The iDOLM@STER anime - criticisms

[Naryoril]

The entire time I was watching the snack scene I was trying to figure out why it looked so weird.

I'm glad i'm not the only one. I didn't have any problems with Masterpiece like someone else though.

@liza94: could you please stop these freaking troll/necromancing posts, they are starting to be really annoying. Everyone could just say "if it were more <insert favorite idol> centric, it would have been perfect".

About the ML girls: I haven't really come into contact with ML before and i don't know any of the idols. My japanese isn't that great, especially my listening skills, so the impression i got of the idols is just based on what i understood from the movie (i wanted to watch a fansub after the Bluray, but couldn't find one yet). Now i "know" 2 of the ML girls, one of them which is a bitch. I actually quite like Kana after the movie, i got an impression of a Yukiho/Haruka mix, but the story was focused too much around her (and Haruka).

I'd really have preferred them to leave out the ML girls and spend the time on the original cast. Like the anime series it was centered too much around Haruka, Miki and Chihaya, but due to the ML girls the rest got treated even worse. Quite a bunch of the original cast got the really short stick: I honestly can hardly remember anything with Azusa, Makoto, Yayoi, Hibkiki, Takane or the Futami twins in it. At least Yukiho had 2 scenes she could shine a bit, but that's all for the entire movie...

[MetalPredat0r]

About the ML girls: I haven't really come into contact with ML before and i don't know any of the idols. My japanese isn't that great, especially my listening skills, so the impression i got of the idols is just based on what i understood from the movie (i wanted to watch a fansub after the Bluray, but couldn't find one yet). Now i "know" 2 of the ML girls, one of them which is a bitch. I actually quite like Kana after the movie, i got an impression of a Yukiho/Haruka mix, but the story was focused too much around her (and Haruka).

Kana is more like Ai than Yukiho, really. Her motives are closer to Ai wanting to be a top idol despite possessing no such skill. Also, Shiho isn't really supposed to be a bitch, just isolated from everyone else.

I honestly don't find MUCH of an issue with unbalanced focus because I came in knowing that "there's not much you can do in a two-hour movie with 21 main characters" but I do agree that Haruka and Kana got WAY too much screentime than they needed to.

Honestly, I am kinda surprised that many people do like Kana after the movie. Not that this is bad, its just that I saw Kana getting a boatload of screentime and I thought "Oh god, people are gonna hate her like they gave Miki in the anime", but I guess not so much.

[Naryoril]

Kana is more like Ai than Yukiho, really. Her motives are closer to Ai wanting to be a top idol despite possessing no such skill. Also, Shiho isn't really supposed to be a bitch, just isolated from everyone else.

I honestly don't find MUCH of an issue with unbalanced focus because I came in knowing that "there's not much you can do in a two-hour movie with 21 main characters" but I do agree that Haruka and Kana got WAY too much screentime than they needed to.

Well, Ai is a mix between Yukiho and Haruka, so yeah, Kana resembles her.

It's okay to have an unbalanced focus, i think it's okay to focus on Haruka, since if anyone of the 13 is the main idol, it's Haruka. But because there is only so much you can do in 2 hours with 21 characters, it's even more of a reason to strip the frankly unnecessary ML girls from it. Because of all this it was TOO unbalanced. Most of the idols hardly got any screentime at all, and that's the problem, not the focus on a few, but completely ignoring most of them.

[MetalPredat0r]

It's okay to have an unbalanced focus, i think it's okay to focus on Haruka, since if anyone of the 13 is the main idol, it's Haruka. But because there is only so much you can do in 2 hours with 21 characters, it's even more of a reason to strip the frankly unnecessary ML girls from it. Because of all this it was TOO unbalanced. Most of the idols hardly got any screentime at all, and that's the problem, not the focus on a few, but completely ignoring most of them.

And on that point, yes I agree. Characters like Takane and Yayoi didn't do a thing. I feel that the ML Girls shouldn't have been removed, but cut short, as Maka said. About 3-4 would have been fine. Seven is way too much and ruins the overall balance of characters.
Really, another issue is that the movie's overall writing didn't let some characters shine like they were supposed to. Biggest example I noticed was when Shiho called out Haruka for getting everyone involved with Kana's personal problem. Wouldn't it have made sense if Chihaya called Shiho out on thinking such a thing as Haruka doing this very thing has worked in the past, as a nod to Episode 20?

[Chance4U]

I feel that the ML Girls shouldn't have been removed, but cut short, as Maka said. About 3-4 would have been fine. Seven is way too much and ruins the overall balance of characters.

It just goes to show that DS should have been the background dancers, not ML. Too bad the VA's are too expensive.

[MetalPredat0r]

It just goes to show that DS should have been the background dancers, not ML. Too bad the VA's are too expensive.

As much as I want DS to make a comeback, having these characters instead of the characters we already have probably wouldn't change much, if anything at all. The big issue isn't the characters they have, its how they were written that's the big issue. Even if they had Dearly Stars instead of Million Live, we probably would've still had that dragged out drama sequence, just replace Kana with Ai.

