The iDOLM@STER Overall Review

Animation Company: Aniplex, A-1 Pictures
Genre: Comedy, Music, Slice of Life
Summary: A story about twelve idols from 765 Pro aiming for stardom with the help of a newly hired, rookie Producer!

Eva’s Review:

Story/Plot: 7/10
I’ll give this a seven because there wasn’t too much plot except for the scandal behind Chihaya’s past and Haruka’s emotional turmoil that she had to overcome and the battle between 765 Pro and Kuroi. For the rest for the characters, their episodes (except for Takane’s and Miki’s) played either minor role or had nothing to do with pushing the plot forward.
 
Characters & Development: 8/10

Out of the thirteen girls (if you include Ritsuko), there were three mains + the Producer and the rest were merely secondary/minor characters. Allow me to introduce you the heroines of The iDOLM@STER: Haruka, Chihaya and Miki – and that’s it – simply because their stories are far more interesting. It’s the three of them who receive the character developments and the screen-time, be it they are playing a big role in the episode or not. So judging based on the three of them alone, I would give this a 8/10.
 
Animation Quality: 8/10

Okay so the character designs and such were pretty standard and weren’t mind-blowing like you’d see in P.A Works or Studio SHAFT’s productions. However despite that, or rather maybe, because of that, the animation quality RARELY faltered! In fact, it was so rare, that even I (who tends to pick up the slightest details) didn’t take notice. On top of that, the show had a ton of dancing sequences! Not a single one of them were CG when they could’ve simple taken it from the game itself which the dancing is in CG. And because of this, it makes the whole performance even better and more enjoyable to watch!
OST: 10/10

I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of all their songs, I’m more fond of Chihaya’s, Miki’s and Azusa’s or a complete group performance since they sound good altogether, but I’m not going to let my own taste get in the way of rating this. In general, the OST is amazing. When it comes down to the vocalists tracks, there’s a little bit for everyone, so this way you will probably find at least something you like among the collection. Vocals aside, the instrumental tracks used for the storyline were just as awesome.
Overall:
The iDOLM@STER is a great show to watch. It’s starts off very slow and can/will give you the wrong/worse first impression as the first episode itself is a major turn off which was the reason why I dropped it right off the bat in the first place before I have been encouraged to give it a second shot. And let me tell you, I REGRET NOTHING! It was totally worth it.
The real plot development starts at Episode 11, as the first ten is mainly introducing all the characters, even though most of them play very minor roles in the storyline itself or rarely get any screentime. From there drama will unfold and I would highly recommend you prepare tissues in advance as I had failed to so since I’ve forgotten the warning. This show does a fabulous job connecting the characters with the audience and conveying the emotions, especially during the performances.
Recommendation: Definitely! If you love Animes that have NON-CG DANCES, Music, Comedy and a share of Drama, and mostly a female cast, this is a show for you!!!
If you’re looking for bishies, you’re not going to get anything except for Jupiter who rarely gets screentime. So go for Uta no Prince-sama Maji Love 1000% which is also a musical with comedy, a share of drama AND ALSO HAS NON-CG DANCES!!!
Will I Watch it Again?
I really enjoyed it, so I probably will.