Video Game: The iDOLM@STER aka: ptitlero6cb5aiu8ib
Imagine you can have control of an up-and-coming Idol Singer. You have to guide them to stardom by deciding what outfits they wear and what songs they sing, and by catering to their... other needs.If that sounds like something you'll love, then THE iDOLM@STER is the game for you. It's a simulation game where you play as a producer for the "765 (pronounced "na-mu-ko") Production" studio, and you have nine (technically ten in the arcade version, technically eleven in the Xbox version) girls to choose as the company's next big singer.Incorporating rhythm game elements, Dating Sim elements, competitive battling elements and fanservice and Moe, this game from Namco was a big hit in the arcades of Japan. It was even a hit on the Xbox 360, selling for months after going on sale and moving loads of downloadable content. This was enough to get a sequel, Live For You—the same game with new songs, new outfits, and the "management" aspect removed—which is also selling well. A DS version was released in October 2009. Another sequel came out called Idolmaster 2, featuring updated graphics, new outfits, new hairstyles for some of the girls, and brand new songs. Sadly, these are all in Japan.An anime, Idolmaster Xenoglossia- from the makers of Mai Otome- was released in 2007. Rather than being a straight Anime Of The Game, it was instead an ElseworldReal Robot show that cast the main characters as pilots (or "Masters") of Giant Robots called IDOLs (making them IDOL-Masters).An Anime Of The GameOAV which was more closer to the games was released with the Live For You game.And there's a very faithfulanime TV series that aired in Japan during the Summer and Fall Seasons of 2011. Let's just say fans were very "excited".These games are on arcades, the Xbox 360, DS, PSP, and PS3.It also has a character sheet, a dedicated fansite called Project-iMAS which includes a wiki too. Click here for the wiki!And dont forget its IDOLF@BULOUS!
This franchise provides examples of:
THE iDOLM@STER 2 - For tropes related only to this game, for tropes that are common for more than one, or for the franchise as a whole, please, list it on this page.
Alternate Continuity - Akihiro Ishihara, Bandai Namco's director, said that iM@S SP and iM@S2 are the parallel worlds. As in iM@S2, Hibiki and Takane are 765Pro's idols from the beginning.
The Faceless - The Player Character. Also, Mr. Takagi. Actually, aside from Kotori and the Jupiter trio, every other character you come across, including the satellite characters on the girls routes are all faceless.
YUKIHO: I'm Hagiwara Yukiho, 17 years old. I'm REALLY fond of boys. Ah, wait, I meant to say tea!
Fun with Acronyms - The MASTER ARTIST Cd series has one hidden. If you look at the covers of the CD jackets of each album, every girl is saying something, most of them in English. If you put them in the correct order, they spell...
Hello, Insert Name Here - Your character is always referred to as "Producer" and it's variants, except for Ami and Mami who always call him "Nii-chan".
As you go further into some of the girls routes, a few of them they change the way they refer to the producer, such as Miki calling him Hanii (Honey) or Takane's Anata-sama.
Image Song - Each girl has at least one song just for her.
No Export for You - While the console games at least requires the Japan region consoles, THE iDOLM@STER Mobile i takes it to the next level. Unless you have your iPhone "modified", you have to live in Japan in order to play it.
Poor Communication Kills - In this case, kill your chances of getting a Perfect Communication during jobs.
Power Trio - A major selling point of the game is the ability to mix and match any combination of three idols and decide who sings what lines, customizing the track to your liking.
Haruka, Miki, and Chihaya are frequently put together in non-canonical works, such as drama CDs and the OVA.
Miki, Takane, and Hibiki, each specializing in a certain stat.
Punny Name - President Kuroi of 961 Production ("961" can be read as ku-ro-i).
The 765 in 765 Studios is pronounced "na-mu-ko", from "nana" (7), "mu" (6, for counters), and "go" (5, which "go" and "ko" are the same character, mostly). If you still don't get it, this is how Namco is pronounced in Japan. This reference can also be found in other works by Namco, the Ridge Racer and Ace Combat series being good examples.
Also, for the DS game's 876 Production is read as "ban-na-mu", "ban" (8), and the "na-mu" part is the same as above. "Bannamu" is a portmanteau of "Bandai Namco", and is indeed a common short form for it.
Limited Wardrobe - A rare case where both apply. With the amount of DLC there's out there's almost no end to the clothes the girls can wear. But the in game communications they are always using the same set, only diference is that it changes between Summer and Winter.
Alternate Reality Game - Touched on this in the arcade version: if you enter your cellphone number into your account, your idol will periodically send you text messages.
Averted in the 360 game where your idol sends you texts to an in-game cellphone.
Dye Hard - Miki is an In-Universe example. Her hair color is actually brown, and it's only revealed in her alternate route as Kakusei Miki.
Endless Game - It's impossible to "win" in the arcade game, per se... the goal is to keep your idol's career alive for as long as possible. In the Xbox version, you "win" if you last a year.
Important Haircut - During one path of her character storyline, Miki cuts her hair and stops dying it blonde.
Azusa also cuts her hair short on The Idolm@ster 2. Going by the anime, it was when she was scouted as part of the RK.
Stacy's Mom - Ai becomes a victim of this. Her mother, an ex-idol herself, becomes nostalgic for the glory days when Ai makes it big and decides to make a comeback. Ai is shortly overshadowed in the public eye by her still incredibly hot mom.
Blonde, Brunette, Redhead - While very possible to do by yourself, it's also probably one of the reasons why 961 has the three idols it has - infact, it's an odd case where the "redhead" of the trio is actually blonde, considering Takane's silver locks. Unless, of course, you count Miki's hairstyle from after she stops dying it, which is probably closer to being red....
Disproportionate Retribution - Why did Miki switched from 765 Pro to 961 Pro? Because President Takagi ate her Onigiri.
, featuring updated graphics, new outfits, new hairstyles for some of the girls, and brand new songs. Sadly, these are all in Japan.An anime, Idolmaster Xenoglossia- from the makers of Mai Otome- was released in 2007. Rather than being a straight Anime Of The Game, it was instead an Elseworld Real Robot show that cast the main characters as pilots (or "Masters") of Giant Robots called IDOLs (making them IDOL-Masters).An Anime Of The Game OAV which was more closer to the games was released with the Live For You game.And there's a very faithful anime TV series that aired in Japan during the Summer and Fall Seasons of 2011. Let's just say fans were very "excited".These games are on arcades, the Xbox 360, DS, PSP, and PS3.It also has a character sheet, a dedicated fansite called Project-iMAS
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