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Jul 24, 2011 8:54 PM

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Nov 2009
2021
I think i won't drop this. I actually really enjoyed this episode. Mami was sort of funny before, but she finally got a chuckle out of me this episode. Yukiho is a mixed bag, she is annoying but at the same time i sort of like her.
Jul 26, 2011 2:56 PM

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Jan 2011
81
I hated Yukiho in this episode. I have very little sympathy for androphobic characters in anime, their reactions are just too annoying for me to give a flip.
Jul 26, 2011 6:38 PM

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Apr 2011
491
Miki was delightful in this episode as she always is XD
And I agree with kuroshi_nazo that Yukiho was kind of annoying.

Her and Makoto's ED don't impress me much
Jul 27, 2011 4:22 AM

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Apr 2011
9
I love androphobic characters. They are always put in insane situations :3
Jul 28, 2011 12:14 AM

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Nov 2007
3362
wow a show where the rie kugimiya character is NOT the most annoying. I can't stand the annoying scared girl. this was boring enough as is..... dropped. I guess I didn't expect much but some of the characters are really annoying.
Jul 28, 2011 1:30 PM

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Oct 2007
120
annoying yukiho is annoying :/ but thankfully she made up for it by actually manning up in the end.
Aug 1, 2011 11:55 PM

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Apr 2011
986
A bit disappointed in this first 3 eps. It feels catering, didn't felt natural at all. Maybe I'm hoping for a wrong development? And the music is not that great either.
Aug 19, 2011 5:17 PM
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Feb 2011
178
Not the best episode. After a few minutes I was like "sheesh Yukiho, get a grip already". Glad Producer managed to calm her down.
The yay part made me cringe so hard. x)
Aug 21, 2011 12:36 PM

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Aug 2010
2103
Guess this just isn't just my show. Will watch for Hibiki and Chihaya. 4/5.
Oct 12, 2011 10:14 PM

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Aug 2010
3232
kuroshi_nazo said:
I hated Yukiho in this episode. I have very little sympathy for androphobic characters in anime, their reactions are just too annoying for me to give a flip.

This.
Oct 27, 2011 3:59 AM

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Feb 2010
80
kuroshi_nazo said:
I hated Yukiho in this episode. I have very little sympathy for androphobic characters in anime, their reactions are just too annoying for me to give a flip.


Pretty much this.
I really didnt care about it that much when I was watching Working(which is the first time ive seen an androphobic character).

Now I pretty much get quite annoyed at them, pretty much having a hard time watching season 2 of Working because of that.
Oct 27, 2011 7:46 AM
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Oct 2011
11
I watched this episode a long time a go but I just felt like posting this. As a Yukiho fan I am sick and tired of seeing people make judgements on her based on the fact she is a afraid of dogs and men. I don't expect you people to like Yukiho but I am sick of people bashing her based on the fact she is afraid of men. Those who call her annoying don't even know what annoying truly is. She is not an annoying character by any means. It's not like she punches anyone and besides, I have seen androphobic girls that are way worse than Yukiho on other shows so I don't understand why people think she is a bad character. Honestly episode 3 wasn't as bad as people seem to think it was. Sure she was exaggerated but it didn't stop me from enjoying the episode, especially that concert at the end. If you could at least give her a chance you would see how much character development she shows once she gets over her fear of dogs and men.

That's pretty much all I have to say.
Oct 27, 2011 8:06 AM

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Oct 2009
810
blake307 said:
I watched this episode a long time a go but I just felt like posting this. As a Yukiho fan I am sick and tired of seeing people make judgements on her based on the fact she is a afraid of dogs and men. I don't expect you people to like Yukiho but I am sick of people bashing her based on the fact she is afraid of men. Those who call her annoying don't even know what annoying truly is. She is not an annoying character by any means. It's not like she punches anyone and besides, I have seen androphobic girls that are way worse than Yukiho on other shows so I don't understand why people think she is a bad character. Honestly episode 3 wasn't as bad as people seem to think it was. Sure she was exaggerated but it didn't stop me from enjoying the episode, especially that concert at the end. If you could at least give her a chance you would see how much character development she shows once she gets over her fear of dogs and men.

