Over the years, I’ve watched Idol anime from time to time to try and understand the appeal. I haven’t really been a fan of the genre as everything just seems to follow the exact same formula time and time again. At the same time though, I know there's a lot of people who really like idol shows and I’ve always wanted to come to some sort of an understanding why. Recently, I decided to watch The Idolm@ster on recommendation from a lot of people I know. Now that I’ve finished it, I can finally say “I get it”. The Idolm@ster was truly the first idol anime I’ve seen that I thoroughly enjoyed and there is a lot that makes it special that elevated it above other series in its genre. This is why The Idolm@ster does the idol genre right!

The Plot As always, a brief summary. The Idolm@ster follows an idol agency called 765 Productions that works with professional idols. As the show begins, the company's 13 idols are largely without work doing what they can to get by as a group. With the hiring of a new producer to arrange their events, the group begins their journey to stardom. I know, it doesn't sound that crazy and unique, but it's everything else that The Idolm@ster does that makes it as special as it is. To stay on topic with the story, The Idolm@ster can be split roughly into 2 halves, the first of which where they aren't famous, and the second half where they are. The first half to me wasn't all that spectacular to me. For most episodes, they focus on one girl and whatever shenanigans they get into working various jobs or they have a larger event with the whole group be it a beach episode or whatnot. While the first half isn't amazing, it certainly isn't bad as it uses this time to steadily introduce its characters on a slightly deeper level, and maybe subtly hinting at later developments, while remaining an overall good time. It’s the show's second half where I think The Idolm@ster really hit its stride. In this half, the show transitions to focusing in on some of the more deep characters that were established in the first half while bringing attention to the effect that becoming overnight sensations have on the group and its members as individuals. Through this, The Idolm@ster is able to feel that much more deep and I dare to say realistic than other idol anime. It got me really interested in the characters and their struggles and I’ve never really felt that nearly to this extent with other anime of its genre.The Characters While the plot actually has substance, it's through The Idolm@sters characters that the show is able to truly become special. Right off, there are numerous characters in the group that don't really have that much of a role aside from being fun characters. This isn't bad by any means but it's kinda clear somewhat early into the show that they aren't going to be doing all that much aside from having fun moments from time to time. On the other hand, many of the remaining characters offer a lot more and bring the show to a whole new level. In particular, I thought the best characters of The Idolm@ster were Miki, Chihaya, and Haruka. While I wouldn't really say any character is the true main character over the others, I would say that these are the three that have the most “main character energy”. I'll talk briefly about them in the spoiler tagged section below but to keep things spoiler free here, I'll just say that I felt that all three of these characters showed the most character growth over the series and whose journeys provided a surprising emotional investment for me.

Spoiler, click to view

Miki - Of the 3, Miki is the weakest of the three but at the same time, I feel like she is one of the ones who changes the most. Miki starts off as being the carefree character who takes everything easy. She doesn't have that much ambition to do things her own way and believes that she will succeed without that much effort. Through the middle section of the show though, she goes through a lot of change. She learns to take pride in her work and the value of giving it her all. By the end, of the group, I would almost say that she is the one who puts in the most effort, in hopes of earning the respect of her coworkers and producer

Chihaya - Chihaya I feel like was the most on the nose tragic but they handle her story in a clever way. Of the cast, I would consider Chihaya to be the most musically talented. She has a very strong sense of purpose when it comes to music that it gets to the point where she is largely disinterested in work that isn't singing related. In the second half, her tragic past is exposed to the world all at once and we finally see what makes Chihaya the person she is. Through her bond with her coworkers and a newfound sense of purpose, she's able to evolve as a musician and bounce back from the low place she ends up at. I know that was probably cliche after cliche but they do a great job of telling it.

Haruka - Haruka is the most “main character” of the group though I feel like she doesnt do all that much in the first half. Haruka is extremely positive and is the biggest team player of the group. It's this aspect that makes the change that arrives in the group upon becoming famous that much more hard hitting. Now that they’re famous, everyone is now busy at all times and off working largely on their own. Haruka, being the member who wants to do things together as a group the most, takes this shift the hardest and goes through a lot of struggle. It's through her that the rest of the group realize how important the group is to them and it's what brings everyone together in the end. It was just nice to see.

The Production On the production side, The Idolm@ster was created by A-1 Pictures, a studio that I consider to be pretty good. The animation is nothing special but it is very clean and nice overall. Additionally, the stage performance scenes look pretty good. I’ve seen other idol shows that have really wacky CGI that is kinda jarring. The Idolm@ster doesn't have that. Of course, the music of The Idolm@ster is a big plus point. Both opening themes are very catchy and every episode has a unique ending theme which is really nice to see. All the insert songs are very nice too although most don't play in their entirety which was a little weird but is fine I guess. Overall, there is a lot to like on the production side.

In conclusion, The Idolm@ster is an idol anime that does it right. They are able to fully embrace the aspects that are staples for the genre while creating an identity that is uniquely its own. It has a cast of varied characters, many of whom show actual growth through the series that allowed me to become that much more invested in them. While the first half isn't all that special, it's able to successfully take what it establishes and grows it into something so much more in its second half. I’ve never been a fan of idol anime but I like to watch one from time to time to try to maybe find one that will click for me. If you also don't really get the appeal of idol anime, I encourage you to maybe give The Idolm@ster a chance. It changed my mind and maybe it’ll change yours? Now that I've watched it, I can now say with confidence that The Idolm@ster is the idol anime for me!~~~~~~