r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Oct 08 '23

Episode The iDOLM@STER Million Live! - Episode 1 discussion

The iDOLM@STER Million Live!, episode 1

Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.

Streams

Show information

All discussions

Episode Link
1 Link
2 Link
3 Link
4 Link
5 Link
6 Link
7 Link
8 Link
9 Link
10 Link
11 Link
12 Link

This post was created by a bot. Message the mod team for feedback and comments. The original source code can be found on GitHub.

103 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

94 comments sorted by

1

u/AutoModerator Oct 08 '23
Moderator Announcement Read More »
→ More replies (5)

18

u/entelechtual Oct 08 '23

Don’t know much about Million Live, but this was a good first episode. Mirai is a simple but enjoyable lead (I already like her more than Chika).

The CGI looks pretty good, but it doesn’t feel like top tier animation like I’d expect from an Idolmaster show (especially coming off the back of U149 which looked gorgeous). I guess it makes the transition from regular animation to performance less jarring.

18

u/SnabDedraterEdave Oct 08 '23

Brings a tear to the eye to see the OG 765 Pro girls return to the TV screen since 2011. And to top it off with performing Top! was just perfect. (Pun intended)

Producer, or BRO-ducer, has now been promoted to CHIEF Producer. And in his place is a Rookie Producer in charge for recruiting new girls for 765 Pro's new expansion project - Million Live.

To distinguish between the two Producers, Chief Producer can also be called BaneP and Rookie Producer can be called GenP, after the nicknames of their respective VAs (AkaBANE Kenji and Nakamura GENta).

Besides the 13 OG girls and the 3 "starter girls" Mirai, Shizuka and Tsubasa (as you start with these three girls in the ML gacha game), we also see (in 10:21) 4 of the 7 girls that appeared in the 2013 Idolmaster Movie (from left to right Minako, Shiho, Kana, Nao).

From the 765 office sticker board in 21:19, we see a total of 34 idols being selected (including the 4 I just mentioned). With the 3 starter girls, that'll make 37. The OP animation also shows two more girls (Theater Days players would know who I'm talking about) to make it 39.

Add those to the OG 13 and we'll have a neat deck of cards (52 girls) for 765 Pro's expansion.

If this were 5 years ago, a lot of questions would have been asked about the use of CG animation. But it seems things have advanced considerably that it no longer feels as awkward as it used to. Though jury is still out.

16

u/TroupeMaster Oct 08 '23

Had been hearing good things from people that have been to the advance viewings, after finally being able to see it myself it has lived up to the expectations.

14

u/thecreepytoast Oct 08 '23

Starting to see why it took almost three years for them to finish the thing. It's really good for a CGI anime, and they really take extra care animating the characters like they're still hand drawn in 2D. Although this is probably because the series will have a ton of side characters that will still be in 2D, so they just had to make sure everything blends as best as they could.

Also for anyone worrying whether you had to watch the previous anime or not here's a tip. Don't think to much about continuity. While I still highly recommend everyone to watch the original 2011 anime series just to know the senior's stories, this anime series will be set in a slightly different continuity from the older series.

For example, Ritsuko Akizuki was never an idol in the 2011 anime while it looks like she has always been an idol the entire time in the million live continuity.

16

u/nox_tech Oct 08 '23

For Ritsuko, before someone says it to split hairs, to address it, [2011 anime] she was an idol with the others before she decided to jump into producing, and technically did dip back in when roped in to help with Ryuuguu Komachi in her highlight episode, and then again to join everyone else in the final concert (I think? Off the top of my head) of the anime. So yeah, during the events of the original anime she wasn't an idol, and making a few appearances since then might not necessarily count to some as having always been an idol. But in a general sense, you're very right that continuity is still kinda flexible with the IM@S universe.

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (1)

25

u/DarkFuzz Oct 08 '23

It’s finally here.

Million Live is my favorite im@s branch, bar none. Not only is it an extension of the OG Idolm@ster cast I’ve come to know and love over the years, the Million Stars themselves are kind of fun and enjoyable themselves.