That's pretty much all I have to say.

I can understand your frustration. I don't think they got Yukiho right in the anime at all. She's really an extremely sweet character, but I think that most people just overlook her because of episode 3.
Nov 10, 2011 2:40 PM
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Jan 2010
1559
HIBIKI GANAHA
Jan 6, 2012 12:01 PM

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Apr 2011
405
Yukiho was kind annoying in this episode, but
this ending was much awesome this time.
Jan 31, 2012 12:04 AM

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May 2009
8124
Yukiho's fear of men seems very vastly overdone.

Ousto said:
Miki is actually one of the younger ones, she's only 15, same age as Iori. Chihaya is 16. Yukiho, Haruka, and Makoto are 17, Takane is 18, Azusa is 21. I'm waiting patiently for an Azusa episode.


Actually, it's more like this:
older teens: Azusa, Miki, Chihaya, Takane
young teens: Makoto, Hibiki, Haruka
ten-year-olds: Iori, Yayoi, Yukiho, Ami, Mami

In terms of the way they act and look. FWIW Haruka looks about the same age as Yukiho but acts more mature than she looks.
GlennMagusHarveyJan 31, 2012 12:54 AM
Avatar character is Gabriel from Gabriel DropOut.
May 24, 2012 11:56 AM

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Jan 2010
478
The song was the only good thing in this episode, I'm glad, I thought I was the only one who thought that Yukiho's fear of men was annoying.
Jul 21, 2012 2:47 AM

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May 2012
52
i like the cow!!!
[/URL]
Sep 2, 2012 2:07 AM
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1056
To me, the characterisation is abysmal. The size of the cast is the main reason behind that, although having fewer characters wouldn't mean the writers would have been able to be better. So as to differentiate the many characters, every aspect is cliché and exaggerated.

The script is. The characters constantly remind the viewer a single trait of characterisation, to the point of no longer being realistic. Miki is sleepy, Yukiho dislikes men, Takane is pretentious, Yayoi is poor, repeat ad nauseam.

The storyboard is. Even by their postures, the characters are exaggerated. The one with a phobia of men (which can make us wonder why she was part of the group in the first place) just has to look extremely scared, the 'watakushi' one has a ridiculously bold posture, the bimbo can't help but always put her hand on her cheek, and Miki is sleeping in virtually every shot, yet another unrealistic overdone trait of characterisation.

The acting is. The seiyuu act conspicuously following a given archetype, with no subtlety, using a necessary exaggeration to differentiate the characters. If nothing else, the chosen acting archetypes fit the characters' already thin personality, but because they fit so much, they only accentuate the cliché.

As for episode 3, I was really disappointed by this character development. There was nearly no tangible trigger apart from a dialogue which had absolutely no merit. And the characterisation was so poorly executed and overdone its evolution had few chances of being interesting.

Sep 4, 2012 8:56 AM

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Apr 2008
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lpfManiak said:
To me, the characterisation is abysmal. The size of the cast is the main reason behind that, although having fewer characters wouldn't mean the writers would have been able to be better. So as to differentiate the many characters, every aspect is cliché and exaggerated.

The script is. The characters constantly remind the viewer a single trait of characterisation, to the point of no longer being realistic. Miki is sleepy, Yukiho dislikes men, Takane is pretentious, Yayoi is poor, repeat ad nauseam.

The storyboard is. Even by their postures, the characters are exaggerated. The one with a phobia of men (which can make us wonder why she was part of the group in the first place) just has to look extremely scared, the 'watakushi' one has a ridiculously bold posture, the bimbo can't help but always put her hand on her cheek, and Miki is sleeping in virtually every shot, yet another unrealistic overdone trait of characterisation.

