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The iDOLM@STER

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With the franchise known for it's realistic scale in the idol industry, the girls are depressed with the idol realities...

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.


  • Episode 22 is a rather bittersweet moment as all the idols meet up for Christmas, but knowing that they'll see each other less and less as time goes on.
  • Episode 23 has the ever-cheerful Haruka almost breaking as she is forced to practice and rehearse all alone, as everyone else is too busy to join her.
    • What makes this episode really sad is how things gets progressively worse for Haruka, beginning with a few of the idols not managing to come to the practice, to her practicing all alone, to her directly competing with Miki for the main lead in a musical. You can just see how sad and heartbroken Haruka gets as time goes on, even if she's masking it with a smile and tries to tell herself that it can't be helped, and that having everyone drifted apart and ending up all alone is practically the worst thing that could happen to her...
    • Even more heartbreaking is how Haruka had been The Heart for the group the entire time, always trying to help and be there for the others, but when she needs it the most the majority doesn't even realize that she needed help, while Haruka herself Cannot Spit It Out because everyone's busy living their dream. The only one who noticed is Chihaya - who tried to cancel her overseas job - and even then Haruka reassured Chihaya to not abandon it because it's so important, leaving her all alone in the end.
  • Episode 24 - Haruka's acting on the audition for the musical. In 23, the director was deciding on whether Miki or Haruka would play the lead role, about a dramatic, morose character grieving over the loss of her comrades, and who would play the supporting lead. 24 reveals that Haruka got the lead because she was going through that exact problem at the time, and used it to channel her performance.
    Haruka: Isn't it funny? It was fun. I'm sure it was fun. When did it happen...? That's so weird... But I just... I just wanted everyone...! (Haruka starts crying) Huh? What did I want to do...? What was it I wanted to do...? I don't know... I just don't know...
    • Making it even more heartbreaking is how quiet and reserved her breakdown is, as if she's still trying to not cause trouble, and throughout the whole thing Haruka's still smiling, even when the tears starts coming out. She's been trying so, so hard to be cheerful and positive that it carries over to her breakdown...
    • In a Call-Back to Chihaya's situation in episode 20, Haruka took a break from work, and just like Chihaya she doesn't answer anyone's mails and phone calls; what makes this different is that nobody visits her, and the majority doesn't even know why Haruka's taking a break. The shot of Haruka lying in her bed, staring emptily at the ceiling while doing nothing, is just so wrong and sad...
    • Later in the same episode, when she basically cheered herself up and the whole gang calls out to her during the commercial announcing their next live. They announce that they'll "be waiting for her", and she races toward the office...
  • The "Last Concert": if you fail to garner enough fans for your idol, 765 decides to terminate her contract. You then have to give her the bad news and book her farewell concert. As for songs, Tonari ni.
  • The 9th Anniversary performance of Yakusoku - the closest a live performance had gotten to Episode 20 of the anime, and then some. Of note is that, as attendees in the comments have pointed out, Asami Imai is among the most experienced singers of the group, so her breakdown was a shock to the other ladies. Both on stage, and in the audience, everyone sang in her stead.
  • The unused bad "Z-Ending"note  with the individual idol regret the producer screwing up her fans and decides to give up her dreams to become an idol in the first place. It does not help when the final three choices worse for her, ended with her last words against the producer which result players to abandon the game as they wasted to produce the idols for nothing:
    Haruka: I guess it can't be helped. I can't find any reason to sing anymore...
    Chihaya: I am retiring. I am ending my singing career and will never be seen in public again.
    Yukiho: It's not a waste. I'd rather just disappear.
    Yayoi: That's right. Humans are tiny. Especially when I made a mistake during a live performance, I felt really tiny...
    Ritsuko: The live performance was a failure, the fans' expectations were betrayed, and the producer and the company president were smeared with dirt... The least they could do to take responsibility is to just disappear quietly.
    Asuza: I have no right to talk to the producer. Goodbye!
    Makoto: Producer, why are you following me? I'm a finished person now...
    Iori: Maybe it was a mistake that we met. I'm just not the right person for you.
    Mami: Mami mean, mean, mean person! & Ami: See you, big brother! ...Ami's so bad, so bad!

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