge and experience.
• When You Coming Home, Dad?: Mai's father is an orchestra conductor who is always working abroad, while Fuka's parents are both doctors working outside of Japan.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Akari is afraid of earthworms, and this causes her to reject a photoshoot for a farming magazine.

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