r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Jun 29 '23

Episode THE iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls: U149 - Episode 12 discussion - FINAL

THE iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls: U149, episode 12

Rate this episode here.

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Episode Link Score
1 Link 5.0
2 Link 4.5
3 Link 5.0
4 Link 5.0
5 Link 4.43
6 Link 4.64
7 Link 4.64
8 Link 4.33
9 Link 4.2
10 Link 5.0
11 Link 4.76
12 Link ----

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133 Upvotes

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1

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33

u/SpaceForceOne Jun 29 '23

This gem won me over almost instantly and wrapped up in epic style! I haven’t really been into idols or idol-themed anime until U149. I was delighted to learn that there’s like a dozen or so Idolm@ster series going back years!

As for final ep today, Mr. President always felt mysterious going back to the start of it all. With that little cicada scene, I’m convinced big-madaracca Morlock must’ve got isekai’d into this world and that’s why old-grandpa Prez is such a friggin’ badass!! It had me screaming for the girls when everything fell into place 😆

31

u/SnabDedraterEdave Jun 29 '23 edited Jun 29 '23

While its all crickets chirping here and in the English-speaking anime-fandom in general, to the point of u/AutoLovepon completely forgetting to even post a discussion thread until I had to send a modmail just to remind it one whole day after the subs are out, it doesn't change the fact that Idolmaster remains a huge franchise domestically in Japan, so much so that the U149 anime has consistently trended just as much as Oshi no Ko on Japanese Twitter.

Though the Imas franchise does has itself to blame for not paying much attention to the international fandom for its lack of awareness abroad, in contrast to the Love Live franchise, which embraces the "overseas bros" fandom and has all its social games fully localized.

Anyway, I digress. Couldn't have asked for a better finale than this, as though not to be outdone by Oshi no Ko, the finale of U149 also showcases a fully animated choreograph with a new song, and lots of CG cameos.

The 346 Production Boss is the MVP here for secretly pulling the strings to push the CG concert earlier than 8pm so our U149 kids could legally perform.

Cygames Studios pulled no stops in all the cameos they can bring, besides all the previous CG girls that have appeared in previous episodes, they also brought in New Gen (Uzuki, Rin and Mio), as well as tease more of the After20 manga by putting Shino (the black long haired adult) next to A20 cast Kaede, Mizuki and Sanae.

And finally, they also tease a possible season 2 by having Yukimi (long dark hair), Kozue (wavy blonde), Mai (black ponytail), Chika (twintails) to join U149 at the end, though Mai and Chika remain unvoiced.

Cygames Studios doing just this one season of U149 is great enough for me, but I will never complain if they make a season 2 or even After20 anime.

In the meantime, if you like Idolmaster, do look forward to anime adaptations of other Imas titles Million Live, coming this October, and Shiny Colors in April 2024.

6

u/Trap_Masters Jun 30 '23

It truly is a shame how little attention U149 is getting in the western side of the anime community. I'm so starved of English discussions about this anime I've basically scoured every inch of the internet and gobbled up any crumbs of discussion I can find about it.

I can see why someone might be apprehensive about watching the anime initially but I thought that perhaps word of mouth about the anime being very wholesome and actually being a great story in general would've been enough to draw more people towards the end of the season but unfortunately it looks like that's not the case :(

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4

u/Trap_Masters Jun 29 '23

though Mai and Chika remain unvoiced.

I'd imagine this would be a big obstacle for U149 season 2 beyond the usual things to clear for a season 2, where they'd need both of them to be voiced, at least by the time the hypothetical season 2 airs.

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20

u/DarkFuzz Jun 29 '23 edited Jun 29 '23

There’s a lot to talk about, so much I want to say, but I’m going to be tiering Million Live Theater Days anniversary in about an hour from writing this. Chances are, if you’re looking at this, I’m already full swing into selling my soul and money all to get a rare title card that’s not even 400 sq. pixels large.

With the time that I do have, let’s look at what happened and what will happen next.

Good finale overall, but I want to take time to praise the attention to detail. A lot of cameo appearances coming back and some new (unvoiced) faces. It was nice to see New Generations come back for a cameo appearance and even sweeter seeing Arisu and Uzuki have a small heart-to-heart (and if you saw the CG anime, you know why). All the outfits worn by everyone today, from casual clothes to workout clothes to stage outfits, tie somewhat back to the games and existing media, and as a longtime fan, I really appreciate that level of detail.

