The Idolm@ster: Cinderella Girls – 02
Uzuki learns that in order to succeed in the idol industry, you sometimes gotta take some balls to the face.
 Now that Producer has got his new team completed, it’s time for Rin and Uzuki to start their first day of work! But first, the show has to take a little detour to acknowledge what defines the Cinderella Girls game, which is overwhelming you with idols, idols, idols, and more idols!
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A fitting and lively opening sequence, reminiscent of Ready!! and Change!!!! from the main series.
So whereas the 1st episode was all about just 3 of the main characters including the Producer, the point of this 2nd episode seemed to have been to show off as many of the girls from the game as it could as possible. Beyond just the core group of 14 (2 more than the idols at 765 Pro, not including Ritsuko) that make up the new Cinderella Girls troupe, there were many, many cameos by other girls who are apparently idols already working at the same company. It was presented in the context of the main 3 girls exploring their new workplace, but really, I should describe it as the other way around: the main 3 girls were exploring so that there was a reason to show off all those girls. Fanservice for those who play the game, I guess. Too bad I’m not one of them.
But speaking of the main 3 girls, we now have Mio Honda joining Rin and Uzuki after being shown at the very end of the 1st episode. Considering she missed out on that entire episode, I was pleased with how the show caught her up with the other girls before she officially joined them. You’ve got her bouncy typical-genki-girl personality conveyed by her jumping into conversations unprompted, but I thought the most telling was seeing her asking for the 22nd floor in the elevator and then showing up on the 30th when Rin and Uzuki got there. She’s not just any genki girl; she’s the type who voluntarily decides to climb up 8 sets of stairs when going to her new job for the first time, just for the exercise! That’s pretty badass.
Excellent use of visuals to convey information, contrasting Mio’s sneakers with Uzuki’s and Rin’s loafers immediately after she asks for the 22nd floor.
As for the 11 other new girls in the Cinderella Girls troupe, they were all introduced too briefly to get a real sense of them beyond their obvious gimmicks. I’m not sure I liked the approach taken here. It feels like the show pulled a bait and switch by having the 1st episode focus so heavily on just 2 of the idols and following it by dumping everyone else on us in just a few minutes. Because of the time constraint, each of the girls felt artificially sweet, jumping in just long enough to introduce herself and her gimmick before dropping back for the next girl. Just not as elegant as first Idolm@ster anime which pulled it off by using the full 1st episode to introduce all of the idols one by one in documentary style.
All that said, just like the main show, we’ve got an eclectic cast of idols we’ll learn to know and love throughout the series – assuming A1 pulls off the execution just as well. I’m not too charmed by any of the girls yet, but that’s not a major problem. After all, it wasn’t until episode 8 of The Idolm@ster that it started becoming clear that Makoto was the best girl. So far, I’m just hoping that Miku’s catgirl gimmick and Ranko’s chu2 gimmick (voiced by Maaya Uchida, famous for playing the Chu2 girl) don’t get annoying too quickly. Also, I can’t wait to see the rude awakening Anzu is in for when she realizes how much work it takes to be an idol.
Love all those shots of Mio clearly trying way too hard to be sexy. From afar, she looks an awful lot like Yura Yamato…
I’m left wondering now just how much the show will focus on the main 3 girls it introduced at the start. The main series had no “true protagonist,” opting to give each of the girls an episode or 2 in the spotlight. The 1st episode of Cinderella Girls gave the impression that Uzuki or the 3-idol team of Uzuki, Rin, and Honda, would be the protagonists, but the sudden flood of the rest of the idols makes me question that. The episode did end by focusing on those 3 girls again and bringing them a new job backing up Mika Jougasaki, so at the very least, it appears that they will get the spotlight for now. I’d be fine with the show going in either direction.
Sign maker, you had ONE job!
Producer opens a window to the new material he prepared for his nightly fap session…
TOO… MANY… IDOLS…
About lvlln
A math/science geek and a self-dubbed cynical optimist. I don't care if it's deep, if it can make me feel something or laugh, it's fine in my book. @lvlln
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Indeed, too many idols, and just gimmicks. But as you said, it takes time to unpack these sorts of things.
LOLi…Dat Anzu! The NEET approach works as a card game thing, but not so much in an anime, here’s hoping she has an “awakening”.
I think I’ll call an early favorite for Mika, she seems like a nice girl with a trouble making streak…that’s always fun to follow around.
POWUH: 700-799 and Parkouring Fanboy with 776 comments
Gosh, Anzu’s intro was reminiscent of Miki’s with the sleeping, wasn’t it? Though unlike Miki, Anzu couldn’t point to her boobies as what was so special about her. It remains to be seen if she’s a natural talent like Miki, but it would be quite cool to see her “awaken” like Miki in the game and go up to the next level. Especially if it’s also accompanied by a haircut and color change.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
I didn’t place the Miki connection, but bravo. She must have some talent, cause it sure ain’t the smile….
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
Surely she can point to her lack thereof as her “special trait.” I’m sure a certain crowd would approve.
As far as an awakening goes, I’m actually gunning for Kirari to accidentally drop Anzu on her head one day instead. Then we might see something interesting happen.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Good gravy, she’s done no harm and you wish a head injury. You highway, you….
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
You snooze, you lose.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
I do believe those are a metaphor for the actual type of balls…
Oh god… now you’re making me remember the Idol Decay series from a particular mangaka… x_x
POWUH: 400-499 with 462 comments
…You had to go there.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Kinda disappointed that the main three were so well-introduced and then everyone else ended up being so two-dimensional. I want to like more than just 3 idols! I guess I’ll have more to work with as the series goes on.
Is…Is “lacrosse idol” a thing? Why was she the only normal one? Somehow her normalcy makes me terrified she’s secretly the serial killer of the bunch.
POWUH: 700-799 and Parkouring Fanboy with 776 comments
Yeah, I figure at this point, the most likely thing is that this series will follow a similar path as the main series by having each of the girls feature heavily in 1 or 2 episodes. I wonder what the lacrosse thing is all about. I’ve heard lacrosse mentioned in anime – most notably Rozen Maiden – but is it really a big sport in Japan? Why?
It also seemed the other idols were told about the photo shoot beforehand and came with costumes & props, like that lacrosse girl or Ranko with her goth loli outfit or the rocker girl with her headphones. But the photo shoot was dumped as a surprise on the main 3 girls, which I find strange. Like, if they could tell the other girls ahead of time, they should’ve done the same with the newbies as well! Maybe Mio would have also brought some sports equipment.