The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls: U149

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.

If you got to know this anime through the memes, I beseech you to look a little deeper, because this is one of the best directed shows in the past year. And if you're an idol anime or im@s fan, there's plenty of cute girls to root for to warrant a watch. But firstly, the animation is really good. Considering it's done by Cygames Pictures, whose parent company is a mobile game producer, it was a pleasant surprise. Honestly, it looks better than what A-1 did in the other im@s installments. However, the dance scenes specifically, of which there are only 3, are done with abit of CG. It doesn't look horrible, but I wished they took a page out of A-1's book and did it completely hand-drawn. The anime enhances its already great animation with excellent shot compositions. Episode 1 is a good example. The scene with Arisu and the Producer deserves a complete in-depth analysis, but essentially what the show does is play with position and the space each character takes up in shots. It uses a staircase as a metaphor for one's passion for a dream. The Producer is higher up initially and after a typical speech on hopes and aspirations or whatever, Arisu climbs the stairs to join him. She had been inspired by the Producer to pursue her dreams, made clear by the rising motion. This isn't just a one-off thing. The metaphor returns with the same context in a later episode and with a twist. It's beautiful storytelling. It's not just themes that get emphasized though. Through clever visual language, characters feel more real and relatable. The anime is episodic and character-driven; there's no overarching plot or villain. The structure is similar to the other im@s animes, showcasing one main idol per episode, though other girls do get to share the spotlight. I would say the success of the show depends on how well it presents its characters. Unfortunately, with only 12 episodes, it's doubtful anyone would feel attached to every single idol, without first being familiar with them from the games/manga. However, there are definitely a few stand-out characters who you will love. I find the better crafted episodes correlate to the more memorable characters. And a quick word on the girls: Yes, they're middle-schoolers. Yes, they're cute. But it's actually plot-relevant! It's not an anime featuring 'lolis' for no reason other than to appeal to lolicons. The central theme is the idea of growing up and it can only work because the idols are so young. But if you were attracted to the show because of lolis, you'd still be satisfied I think. The music is nothing to write home about. The songs aren't as impactful as the main CG songs, much less the 765 ones. I did like the opening and Momoka's song though. To add on, I noticed a little motif in the score with a ticking clock that would play during stressful or pivotal moments that I thought was interesting. Apparently it's from the main CG series, but it just disappears from later episodes, so... Anyhow, U149 is a fantastic anime. I think it's a good gateway to the idol genre if you're new to it (you don't need to watch the other im@s animes before this one, though if you watched CG you might enjoy it better). However, it also works as an excellent standalone piece with great direction, art and characters.

This show is so fun and cute! I am a big idolmaster fan, but I usually don’t particularly care for the idolmaster shows. U149 is a bit interesting because it’s definitely aimed at a much younger demographic, given that in every episode the characters learn a lesson about friendship, growing up, and learning to love yourself. But however, there are a couple inappropriate jokes that kind of go too far for a kids show so honestly it made me a bit confused. Other than a couple strange jokes though, it is a very kiddy show. Now what I was not expecting, is that it mademe cry on 2 different occasions. It’s very effective at getting you to relate to the character's struggles and I think it does a much better job at dividing screen time to all the characters than other idolmaster shows. The visuals are vibrant and colorful, it’s a very pretty show. Particularly episode 11 is full of absolutely beautiful visual sequences. The songs are also nice, although since it’s child characters singing them, it’s gonna sound like kids show music. So, nothing that I would add to my permanent rotation, but there are some great Veggie Tales songs and just the same, I’ll say that the songs from U149 are a lot of fun. Ultimately, this show isn’t a masterpiece or anything, but it’s a good time with a few surprisingly effective emotional moments. Definitely people who are already idolmaster fans will enjoy this, and I think new fans can benefit from being introduced to this more kiddy version even though it isn’t necessarily representative of the rest of the series.

Watched this enticed by the memes. I expected some generic cheerful loli/moe with fan service, but was surprised how deep experience this was. Especially Tatchibana hit hard. Such a young girl burdened by so much responsibility. To me this anime illustrated the darker sides of the Japanese culture. Pressure to perform, corporate hierarchies, using young girls for profit, everything seemingly very sterile, but hiding the pain. The series felt thus very conflicting and absurd to me, as does the whole idol bussiness: Lone men are marketted imaginary girls that supposedly care about you. - On the other hand, isn't all anime this and I am watching withgluttony? Girls are marketted a specific image which to become, and everything is laced with shining make-up, fashionable outfits, youthful innocence, songs, love and kira kira. On one hand these dreams and desires are sweet, but for most they are some kind of deceptive mirages and spectres, with basically only old men on the top really benefitting from the system and younger using it just to suppress their desires in lack of a real girl. This in regard, though, apart from Risa's lolicon jokes the anime was not sexualized, except for the one concert with the older girls. There I found myself weirded out by ~ second graders cheering for songs with sexual lyrics (although they did not perform). I personally would have liked more fan service, but this was confusing as it seemed out of place. Nevertheless, there is also my favourite trope, the wise man on the top who has no further need for competition, but has reached personal growth and wishes to share it. Finally, I especially disliked Producer-san trying to please everybody, and the implication, that this is the correct way to act usually. Yes, I see my Western individualism rising its head, but his kind of people pleasing leads to growth of neither the pleaser nor the one pleased and pampered. But anyway, watching the series was a much more painful and deep experience than I had estimated. Raised some philosophical thoughts and issues, which is not bad. But next I want to watch some CGDCT without consumerism, such as Non non biyori.

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