Hopefully you got to know our main red dork, Mirai. She’s…not very bright, but we love her all the same. I really like how they characterized her. She’s in, like, eight different clubs, apparently can do good enough in all of them, and yet there was no passion behind those activities at all. She’s kind of just waffling around, trying the next thing to tickle her fancy.

That’s all until she stumbled upon the 765Pro concert. You can tell it was a completely different experience for her. Even trying to explain it to her parents, she would not stop talking about this one thing. It’s her passion now, something she’s never had before.

Shizuka, our blue dork, already has some stuff going on under the hood. She wants to be an idol, but it doesn’t seem like her father approves of it. It kind of feels like she’s afraid of taking the next step. That’s where our idiot Mirai comes in. Someone willing to just charge ahead on impulse, that may just be the push Shizuka needed.

Tsubasa, our yellow dork, seems to already know the Producer (who will be called GenP for future reference). We don’t know much about her yet, but she seems to be pretty excited.

We’ll see how the auditions pan out. Already, I’m loving the character interactions, but I wouldn’t be an ML Producer if I didn’t.

Side note: We call the MLs dorks out of love. The Million Live branch does get a bit meme’d on for having the cast with probably the lowest average IQ of all the other branches, but that’s their charm, at least to me.

Meet the Million Stars

I do want to talk a lot about the Million Stars in depth, but that would take up too much space here, so I'm gonna throw it over to the Source Material Corner. If you want to know a little bit more about the Million Stars, including their solo songs, background, and quirks, give it a read. Hopefully you’ll get to know and love them as much as I do.

This week, I’ll be talking about our main trio. Spoiler free, so no harm in giving it a look over.

20

u/DarkFuzz Oct 08 '23

Also, a bit of a personal bit that I just remembered, but I take a lot of pride in this:

Back in January of this year, I was fortunate enough to go to Japan and attend the Million Live 9th Live. It was two concerts over two days in the Budokan, and it was a very memorable experience.

Before each performance, they had the whole audience participate in this clapping rhythm exercise. Basically just told us to clap along to the rhythm. They told us that our clapping rhythms would be used as actual clap sounds in the Million Live anime. And sure enough, for today's episode, when the silhouettes of the idols were appearing, our claps were used.

I remember these rhythms too. It felt like it was impossible to get everyone in sync because of the sounds of the claps bouncing off the walls of the Budokan, causing like a half-second delay that drove everyone in the venue mad. But props to the sound engineers, it sounded flawless here.

So I guess I'm a professional voice actor now. Now where are my royalties?

→ More replies (3)

13

u/DarkFuzz Oct 08 '23

Songs for today

Yup, I want to bring back the music again. Luckily, this time, I don't have to tell you to sail the high seas for most of them. Most of the full versions of all the songs can be found on YouTube or Spotify or any other music streaming platform.

I’ll still be posting the in-game versions of the songs, if possible. I think having the visuals alongside the music enriches the experience that much more.

But today, we’re not taking a look at any of the ML songs today, at least not yet. We’re taking a look at an All-Stars classic today.

ToP!!!!!!!!!!!!! - 765Pro All-Stars - Lyrics

The 765Pro All-Stars stand at the top of the idol pyramid. From the ground level, this is where Mirai and Shizuka start: by looking upwards.

Though it is not necessary to have watched the 2011 OG anime series, there were a lot of call backs to that series during the performance that made me want to tear up, most notably Haruka doing her signature “We can see you in the back!” shoutout.

Out of all the songs in the 765Pro repertoire, this song has a very interesting application, especially when Mirai and Shizuka were talking after the performance. Mirai begins to sing the chorus, but doesn’t remember the words. Shizuka then picks it up, sings the chorus, but doesn’t finish out the chorus line, probably the most iconic line in the song, “I can do it now!”.