[altuixde]

Here's my two cents:

There's a certain rhythm that the idolmaster anime had adopted, and the movie didn't deviate from that rhythm very much. Many times, I knew how characters were going to react a few seconds before they they actually did. Familiarity is good, but it would've been better to shake things up more. Overall, I'd say it was a good movie, but it didn't reach the heights that some episodes of the anime did. I feel disappointed because I had such high expectations. I think that everyone's disappointed because the only idols who were really focused on were Haruka and Kana (but I agree with MetalPredat0r that an unbalanced focus is pretty much necessary and expected when you have so many characters). It's obvious that more story could be told, so let's hope that A1 Pictures and the other companies involved think so too; they could decide to make more movies.

[animagic4u]

Don't forget the rotoscoping in the snack scene!

I started laughing so hard when I saw that scene...I was so confused.

[Amazing_Grace]

It's obvious that more story could be told, so let's hope that A1 Pictures and the other companies involved think so too; they could decide to make more movies.

I like this idea.

Anyways, my thoughts on the movie:

MY sister pointed out to me something in regards to Haruka--yeah, she gets a lot of screentime, because she's pretty much the main character. She's the poster girl. They're going to put more focus on her because she's the "main character".
My qualm with it is...why couldn't the franchise have chosen a more interesting "main character"? It's not that I don't like Haruka, but frankly, she's my least favorite idol. There's just...I don't know, she's not that interesting to me, not nearly as much as, say, Takane or Hibiki or the Futami twins.
I just wish someone like Yukiho was he poster girl instead. She has so much more we can expand on.
And let's be honest here guys, I want Makoto to be the main character most of all. I feel like she has more to her personality than Haruka, way more to be explored and expanded upon. Haruka's just "the clumsy poster girl with the ribbons". Makoto is "the girly tomboy but she wishes she weren't so masculine but her tastes can be so boyish and everyone just laughs at her because cuteness is but a dream for poor Makoto".

I don't know, it's like EVERYONE is more interesting than Haruka.
Let's have an anime about 876.
Please.

As for Kana...I went into the movie knowing NOTHING about the ML girls, and here's what I left with:
There's a girl named Shiho who reminds me of a cross between Iori and Chihaya and overall seems like a real "WORK HARD BE PERFECT" jerk.
Kana can't sing or do anything and she's basically Haruka of ML and also she gets fat once.
Some other girls were there but I have no idea what their names or personalities or ANYTHING are because they were literally just there to take up space that should have been occupied by 876.

It just seemed...meh.
I mean, I was so excited for this movie, but in the end it was just kinda...eh. I wanted so much more. I want more movies.

It was still absolutely hilarious from start to finish because I watched it with Arturo and we just made fun of it the whole time.

[MetalPredat0r]

I like this idea.

Anyways, my thoughts on the movie:

MY sister pointed out to me something in regards to Haruka--yeah, she gets a lot of screentime, because she's pretty much the main character. She's the poster girl. They're going to put more focus on her because she's the "main character".
My qualm with it is...why couldn't the franchise have chosen a more interesting "main character"? It's not that I don't like Haruka, but frankly, she's my least favorite idol. There's just...I don't know, she's not that interesting to me, not nearly as much as, say, Takane or Hibiki or the Futami twins.
I just wish someone like Yukiho was he poster girl instead. She has so much more we can expand on.
And let's be honest here guys, I want Makoto to be the main character most of all. I feel like she has more to her personality than Haruka, way more to be explored and expanded upon. Haruka's just "the clumsy poster girl with the ribbons". Makoto is "the girly tomboy but she wishes she weren't so masculine but her tastes can be so boyish and everyone just laughs at her because cuteness is but a dream for poor Makoto".

I don't know, it's like EVERYONE is more interesting than Haruka.
Let's have an anime about 876.
Please.

As for Kana...I went into the movie knowing NOTHING about the ML girls, and here's what I left with:
There's a girl named Shiho who reminds me of a cross between Iori and Chihaya and overall seems like a real "WORK HARD BE PERFECT" jerk.
Kana can't sing or do anything and she's basically Haruka of ML and also she gets fat once.
Some other girls were there but I have no idea what their names or personalities or ANYTHING are because they were literally just there to take up space that should have been occupied by 876.

It just seemed...meh.
I mean, I was so excited for this movie, but in the end it was just kinda...eh. I wanted so much more. I want more movies.

It was still absolutely hilarious from start to finish because I watched it with Arturo and we just made fun of it the whole time.

Haruka kinda suffers a bit from "Vanilla Protagonist Syndrome" where she isn't a bad character, but everyone else around her is so much more interesting and complex that Haruka kinda feels.....there.

As for the ML Girls.you have the exact same reaction that every fan with no ML knowledge got. Which is actually fairly inaccurate of who they are. Shiho isn't supposed to be a jerk like that, she's more of a loner with a hidden heart of gold that's difficult to reach due to her personal issues.