The acting is. The seiyuu act conspicuously following a given archetype, with no subtlety, using a necessary exaggeration to differentiate the characters. If nothing else, the chosen acting archetypes fit the characters' already thin personality, but because they fit so much, they only accentuate the cliché.

As for episode 3, I was really disappointed by this character development. There was nearly no tangible trigger apart from a dialogue which had absolutely no merit. And the characterisation was so poorly executed and overdone its evolution had few chances of being interesting.


Idolm@ster's earlier episodes definitely are quite weak in comparison to some of the later one's, and this is mainly due to two main issues with the format of the show. The first being, as you mentioned, that it had to find a way to introduce 13 girls and differentiate them within a short period of time. As such, the easiest way to accomplish this was to reinforce their specific character trait so that the viewer remembers them for this. The second issue directly influences the first but is more tied into plot structure of IM@S. The format has a bit of a "snowball effect" where the latter girl's stories benefit from the more focused plot direction, whereas the earlier girl's arcs suffer from a lack of content and prior build up.

Unfortunately, Yukiho probably received the full front of this as her story suffered from a lack of any real build up to the event and the fact that not enough time was given to flesh out her character beforehand. Her phobia of men was portrayed in a far too over the top manner to actually feel believable, and coupled with her constant scared look, made it hard to not be a bit annoyed by this episode. The actual resolution to her conflict was handled nicely, but there was little build up to this moment, effectively weakening its impact.

Though Yukiho has one of my favourite singing voices in the games, I will freely admit that this was one of the show's weakest episodes (along with Hibiki's). Glancing through some of the replies while this show was airing, it seems like this may have been the episode which caused people to drop the show or assign it a lower rating. For those that are currently watching, I'd still suggest continuing along as the improved plot structure does allow for some stronger content later on.

As for lpf, I'd suggest watching a bit more before you make any definite calls on the characters. Though they are going to always be bound by their archetype, the development some of them receive is handled quite well. Make no mistake, it will never amount to anything deep or life changing, but for what it is, it's quite an achievement in my mind. In any event, the next episode is a definite step up from this one as it focuses on the character with the strongest story and receives some nice backing from the nature of the idol industry.
Don_Don_KunSep 4, 2012 9:00 AM


Sep 5, 2012 9:04 AM
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Aug 2010
1056
Don_Don_Kun said:
As for lpf, I'd suggest watching a bit more before you make any definite calls on the characters. Though they are going to always be bound by their archetype, the development some of them receive is handled quite well. Make no mistake, it will never amount to anything deep or life changing, but for what it is, it's quite an achievement in my mind. In any event, the next episode is a definite step up from this one as it focuses on the character with the strongest story and receives some nice backing from the nature of the idol industry.


There are aspects where it can become better, but there's no risk in saying that in these three episodes, the characters—or rather the execution of their characterisation—have been more than sub-par, and while a lack of positive attributes can be fully excused later on, glaring flaws such as Idolm@ster's can only be compensated (if really at all). Which is why my opinion on what the characters have been these past three episodes is settled. Nevertheless, I can still see other aspects of their construction being handled better in later episodes.

I will skip all the points which we agree upon, only quoting a part I am not sure as to your opinion:
Don_Don_Kun said:
As such, the easiest way to accomplish this was to reinforce their specific character trait so that the viewer remembers them for this.

While I agree to some extent, you actually understand this doesn't excuse the faults, correct? Not only there are ways around this, but one of the qualities expected of a writer is the awareness of how much time they are allocated, and the ability to accordingly keep a suited focus. Which means that having the knowledge that trying to introduce so many characters at the same time will automatically involve flaws in characterisation is something one should ask from a writer.

