(warning: sarcasm is detected in the article below, fans beware)
“Are you ready? I am ready…” (from op song Ready!!) Ready to jump the fray of entertainment business and make a bunch of girls with interesting characters (yes, interesting is the meticulously chosen word) into super idols that’ll feed you tens of millions of yen per event? If your answer is yes, congrats, please watch The IDOLM@STER and be done with the idea, NOW.
The currently airing (at EP8) The IDOLM@STER anime is the newest addition to the multi-product franchise started with a 2005 game by Namco. The game received huge popularity and branched out everywhere, even Ace Combat 6 (also produced and published by Namco) featured special Im@s paint schemes for fighter jets, which is an idea so awesome it is one step away from total nuts. The awesomeness doesn’t stop here though. When Namco’s “game inspired” anime Idolm@ster Xenoglossia came out it redefined the meaning of poor product management. It doesn’t take an MBA to see what’s wrong here: you simply do not suddenly throw teenage girl idols originally designed to be everyday people into cockpit of an over-the-top robot fighting machine and protect Tokyo, not if you aren’t making Sakura Wars, anyways. In conclusion, fans alienated, seiyuus (voice actors) quit, brand value lost. So does the newest venture on air, The IDOLM@STER, live up to the tradition of the original game?
The building that homes 765 Production (2nd floor only) gives us an image definition for upstart company
Having never played the game on which the story is based, I personally find the anime acceptable. Continue reading →
Vancouver Anime Fan 