In reality I went into The IDOLM@STER (damn that's kinda annoying to spell, from this point on I'm gonna call it "TI") expecting as I said some half-assed harem crap that seems to be plaguing a good portion of this industry. But although it gives off this bad impression on a first glance the actual show is a very nicely done slice of life... Although I am kinda sad I didn't get to use my napalm, I love that stuff.
Story 10/10: TI starts off as more of a formula show rather then a linear story line, and later on though the story does become more concrete the formula is still used. The show is basically about 12 fairly unknown idols (Sidenote: I though idol was a title, not a profession?) working for a small time company, 765 productions. Basically we follow these 12 idols as they slowly get more and more famous. The formula is basically one of the idols has a problem, and the producer or other idols help her get over her problem.
Both the story and formula seem fairly straight forward eh? Honestly though, despite the simple idea behind it the story is actually handled very well, especially in the progression. They start off as essentially a bunch of nobodies and slowly raise to stardom, it's not a perfect ascend though. The whole way up they are burdened by the downsides of fame as well as the uplifting moments. This depiction of raising stardom shown from a not completely "everything gets better as you go" angle really does give the overall show a much more human feel to it. I can't really get into it too much without spoilers but trust me, the plot in this regard is handled extremely well and is definitely one of the high points of the show.
Art 7/10: The art... Damn, I really don't want to talk about the art. Art is definitely one of the shows lowest points, it's not "bad," it's just kind of... Generic. The characters all look fairly template-y (if you've read some of my previous reviews you'll know that what I mean by this is how they look like they follow a standard "template" of anime characters that seems to be used for 95% of the industry). And the background are also fairly generic for the most part. I will however praise the shows dancing parts, I can't talk ill of these, it's smooth and solid. Nothing to write home about but decent.
Sound 9/10: This was the part I was dreading, how do you review something you know next to nothing about? Unlike someone else who's familiar with J-pop and that type of music (which is what makes up a very large portion of this show) who can easily tell you what's good and bad within that specific genre out of experience, I myself have almost no knowledge of it. But I'll give it a go, I can't skip this section, music makes up a large portion of the anime. The music is fairly good in my personal opinion, some of the songs are far more energetic and fast paces where-as others are slower and more somber, but they all sound good... Well most of them, and they do fit in with the show. And as for the voice acting I have no idea! This show has no dub and my attitude when it comes to sub is that: a) I can't understand their language or how it works and b) I'm too busy reading the subs to really pay attention to how good the speaking I have no understanding of is. So I don't review subs because it would be unfair.
Characters 9/10: Finally we get to this point, I apologize if the previous entries were kind of boring but the characters really are the meat of the show (as is common with slice of life shows). And we all know the meats got to be good, I mean if you order a steak sure the baked potato might be amazing but if the steak is shit then it doesn't really matter. Thankfully this show doesn't have that problem, the characters are likable and (with the exception of a few problems) very well done. They all have their own personal quirks, personalities, and of course problems (fairly down to earth problems too, with the exceptions of a few silly and over the top moments here and there), making all the character quite human and relatable in some circumstances.
"Wait, you mentioned it wasn't completely perfect!" True... True... When I went into this show after the first few episodes (when it convinced me that this wasn't some crappy harem) I had a small fear. "If there's 25 episodes and 12 main protagonists, won't there be some spreading out issues?" Turns out my fear was not unjustified. Let me compare it to this: You have 10 slices of bread, but only a small amount of jam. Now you could equally distribute it but then it would be spread fairly thin, or you could put more on certain pieces but then the other would have an even thinner spread. TI went with the latter. In the end we have characters like Chihaya that are very fleshed out with plenty of screen time (not that I'm complaining, I loved the way her story played out) but we also have characters like Ami/Mami, Iori, Azusa, ext... Who despite being central protagonists seem to just be supporting character. Though (arguably) it's better like this then having about 60 episodes of it, the shows good but that many episodes would be pushing it.
Enjoyment 10/10: Like I said before, I did not go into this anime expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised, the show in the end turned out to be quite enjoyable. The great characters combined with the very will handled story and quality sound do make this an anime worth watching. Don't worry my skeptical friends, no shitty harems over here.
Overall 9/10: If you're looking for a good slice of life anime (you know, if you're not on the other 50% of anime fans who despise slice of life and everything it stands for) you've definitely come to the right place, a good mix of drama and comedy with likable characters and a good story. You won't be disappointed... And if you are let me know, my napalm may go to good use after all.
