(L+CR) iDOLM@STER the anime (and spin-offs)

[Westlo]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Well from what I saw many people including myself were fairly bored with the first half in waiting for something to happen. Like them I actually dropped it for a period of time as a result and had to force myself to get through the first half later on. Things pick up in the second half with some decent character drama, solid action, and a pretty bitter ending though, making it somewhere between a 6 or 7 on my scale. The problem is you have a first half of the show that is I would have to agree pretty mediocre and mostly centers around giving the main cast goofy things to do with the occasional sortie to blow up some moon rocks. It kind of reminded me about the things I didn't like in Mai Hime's first half.....

A bad first half certainly didn't do it any favors considering how stacked a year 2007 was. I do have some slight interest in going back and finishing it one day.. but I have so many series I like better which are nowhere near completed... my backlog is horrendous.. and each season makes it worse.

[houkoholic]

Originally Posted by Sister Princess

At least Xenoglossia has knife wielding androids. Which somehow survive the broadcast when 'real' Higurashi happened.

The Higurashi backlash was specifically against showing excessive blood and gore on TV, not violence itself, otherwise shows like Bleach, Conan and Naruto would've been banned too. Even then a lot of anime just turned red blood into black ink in their digital painting programs and got away with it (eg School Days), it really isn't much of an achievement, especially considering Sunrise as a studio is never know to do excessive blood and gore in the first place. Plus just like most Japanese self censorship rules, guidelines are fuzzy to non-existent, same with enforcements.

[blakstealth]

Originally Posted by Sister Princess

At least Xenoglossia has knife wielding androids. Which somehow survive the broadcast when 'real' Higurashi happened.



Is that Ichika with glasses? Keitaro? Yuuto from Nogizaka Haruka?

LOL, I thought the same thing. But it's not, which is a shame.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by houkoholic

The Higurashi backlash was specifically against showing excessive blood and gore on TV, not violence itself, otherwise shows like Bleach, Conan and Naruto would've been banned too. Even then a lot of anime just turned red blood into black ink in their digital painting programs and got away with it (eg School Days), it really isn't much of an achievement, especially considering Sunrise as a studio is never know to do excessive blood and gore in the first place. Plus just like most Japanese self censorship rules, guidelines are fuzzy to non-existent, same with enforcements.

Not really anything new. In the 80's, they made Fist of the North Star (an anime about a guy gorily exploding peoples heads by punching them) safe for kids broadcasting by making all the blooda bright white silhouette.

[Sister Princess]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

Not really anything new. In the 80's, they made Fist of the North Star (an anime about a guy gorily exploding peoples heads by punching them) safe for kids broadcasting by making all the blooda bright white silhouette.

That's before Miyazaki incident.

I looked at mecha part of 4ch, these kinds of extreme things are common before 1990. Yet they disappeared all of a sudden. Miyazaki incident should be the primary reason.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

Not really anything new. In the 80's, they made Fist of the North Star (an anime about a guy gorily exploding peoples heads by punching them) safe for kids broadcasting by making all the blooda bright white silhouette.

Well, in the age of digital editing, you can bait potential buyers with DVD/BD uncensored version, the proverbial carrot. Just look at how some ecchi anime are not even trying anymore to make their censorship not intruding. It's no more convenient steam, someone's head getting on the way. It's like BEAMS OF LIGHT.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by houkoholic

The Higurashi backlash was specifically against showing excessive blood and gore on TV, not violence itself, otherwise shows like Bleach, Conan and Naruto would've been banned too. Even then a lot of anime just turned red blood into black ink in their digital painting programs and got away with it (eg School Days), it really isn't much of an achievement, especially considering Sunrise as a studio is never know to do excessive blood and gore in the first place. Plus just like most Japanese self censorship rules, guidelines are fuzzy to non-existent, same with enforcements.

Well I guess there's an expected amount of blood and gore in this as opposed to organs gushing ala Splatterhouse like in some parts of Higurashi, but they have dabbled into some pretty violent stuff.

[blakstealth]

lol that one guy had his whole head wiped off.

So wait a sec, Miki, Hibiki, and Takane were part of a different studio before 765?

[mifunehonda]

There are three people 765pro from a beginning.
The world story that all IM@Sseries is different.

[Roger Rambo]

My understanding is that...

-Ganaha and Takane introduced in some PSP games, as members of 961
-Idolm@ster 2 is an alternate continuity where they've always been members of 765 (and events in IdolM@ster 1 didn't happen)
-Idolmaster anime seems to be another independent continuity, with all the girls being inexperienced idols at 765

[blakstealth]

Gotcha. Thanks guys.

I thought they all had one coherent story.

[houkoholic]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Well I guess there's an expected amount of blood and gore in this as opposed to organs gushing ala Splatterhouse like in some parts of Higurashi, but they have dabbled into some pretty violent stuff.

You've just proven my point. Like I said the whole thing isn't about anti-violence but anti-gore, the two aren't the same. A knife wielding android killing people is violent but not necessarily gory, however if you show the android skinning people or gutting them then it is both violent AND gory. And again refer to my point about shows like Bleach Naruto Conan which would show violence but are never gory. Of course Sunrise (Tomino?) isn't against using violence to illustrate the point of "war is cruel" - in fact I would argue that Sunrise's themes shelters them quite nicely from criticism because their violence is usually tied to wars, but the point remains that Sunrise doesn't draw excessive blood, gut spilling, torture, murder etc. Lastly, Ideon's ending was released as a theatrical release, so it's different again to TV "censorship" rules.

