Reviews

When first looking at Idolm@ster you tend to think 'its just another show about becoming an idol' or 'oh its another show with a lot of cute looking girls who are happy-go-lucky'. However, if you give the show a chance instead of watching just an episode or two you will discover it can actually be more than that. Even though the show has a lot of main characters, Idolm@ster does a great job introducing them all and going further into their characters. Each episode can be about a specific girl, but each episode isn't solely focused on them either. When a problem is introduced to one of them it not only shows how it affects them but the others as well. The story shows the idols [and the company?] slowly progressing to stardom. You even have a little bit of an antagonist in the show appear to heat things up! This anime is very funny, exciting, and can be dramatic when it wants. However I do feel as though the story lacked something. It might be that even though this anime is different it somehow felt predictable. Like a few other animes were similar to the show. However even if this is the case this show does stand out on its in own from others by the characters, art, and music.
The show isn't about being famous, but the the bonds these girls have created and their everyday life to get to the top.
This anime art style is one that I favor a lot. It is more realistic than other anime styles but it also holds the anime feeling. The style also complimented the character design, personality, and even their voices. Each character were unique in their own way from long silver hair to the shape of their face and even their eyes. Even if their personalities seem to be very bubbly the show makes it a point to show that they are different from one another and each girl has different tastes.
The animation wasn't half bad either. Especially the concert scenes, with the background of the audience to the dances they performed on stage, everything was constantly moving and you were rarely staring at a picture for minutes [like some low budget animes]. The flow of the animation really help keep it going and keep the viewers entertained. However, there were a few times the animation was still for a lot longer than I think it should have. The ending themes to the episodes I enjoyed it being stills. They were always different and also related to everything that happened in the episode. The music for this anime was also very enjoyable. A lot of it was kind of too bubbly or slow for my taste, but the music was still good none-the-less.
I believe I would re-watch this anime given a good bit of time since i prefer shorter animes. Other people planning on watching this anime should give it a go even if you are reluctant. I was at the beginning but i'm glad I watched it.