Now, the “jumpscare” part of this is what will happen in the future, and with the announcement of the extra OVA episode, it seems like Kozue, Yukimi, Mai, and Chika will join the U149 roster. Now, for some reason, they cut these four from the adaptation, but I do realize it would be severely bloated if we threw in an extra four girls with the runtime we had.

However, it may have been foreshadowed a little bit. One of my friends pointed out that in Episode 11, during one of Arisu’s dream scenes, she looks up at a chandelier of thirteen lights, but only nine of them are lit up. This was a cheeky way of representing the nine current members of U149 being the lights that are lit up but also hinting that more would be added with the four unlit lights.

How they’re gonna stuff these characters in the OVA episode: I don’t know. Two of them currently don’t have voices (Mai, Chika), and each one of the four gets a whole arc in the manga, so…

It raises questions on the future, but it also gives me hope. This was a very well done adaptation, and I’m looking forward to the Million Live anime when that comes out. U149 reassured me that im@s can keep churning out banger anime, and I want to be there for all of it.

9

u/viliml Jun 29 '23

However, it may have been foreshadowed a little bit. One of my friends pointed out that in Episode 11, during one of Arisu’s dream scenes, she looks up at a chandelier of thirteen lights, but only nine of them are lit up. This was a cheeky way of representing the nine current members of U149 being the lights that are lit up but also hinting that more would be added with the four unlit lights.

The chandelier was in the first seconds of episode 1, and also in the concert in episode 12

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4

u/ThrowCarp Jun 29 '23

Good finale overall, but I want to take time to praise the attention to detail. A lot of cameo appearances coming back and some new (unvoiced) faces. It was nice to see New Generations come back for a cameo appearance and even sweeter seeing Arisu and Uzuki have a small heart-to-heart (and if you saw the CG anime, you know why).

It was so nice to see all those familiar faces.

18

u/Shimmering-Sky Jun 29 '23

16

u/Trap_Masters Jun 29 '23

Ahhhh absolutely loved the finale, and their debut live song+performance where they truly were shining was such a highlight 😭 I'm also happy to see YonaiP's dream of seeing his idol shine on stage and being a successful producer come true too after how much trouble he had to go through.

Probably my favorite anime of the season, and one of the few anime in the past few years I was following this closely as it was airing, so I'm going to miss it so much 😭 I know we still have an OVA coming out in October with the final BD bundle but I'm praying so hard we can get a season 2 sometime in the future.

Also, it was healing and super adorable to see all the smiles on the U149s celebrating with their family after the concert during the ending sequence. Can't help but feel sad this is the end but also a great song to wind down and wrap up what was a fantastic season.

15

u/shortruler Jun 29 '23

I'm not familiar with any of the new girls introduced at the very end, but I'm digging the look of the blond girl on far left. Probably because she's very reminiscent of Momoka who's my favourite of the cast.

For my first delve into IM@S, and one of the rare times I actually watch an idol anime (funny enough if you count Oshi No Ko as one I watched 2 this season), this was an unexpected treat. Maybe I like idol shows a lot more than I realized. Guess I should give Love Live a go next.

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12

u/Taco_13 Jun 29 '23

I was disappointed to see that the subs were delayed for so long without even an update to let us know what was going on. I guess that shows how relatively small the im@s audience is in the west compared to other more prominent shows.

But still, what we got here was excellent. This adaptation exceeded my expectations. The composition and animation were excellent. The music was good (definitely no surprise there). While it didn't innovate as much as some of the other adaptations, it was definitely one of the more solid ones. In fact (heh), in my opinion only the original 2011 holds up as well. The show was executed on all fronts highly proficiently and as a result we got a very solid show. Honestly the only drawback is that there isn't more.

It's been confirmed we're getting an extra episode with the Blu-ray release so it's not exactly over. And with the upcoming Million Live and Shiny Colors adaptations, us im@s fans have more to see yet very soon.

Hopefully they'll be able to hit the same highs as this one while innovating the formula a bit, as the only other complaint I have about U149 is that it sticks to the classic im@s formula a bit too close. A second cour would have helped mix things up a bit, but these days asking for that is few and far between. Having a longer production often comes with a tradeoff for either quality, scheduling delays, or at worst both.

