Line #29 YMMV/TheIdolmaster


1	[[WMG:[[center: [-'''''Franchise/TheIdolMaster'' YMMV index'''\
2	'''General''' \| 765 Continuity (''[[YMMV/TheIdolmaster2 2]]'', ''[[YMMV/TheIdolmasterMillionLive Million Live!]]'') \| ''[[YMMV/TheIdolmasterDearlyStars Dearly Stars]]'' \| ''[[YMMV/TheIdolmasterCinderellaGirls Cinderella Girls]]'' \| ''[[YMMV/TheIdolmasterSideM SideM]]'' \| ''[[YMMV/TheIdolmasterShinyColors Shiny Colors]]'' \| ''[[YMMV/IdolmasterXenoglossia Xenoglossia]]'']]]]-]
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6	! The franchise in general:
7	* ArchivePanic: As of 2020, with a lot of Games, lots of Soundtracks and some television adaptations and counting, newcomers to the franchise will have trouble catching up.
8	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[AwesomeMusic/TheIdolmaster Has its own page.]]
9	* BrokenBase: Fans of the RaisingSim gameplay (such as the original arcade/console games and ''Shiny Colors'') vs fans of the RhythmGame style gameplay (such as ''Starlight Stage'', ''Theater Days'', and ''Growing Stars''). The raising sims are what the series was originally built around on consoles, but the mobile rhythm games caused a huge NewbieBoom that caused the franchise to truly go mainstream due to their accessibility. Original fans of the raising sims often feel alienated at the increased focus on rhythm gameplay, not helped by even the console 765AS games toning down or removing the raising sim gameplay in favor of rhythm game elements up until ''Starlit Season''.
10	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
11	** [[{{Tomboy}} Makoto]] [[{{Bifauxnen}} Kikuchi]] is this of the main characters.
12	** During the arcade game's location tests, Yukiho was the most produced character during both tests.
13	** In terms of costumes, My Dear Vampire and Wired Marionette are insanely popular for cosplay. There's also Gothic Princess, which is merely a Cute & Girly recolor, only has simple solid colors, and has low stats, but became rather popular among players for the ElegantGothicLolita vibe it gives off, and is featured very prominently in merch.
14	** [[YMMV/TheIdolmasterCinderellaGirls Cinderella Girls has its fair share of them, found in its own YMMV page.]]
15	** Million Live ain't no slouch in the darkhorse department either. From that game, there is:
16	*** [[ShrinkingViolet Anna Mochizuki]], the split-personality GamerChick.
17	*** [[OccidentalOtaku Emily Stewart]], the Western girl obsessed with Japanese culture.
18	*** [[OlderThanTheyLook Konomi Baba]], the reliable adult that looks like a little girl.
19	*** [[CuteBookworm Yuriko Nanao]], the book-reader with a wild imagination.
20	*** [[DisappearedDad Shiho Kitazawa]], the lonely stoic with an adoration for picture books and small cats.
21	* FandomRivalry:
22	** It might not be reciprocated, but ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' fans have been shown to dislike this series because Creator/KentaroMiura was known to be a huge fan of it, with said fans erroneously blaming this series for a ton of [[ScheduleSlip schedule slipping]]; it isn't unusual to find comments in Idolmaster-related Website/YouTube videos or webpage articles commenting on ''Berserk'' potentially being delayed again and/or general reactions of "He put ''Berserk'' on hiatus for THIS?!". After Miura's death, blaming Idolmaster is seen as a tasteless joke; it's generally understood that it was, at the time, a fandom in-joke taken way too seriously.
23	** Naturally, the franchise also has a rivalry with fellow idol franchises such as ''Franchise/LoveLive''. ''LL'' in particular draws snark from ''iM@S'' fans due to what they perceive as lower-quality CG animation, the smaller cast of characters (though one could argue that a larger cast [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools doesn't always mean a better cast]]), and the comparatively loud fanbase. %%Some ''Love Live!'' fans also pointed out that the girls' relationship to the ''male'' Producer is not a good example to some Yuri fans.
24	* FanNickname:
25	** "Broducer" for the anime version of the Producer.
26	** Ozaki gets [[Manga/{{Gintama}} Madao]], in her case meaning "good-for-nothing Ozaki" (まるでダメな尾崎 '''Ma'''ru de '''Da'''me na '''O'''zaki).
27	* FanPreferredCouple: [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Yukiho/Makoto]] seems to be for a major part of the ([[EvenTheGirlsWantHer mostly female]]) fanbase (or at least based on what you see on Comiket and other [[{{Doujinshi}} amateur publication]] events)
28	* FriendlyFandoms: With Music/{{Vocaloid}}. *The "P names" for Vocaloid producers was derived from iM@S, there is a large Vocaloid convention called "The Voc@loid M@ster", ''[[VideoGame/HatsuneMikuProjectDiva Project Diva 2nd]]'' had [=iDOLM@STER=] costumes as DLC, and Music/HatsuneMiku herself appeared as a guest idol in ''2''.
29	** A lot of iM@S fans are also into other 2D idol franchises such as "Franchise/LoveLive!" and Idoly Pride.