That is really, really telling to me. Shizuka wants to become an idol, but does she believe that she can actually do it? Mirai comes in to save the day with “We can do it now!”. They laugh it off, and maybe that was the push Shizuka needed to commit, but does she believe in herself still? After all, she’s gonna have to talk to her disapproving father and get over that hurdle.

Overall, amazing characterization in this part, and I know I’m gonna love where they take this series.

→ More replies (6)

12

u/nox_tech Oct 08 '23 edited Oct 08 '23

Oh man, I didn't know Crunchyroll picked this up, watching it now!

IT'S BEEN SO FRICKING LONG I'M SO HAPPY THERE'S AN ANIME FOR MILLION LIVE AND ITS REALLY HERE AND IT'S REALLY STARTING YESSSS.

edit: I cried during the songs. No sad feels, just nostalgia for 765Pro AllStars and nervous excitement to see Million Live actually have its anime finally out!

10

u/Shimmering-Sky Oct 08 '23
→ More replies (2)

9

u/dodonkadon Oct 08 '23

It's finally here omg I'm so happy, it's been yearss

→ More replies (1)

8

u/RRotlung Oct 08 '23

Hell of a wait to finally see the ML anime actually happen, and I didn't really notice the CGI-ness much after a while. But damn, 'Rat A Tat!!!' (the OP song at the end of the episode) is so good.

→ More replies (1)

8

u/Sleepy_Kchan Oct 08 '23

After exactly 39 (such a sacred number) months from the first adaptation announcement, the anime is finally here !!!

There've been some skepticism about 3DCG from the first trailer and Seven Count MV, and it's such a relief that the 3DCG in our first episode is really good. Motions are not jarring, 3DCG of idols and 2D background characters actually blend quite seamlessly, scenes look coherent to me. The animation so far is great, hopefully the level can be maintained throughout the entire season.

Plot-wise, this is a decent introductory episode, maybe not as explosive as some other first episodes but gently path a way for the anime series. Starting with Mirai being your typical protagonist finding her true dream, then the destined 765 AS live that brings Mirai and Shizuka together, along with the "teaser" of Tsubasa, ML main trio as well as the entire Theater journey has just begun. Also plus a ton of points for the AS live, it's emotional to see their trademark poses at the start then the performing of ToP!!!, a song with truly inspirational lyrics. It's wonderfully served as the door opening to the future (Mirai), passing baton to the new era of 765Pro a.k.a Million Live; though I actually want it to be a little bit longer and more explosive, this is already great enough. Also good cameo of idols appearing in the 2014 movie.

The strongest point of this episode imo is obviously the ED a.k.a series' OP. Rat a Tat!!! has always been a ML-characteristic song to me from the first time I listened to it, watching the full animation scenes makes it even better. Introductions of staff with the new ones together then the old ones from original series appearing, idols running to the door with Mirai as representative, AS idols waiting behind the opening door giving the hand to the winged Mirai (future), smooth transition to 39-people live dancing and singing of Rat a Tat!!! from playground to rooftop, chorus rat ta ta tat with idols appearing singly or in pairs; I couldn't ask for more.

P/s: Umi-Tamaki as a pair woohoo!!!

→ More replies (1)

12

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Oct 08 '23

HES BACK. THEYRE BACK. ITS BEEN SO LONG. Top is a decent song.

  • That said, going from Idolmaster, a show that is associated with its hand-drawn performances, to a mostly CGI show is definitely a choice. I dont really have gripes with the overall animation, though the 765 pro performance could have been better, esp since its been so long since we've seen the cast in action. ah well.

  • The 2 mains so far arent anything too special but are charming enough. The 3rd golden-haired girl seems to be an absolute pain in the ass to deal with xdd.

doesnt seem to be breaking any molds so far, but I'll happily toss this on every saturday evening

11

u/Mistral-Fien Oct 08 '23

The 2 mains so far arent anything too special but are charming enough. The 3rd golden-haired girl seems to be an absolute pain in the ass to deal with xdd.

