Back to Tom13296's Profile Tom13296's Profile

I’m not really familiar with shoujo genre, the anime actually pretty fun to watch, I think it's kinda like typical shoujo anime with some certain trope, but near the ending i got bored with it, especially with how Yamada is portrayed, i don’t know if it's a common thing in the shoujo genre, but i hate how Yamada portrayed with all his coolness and handsomeness all the time, while the character is lack of personality and making him not feel alive. I was expecting more of the character's background, past, that shaped their own personality, but it was never shown in the show. While it ... came with a “Video Game” theme, the anime actually did not execute it very well. Sure, it has this guild and stuff about game, but the theme itself is just like a conjunction to make the romance plot flow. If you were looking more for the gaming content, i’m not recommend you to watch this show. What makes this anime interesting is the character interaction, I love how they animated it with funny and silly visual, nothing really bad when it comes the visual it just fine.

Story:
The idolmaster is a story about a group of idols that pursue their dream into stardom. The story is very simple with it written in episodic format, each character has their own spotlight in their respective episodes. The anime shows us the daily lives of the idol group members, with their struggles and how they overcome their flaws. With its being episodic, there's actually no main conflict in the show, I do think that is not a big deal with the anime itself coming with the Slice of Life genre, but sometimes the episode just feels like a filler episode that gives no development to ... the story nor the character. On the other side we never see how the group actually develops through the story, everything feels like it is just flowing like any idol anime should be. The last few episodes with the Haruka character arc are indeed the best part of the story.

Character:
The words that producer said in episode 12 "I don't really understand all of you girls yet" indeed describe how I feel towards the group when I finish watching this anime. Overall, the character feels decent, each idols were unique with their own traits. With the problem of having too many characters, some characters are not really explored through the anime, making them appear to be flat and boring. Miki, Chihaya, and Haruka are indeed the most standout characters in terms of writing, at some point they feel alive with their struggle and motivation to become an idol. On the second cour of the show we finally face the antagonist of the show. Their appearance somehow feels unnecessary and just there to extend the story.

Visual
Thing I like the most from this anime is the animation, especially when it comes to character acting animation, it is just so outstanding. The performance scene is great too, it kinda amazed me for anime at that time, cause nowadays anime tends to use CGI to make this kind of scene. When it comes to character design, Atsushi Nishigori never fails with it. Every character design is very contrasting with each other and so colorful.

Conclusion
The idolm@ster is a good idol anime that mainly focuses on the daily lives of idol group members. If you were looking for an idol anime with a simple story and great visual, you should give it a try.

Plot (10/10)
This anime has a very solid plot. It doesn't even feel wrong if I say even though there are no plot holes in this anime. The plot that is connected from the first episode to the last episode really amazed me how this anime was able to connect the opening with the ending. Everything is planned very carefully with supporting concepts and theories. In the first 11 episodes the audience may feel bored with the slow pacing because it is used for world building and characterizations, but everything will change when entering episode 12 which is the turning point of Okabe's time ... travel.

Visual (8/10)
This anime successfully visualizes the summer atmosphere of Akihabara City as a shopping area through the use of white light and heat effects. What stands out the most is the unique storyboard, especially the board made by Hamasaki and the character acting. I really appreciate the depiction of Okabe's facial expressions that successfully express the horror of time travel and the depression he is experiencing.

Character (10/10)
Each character in this anime gets their respective share in the characterization. What makes me interested is how the character of Okabe is written, which is arguably well written. From a young man who looks silly, annoying and selfish, he can become a silly but serious and responsible person through a series of events that he experiences. The relationship between the MC and the heroine feels very deep, from Okabe's joke that he calls Kurisu his assistant, slowly their relationship develops into friends and feelings arise between the two. Likewise with other characters, each character in this anime has various characteristics that make it interesting. Despite the many repetitive jokes the characters make in this anime, it's still entertaining to watch them interact.

Music (7/10)
"Hacking to The Gate" the opening song by Kanako Ito feels like one of the most iconic anime opening song for me. Even so, I think it's a bit boring to hear the same song to fill the anime's opening and ending with 2 cours. The scoring done by Takeshi Abo himself is very integrated with this anime, besides that it is also identical, such as the "Gate of Steiner" soundtrack.

Conclusion
Steins;Gate is an anime with a time travel theme that is perfectly executed. Overall it is very enjoyable. 10/10 Peak Fiction.