I’m really gonna miss this cast… I was just finished getting ready to sparkle on stage and everything…

——

Not a whole lot going on plot wise in this episode; more of a tying up of the few loose ends. In fact, this final episode was more of a performance than anything else. I don’t only mean that it was about a concert, but the whole episode was more of a tribute to the fans, both fictional and real. There were only four songs if you include the opening and ending themes, but it was just a matter of quality versus quantity. The opening song for the concert was just a real joy to watch. In fact, the entirety of that sequence is the whole reason why I love this series. Sure iM@S is pandering to the lowest common denominator, but it makes sure that it’s enjoyable and infectious. That insert song as well as the series as a whole will put you in a better mood every time. 

Of course the episode wasn’t totally devoid of plot, but the developments were negligible, as nothing really came of them. Really, all that happened was 765 Productions is back to square one financially, and Kuroi is still a jerkface. Oh, and Haruka gave Producer the wallet. That actually made me sigh in relief. I was anxious about that detail, for whatever reason. But as far as anime endings go, this was probably the neatest ending I’ve seen in a while. And while realistically, I don’t see a second season in the works or anything, I would love to see more accessible iDOLM@STER being made. It’s a franchise built on fun for fun’s sake and I can’t help but be pulled in by that.  

GO Rating: 4/5

As much as I would love to give the series a five, it as a whole did not perform perfectly. There were slumps and frustrations along the way, and at times it felt like they would continue to the end of the series. But The iDOLM@STER both started and finished very strong and as someone who wasn’t even aware of the games before watching, it was probably the most fun I’ve had watching anime during both of the seasons it aired.

There was a lot lacking technically as well. There were a bunch of episodes where the animation and art was terrible. I did notice more than a couple times where the idols seemed to be slightly cross-eyed. The Miki-duck episode comes to mind as a prime example of how much the production quality could slip. The soundtrack wasn’t the greatest, either. A lot of the background music didn’t really do it for me. Even the insert songs were troubling. In the beginning of the anime, it seemed that the anime was just meant to be a sampler for the game’s music. None of it was terrible, though. If Naruto can get away with shoddy animation, iDOLM@STER is more than entitled to as well. And since the anime is based on the games, it makes sense to lift from the playable tracks.

Overall, I’d have to say that The iDOLM@STER was worth watching. Not necessarily for someone who wants to watch it after it finished, but it was fun keeping up with the show from week to week. It’s not the greatest anime out there and it certainly won’t gain fans for it’s compelling story or great technical attributes. But it was an enjoyable series to watch and if you’re at all into dating sims or similar, you might want to give this anime a shot.

Overall GO Rating: 4/5