The iDOLM@STER 08: Wandering Azusa

Just Azusa. No unwitty caption for you.

Well that was different. If I was to describe this episode in three words I'd say exaggerated, pointless, and yet lots of fun. Okay, the last one's more of a statement, but you get my point. Though the entire thing was over-the-top (like the midair fight sequence and the raging crowd of people), it was pretty enjoyable. It's not like I'm watching anime for "realistic" anyway. I would say though that I wish there was more interaction between the characters rather then 23 minutes of Azusa, and pretty much every other character, running aloof. It felt like one big wild-goose chase that in the end only really concerned a couple throwaway characters we'll probably never see again.

The iDOLM@STER 07: Pride, and beans.

*tear*

Well that was a very sweet and heartwarming episode, which is exactly what I'd expect from Yayoi. After switching it up the past few weeks with the new group we're back to a "single character focused episode", though I wouldn't even call it that because both Yayoi and Iori were pretty prominent and Iori got lots of development for her character. Besides the insert song and ED, which I didn't really enjoy, this week was great and even had me on the verge of tears for a moment.

On a side note, I clicked on a link on MAL out of boredom and was directed to a youtube video called "Home-Haruka - Love & Joy". I never laughed so hard. Check it out! (The song is actually very good too!)

The iDOLM@STER 06: Determination

Now downloading, Smoky Thrill.

Okay, any doubts I had about this show were completely forgotten after Ryuuguu Komachi’s performance. I mean, the group was just formed last episode and they're already performing an entire dancing/singing sequence that looked amazing. I'm no expert on animation and whatever, but everything about the performance was just eye-catching. The song, the dancing, the flashy colors. I loved every minute of it, and don't worry, we still got another new ED! iDOLM@STER might not be the best at creating intricate characters, but it delivers every week in the one area it should, the music.

The iDOLM@STER 05: Summer Heat

Couldn't resist screencaping this, so pretty.

A good beach episode? What is this. Episode 5 managed to be actually pretty enjoyable. It broke away from the usual format of having a focus on one girl and instead let all the characters have a part of the spotlight. It was lighthearted, had it's funny moments, and even managed to add some actual story development. I always say the best part of Idolmaster is seeing the different personalities interact and develop their friendships and once again the whole cast shined. The characters are still pretty one-sided, but as we slowly learn more about each of the girls those initial perceptions are starting to fade.

The iDOLM@STER 04: Ribbit

Ribbit indeed.

The premise of this episode was ... well, pretty lame and annoying, but thankfully the odd mixture of Chihaya, Haruka, Takane, and Hibiki managed to save it from becoming bad. The first three are my favorite characters in the series and they work extremely well together, especially Haruka and Chihaya. Since this was a Chihaya-focused episode I was hoping they'd at least give her a good premise to develop her character, but instead we got frogs, cooking, and a bunch of perverted cameramen.

This was the first episode to focus solely on a small group of characters which was awesome at first, but the episode slowly turned irritating thanks to the game show-like atmosphere and the annoying hand puppet. Unlike the previous two episodes where the focus character got lots of screen-time, I felt Chihaya was sort of ignored. There were tons of annoying scenes that could have been switched with more time for her, but they weren't.

The iDOLM@STER 03: Facing your fears.

Road trip!!!

While episode three didn't quite live up to the standard set by the first two episodes, I'd say it did an OK job at developing a character that in most cases is the worst of the cast. Two weeks ago I said Yukiho, who has a slight case of androphobia (or fear of men) would probably end up being my least favorite character in the show, and that hasn't really changed much even with this episode focusing on her. Luckily, she didn't ruin the episode.

In this episode 765 Production takes a road trip to perform a concert, but when they arrive they realize it's not as "fancy" as they would have liked. The most important thing I managed to scrape up from this episode was that the cast seems to be split into groups, the younger girls (Iori, Ami, Mami, and Yayoi), the teenage trio (Yukiho, Makoto, and Haruka), the mature girls (Takane, Azusa, Chihaya) and than there's Hibiki, who I rarely see, and Miki, who is always asleep. I love seeing the friendships within the groups grow, but I'd love even more to see more interaction outside of the groups, which there was only a little of this episode. I guess you could say the split groups does help with conserving time for each girl, since there's only 23 minutes and TONS of characters.

The iDOLM@STER 02: Individuality

Producer, don't you have a job to be doing!

This week on iDOLM@STER the focus was clearly on the younger members of 765 Production Ami, Mami, Yayoi, and more specifically, Iori. With the challenge of a photo-shoot up ahead, the four girls struggled to find what it is that makes one pop star different from the rest, and came to the conclusion that it is individuality. Though their grasp on the concept was ... well, amiss.

The episode improved on the previous by having a clearer focus and developing the characters a little more, but the presence of the Producer (who is no longer behind a camera) made things slightly awkward. He's far from an interesting character and gets in the way of the character interactions that make the show funny.

The iDOLM@STER 01: "Unity is Strength"

Meet the girls of 765 Production.

Coming into the Summer Season the last show I thought I'd ever watch, let alone blog about, was iDOLM@STER. Even now, I'm thinking that I must be a fool to even consider blogging a video game adaptation with more characters then I can count with my fingers. Not only was iDOLM@STER's first episode extremely fast paced and a little cliched, but it was also slightly annoying in some aspects, but something about the direction won't let me go, and by writing this post I'm hoping to figure out what that is.

"They are what girls aspire to be. However, only a handful are able to stand at the top ... Into that world, 13 girls set foot." There I was, seconds away from joining a Monster Hunter lobby when the quote flashed across the screen, soft piano notes playing in the background. My eyes were stuck to the screen from that moment, I set my controller aside, and focused on what might be the craziest ride a first episode has ever taken me on. The quote grabbed my attention so immediately because I could relate to it. Before I go any further, no, I don't want to be a pop idol, but I can understand the intimidation of difficult aspirations conveyed through the message. Writing is something I love to do, but can I ever be sure that I'll ever make it farther then a post on a blog the majority of the world will never see? But, as Ritsuko says below, as long as I continue my life not giving up does it really matter if I never make it big?