Kumakocho: That's right! I'm not going to call you idols! I will call you all "I-Chu"~♪
Mutsuki: What do you mean by "I-Chu"?
Kumakocho: Idols on the way~ Isn't it perfect for you guys?~
Mutsuki: What do you mean by "I-Chu"?
Kumakocho: Idols on the way~ Isn't it perfect for you guys?~
I-Chu, sometimes written as Aichuu, is mobile Japanese-only Rhythm Game, featuring a Cast Full of Pretty Boys. The story focuses on you, the Producer, who acts as teachers for boys who strive to become idols.
I-Chu also expands its characters' backstories in its also No Export for You light novel Fun×Fan×Gift. In 2019, the series also expanded into a new spinoff: the game received a sister mobile game called Etoile Stage, while an anime for said spinoff was announced the same year.
In late 2019, the original I-chu game was announced to shut down online services. The game got offline support starting from July of 2020, but only lasted until December of the same year.
I-Chu provides examples of:
- Anti Poop-Socking: In the form of an "LP Meter". As you level up, the maximum LP you will have increase to compensate for higher experience needed for rank ups. But the game also gives you candies and lollipops to restore your LP. It's common for many players to save up a lot of candies, and only use them to tier in events.
- Anti-Frustration Features: Candies and lollipops, so lower-ranked players that has a lot of candies could still catch up to higher-ranking players during events.
- Bribing Your Way to Victory: Aichuu discs. You can log in daily to be rewarded them, complete affection stories, story modes, SSS songs, or... buy them for a relatively hefty amount of yen. Naturally, the last option is available to only a few. You can use Aichuu discs to scout 11 times, boost your score in Tour and Group festivals, or completely restore the LP meter (except you have candies and lollipops for that anyway).
- Cerebus Syndrome:
- Starts to hit with the Music Awards arc, when P-Chan's past is revealed.
- One of the members from a unit looks to hold a grudge against P-Chan, so the syndrome is only going to hit harder and harder.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Red for Wild, Yellow for Pop, Blue for Cool.
- Crossover: With fellow Liber Entertainment game A3! in 2017.
- Dancing Is Serious Business: For some units. Justified since they're idols.
- Early Game Hell: Played straight during events. Inverted when it comes to getting discs. Most 10+1's are easily done early, but if you get to Rank 100, saving up 5 discs is a miracle.
- Featureless Protagonist: Averted. The Producer is canonically female, and she does have a canonical design
, but it is never seen in-game.- Nevermind just having a design, she also has a canon backstory, and a name (Yuzuki Asahina). Whatever the player names her can be seen as a nickname instead.
- Flawless Victory: SSSing a song.
- Harder Than Hard:
- Expert. They're easy to clear through guts and constitution alone, but SSSing? Might take some time.
- Liber answered pleadings from experienced players to add an even harder mode, and added Maniac mode. Unfortunately, all the mode gives are bears.
- Exaggerated with the teaser of a Nightmare Mode.
- High School: Etoile Vio Academy acts like one for the 3rd Generations. Funny enough is some characters are well beyond their high school years.
- Idol Singer: Everyone.
- Incredibly Long Note:
- "DEAR MY PRECIOUS FRIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNND"
- "Ageru... sayona-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
- In-Game TV: Seen during Story Mode.
- Luck-Based Mission:
- Scouting, especially when it comes to LEs. Even during 10+1's, it's hard to get the cards you actually want.
- Hijack event has shades of this, as the score you need to reclaim lives are randomized.
- Permanently Missable Content:
- Event LEs. Dropped too many tiers to get another LE, so you could idolize your boy? Too bad.
- Special Scout SRs / LEs often come back in Republishing Scouts.
- Power of Friendship: There's a huge emphasis on this in story mode.
- Score Multiplier: Some skills act like this.
- Series Mascot: Kumakocho, the president of the school. He gets some focus in the way of April Fools' Day cards at times.
- Ship Tease: Doubles as
Ho Yay between the boys.