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

My understanding is that...
-Idolmaster anime seems to be another independent continuity, with all the girls being inexperienced idols at 765

Actually in both the anime and 2 the idols have debuted for half a year. In 1 and SP you choose the girls before they debuted.

The anime is based more on 2 rather than being totally independent. The only difference so far is that Ritsuko hasn't formed Ryugyu-komachi (Iori, Asuza and Ami) under her wings. In the game the players were never told about the story behind the formation but I suspect that we would actually get to see this in the anime.

[winkel]

Idolm@ster 2 is a continuation of both Idolm@ster 360 and Idolm@ster SP, which have sorta collapsed into one continuity (with selective retconning). The anime is based on Idolm@ster2.

[houkoholic]

Originally Posted by winkel

Idolm@ster 2 is a continuation of both Idolm@ster 360 and Idolm@ster SP, which have sorta collapsed into one continuity (with selective retconning). The anime is based on Idolm@ster2.

No it's not.

Idolmaster SP is more like Idolmaster 360 appended, 360 didn't have much of a back story to begin with so there's no retconning to speak of. Also the official continuation of the 360/SP universe is actually Dearly Stars on the DS where the 765Pro idols are now top idols (as they would be at the end of SP) and act as mentors to the 876 idols.

Idolmaster 2 is NOT a continuation of the 360/SP universe. It's a reboot but with some twists, such as that the idols having already debuted before the Producer (player) joining 765Pro.

[blakstealth]

Originally Posted by houkoholic

Also the official continuation of the 360/SP universe is actually Dearly Stars on the DS where the 765Pro idols are now top idols (as they would be at the end of SP) and act as mentors to the 876 idols.

I dunno why, but that sounds so badass.

[jcdietz03]

ED: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDsTwP66DgY&t=0m41s

It's not about love. It's about smiling and being happy and stuff. For that reason it can never be a popular song (those MUST be about love) but I think it is a good group image song. There's not enough dancing for it to be a dancing theme tune. At least not before they animate the rest of the dancing.

Edit: Bonus points from me for having easy to understand lyrics, but it wouldn't get that from a Japanese person I guess.

A problem with K-On! 2 was that it didn't have enough music. I think these guys have plenty of music to steal so it won't be a problem. I wonder if there will be original music. Not that I particularly care, because it's all new to me, as I didn't play the games (not good at Japanese).

[Midonin]

Episode 1 didn't even have a standard OP, so I have no idea if that ED is just for this episode, or if there's a completely new song in store for the series.

[blakstealth]

Originally Posted by jcdietz03

ED: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDsTwP66DgY&t=0m41s

It's not about love. It's about smiling and being happy and stuff. For that reason it can never be a popular song (those MUST be about love) but I think it is a good group image song. There's not enough dancing for it to be a dancing theme tune. At least not before they animate the rest of the dancing.

Edit: Bonus points from me for having easy to understand lyrics, but it wouldn't get that from a Japanese person I guess.

A problem with K-On! 2 was that it didn't have enough music. I think these guys have plenty of music to steal so it won't be a problem. I wonder if there will be original music. Not that I particularly care, because it's all new to me, as I didn't play the games (not good at Japanese).

I was listening to that shiet just now. The full vers. anyway. So catchy. :3

Originally Posted by Midonin

Episode 1 didn't even have a standard OP, so I have no idea if that ED is just for this episode, or if there's a completely new song in store for the series.

They might show it in ep2. This show will have 25 different EDs lol.

[winkel]

Originally Posted by houkoholic

Idolmaster 2 is NOT a continuation of the 360/SP universe. It's a reboot but with some twists, such as that the idols having already debuted before the Producer (player) joining 765Pro.

It's a continuation, but in a situation where everything that happens in 360/SP happened without the producer. That's how the 3 rivals ended up with 765 Pro.

Idolmaster SP is more like Idolmaster 360 appended

Of course, since the 360 version is based off the arcade game, while SP is actually a remake of the arcade version, that is why they're collapsed into one.

And by retcon I mean the endings and revelations that happened in the games,not the backstories.

[houkoholic]

Originally Posted by winkel

It's a continuation, but in a situation where everything that happens in 360/SP happened without the producer. That's how the 3 rivals ended up with 765 Pro.

You really shouldn't try to argue with me here, I can tell you haven't played the games. In 2 neither Hibiki nor Takane nor Miki knows Kuroi-shachou or 961Pro. The first time they've heard of 961Pro was when Touma appears to defeat Ryugyuu-komachi, and the first time they met Kuroi-shachou was when he appears to introduce Jupiter in the IA ceremony. In 2 there simply was no Project Fairy story from SP. Hibiki Tanake and Miki began straight as 765Pro idols whom only debuted half a year before the Producer joined 765. The things in SP simply never happened in 2, it is not a continuation.

EDIT: I'm sure you aren't going to take my words so go read Famitsu's play impression. The writer specifically stressed that the "world setting is a parallel world" and that the "story is completely different to what's there until now".

Nicodouga's own wiki also quickly put your claim to rest.

And by retcon I mean the endings and revelations that happened in the games,not the backstories.

Again not true, since the endings in SP are exactly the same as those in 360 for each character, except the bits where they talk about the 961 idols moving to 765, those are simply appended stories and didn't need any retcon.