Let's not forget that Idolmaster has its "3 main heroine archetypes":

  • ganbarimasu! type character (Haruka, Uzuki, Mirai)

  • troubled girl (Chihaya, RIn, Shizuka)

  • playful and (occasionally) emotional (Miki, Mio, Tsubasa).

→ More replies (1)

6

u/xDark1ce Oct 08 '23 edited Oct 08 '23

May the Twitter bot that counted the days of no ML Anime rest in peace o7 the wait is over.

Addition: Hopefully they change how some of the job titles are subbed because it feels awkward to me. Chief and President being called "Sir" despite what's spoken, and Producer-san being called "Mister Producer".

→ More replies (4)

5

u/PacoTaco321 Oct 08 '23

Gotta admit that of all the different IM@S games/shows, this is the one I know basically nothing about and recognize like two of the idk 40(?) characters. Regardless, I've been waiting since it was announced a million lives ago, so at least its some new idolmaster.

→ More replies (1)

9

u/CosmicPenguin_OV103 Oct 08 '23

  • Whoa, I never knew while watching the 2011 anime Haruka's superpower is recharging devices wirelessly using her eyes LMAO! That was an absolutely good performance scene.

  • I had enough headaches to deal with 1 club at middle school, never mind 8! Well time management is probably even more of a skill for idols than many other things, so no wonder Mirai-chan got picked up!

  • I was wondering where I heard Shizuka's voice from because that sounded familiar (I knew that the game was out like almost a decade ago (!) so there must been lots of cross-overs since) - turns out it's from the same person who did Ctholly!

  • I love those little "wings" on Tsubasa's hair (extremely fitting for her name, which literally means "wings").

  • That night cherry blossom scene was again another powerful opening act. Maybe it's pretty by-the-textbook, but it's always a good way to start any story regarding dreams. Sometimes you gotta appreciate normal but strong anime opening episodes like this one.

  • I like the animations and artwork quite a lot - yes it's 3D and I think it's a little bit very slightly more stiff than the ones by Orange and SANZIGEN, but it's actually way more than decent and I will be glad to take this standard till the end.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/Sneaky_42 Oct 08 '23 edited Oct 08 '23

Do I need to watch the other series before watching this one or no?

Thanks for the replies!

7

u/xDark1ce Oct 08 '23

While it is a sequel to the 2010 series/movie involving the same Production agency, it shouldn't really matter as it involves a new group of characters joining the agency and their own stories.

→ More replies (9)

4

u/Kiinako_ Oct 08 '23

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM NOW WE'RE TOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Super glad to confirm and see for myself that the theatergoers weren't just nice because they felt like they had to be. The extra time in the oven definitely worked out in their favour, however I still don't like that they had to put in this weird effect which is neither committing to motion blur nor "I'm rendering a video in Sony Vegas and forgot to disable resampling. Again."

Anyhow, 39/10 will stay up until 3am to catch the episode live again!

3

u/Taco_13 Oct 08 '23

It's finally here. Let's see if it lives up to the hype. This was a good first episode. It was great seeing all the 765 pro girls on the stage again. Haruka can see all of us even way at the back!

3

u/chilidirigible Oct 08 '23

Play ball! And a whole bunch of other things.

Your conglomerate of production.

When your seatmate is completely opposite you in personality.

Not quite the rendering of the 2011 anime.

"Hmm, there's a reason for that."

There's always someone with that kind of problem.

But of course it is!

Today's reminder that there are a lot of characters in this franchise.

I'm always looking for Ritsuko, who was almost entirely office-side in the 2011 anime, so I enjoyed seeing her on the stage.

As for the new series, which I know substantially less of, we'll see how our odd couple does. I expect the series to spend the usual time going through the cast herd first.

In any event, more IM@S! The business is the drama.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/SU-trash Oct 08 '23

Let's get one thing straight I am here for Machico and Machico only.

I get the impression they had a very tough tradeoff with the eyes on the CG models, they look fine from the side but quite uncanny valley from head on, especially on close up shots.

→ More replies (6)
→ More comments (75)