Final Impressions:
The most telling impression that I can give about IM@S is probably, “I’m glad I decided to watch it.” I had known that the franchise is really popular in Japan and much less so overseas, but as someone who hasn’t played any of the idol producer simulation games and wasn’t very familiar with any of the characters, I simply figured that I wasn’t the intended audience for this adaptation. Twenty-five episodes later, I can tell you how wrong I was, as the anime slowly introduced the characters and highlighted all their various nuances, much like the games probably did. This adaptation is by no means only targeted toward existing fans, as I can speak from experience on how someone can come into this show with little knowledge of the 765 Pro idols and leave intimately familiar with all of them. When I first started watching, I was able to get into it relatively easily by picking a favorite character (i.e. Miki) and then watching mainly because of her. However, as the show went on and featured more episodes about others (…and Miki became obsessed with her “Honey” Producer), I was no longer fixated on any one character and was more interested in the group as a whole and the difficulties they encountered to realize their idol dreams.
The characters’ struggles deserve special mention, as what appeared to be a slice-of-life series with an idol twist on the surface proved to be much more than that. The last quarter of the series really dialed up the drama aspect in a way that didn’t come off unnatural whatsoever. It received proper build-up — most notably in regards to Chihaya’s traumatic childhood — and provided a completely unexpected dimension to the series. The drama may not compare to an actual drama series where it’s the main focus, but within the context of this relatively lighthearted series and the characters it’s established, it worked impeccably well. From episode twenty onward, I had a completely different image of the show, and it didn’t disappoint in carrying on with what it started when the focus shifted to the main heroine of the series, Haruka. The best part of it all was how the drama just crept up out of nowhere, as newcomers probably don’t expect to get choked up watching IM@S. I know I didn’t, though I’m quite glad that I did to take in everything that this adaptation had to offer. A-1 Pictures, director Nishigori Atsushi, and all the staff involved have done well in promoting the IM@S franchise as an anime — from the animation, series composition, and of course the music — so if a continuation is ever made, you can be rest-assured I’ll be watching.
That’s not to say that I want to see this show go on indefinitely though. It’s just a testament to how much the show’s grown on me over the past six months, especially considering that I wasn’t really planning to watch it at first. This was a great finale for a (surprisingly) great series.
http://randomc.net/2011/12/22/the-idolmaster-25-end/