「みんなで、少しでも前へ」 (Minna de, Sukoshi demo Mae e)
“Moving Forward a Little with Everyone”

How dare those Shinkan Shoujo girls make Yayoi cry! The 765 Pro girls may have been the better person about it, but I was ready to bust some idol heads by slapping a bitch. I dare say I would’ve enjoyed it too after Hikari (Higasayama Tsugumi) proved to be one tough customer. Their saving grace was Nozomi (Shouji Yui), whom I was more forgiving of after she feel helplessly in love with Makoto and awakened her lesbian side in the process. The third member, Tsubame (Saitou Momoko), was a lot more like Hikari and deserved a good slapping as well. The sound of Yayoi’s crying with the instrumental version of “THE IDOLM@STER” theme (seen in episode six) playing in the background completely set me off, as that was some of the most believable crying I’ve heard in anime. I mentioned back in Yayoi’s episode that I think she’s too innocent for the cut-throat showbiz world, but it’s for that very reason that someone needs to protect her from this kind of crap. If that means that someone needs to slap a bitch, then someone needs to slap a bitch. Producer! It’s time to do some work!

Well that obviously wasn’t going to happen, but at least he made it clear that 765 Pro wasn’t going to let Kodama Pro win just because it would’ve been better for television ratings. I like the way that Iori used her family’s prestige to scare the daylights out of Kodama Pro’s producer too, which was probably one of the “hottest” displays of assertiveness and reliable that I’ve ever seen from a Kugimiya Rie-voiced character. Given the episode’s setup, I didn’t mind the fairy tale-like ending one bit. In fact, I really like the way the 765 Pro girls came together during the relay and showed an emotional outpouring of support for Makoto to come back and win it as their anchor. Even our normally clumsy Haruka was pretty clutch when it mattered because everyone wanted to win the race for Yayoi and stick it to Kodama Pro. Having Iori and Makoto at odds with one another worked out really well too, since they were quick to put aside their differences when it came to 765 Pro. It was most apparent when they were the last two runners in the relay and Iori trusted Makoto to win it for them. As always, the little bits of character development like that continue to impress, distinguishing IM@S from most slice-of-life series. Makoto’s screaming, the intensity in her face, and sense of relief after winning — I was moved by it all.

As for cameos, we did see all the members of the male idol group Jupiter this time around, namely Amagase Touma (Terashima Takuma), Ijuuin Hokuto (Kanbara Daichi), and Mitarai Shouta (Matsuoka Yoshitsugu). I actually got a laugh out of how Haruka said she’s met one of them before, yet chose not to mention how Touma bumped into her and treated her like crap. A more welcome cameo was 765 Pro’s friends from 876 Pro (pronounced “Bannam”, a play on Bandai) — Mizutani Eri (Hanazawa Kana), Akizuki Ryou (Sanpei Yuuko), Hidaka Ai (Tomatsu Haruka), seen from left-to-right here. They seemed a lot more “behaved” than our usual bunch, which kind of overshadowed the fact that they’re voiced by Kana, Yuuko, and Haruka — a trio of seiyuu that’s nothing to scoff at. They were invited to the after-party celebrations and sang the ending theme with 765 Pro, so hopefully that’s a sign we’ll see some more of them in future episodes.

 

ED10 Sequence

ED10: 「GO MY WAY!!」 by 765PRO & 876PRO ALLSTARS
Watch the 10th ED!: Streaming ▼

Preview

41 Comments

    1. Hey, I actually like Jupiter. :/ I don’t understand why some fans get so angry when they see more males introduced. Granted, they were stuck-up rivals in iM@S 2, but still, I didn’t see anyone complaining about Project Fairy.

      I actually want to see more of them and 876 Pro. It would spice things up a bit.

      1. I think it was more hate that some female characters weren’t playable in Idolmaster 2 and that Jupiter were which is why people hate them lol. If all the female characters were playable I think people would’ve been a lot more forgiving…

        Taiakun
      2. Or it could that the IM@S fanbase is really that weird. They do ridiculous stuff like giving voice actors death threats as if they were responsible for any given development. There is also the fact that Ryo the trap idol was EXTREMELY popular among fans for some reason. But pretty boy Jupiter? Nope they need to burn.

        fragb85
      3. Taiakun’s got it. The objection wasn’t really Jupiter, so much as that when Jupter was added in, Ritsuko, Azusa, Ami and Iori were taken out. If those four had remained playable, while I’m sure some idiots would have still whined, most people would have just ignored Jupiter if they didn’t like them.

        As for Ryou, taps don’t count as males.

        Fencedude
  1. Makoto is awesome. She somehow was able to make-up for an almost impossible lead while having an injured leg. She even had one of the girls fall for her. This is why she is my favorite idol. I could have used less of the Yayoi angst though, it really wasn’t working for me.

    Of course, the other highlight for me is the appearance of 876 Pro, who are the protagonists of IM@S DS games. I also like the subtle indications of their relationship with 765.