Sep 6, 2012 7:26 PM

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Apr 2008
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lpfManiak said:

While I agree to some extent, you actually understand this doesn't excuse the faults, correct? Not only there are ways around this, but one of the qualities expected of a writer is the awareness of how much time they are allocated, and the ability to accordingly keep a suited focus. Which means that having the knowledge that trying to introduce so many characters at the same time will automatically involve flaws in characterisation is something one should ask from a writer.


As I've mentioned before, the first few episodes of Idolm@ster are quite weak for trying to introduce a huge cast of characters at once and having a loose focus. My earlier quote wasn't meant to excuse this fault but rather explain what exactly A-1 tried to do.

However, in the case of the first episode, I felt A-1 helped to remedy this situation by using the documentary format which allowed for all the girls to be introduced in a more natural manner. At the very least it was more plausible than say, the producer just happening to cross paths with each of the girls (which is basically what most harem-VN adaptations do for their first episode).

While I do agree that the approach taken had its fare share of flaws and caused the first few episodes to be fairly weak, there was one large benefit to introducing all of the girls at once. By establishing each of them as members of the cast, it allows for more screen time and interactions with one another. What this does is cause small bits of each of their personalities to be revealed as the series progresses. The extended exposition really benefits some characters in the long run such as Miki and Chihaya, who's arcs had a lot more impact due to all their prior build up. On the other hand, Yukiho suffered as a result of not having much prior exposition and then suddenly having her big development.

Now compare this approach with another VN adaptation such as Clannad. By only briefly introducing each of the characters and then removing them from the story until it was time for their arc removed the chance of any prior build up leading into their stories. This also caused Clannad to feel a lot more like a straight adaptation of its VN where the player only interacts with one girl at a time. Whereas in the case of Idolm@ster, by having all the girls present at once, it makes the show feel like an actual slice of life rather than just a route by route adaptation of each of the girls. I just wanted to mention this because in my view, I felt the writers had a good idea of the direction they wanted to take the show from the start. It may have come with the unfortunate drawback of having a weak beginning, but the eventual pay off was far greater.

More of my thoughts about Idolm@ster's introduction can be found in this post. It's on the first episode, but a lot of it is applicable to what is being discussed here.
Don_Don_KunSep 6, 2012 7:29 PM


Jan 3, 2013 2:07 AM

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Nov 2011
14558
Yukiho sure is annoying, never like that type of character. Though I can relate with the part of being scared of the dog thing, I always hate those beast and they seems to hate me too.

Jun 30, 2013 10:56 AM

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Jan 2013
11047
KaiserNazrin said:
Yukiho sure is annoying, never like that type of character. Though I can relate with the part of being scared of the dog thing, I always hate those beast and they seems to hate me too.

Because you're thinking of them as beasts.

Anyways, Yukiho must have been abused by her father at some point.
Jan 8, 2014 11:44 PM

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Jul 2013
1760
Well it was a good episode, some parts are a bit boring but the 2nd half was enjoyable. At least they made the mini concert the best one. LOL Hibiki with her horse XD.

Mar 11, 2014 8:32 PM

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May 2012
25827
Some slight but rather lovely development, I really like how the characters develop!
Mar 28, 2014 12:52 AM

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Aug 2013
4759
All the while I was thinking Yukiho might have been abused by her dad but then I remembered this is supposed to be a light-hearted show XD
"May those who accept their fate be granted happiness."

"May those who defy their fate be granted glory."
Apr 15, 2014 10:09 AM
Bunnies 🍓

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Jan 2013
15981
Pretty much Yukiho was the focus of the episode. LOL at Yukiho imagining the men as a demons.

Hibiki gets on top of the cow that's on stage as if she was riding a bull, and they both cry when they have to go their separate ways.

Mikki as always wants to sleep.

Jul 7, 2014 6:50 AM
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Mar 2013
16285
KaiserNazrin said:
Yukiho sure is annoying, never like that type of character.
I agree with you about Yukiho. Her fear is just to over-dramatic.

One can only imagine how she survives walking out of her own house everyday being afraid of men and dogs.