Kana is more of the Ai on Million Live than the Haruka, especially given that ML actually DOES have a "Haruka-type" girl. Though Fat Kana cards would be very much appreciated.

Everyone else.......yeah, I don't blame you. They didn't do a thing.

Overall, the movie is relatively mediocre. It started strong, but got weaker towards the middle.

Btw, you're welcome for that commentary. 

[Amazing_Grace]

Haruka kinda suffers a bit from "Vanilla Protagonist Syndrome" where she isn't a bad character, but everyone else around her is so much more interesting and complex that Haruka kinda feels.....there.

As for the ML Girls.you have the exact same reaction that every fan with no ML knowledge got. Which is actually fairly inaccurate of who they are. Shiho isn't supposed to be a jerk like that, she's more of a loner with a hidden heart of gold that's difficult to reach due to her personal issues.

Kana is more of the Ai on Million Live than the Haruka, especially given that ML actually DOES have a "Haruka-type" girl. Though Fat Kana cards would be very much appreciated.

Everyone else.......yeah, I don't blame you. They didn't do a thing.

Overall, the movie is relatively mediocre. It started strong, but got weaker towards the middle.

Btw, you're welcome for that commentary. 

Yeah, that's how it is. I don't dislike Haruka, I just like everyone else a lot more.

So Shiho's a Jerk with a Heart of Gold? I usually love those types of characters, so if she was going to be there, I wish they had portrayed her accurately. I might have really, really liked her.

Ah. Either way, she felt very "main character" to me. Which, some MCs are great--it's just that mixed with them are all the mediocre ones that are just so bland compared to all the colorful supporting cast. Like Fruits Basket.
I dunno, I wasn't blown out of the water by her, but I didn't hate her. It's the same feelings I have towards Haruka.

It did start out well, I think. Everyone was just goofing off and Azusa and the Futamis and then everything else happened and
I would have loved to see everyone's interviews in that one scene instead of just Miki.

That was awesome. XD

[MetalPredat0r]

So Shiho's a Jerk with a Heart of Gold? I usually love those types of characters, so if she was going to be there, I wish they had portrayed her accurately. I might have really, really liked her.

Well, not so much "jerk" as she is "anti-social". She is not very good with being around other people and prefers to do everything on her own. The source of this is due to her missing father. I really feel that A-1 really dropped the ball and didn't write these girls as well as they should. Ironic considering that Million Live's cards are drawn by the anime staff.

[Amazing_Grace]

Well, not so much "jerk" as she is "anti-social". She is not very good with being around other people and prefers to do everything on her own. The source of this is due to her missing father. I really feel that A-1 really dropped the ball and didn't write these girls as well as they should. Ironic considering that Million Live's cards are drawn by the anime staff.

See, now that sounds like pretty much every favorite character I've ever had. If she'd gotten a little more expansion, Shiho definitely could have become a favorite of mine. But as she ended up portrayed, she just felt...rude. It's a shame.
You'd think the staff that puts all this work into drawing these girls would want everyone to love them the way they do. If you're going to include ML girls, put effort into making people like them. Otherwise it feels like a total waste to me.

[MetalPredat0r]

See, now that sounds like pretty much every favorite character I've ever had. If she'd gotten a little more expansion, Shiho definitely could have become a favorite of mine. But as she ended up portrayed, she just felt...rude. It's a shame.
You'd think the staff that puts all this work into drawing these girls would want everyone to love them the way they do. If you're going to include ML girls, put effort into making people like them. Otherwise it feels like a total waste to me.

Ironic because there was a short manga chapter that featured them and it portrayed them much more accurately than the movie.

I can send it to you scanlated via Skype if you want.

[AkuAkane]

I might as well say my part on the movie, even though its probably nothing that hasn't been said before. I thought it was bad. I would have dropped it halfway through had it not been an Idolm@ster movie. The only characters that got any sort of focus were Haruka, Kana, Shiho, and sorta Chihaya. As far as I'm concerned having the other Million Live girls there was completely pointless since they barely said or did anything.

Even the 765 Pro girls barely got any time aside from the scene where they were talking about the producer leaving and the water gun fight (honestly the only parts of the movie worth a damn as far as I'm concerned). I went into the movie knowing the Million Live girls from having read (and edited) their wikia pages, but thats about it. I found it really dumb that they didn't even show Anna and Yuriko as friends, which their friendship would have been something great to focus on.

But no. We get Shiho acting like a complete bitch (which she isn't supposed to be that bad) and Kana basically being Chihaya #2 (with the holing herself up in her room and being depressed; except with a lot less serious reasoning than Chihaya had; and getting encouraged by Haruka.) and getting fat. The movie was far too heavy on the drama in my opinion especially since, like I just said, this was basically the Chihaya episodes all over again except not as inspiring.

Honestly I got more excited about seeing Takane with a ponytail than I did about 80% of the movie. Also on the cgi, although I wish they hadn't used it, I feel they used it relatively well. The rotoscoping was really random and just looked weird, though. All and all the movie was a complete waste of time for me and I hope the Cinderella Girls anime isn't this bad.