Conclusion: THE iDOLM@STER

Aaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnndddddddddd, saving the best for last, I have...THE iDOLM@STER!!!!1!!1!1!

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Because there can be never enough iM@S videos.

I can fully say that THE iDOLM@STER was the series I most looked forward to every week. It was another case where MorningLescue was fanatically recommending the series to me. Personally, I've never really liked series that spawn from franchises such as games or other stuff (with the exception of visual novels and Valkyria Chronicles), but after much urging, I took a peek at it.

And it was glorious.

That's what they all say

The graphics are good (or rather, great) - they use the same style as they did with Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai. The simpler proportions + bigger eyes make the characters look much cuter in the anime - certainly better than they were in, say, iDOLM@STER: Xenoglossia. Although the frames aren't overly smooth like it is in Kyoukai, it's definitely enough to show the idols in full detail.

The soundtrack needs no introduction or even description. It's iDOLM@STER, for Chrissakes. As I've said before, if they didn't have good soundtrack pieces/inserts, that would be bad. Luckily they have enough songs to make a custom ED and insert for every single episode. Good stuff, good stuff. The two OPs (Ready!! [OP1] and Change!!!! [OP2]) are also delightful and much better than most of the other openings this season. Overall, with the exception of perhaps Nichijou, iDOLM@STER is the last word in terms of quality soundtracks during the summer and fall 2011 seasons.

Oh except for one thing: gratuitous Engrish should be decent, not horrific.

ARE YOU READY?

So how does the plot work out? Was it yet another schizophrenic weirdo-fest like Xenoglossia was? The answer to that question is: 

HELL NAW.

So cute, jeeeeeez

I feel that this was exactly what an iM@S adaptation should have been. It:

- introduces all the characters (and tries to keep most of them going in most of the episodes instead of shoving them into a corner) + you/the main character (the Producer of 765 Productions) in a really cool way (although I wish they kept the first-person view...that would have been a new and refreshing idea).

- you meet Miki in the most adorable way possible:

So good

- has a story for each character (and an actually interesting one too; it does a lot for the development of each character)

- has an adorable Miki story

- includes the usual American rich corporate villain that's (I'm pretty sure) in the game also

- includes dramatic moments that actually work in the context of the series and highlight the better characters of the series (Amami Haruka and Hoshii Miki).

- ends by wrapping everything up decently into "aww everyone get together" time (and has Miki hugging the Producer Broducer)

I mean, what else can you want? They gave spotlight time to all the characters, had a relatively decent conflict with "external" forces (the 961, or  Darth Sidious "Kuroi" Productions and Anakin Skywalker clones Jupiter), and a really heart-warming "internal" conflict with the various members of our very own 765 Productions. Although neither conflict was very complex in form, for some reason or another, it was really fun just watching everything unravel/unveil. Perhaps it's because all the iM@S characters wear their hearts on their sleeves (more so than regular anime charas). Perhaps it's because it's fun watching a real team work together and help each other out. Or perhaps it's because everybody likes to imagine themselves as the Broducer in the midst of that 13-girl harem. Either way, it works and works well.

Go! Team Idol thingy!

Although iM@S was probably my favorite series in Fall 2011, there were some things that would have put the icing on the cake:

- Make the villains more frustrating and less Ernst Blofeld, maniacal laughter/kitten/etc. Creating stereotypical villains makes solutions to defeating them terribly predictable (I mean, it's always with the Power of Heart, but how exactly do they do it is the question), which is crippling if you want a more dramatic conflict.

- Less walking around doing nothing but being emo in times of depression. I want introspection, not silent self-pity for 50 seconds.

- Yes, you guys have awesome songs. It doesn't give you guys an excuse to make 3-5 minute fillers. Especially the last episode - that conclusion was good, but in some ways it was also inexcusable.

And the MOST frustrating of all:

- MOAR FANSERVICE REQUIRED. I realize this is a strange complaint, but by God, I did not watch the Broducer herping and derping around in iM@S for 25 episodes just to see Haruka blushing...once. This is a good series without the fanservice, I agree, but the game is also meant to be a dating sim. Having a 13-girl obvious harem without some flirting or harem conflicts or something (anythingggggg) is probably the worst tease I've had this year. I have to satisfy myself with Miki calling the Broducer "Honey" a total of what, three times in the entire series? To hell with that. I love the restraint, but seriously...I really hate the restraint.

I WATCHED ALL OF iDOLM@STER FOR THIS ONE BLUSH ASDFJKL;

In the end though, all of the flaws I list above are nitpicks or are vastly outweighed by the fun you'll have watching this video. I would definitely say that even disregarding the harem theme, iDOLM@STER truly stands on its own due to the strength of its production values and the development of the characters at hand. It was one of the few series this year that I really marked on the calendar and looked forward to, and I hope you did too.