It has been a few years since I shared my thoughts on my favorite idols from The Idolmaster. Of course, a lot of things have changed since then. Bandai Namco eventually came up with Cinderella Girls (which is receiving an Anime adaptation) and Million Live. Of course, other idol shows have popped up as well such as AKB0048, Aikatsu, Love Live School Idol Project and Wake Up Girls.
I guess some people might be curious on which one I prefer and what are my favorite idols from these franchises. This is what I’m set out to do right here.
Which one do you prefer? Idolmaster, Idolmaster Cinderella Girls or Love Live?
I have to admit that Idolmaster had a bigger impact on me for several reasons. Sure, there were some idol shows or mention of idols in the past, but they haven’t showed the whole idol industry like The Idolmaster anime did while having a very enjoyable cast. Sure, it had some flaws, but the Anime in general got me interested in playing the games (I pretty much own 2 different versions of Idolmaster SP, Idolmaster 2, Idolmaster Shiny Festa and Idolmaster One for All) and getting some of the CDs. In addition, it also motivated me to teach myself Japanese, which allowed me to play other games that were never released outside Japan.
As for Cinderella Girls, I haven’t have the chance to play the social game not because I’m not interested in those kind of games, but it is only available in Japan, unless you jump to the hoops to get a validated account. While the show is not on the same level as the first one, which is expected, it addressed the flaws of the original and I have to admit that some of the characters grew on me that I least expected such as Anastasia. In general, I enjoy most of the characters in the main cast in the show. Hopefully with the second half, they will go more in-depth in developing the girls.
Lastly, there is Love Live School Idol Project. Although I haven’t picked it up when it first aired, it was a very enjoyable show. For the most part, I liked most of the characters and there were a lot of enjoyable moments such as the group pretending to be each other while they try to figure out what to do for the Halloween performance in the second season. Of course, there were a lot of nice heartwarming moments as well, especially in the second season.
While I enjoyed both season, it is simply not on the same level as the Idolmaster for the fact that most of the main songs lack character (it is probably not the case with the sub-units or individual songs). Also, there are some that I just don’t care for such as Nico and Hanayo. While I do not dislike them, I just do not find them that interesting. In other words, Love Live simply didn’t have the same impact on me like Idolmaster did. Plus, The Idolmaster has a lot of good cover versions of songs and more variety compared to Love Live.
On the other hand, I have to give Love Live some credit. They clearly did a better job marketing the franchise given how popular it is overseas. While there is a strong possibility that they will also localize the Vita games at some point, it is clear that they did a better job making it more accessible than Bandai Namco did with The Idolmaster and not localizing the games at all besides Shiny Festa on iOS. With The Idolmaster, you have to import the games and hopefully you know enough Japanese to fully enjoy the game.
In short, Idolmaster > Cinderella Girls > Love Live School Idol Project.
So, who are your favorite idols?
Since I shared which idol franchise I prefer, I will now share my favorites along with my thoughts. Note that this list is entirely subjective.
Cinderella Girls
Futaba Anzu
Yep, it is quite obvious from a mile away for the fact that not only she looks younger than her age, but also she is a complete NEET (a term used for people who are not working, education or training). Even though she doesn’t want to work, she decides to become an idol with the hopes of living off her loyalties. Not only that, she is a gamer too as seen with her playing with the Vita and the 3DS. Still, her attempts of avoiding work are hilarious.
While some people dream of not having to work and spend his/her time playing video games or watching anime all day long like the siblings duo, Shiro and Sora from No Game No Life, Anzu probably has similar intellectual capabilities of those two since she managed to answer science and math problems in her head correctly. Still, I’m quite curious about her gaming skills and the type of games she plays.
Kanzaki Ranko
I have to admit that while Ranko shares the same voice actress as Takanashi Rikka (Uchida Maaya), Ranko is probably one of the cuter Chuunibyou girls that happen to be interested in darkness and gothic subculture. Her illusions and laugh are just enjoyable. Underneath it all, she is just a normal shy girl who lacks self-esteem, which is a big difference from Rikka. Hopefully, she won’t bury it. Still, I have to admit that her reaction towards horror films is kind of cute since she does not like them.
