History Anime / TheIdolmaster

* CatSmile:
** The Futami twins do this sometimes. More prominent during their introduction on the first episode.
** Makoto has this when the Producer tells her there's comments about [[SeamlessSpontaneousLie how "sexy"]] she's becoming.

** In episode 12, there is a ''VideoGame/TaikoNoTatsujin'' arcade booth, the ''Mr. Driller'' logo is seen briefly, the ''[[VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead House of the Dead 4]]'' game, curiously in a Time Crisis 4 cabinet, and The UsefulNotes/XBox360 makes at least two appearances. Curiously enough, a [=PS3=] makes an appearance too, with a BlandNameProduct label.

* AnAesop: Each episode gives a lesson to at least one character.
** The second episode teaches Ami, Mami, Yayoi, and Iori about individuality.
** In Episode 6, the Producer learns to trust his idols' abilities.
** The seventh deals with running away, although it's not any of the idols who runs away[[note]]And even then, the one who did run away was just hiding.[[/note]]

* GirlsAreReallyScaredOfHorrorMovies: Yukiho naturally, and, unusually, Makoto, gets freaked out by Iori's scary stories and the haunted house at an amusement park.

For other anime set in the same universe, see ''Anime/TheIdolmasterCinderellaGirls'' and ''Anime/TheIdolmasterSideM''.

%% * BareYourMidriff:
%% ** Several girls' stage outfits, specially the ones from [[spoiler:the concert in episodes 13, 20 and 21.]]
%% ** Miki, Ami and Mami in casual clothes
%% ** Miki', Hibiki's, Makoto's and Yayoi's training outfits, though these last two appear only in [[spoiler:episode 1 ending.]]
* BeachEpisode: To beat the heat in Episode 5, 765 takes a trip to the beach. It's a rather low budget affair, considering their budget and reputation at the time. They even get to combine it with a HotSpringsEpisode in the second half.

''The iDOLM@STER'' is the second TV series [[TheAnimeOfTheGame based on]] [[VideoGame/TheIdolmaster the video game series of the same name]]. It was produced by Creator/A1Pictures and aired through [[Summer2011Anime the summer]] and Fall of 2011.

%% * {{Gainaxing}}: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzagged]] in Episode 10 between Azusa and Takane.

* SpoilerOpening: This [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready probably isn't going to be a spoiler]] to anyone who [[AllThereInTheManual played the first-generation games]], but the opening credits depict [[spoiler: Ritsuko as one of the idols]], foreshadowing episode [[spoiler: 18]].

%% * CryCute:
%% ** Yayoi.
%% ** [[spoiler:Chihaya]] in episode 20.

* SuddenSoundtrackStop: The BGM, alredady tense, at the end of Episode 23 cuts off the instant [[spoiler:the Producer hits the ground after falling in the stage pit]], signifying that whatever happened ust be dire.

** Episode 25 features the camcorder the Producer used to interview the 765 idols in Episode 1, and the wallet Haruka intended to give to him during Christmas (but is evidentally made into a recovery gift). Haruka also brings up th concept of an "idol" again, now that she's found what that means to her.

%% * BreatheOnTheFan: Hibiki does this once.

In 2017, a prequel manga set in the anime's continuity started seeing serialization. ''Ayasake no Koganeiro: THE [=iDOLM@STER=]'' takes a much needed look into the backstories of President Takagi, Kuroi, and Kotori [[spoiler:back when she was an aspiring idol]]. The manga is ongoing and runs in ''Comic REX''.

%% * DateCrepe: The Producer with Makoto on their "date" to the amusement park.

%% * BeautyMark: Kotori. It seems to jump around her face from time to time.

* SeriesFauxnale: Episode 25 would be the last episode in any other story--the girls' major concert goes off without a hitch, the Producer is there to see his idols take off, call-backs abound pepper the speeches of the girls, and important recurring characters [[BackForTheFinale get their last cameos in]] befre the end. It wraps up all remaining plot threads from the previous episodes too, but regardless, ''one'' more episode came afterwards, followed by a movie and eventually ''[=SideM=]'' for how Jupiter turned out.

%% * TwoGirlRomanticFriendship: Haruka and Chihaya seem to have shades of this.

** The movie ad immediately after that, ''The Girl Who Dug Holes'', is a double ShoutOut ''and'' AscendedMeme all in one - the title is a parody of ''Anime/TheGirlWhoLeaptThroughTime'', whilst the word "Ex*hi*la*ra*ting" on the right is a reference to ''Film/SailorFukuToKikanjuu''.

* ThemeTuneCameo: Both openings of the show are [[RearrangeTheSong rearranged]] and sung at the same time during the live in the final episode. Works too as TitleThemeDrop and LastEpisodeThemeReprise.

%% * OdangoHair:

Legally available to watch on [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/the-idol-master/videos Crunchyroll]].

* YourCostumeNeedsWork: Chihaya, an idol who loves to sing and makes a career out of it, gets a sixty from a karaoke machine while singing her own songs!

For the history of the original game and the franchise, see ''Franchise/TheIdolmaster''.

! Tropes present in ''Beyond the Brilliant Future!'':
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