The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls: U149

SanaeK10★ 10

Idolmaster is a goddamned masterpiece and you can see it right from the very start. As someone who up to this point has been completely oblivious to the franchise and gotten into it on a whim, I can tell you that this show converted me into a fan. As episode 1 opens, the sheer creativity of the framing and cinematic angles shows the team behind this are clearly passionate on their craft. I did not expect a Slice of Life to wow me visually, but U149 exceeds my expectations episode after episode, making each week an event I truly look forward to. Indeed, even without anyprior knowledge on the series, U149's strength is that it ironically doesn't focus on the idol aspect too much. Each episode is dedicated to a character spotlight that thoroughly (surprisingly, given the short runtime) explores each character and what makes them tick. My personal favorite has got to be Risa's spotlight. You wouldn't think a papacon like her could get anything resembling a serious arc, but the show goes to great lengths in depicting her anxiety, her self-doubt, her inner thoughts. And how the impeccable direction takes you from scene to scene, putting you right into Risa's shoes, all without disorienting you. It's fantastic stuff. With the conclusion to the episode being YonaiP's reassurance and support being this triumphant cap off to an amazing episode. The other character spotlights are no slouch too, running the gamut from introspective character journey to heartwarmingly adorable slice of life. Variety is a key strength to U149, and every episode offering something new each week means the show is never predictable. There is a genuine innocence to the show that many other shows just simply couldn't capture. That in-between period when you're a kid and just before you want to be an adult is so hard to capture, yet U149 does it demonstrably well. Episodes like Kaoru's struggle with bell peppers, or Momoka wanting to show the real side of herself, all have a real heart to them, and yet watching this show as an adult just makes me nostalgic for the times long gone. YonaiP makes for a great foil for each of the characters and their spotlight. The key is not having him interfere with each character's arc too much, but having him help in a way only adults can makes him a great support to the girls. I especially love the part in episode 11 where him and Arisu just ponder on what it means to truly be an adult, or whether there even is a distinction on being a kid or not. The visuals are spectacular. As expected of Cygames I suppose, but there is a real flair to how the show presents itself that doesn't overload the viewer's senses. Key moments are given the attention it deserves and when everything aligns just right, you can really feel the gravitas of the scene in question. Again, the climax of episode 11 showcases this magnificently, Ironically for a show focused on music I actually don't like the vocal themes that much. They're fine at best, but not exactly the stuff you'd listen to on a whim. That aside, Idolmaster U149 is the best show I've seen this season, possibly year. For someone who was previously apathetic to the franchise, it has made me a new fan and I admit I have downloaded the mobage and started rolling for my favorite characters. It has changed me and made me a fan of this franchise, and I can't wait to go back to the beginning and see how this franchise has evolved starting from its very first anime adaptation. 10/10 M@sterpiece (now...that cliffhanger of a final episode though...)

SilverTsundere★ 10

TL;DR: A great introduction to the IDOLM@STER franchise and idol genre at large, and a treat for long time fans alike. U149 is a passion project and you can tell by the love poured into it, noticeable right from EP1 with all it's beautiful, creative and striking shots to all the small character details sprinkled throughout the rest of the series, culminating in the beautifully directed EP11. Everything else is at the same level of quality and only serves to make the experience more enjoyable. Don't be put off by it being about children, this anime is more mature than you'd expect. Now, let me preface this bysaying that I'm a big IM@S fan, and have been for like a decade. I said what I did above there, but I still think the original 2011 IM@S anime is the best introduction, albeit I can see why people would prefer U149, since it's more modern look is probably more appealing. Also, I was pretty skeptical of the concept originally, thinking it'd just be "IM@S CG but for kids" but decided to watch anyway because I already liked some of the cast members, and that was a great decision. All my expectations were blown away in EP1 and every other episode after that, making it the show I looked forward to the most every week this season. Story: Each episode focuses on each one of the cast members, going over an issue they have and ultimately overcoming it, with various degrees of stakes and seriousness, with the overarching plot thread of the girls wanting to make their debut as idols, while the higher ups disregard their efforts, because they're kids. The overarching theme for the show is growing up and overcoming your fears/problems not only with your own strength, but also with the help of the friends around you but also the adults in your life, which makes a lot of sense for a show about kids. Art/Animation: The anime was done by Cygames' in-house studio, and just like the newest Uma Musume anime (Road to the Top) it looks incredibly good. There was not a single point where I thought it looked cheap or could tell they were cutting corners in terms of animation, quite the opposite, I was surprised more often than not, I'd love to include examples but you can't have pictures or links in reviews. Music: It's IM@S so of course the music is good. Every episode had one or more insert songs around the halfway point and a different ED every week, just like the 2011 anime. Some of those insert songs were brand new , made specifically for the anime like Tsukasa Kiryu's character song or LiPPS's Nightwear, that was added to the game in an event coinciding with the episode airing (huge brained). What about the background music used in the episodes? that was good too don't worry, it was done by Miyazaki Makoto who also did OPM and SxF, and it always fit perfectly tho I couldn't point out any stand out track, but it's also not the type of show where the music should stand out too much over the dialogues and stuff so that's a good thing. Oh but I also wanna gush about how they're really good about when NOT to use music, there was a long scene in ep11 with 0 dialogue and music, only sound effects and it was incredibly good and well directed, and there's more scenes like that sprinkled throughout the show. Overall: As you can probably tell I loved it. Of course a 10 probably seems like a lot, but it's honestly not too far off of that, to the point where I wouldn't feel it'd be fair to give it anything else. - If you like the OG 2011 IM@S or the Cinderella Girls anime, watch this; - If you like any of the cast members from the CG anime or games, watch this. Even if you think you dislike some of them, do it, you'll probably change your mind (like I did); - If you like idol shows, watch this; - If you've never watched an idol show and don't know where to start? Well you should watch the 2011 anime first, but this is a good starting point too. Just wow is all I can really say, just like the adults in the show, these kids surpassed all my expectations and every single episode was a treat to watch.