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overall pretty solid experience!
the song list, while noticeably smaller than has become the standard for mobile rhythm games, definitely packs a punch. you've got all the touhou mainstays you'd want in a game like this. while the tracks tend to lean towards the older side release date wise, there's some newer stuff thrown in here and there. moving forward i'd definitely like to see more recent releases added to the game, but as it stands it's a pretty solid lineup.
as for the gameplay itself, it's pretty much what you'd expect. it follows all the basic visual and layout tropes you'd expect from a game like this, but hey, what works works. the charters being displayed in the infobox is a very nice touch, and avid rhythm game players will recognise some familiar names. there aren't too many different note types - just your classic tap and hold notes, as well as those green notes whose name i don't remember. the implementation of green notes is a little bit janky in some songs, but when they're used well they're *really* fun to play (HANIPAGANDA lunatic comes to mind as a great example). hopefully as the game progresses the charters will get more used to using them, there's a lot of potential but the execution just isn't quite there yet.
the timing judgement is rather lenient; which, on one hand, may be pretty uncomfortable for people like myself who prefer more detailed timing feedback, but on the other hand makes the lunatic unlock requirements a lot less difficult, so it's a give and take. just be warned that if you're a person like me who enjoys tapping the playfield between notes to fill empty space, you may end up finding yourself accidentally activating a note you thought was too far away to hit and losing your combo 
outside of kagura mode, the game is really charming! while i can't say i'm a fan of the artstyle used for the story cutscenes, the heroine sprites and the hakoniwa sprites are both super cute, the latter having absolutely adorable expressions if you have the time to sit and watch them chat. mitama illustrations are very hit or miss; but there's a huge variety of card artists, and the diversity in illustration styles is very welcome in a time when most similar games will choose a single visual style and stick to it forever.
the story itself is pretty average, not really treading any new ground for the characters, but it's still a cute little distraction while you're waiting for your expeditions to return. now, as of writing this there's only been one event so far; but if the quality of this event's story is any indication of future events, then i'd have to say that the event stories more than make up for what the main story lacks. the night of knights story is a lot of fun, with all the unique and interesting character interactions you'd expect from a game like this, so let's hope this becomes the rule and not the exception.
as a final point, i will note that a lot of the enjoyment of this game comes from the dialogue in both the story and the hakoniwa mode, and i'm not sure i can recommend this game to non-japanese speakers.
at its core, dankagu is a mediocre rhythm game made great by the story and characters surrounding it. maybe not perfect for people only looking for hardcore rhythm gameplay, but that was never the point. it's a super fun time for people who want to see more of touhou's characters and setting in a playful, easy to digest format.
retries and failing lives don't cost stamina. that alone should be enough to sell you. that combined with a comparatively generous event system (letting you choose rewards rather than working thru a set progression) makes this whole thing feel like if bandori was about 50% less pushy about microtransactions. i mean, they're still there, but the rate at which your resources drain feels a lot less predatory than a lot of other idol games.
also yuki nakashima is there so it's an automatic 5 stars from me chief
TECHNOROID UNISON HEART
4.2short review: it's kinda like if dankira was, like, 45% less insulting.
longer review: i've been having a lot of fun with this game! i originally only downloaded it because i'm a bit of a LAM superfan and wanted to see his designs in action for a little bit, but i ended up getting hooked...
the gameplay here is super addictive. single matches usually won't last any longer than 3-4 minutes, making it easy to log in for a couple minutes and knock out some lives in your free time. it's a super simple game so it takes very little time to get a hang of things, and when you do get it right it's incredibly satisfying. kudos to the sound designer for that clear SFX - hearing a 20+ chain popping bit by bit is so rewarding. i usually end up playing 5-6 rounds per session, though if you hit a good streak it's easy to get hooked and keep going for much longer.
visually, the game looks really nice - i can't be the only one who wants to put the bits in their mouth, right? the character art ingame is adorable, and despite being chibi it doesn't oversimplify the designs like i'd originally worried. LAM's designs are known for having super detailed eyes and each individual character retains their unique detailing in that aspect.
one thing i wish the game had was the option to swap outfits. currently, the outfit worn in the card art you have equipped is the outfit the chibi will wear during a live; i'd personally love a system like bandori has where you can choose from your unlocked outfits, but that's more of a personal wish than anything the game's objectively lacking.
as a bit of a newbie to raising games, i might not have the most informed opinion, but for what it's worth i find the raising mechanics really fun to progress with. gaining not only EXP but also UP per means you have the option of juggling out members to aim for story unlocks, which is a lot more engaging than the usual gameplay loop of "grind until max level, repeat". the "daily live" feature having a rotating roster of rate-up rooms makes grinding for a specific item much less of a chore than it could have been, which is much appreciated. having the option to assign sub-members adds an additional layer of balancing; as you have to decide whether to go with your strongest members for the power boost, or to use the chance for free EXP for your weakest members.
i've seen a lot of complaints about it, but i personally don't have an issue with the amount of dupes needed to max-level a card; though as a f2p and strictly non-competitive player i might be a bit biased. on the bright side, you get the alternate art on your first dupe as opposed to your final, so it could be worse.
what's there of the story is a lot of fun. the only problem is there isn't much of it. while each chapter of the main story is of a substantial length, card stories are not only incredibly short but also lack voice acting, which is rather disappointing considering how long it takes to unlock each one. but, for what it's worth, what we currently have of the main story is a really good read; the worldbuilding is super interesting and i look forward to further elaboration upon it. the voice acting is also wonderful, each character has a ton of personality... though this just makes it all the more disappointing that most side stories remain unvoiced. there are a few audio balancing issues (kei in particular becoming Very quiet at times) but overall it's pretty good.
the main complaint i have is the music. now, once again, what's there is incredibly good. there is just very little of it right now. two songs each for knocc and stand-alone, and only one for mechameta; and the other three groups don't have any songs implemented at all, despite all having tracks available online. furthermore, these songs are very short and do not loop seamlessly, meaning every minute-thirty or so the song fades into an awkward silence before suddenly restarting. the songs themselves are almost universally incredibly good (IDempty being my personal favourite), so it's a shame that they're implemented in a way that isn't tailored to the gameplay. i understand that the small tracklist is something inherent to a game only in its first week or so of service, but it's still noticeably lacking for the time being. one positive i will mention is that all music is available to be listened to freely in the gallery, which is a very useful feature that not many other games like this have.
while i'm talking about audio, here's a couple nitpicks regarding the sound design.
- there are very few homescreen lines for each character, so you will hear the same thing over and over again very frequently unless you change out your partners regularly. (if i had a nickel every time i heard "kondo no isho-" i'd have... a few nickels.)
- the noise that plays when you use a bit-swapping skill is incredibly loud. i don't know why.
- the live BGM begins playing when you progress to the team selection screen, but restarts when you begin the live. if you use the tracklist selection to pick a new song beforehand, which adds an additional restart, then you will hear the intro *three* times in a row.
...i've rambled for long enough. this is an incredibly fun game, and none of the issues i have with it have anything to do with the main gameplay. it's very polished visually, but not too polished audi... audibly? i don't know the word. i know i focused a lot on the negatives in this review, but that's mostly because i ran out of ways to say "the puzzle's fun" and "the art's pretty" and "the story's awesome".
4/5 stan auru for a healthy sleep cycle