i'm only technically speaking on the manga that came alongside the release of this bc the game itself is largely untranslated, but this is seriously such an underrated branch of imas. it's its own distinct thing while also being a expansion of the universe allstars originally put forward with some actual substance behind it. the lack of the self-insert producer + idol/unit relationship also feels fresh here, like i am a harukaP before being a human and the other allstars are all great in their own rights too, but ds framing each idol's story not as their story for you to roleplay within, but those of their story AND the fleshed-out people in their lives too, is something i wish even the core imas games would shift towards a little more.
there's a common thread between the three 876 pro idols as responding to their specific challenges that the industry places on them that really endears me to them too. i am ride or die for both eri, the anxious hikki net idol (the portrayal here might seem sterilized and lacking in self-awareness in a post-riamu world, but that is a good thing in a way lmao) trying to break into the irl world, and ryo, a boy reluctantly marketed as a girl which sounds awful BUT, swear to god, when taken as something resembling a trans guy narrative it is actually kind of good? seeing him again in sidem makes me proud of him with the context of this game. unfortunately ai's scenario is the worst of the three, not so much her fault i dont think--her want to step out of her superstar mother's shadow is a compelling pitch in itself--but more how said mom and her manager are not that great as complementing characters. the ones supporting eri and ryo are awesome though, especially motherfucking REIKO in eri's story who is an ideal every producer should aspire to and one of the best non-idol characters the franchise ever had imo.
idolmaster has so many strange iterations of itself that can be imaginatively connected with each other, even if very obliquely, and forming that puzzle with its characters pulled from these points in time and space makes it special to me. i ascribe alot of this to allstars stuff (the "core" console games from what ive played/seen and relevant manga and anime and whatnot) but dearly stars is absolutely its own interesting part of that quilt. i do partly mean it literally is in that same world, the 765 pro girls appear as established characters whose personalities help color the 876 idols in consistently cool ways. but more importantly i also mean that none of the mobage branches, not even million live which is set in 765, feel like a serious continuation of those kinds of stories, ones of tough business and evolving relationships, like dearly stars is. i wish imas would be seen for that more often.
there's a common thread between the three 876 pro idols as responding to their specific challenges that the industry places on them that really endears me to them too. i am ride or die for both eri, the anxious hikki net idol (the portrayal here might seem sterilized and lacking in self-awareness in a post-riamu world, but that is a good thing in a way lmao) trying to break into the irl world, and ryo, a boy reluctantly marketed as a girl which sounds awful BUT, swear to god, when taken as something resembling a trans guy narrative it is actually kind of good? seeing him again in sidem makes me proud of him with the context of this game. unfortunately ai's scenario is the worst of the three, not so much her fault i dont think--her want to step out of her superstar mother's shadow is a compelling pitch in itself--but more how said mom and her manager are not that great as complementing characters. the ones supporting eri and ryo are awesome though, especially motherfucking REIKO in eri's story who is an ideal every producer should aspire to and one of the best non-idol characters the franchise ever had imo.
idolmaster has so many strange iterations of itself that can be imaginatively connected with each other, even if very obliquely, and forming that puzzle with its characters pulled from these points in time and space makes it special to me. i ascribe alot of this to allstars stuff (the "core" console games from what ive played/seen and relevant manga and anime and whatnot) but dearly stars is absolutely its own interesting part of that quilt. i do partly mean it literally is in that same world, the 765 pro girls appear as established characters whose personalities help color the 876 idols in consistently cool ways. but more importantly i also mean that none of the mobage branches, not even million live which is set in 765, feel like a serious continuation of those kinds of stories, ones of tough business and evolving relationships, like dearly stars is. i wish imas would be seen for that more often.
ludzu
2 years ago