30	* GrowingTheBeard: ''Million Live''. During its first year, it felt rather generic and only existed as a sort of Cinderella Girls clone. As time went on, the events became more extravagant, the card art got better, the music [=CDs=] associated with the game have greatly improved, and the new characters have gotten enough depth to match up with some of the original 13 765Pro idols, causing the sub-series to stand out in its own right.
31	* HilariousInHindsight: Ryou getting new card sets in both ''[[VideoGame/TheIdolmasterSideM SideM]]'' in his F-LAGS persona and ''Cinderella Girls'' in his Dearly Stars persona on the same week (Valentine's 2017) led to some fans jokingly accusing him of [[LivingADoubleLife working two idol careers at once.]]
32	* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap:
33	** While Jupiter wasn't well received during their debut due to the series consisting of female idols up until that point (except for [[WholesomeCrossdresser Ryo]]), fans have somewhat warmed up to them in the anime version; while they're still high-and-mighty jackasses (especially Touma), they clearly [[EvenEvilHasStandards show disgust]] when they realize Kuroi has been skipping past the MoralEventHorizon behind their ears. Their non-business moments with the cast in the [=OVAs=] also helped. Eventually, they turn over a new leaf as idols under 315 in ''[=SideM=]'', and act [[TookALevelInKindness significantly nicer than they did]] in ''2''. In fact, when ''Starlit Season'' didn't include them or any [=SideM=] idols as playable characters, there was an enormous backlash.
34	** Some may say all of ''Million Live'' is this. At first it was considered to be an unnecessary cash grab of a mobile game when the older ''Cinderella Girls'' already exists. Once the characters began to show more depth, the music attributed to the game started to improve, and the event themes became more interesting, ''Million Live'' is starting to show a decent-sized (not to the extent of ''CG'') and loyal fanbase. It helps that it's the easier game to access for a western audience than its [[NoExportForYou spiritual older sibling]].
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36	! The 765 Production games and anime:
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38	* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: "[[SuperpoweredEvilSide Black Haruka]]". She wields a [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]]!
39	** [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/wiki/show?title=home_haruka Home Haruka]], a skin for Playstation Home gone wrong and then subsequently satirized in a manner similar to Black Haruka.
40	** Some fans jokingly theorize that Haruka had deliberately set up the situation in Episode 23 to [[spoiler:cause the Producer to fall.]]
41	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The anime's end credits are typically a montage of the idols relaxing after the episode's events. Then there's Ami & Mami's [=ED=], which features them riding dinosaurs and doing a tandem spacewalk with no context whatsoever.
42	* CriticalDissonance: ''Platinum Stars'' was ''hated'' by fans, due to the fact that it was a grindy rhythm game with tons of microtransactions and having non-existent idol raising. However, it has the highest Famitsu review scores of any game in the series.
43	* HarsherInHindsight: In the series, Azusa becomes an idol just to get more attention to find her destined man. But in real life, a female idol who looks for a man as her love life only causes more ruckus for idol fans.
44	* HilariousInHindsight:
45	** The two fake trailer movies that star the entire idol group now that there is an official movie.
46	** Iori has covered [[Literature/{{Bakemonogatari}} Nadeko Sengoku's]] ImageSong, "Ren'ai Circulation", with Eri Mizutani having Nadeko's [[Creator/KanaHanazawa Japanese voice actress]]. [[spoiler:It turns out that, like Iori, Nadeko isn't as cutesy or innocent as she appears to be.]]
47	** Creator/AsamiShimoda wasn't quite done with playing two different idols in the same series. Her next biggest role was lending her vocals to [[Music/{{Vocaloid}} Len and Rin Kagamine]], who are used from everything to music to [=PVs=] to live 3D concerts. And of course, fans love to play them off as HalfIdenticalTwins.
48	** Creator/KentaroMiura, the creator of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', is an admitted fan of the franchise. Toshiyuki Kubōka, who made the original character designs, would go on to direct the ''Golden Age Arc'' movies.
49	* LauncherOfAThousandShips: Again, Makoto.
50	* MemeticLoser: Chihaya's bust size of 72cm made her a complete ButtMonkey to bust-related memes.
51	* MemeticMutation: のヮの
52	** There is the てってってー (Te Te Tee) meme from Nico Video, where remixes of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlp87tVwCDY&translated=1 all]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBxG_8CdQMg&translated=1 different]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JevNmW1KwPE sorts]] are done with a BGM song from THE IDOLM@STER, as well as the popular trend of putting the choreography of the dances (Usually the most popular ones.) [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W6oo_jxKGA&translated=1 to different songs]].
53	** Due to the popularity of iDOLM@STER in Japan, Sony offered a Haruka "skin" for avatars in ''VideoGame/PlaystationHome''. The resultant skin, really intended like a plastic mask for the avatar, fell so forcefully into the UnintentionalUncannyValley that "Home Haruka-san" (as she's been dubbed) has become a minor meme on Nico Nico, particularly in the Vocaloid fandom where the 3D choreography program "Miku Miku Dance" is readily available. Home Haruka-san should be treated with the same amount of fear and respect as you would give [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} Michael Myers]].