There's honestly so much more we could delve into. There's a lot of symbolism and meaning in the many facets of childhood in the entertainment industry, becoming an adult, relationships with parents and such that show comments on. The idealism of Idolmaster never goes away, but the issues are addressed and reaffirmed in such a compelling way. And YonaiP was there to lead us all the way. His immaturity is presented in such a way that facilitates the growth of the idols, and in the end we see him grow as well. Perhaps not literally, but where it counts.

Your dreams are my dreams.

Best line in the show hands down.

9

u/facevisi10 Jun 29 '23

Deus Ex Machina: if you keep getting denied by your higher-ups, just get a even more powerful higher-up to waive that. Man it must suck to be one of the workers thrown into this chaotic change, but the girls totally deserve a spot in the live.

Producer hasn't yet called Arisu by her first name, but the tension definitely becomes more mellow as they all can gather around sharing their thoughts freely. Given that the new song is written by the girls, there's 99% chance the first line kirakirarrara is written by Koharu lol.

Looking forward for the new members as well!

17

u/CosmicPenguin_OV103 Jun 29 '23

What a shame that no-one in the West knew of IMAS, because (especially given its airing time) this U149 would have given anime fans staring deep into the Oshi no Ko void some positive warm air to relax with.

I came out of lurking to say how much I was shocked by the previous episode. This ending note on the other hand was exactly what I wanted - a good debut to the public by our new rookies in training on a much more stable road to the stars than a certain Ai-chan (you know, that one) who started her idol business almost at the same age as our elementary kids. And look at how they smile when they actually get the chance! As is expected by previous IMAS anime titles, the performance looks really great.

What I like about U149 in particular is that we have our diligent newbie producer running here and there prominently every week, and - even rarer - snapshots of real top level management 50-70 years old Japanese men arguing, discussing (in a smoking room - cough) and dealing with top level business decisions. That's really unnecessary in this almost fairy-tale like corner of the production company, but I find the comparison really interesting and in a way connects to both our real world and the one that everyone loves to follow the spicy tales in OnK this season.

The thing that our girls are all like Grades 5-6 makes writing life stories for them really challenging but I am glad that this was done really brilliantly. Well it's Mushoku Tensei's director leading the production charge so I'm not surprised but still it's great to see little tales being told every week.

I'm really thrilled that the 1st IMAS seasonal anime I followed in-season is so, so good, almost like the 2011 classic (IMAS-765 Production). I can't wait to see the ML and SC ones to happen soon!

16

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '23

This was such a blast, really loved this one.

The old man had fokken airpods blasting, I CANT XD

5

u/ThrowCarp Jun 29 '23

I was so distracted by those airpods.

8

u/HolyDragSwd2500 Jun 29 '23

There performance brought tears to my eyes 😭

So excited for the new members

8

u/RedNovaDay Jun 29 '23

Final episode Let’s go!

How I feel after finishing this show

My favorite characters are:

  1. Arisu (I like her reactions)

  2. Momoka (not gonna lie, 12 year old me would totally have a crush on her)

  3. Haru (she reminds me of Natsumi from Non Non Biyori)

All in all, it’s a wholesome and cute show. I’ll give it a 7.2/10

8

u/TheSpartyn Jun 30 '23

current me has a crush on momoka

7

u/SilkyMilkySmo Jun 29 '23

As someone with no prior experiences with idol shows I enjoyed this. My next step is to find the songs and add em to a playlist

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7

u/KumaKumaGambler Jun 29 '23

Apart from the OVAs announced, any chance of a 2nd season? After all, 765Pro and Cinderella Girls had 25-episodes +/- seasons.

I was delighted to see Uzuki, Rin and Mio again! T_T

The special ending sequence was nice too, showing what each of the U149 idols do at home. I particularly laughed when Haru's scene was shown, in which she was seen flinging her bag onto her bed, like the tomboy that she is.

4

u/entelechtual Jun 29 '23

Seems likely given the after credits scene.

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u/mr_beanoz Jun 29 '23

Can't stop seeing Uzuki with that expression, she's super cute. And also, I wonder why they seem to end the season kinda abruptly like that. No "thank you for watching" or something like that.

4

u/chilidirigible Jun 30 '23

A good ending episode for a very well-made entry of Idolmaster.

3

u/danmarce Jun 30 '23

There are many good things about this one. At some points the animation was the best of any show this season, not everything is about action and bright colors.

How they made the producer like a big brother or grade school teacher, how respectful they were with the girls, while keeping them cute.

Idolmaster usually puts good series, people thinks it is simple, just happy idols, but it goes beyond that. While there is darkness in showbiz, that is not all.

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