Anastasia
Anastasia is probably one of the most unexpected additions to the list since I didn’t know much about her until the Cinderella Girls anime. Even so, I guess she is the first character I seen that said more Russian saying instead of a few words compared to Ayase Eri or Kud (which doesn’t say any) mostly because the voice actress can speak Russian fluently. Not only that, she looks really pretty and even cute, especially when she put on those cat ears. Even so, her character has a mysterious feeling just like Shijou Takane, which is quite fitting since both seems to like stargazing.
The funny thing is that I kind of enjoy most of the roles that Uesaka Sumire voiced (Dekomori Sanae (Chuunibyou), Shallotte (Atelier Shallie), Sharu (Dog Days) and Fubuki (Kantai Collection)). Still, it is nice to see her and Uchida Maaya being in the same show together and their characters eventually performing a song together.
Mimura Kanako
While I admit that Kanako looks cute and has a sweet voice that resembling Tami from Hanayamata, she probably has the most realistic figure compared to being impossibly thin. It seems that high expectations on body image from society cause her self-esteem to go down, which is why it is easy to feel sympathetic towards her. Still, I think she is all right as she is.
Love Live School Idol Project
Nishikino Maki
Yep, you can see it from a mile away since she is the most popular idol out of the whole group. It is easy to see why given her looks and her personality. While she comes off as being cold in the beginning, she eventually warms up after joining although it took some time. Even so, it is kind of cute that she still believes in Santa Claus.
Sonoda Umi
At a glance, she almost looks like Chihaya. Aside from that, the reason I like her is for the fact that she has the most common sense and keeps Honoka on track, even if she has to take drastic measures such as forced diets and exercises. While she has stage anxiety at first, thankfully she gotten over it over time.
Hoshizora Rin
I have to admit that Rin probably makes a cute and energetic cat girl for the fact that she makes cat noises and a smile. While she seems to be insecure about her short hair, I liked how she gets over it in the second season.
Aside from that, after watching the first half of Cinderella Girls, it is a coincidence that Maekawa Miku and Rin shares a lot of similarities for the fact that while they like acting like a cat, they don’t like fish at all. The only big difference is that Miku is not a tomboy at all.
With that, hopefully this will clear up which idol franchise I prefer and of course, which idols are my favorite aside from the ones in 765 Productions. So, I ask you this, what idol franchise do you prefer and which ones is your favorite? Feel free to share, but please keep it civil.
My list compared to yours is in reverse:
Love Live > Cinderella Girls > The Idolm@ster.
This post inspired me to write my own take on idol shows in the future. Just have to finish a few more before doing so.
Pretty much the same for me. As for the idols, Maki’s at the top for me as well, as for CG, Rin and Ranko. Miki for im@s.
I also kinda feel like writing one right now, lol. No idea what to write though.
Yep, it seems that everyone seems to like Maki quite a lot… does this mean that Bibi is the best subunit group then. :p
I haven’t played much of the Vita game since I have been sidetracked with other games and it’s not compatible with the Vita TV, unfortunately.
But aside from that, I look forward to such a post when you finish it.
It’s quite understandable, but of course Love Live shouldn’t really be compared with the Idolmaster for the fact that they take different approaches in story with the former focusing more on the whole group rather than the individual. While I do enjoy the buildup and the character development in that regard quite a lot, I’m not really interested in their songs since the songs are sung together and from what I heard, only three of the voice actresses seem to stand out in singing talent (in particular, Maki, Umi and Eli). Also, I didn’t like the CG used in the Anime as mentioned in the earlier editorial and would have prefer them to have the performances done in 2D. But yes, I will definitely watch the movie when it comes out (I still need to watch the Idolmaster one that already have subtitles for).
Of course, I have played almost all the games from the Idolmaster franchise, which is easy to see why I prefer it over Love Live… and from a musical standpoint, well Imai Asami who voices Chihaya can’t be beat for most of the songs, but generally, I do enjoy most of the songs although there are some that is kind of meh. The verdict is out for the Cinderella Girls, although I have bought two CDs (in particular, Love Laika and Ranko), so I will find out myself.
As for the other franchises, I have no opinion for Aikatsu since I haven’t seen it or played any of the games. Didn’t like AKB0048 since I don’t like AKB48 in general and the show is strange. As for Wake Up Girls, the prologue movie was alright, but don’t have much to say since I haven’t watch the TV series yet.