The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls: U149
Synopsis
Mature grade school student Arisu Tachibana is an aspiring idol who receives an invitation from her company president to participate in the Third Entertainment Section—a new idol project. Arisu and eight other young girls soon meet their producer before beginning idol-related activities. To the girls' surprise, their producer appears to be a childlike adult and nothing like what they had imagined. The producer, who is taking on the position for the first time, also had no idea that he would be meeting a group of short, young idols. The awkward situation leaves Arisu disappointed, and she wishes for a producer change. However, the producer, with his genuine love for idols and his desire to see them shine, will not let this opportunity pass and expresses that he is serious about working with the girls. Thankfully, the young idols accept the producer after seeing his unwavering passion for idols, serving as the start of their journey to the stage of dreams. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Audience Consensus
The audience generally loves 'U149' for its beautiful animation, well-developed characters, and heartwarming stories, making it a good entry point to the Idolmaster franchise. Some find the occasional inappropriate jokes or the CG animation during dance scenes to be a minor drawback. A few viewers also find the themes exploring the darker sides of the idol industry to be conflicting.
Strengths
- Visually stunning animation and creative direction.
- Well-developed character spotlights with surprising depth.
- Effective at creating emotional connections with characters.
- Good entry point to the IDOLM@STER franchise.
Weaknesses
- Occasional inappropriate jokes that are out of place.
- Dance scenes utilize CG animation which is inferior to hand-drawn animation.
- Potentially disturbing elements related to the idol industry's exploitation of young girls.