WWHCurrent Anime & Manga Blog: SUPER DELAYED Final Impressions: THE iDOLM@STER

March 8, 2012
Posted by DarrenW

Wow it's already been so long since the last episode of this show.

Very Sorry!!! Well, the main reason was because nearly ALL the fansubbers pulled out before the season ended. If you went to Doki to get your subs like I did, you will notice the word 'delayed'. Yeah, up till now (3 months) there have been no updates. Because of that, I had to switch to Chibiki (UTW) in and quickly rush up the last 4 episodes to give you this review!

"THE iDOLM@STER", here we go!!!

Wow, where do I begin. I remember 2 seasons back when I was saying that this would be an interesting anime for lolicons and fans of K-On! alike! Well, it has fulfilled that statement, for it is!

Firstly, the story begins when the "producer" (JUST NOTICED HE WASN'T GIVEN A NAME AT ALL) joins the "765" agency as its new manager. An agency with 12 IDOLS. 12. They all have different personalities! Ranging from tom-boyish, androphobics, cheerful, emo, secretive, innocent, proud, childish and more!

The story develops as it is revealed that all the idols have an issue or two with their own lives, hindering their way to become top-notch idols. So its up to producer-san to help them achieve their dream by conquering such issues!

Though some of their issues are solved and the agency gets famous, a villain appears. He is 961 Pro Studio's manager Takao Kuroi! He believes that 765's fame has come too early and is unfair to his agency. So he takes matters into his own hands, by sabotaging 765's events and crippling their idols emotionally.

Producer-san must put a stop to this madness! How will he do it?!
Anyway, I spent a lot of time writing about the 12 idols, so I will use it again!! XD

<Haruka Amami, the main heroine of the anime. Always helping people with their problems and issues, she is the vital piece that connects 765 Productions. Having a bright personality, she is always excited, but is slightly clumsy.

>Makoto Kikuchi, a girl that has actually more female fans because of her "Cool-Boy" personality. She actually wants to be more feminine!

<Highly energetic and cheerful, Hibiki Ganaha is one of the more comical idols. She has a mouse, a hamster, a gerbil, a parrot, a rabbit, a cat, a dog, a pig, a flying squirrel, and a crocodile!

> The two twins of the agency, Ami & Mami Futami, are identical idols, the only difference seperating them are the way they tie their hair, they are also energetic and like animal constumes.

<Yukiho Hagiwara, the most shy and cowardly idol; she always looks down upon herself, and extremely scared of boys & dogs. She always runs off and "digs a hole" with a shovel whenever she is depressed.

>Growing in a family of five siblings, Yayoi Takatsuki cares for her family very much. Being the eldest, she always tries to find ways to make money.

<And the complete opposite; the proud and arrogant Iori Minase, an ojou-sama, whom flaunts her wealth.
She also carries a bunny everywhere she goes and is also a "tsundere" at times.

>Chihaya Kisaragi, whom is always cool and serious at all times. She prefers classical music, and is very traditional & mature.

<Azuza Miura, who looks and behaves a lot like "Mayoi Neko Overrun!"'s Otome. She acts like
the big sister type but has a terrible
sense of direction.

>We don't know much about Takane Shijou, because everything about her is a secret.

< The sexy Miki Hoshii, who you can see from her eyes, likes to sleep a lot. She does things with minimal effort, but
manages large results.

> And Ritsuko Atsuki, the idol turned manager for 765 Productions! She's not left out as well!

Plot-wise, I have to say that it actually has an actual plot for you to observe. This is also very realistic and well thought off if you are in the the world of an idol. Personally, having fragmented stories with each individual idol with a big developing plot was a good choice.

Theme-wise, it portrays an idol's life (physically and emotionally) to such incredible details that I was taken aback. If you ever question an idol's life, this is the anime to watch. The theme revolves around each individual idol gaining new inspiration to be the best that they can be; by either forgetting the past or maturing through an event shown in the anime.

Secondly, it also revolves around the fact that friendship is an eternal source of which motivates everyone. This is very evidently seen throughout the whole series; the problems real life can pose the idols' friendship when the time comes. Lastly, the finale was just awesome. I was speechless. Haruka's arc was especially touching. The anime really makes you sympathize with her and the scenes.

The anime manages to have 14 amazing characters, of which you can relate to every one of them. It also has nice accompanying music. Though I have to say it was disappointing not to hear most of the songs each time it is played.

Personally though, there are lots of criticisms about this anime. I agree with them to a certain extent. Having 25 episodes did have a toll on the amount of interest I had on the anime; I tend to zoom out to do something else while halfway through the episode. I think that is the main reason why fansubs stopped subbing and people stopped watching it although the story does get real interesting from episode 20 onwards.

Overall "THE iDOLM@STER" is a good and honest show to watch. A must see anime for all ages.

"THE iDOLM@STER" has 25 episodes, and finished some 3 months ago. Fansubs are provided by Chibiki (UTW), ~~Doki, MATV~~ & Nuke. Side note, though Doki mentions 'delayed'. The project seems to have been dropped. Please go to UTW instead.