The iDOLM@STER SideM Ep 7 & 8

The iDOLM@STER SideM Episode 7

Finally, it’s HighschoolxJoker’s turn to be in the spotlight. I had my eyes on the group since the very beginning, and I’m honestly shocked it took this long for them to have their own episode since I’ve been itching to learn about them. These charming students are all part of the Light Music Club, first started out by Hayato, Jun and Natsuki. Haruna and Shiki later joined the club after being inspired by their performance for promoting their club and seeking a drummer and lead vocalist. Much to my surprise, it Shiki is actually the youngest and newest member of the group. He has quite a loud and hyper personality, but there’s a touch of loneliness about him. I also felt we saw a sentimental side from him, with the way he would film more of the group and their moments that would later turn into special memories than himself. In fact, the one thing I wished was featured in this episode was Shiki singing. Although he is still a ‘trial member’, he is their lead vocalist, and I am sad they didn’t take any time to showcase his abilities.

The rest of the group are just as much of an interesting bunch. In fact, I don’t know what I was expecting from Natsuki, but I certainly wasn’t expecting him to have such a soft and pure personality. He’s the type of character you want to protect at all cost! His friendship with Jun makes them two peas of a pod. Hayato is pretty chill guy himself, and is the type who wears his heart on his sleeve. But the most curious one of all is in fact Haruna. The guy has horrible grades, so he has to do well in the Light Music Club in order to graduate. He works multiple part-time jobs in the evening, but the most shocking part of all is the fact he is actually has a good head on his shoulders. Not only he can speak English, but what stood out to me the most was how he has a good sense of capturing ‘special moments’, in this case, involved Shiki.

Though I must say, I do find it funny how they are all able to interact more peacefully and in some cases, more maturely than their colleagues Kaoru and Teru from Dramatic Stars.

As for their song, I especially liked how distinctive their sound is from the rest of 315 Productions’s units. I enjoyed their song and I look forward, or at least hope we will get the chance to see them perform more in the future. I shocked when I realized Idolm@ster Side:M was only going to have thirteen episodes. I do hope this is only part of the first cour, and a second will follow at a later date!

The iDOLM@STER SideM Episode 8

I gotta say I am so happy we finally get to see everyone, (especially the newest addition: The Aoi Brothers) to interact with each other again. As I say before, despite the diversity amongst them, the crew is like a family and all seem to mesh together extremely well. One of the things I really enjoyed about this episode was of course Jupiter getitng some air time again. Touma being freaking ADORABLE with his overflowing enthusiasm to help and lead the newbies, and his passion for cooking and just having fun was so much fun to watch. Jupiter being the seniors of the group help lead training by creating three different groups: Team Stamina, led by Touma to improve physical condition, Team Dance led by Shouta to master the basics, and Hakuto took charge of Team Charm to help those likes Kyouji find a way to naturally show off their charming features such as a smile.

By the end of the camp, the group decided it would be cool to tweak the choreography a bit to integrate their own signature move. They later figured it out when Teru just playfully made hand gestures of “315”, which then inspired Touma and Shouta a way to turn it into a dance move. I look forward to seeing it play out on stage!

Although the episode will filled with much joy, fun and excitement, Kaoru’s presence and his mood is always lingering in the background. He is such a mysterious character, I am dying to know more about his true motives of becoming an idol, what is pressing him to move forward to chase the dream and who the bracelet belongs to. Since the Aoi Brothers confirmed they recognized Kaoru as a former surgeon, it makes me wonder if Kaoru was not able to save/help the one may be the bracelet’s original owner had a dream of being an idol or something. Or at least that’s pretty much the theory I have had since the very beginning.
Actually, speaking of the Aoi Brothers, I am happy they did address the concern in regards to Kousuke’s leg condition. It was the first thing that I was concerned about when they decided to pursue a new career as idols. They are pretty lucky to have a former doctor a part of the agency because Kaoru is certainly helpful when it comes to addressing injuries, or bandaging properly like he did today.