54	** "Are you ready? I'm [[GratuitousEnglish LADY!"]]
55	** Yukiho's CatchPhrase ("I'll go bury myself!") soon became a meme about Yukiho's extraordinary ability to dig holes on every surface, as well as the ability to summon shovels from HammerSpace. Somehow [[AscendedMeme ascended]] in episode 15 of the anime, where she (as a [[SuperRobot super robot]]) has drills and an obsession to dig through stuff.
56	** Kuroi also got one thanks to his nonsensical sense of board game: "[[GratuitousEnglish CHECKMATE!]]"
57	** Chihaya's robotic-sounding delivery of "Ohayou!!Asagohan" in the first game caused fans to come up with the memetic character [[RobotMe Mecha-Chihaya]]. This is sometimes paired with a ShoutOut to ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore'', where one of the megacorporations is the Kisaragi Corp. Mecha-Chihaya became an AscendedMeme in the anime, in the form of ''[[SuperRobot Mujin Gattai Kisaragi]]''.
58	* {{Moe}}: The foundation on which the game is built. Downplayed in the original arcade game, while the characters still acted moe, the developers deliberately avoided going for an art style that was [[PuniPlush too moe looking]] for fear of people being too embarrassed to be seen playing it.
59	* {{Narm}}: In the anime, Kuroi seems to have a fetish for chess, Go, etc and likes making up things to make Check Mate (and says it out loud)... until you realize that he's just arranging the pieces into some shapes he likes rather than making an actual check mate situation... Clearly the man knows ''nothing'' about the board games he plays.
60	* SelfFanservice: Some artists like to draw Takane with a sizable rear end.
61	* ShipToShipCombat: Makoto is most commonly paired with either Miki or Yukiho. They are depicted as rivals in many [=MADs.=]
62	* SpotlightStealingCrossover: In ''One for All'', some fans noticed that ''Million Live'' got better representation than ''Cinderella Girls''. The choreography for the ''ML'' characters tended to be superior to those from ''CG'', and the ''ML'' characters have original skill names while ''CG'' characters have their song titles for skill names. Then there's ''Starlit Season'', which was meant to celebrate all branches of the franchise, but reduced ''Dearly Stars'' and ''[=SideM=]'' to mere cameos.
63	* StockFootageFailure:
64	** [[spoiler: How can Azusa and Takane be dancing on the floor in front of the stairs and in the next take they're still descending said stairs?]]
65	** [[spoiler: In a less obvious example, the animators themselves got confused over Ami and Mami's costumes. Ami starts off wearing yellow and Mami with pink, then during the CHANGE!!!! segment, both of them are wearing pink. Mami's costume then changes to yellow during the last bits of the READY!! segment with the close-up of her and Iori, before they revert back to the original costumes they were in.]]
66	* SugarWiki/SweetDreamsFuel: The anime of the 765 idols is often considered this.
67	* ThatOneLevel: The VESPERIA Festival. Also counts as BrutalBonusLevel. Without some serious aid and preparation, there's no way to beat it.
68	** The lyrics lesson in ''SP'' is notoriously difficult for people that can't read kanji.
69	* UglyCute: Harukasan. With her constant wide mouth and eyes, she like the pug of the Petit Idol gang.
70	* ValuesDissonance: The push for Makoto to act more feminine may come across as odd to Western fans.
71	* VanillaProtagonist: Haruka (and the characters following her archetype in the other branches) occasionally gets accusations of this.
72	* WinBackTheCrowd: ''Stella Stage'' was meant to be this after the disaster that was ''Platinum Stars''. The dreaded P drop system was removed, the simulation gameplay returned (albeit rather watered-down like ''One For All''), DLC from ''Platinum Stars'' carries over so you don't have to buy it again (the first time this has ever happened in the series), and the game features the largest list of standard songs to date, whopping in at about 40 songs, and this is all without [=DLC=]. The costumes are all still identical no matter who wears it, though... Seems like no big deal, but when a good chunk of the costumes are PaletteSwaps, the lack of individuality really stands out compared to previous games, making the wardrobe options seem very limited.
73	* TheWoobie:
74	** Poor, poor Chihaya-chan. Not only her past is that [[DarkAndTroubledPast dark and troubled]] (for this kind of series' standards anyway), the last moments of anime episode 19 ''will'' make you want to hug her... [[spoiler:while cursing at Kuroi and scream for his death for [[MoralEventHorizon what he did to her]].]]
75	** [[spoiler: Haruka becomes this in episode 23, since all of her friends are busy and have no time for her, a show that was suppose to happen gets canceled, and Miki starts viewing Haruka as a rival. [[BreakTheCutie The ending makes it worse.]]]]
76	** Momoko Suou from ''Million Live'' has had a pretty crappy life too. Ever since she became a child star, her family grew more and more dysfunctional as a result of her parents constantly getting into arguments, causing her to at first separate herself from the others. One card has Momoko crying herself to sleep at the thought of her family life hopefully improving. Keep in mind, she's only 11 years old.

Context YMMV / TheIdolmaster