I love how the Producer promised to protect Yukiho from the dog even though he's scared of dogs himself. Awwww, <3 Producer, why are you so cute? >_<
Aug 9, 2014 9:47 PM

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Jun 2012
3948


I see your smile, Chihaya!!!

Anyway, this was also fantastic.

Aug 12, 2014 1:08 AM

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Nov 2012
2045
Yukiho went over the board with that get up. But it was worth it since she's no longer timid I hope.
Nov 8, 2014 10:48 PM

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Jul 2013
516
good episode
Nov 24, 2014 7:48 AM

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Nov 2011
7621
Episode not bad, the story manages quite well to divide to make is that the plot go forward and at the same time get to know the characters.
The design and the animations are good.
Funny episode, the music is nice and valuable that the ending is new.
Let's see what does the next episode.
Jan 17, 2015 7:14 PM

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Jan 2013
13743
I'd rather suck my own dick then watch this but I'm not a very flexible person so...
Feb 10, 2016 8:25 PM

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Jul 2014
797
I can barely get through this episode because Yukiho is fucking annoying.

Every other scene is her walking into a guy, crying in this high pitched squeal and running away and all the girls are like "ITS OKAY ITS OKAY"

Literally about to skip this over-dramatic annoying trainwreck.
Sep 1, 2016 1:43 AM

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May 2010
8099
"Are you ready? I'm lady" ... What. this OP.

Lol I almost thought Iori called herself loli-chan for a sec.

I questioned why Yukiho even wants to be an idol when there's obvious that men will be in the crowd, but ye she wants to change. Her promising the producer was nice, kinda shippy.

I like Yukiho's singing voice, she did her best there. You gotta appreciate her for that.

That was a great episode. Don't understand the overall episode rating. People and their love for "action" I guess, meh. Honestly the whole sol hate and action love makes me a bit sick, but hey, to each their own.
Nov 4, 2016 7:12 PM

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Sep 2013
3373
[quote=Sky message=11966565]
kuroshi_nazo said:I hated Yukiho in this episode. I have very little sympathy for androphobic characters in anime, their reactions are just too annoying for me to give a flip.
This.


I agree. And, I just got done watching Working!! shortly before this series with another annoying character who had a man-phobia. Blech

I'm level on mal-badges. View my badges.
Sep 30, 2017 8:26 PM

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Jan 2014
3692
I enjoy the struggle of them trying to "make it big" by starting out small. I don't know, there's just something about that.. it seems humbling?





Three things cannot be long hidden..
...the s u n, the m oo n, and the tr u th.


Nov 26, 2017 6:54 PM
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Jul 2018
564612
Why does nobody refer to the Producer by his actual name?
Feb 3, 2018 1:11 PM

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Jun 2016
3391
I'm not a fan of characters being characterized by single personality trait being stretched out as humanly possible. Both Yukiho's fear of guys and dogs and Miki's affinity to sleeping all the time already got old. That being said I adored how Yukiho overcame it with the help of Makoto and Amami. Makoto really seems like a 'big brother' type caring for her close ones. And I loved how Producer-san bonded with her to overcome their problems together. The song was also really cute from what I picked up on it. Everything will be alright!!!

This was a fun episode and it already seems like my problems with the characters will be changed once we get an episode focusing on them.
Jun 17, 2020 12:22 PM

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May 2018
5880
To be fair, I do get a bit anxious next to big dogs as well
Jun 17, 2020 12:37 PM

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May 2018
5880
RealTheAbsurdist said:
Why does nobody refer to the Producer by his actual name?


because he doesn't have a name (he is an actual self-insert character)
Aug 28, 2021 9:25 AM

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Aug 2018
3272
Just what kind of experiences Yukiho had with men, if she is afraid so much of them?.. Was she beaten or somehow else abused by someone?..
Apr 23, 6:55 PM

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Dec 2022
3217
Iori can slice the heck out of some onions boy
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