    Info on 876 Pro:
    Ai Hidaka– Daughter of a famous idol. She’s kind of like Haruka, if Haruka was a crybaby and has mommy issues.
    Eri Mizutani– An idol who just happens to be an internet nerd and gamer. A personal favorite of mine, because she’s voiced by HanaKana.
    Ryo Akizuki– Ritsuko cousin. Also a guy. Yep, he’s trap. Even funnier, he’s also apparently close friends with Makoto(notice that he was cheering her this episode).

    fragb85
  2. I’m not gonna lie – I was yelling and screaming like a fan girl once Jupiter came out.

    Anyways, I’m not really sure where this episode stands. It was a really fun episode, but two or three parts felt either a bit forced, such as Makoto’s and Iori’s 3-legged races, or a bit strange, such as how there could somehow be a 12-idol relay race (which although strange, was handled actually pretty well). Still though, that didn’t stop me from enjoying the hell out of this episode. The best two scenes for me though, were hands down when Nozomi fell in love with Makoto, and when Hikari gave the death stare to Yayoi right before putting on a bald cap. Those two scenes had me in stitches.

    Makoto gets all the girls and you know it.

    Click
    1. I think 765 Pro is cheating by having so many idol running. All they have to do is sprint a bit and pass the baton while the other idol required to run 1/3 the race. No wonder they were winning so easily at the beginning.

      lkaze
      1. Yeah, they are. It’s no excuse, but the fact that they almost lost if not for Makoto tells me that it might not have made a difference even if they played fair, as long as they had two of the faster girls run and Makoto runs at least twice XD.

        x
  3. I liked this episode a lot to, but unlike most of the commentators here, I have never played any of the games, so I have no clue about the cameo idol fellows, heck I am even more confused because some people seem to be insinuating that Jupiter is a real group.

    My confusion aside, this was fun to watch, like the previous episodes, for one reason or another, the friendship between the members of 756 doesn’t feel forced whatsoever, and I really like that, very rarely does an anime exist that can pull that of. I mean just the fact that Yayoi confessed the truth to her team-mates was a testament to that, I don’t see that happen very often. Yayoi must really trust the others to be able to admit her worries like that, and I am sure most of the other idols hold similar feelings towards each other. It would have been nice if Producer san punched evil Producer san instead of being all diplomatic but oh well, Iori made up for it though.

    I just hope that the girls who aren’t part of the chosen three get to have their moment in the spot light, I don’t want jealousy to destroy these bonds.

  4. if i remember, jupiter was kind of a dick in the game, but after they lost to producer’s team, they disbanded, but the main leader realized his mistake, and helped the producer in one scene. he hoped that one day he’ll be able to work under a good producer like him or something.

    apparently they lost because they lacked the usual teamwork qualities like trust & unity.

    the trap team appears. maybe they’ll have a collab concert with proj angel next time?

    haro
    1. You realize Ryo is straight right? He tried to be an idol to shed his girly-boy image, and be popular with girls. He doesn’t like wearing a dress, although on hindsight, he did get to meet some girls. Most of who don’t know he is a guy.

      fragb85
    2. frag85, now wouldn’t it be funny if he were shipped with Makoto, who wanted to shed her tomboy image and appear more girly in order to be more popular with the guys?

      Though I’m still firmly on the Makoto x Miki x Yukiho ship. 🙂

      Kinny Riddle
      1. There is some basis for that ship tough. Makoto and Ryo are close friends, which is why I find Ryo cheering for her this episode a nice touch. But then again Makoto is easy to ship with anyone girl, guy or trap.

        fragb85
  5. How dare those bitches make Yayoi cry?? There are many sins you can commit, but you do not make an innocent girl like her cry. A bitchslap is in order, I agree.

    Makoto taking spotlight at end = win.

    While Iori prefers not to rely on her family’s influence, she shows she’s not afraid to use it when the occasion calls for it. This makes me wonder whether 765 President Takagi recruited Iori for exactly this purpose? This probably explains why he’s so supportive of Producer’s refusal to fix the match. 😉

    Like in the game, Jupiter sure act like assholes (at least for now), and I haven’t even got started with their President Kuroi.

    And to cap off the IM@S-verse cameos, we have 876 Pro and Ritsuko’s trap cousin. It would be fun if he could appear more often.

    Kinny Riddle
  6. Two girls I loved; Iori and Makoto.

    Iori(which I still have dibs on) is still as awesome as always with sticking it to the other producer.

    Makoto was amazing during the wedding episode, but she really shined here in this episode what with her awesome sports win.

    Also: Nozomi’s love-at-first-sight was so out of left field, but was just joy to watch. I hope to see her again maybe in the later episodes.

    Kelfistan
  7. ” I didn’t mind the fairy tale-like ending one bit. ”

    I agree 100%. Really, the ending is oh-so predictable but when the screen flashed 765 Pro as the winner, my heart skipped a beat (bit?) and I genuinely felt happy for their victory!

    And, why all the rage for Jupiter? Haven’t had a single idea about the game but I think their addition in the anime might spice up things which is good. That tsundere-guy might be good for some romance story with Haruka!

    My only complain is that I NEED MORE CHIHAYA!

    nagi

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