Idolmaster Xenoglossia review: The appeal and evaluation of the first episode of the series

"The Idolmaster Xenoglossia": A new story born from the fusion of idols and giant robots

"The Idolmaster Xenoglossia" is a TV anime series that aired in 2007, and was jointly produced by Sunrise and Bandai Visual. This anime was originally based on the hugely popular idol training game "THE IDOLM@STER" released by Bandai Namco Games, but attracted attention as an original anime project that boldly rearranged the setting and story. The original work was written by Hajime Yatate, directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai, with series composition by Jukki Hanada, character design by Hiroshi Takeuchi, and mechanical design by Junichi Akutsu.

story

The story is set on Earth in the year 107 of the Restoration Calendar, about 100 years after the collapse of the moon. Due to the collapse of the moon, four orbital rings have formed around the Earth, and giant robots called "iDOLs" are active within them to prevent meteorites from falling on Earth. Only selected girls, known as "Idolmasters," can pilot these "iDOLs." Alongside their daily academic lives, these girls pilot the "iDOLs" and carry out the important mission of breaking up meteorites that are falling on Earth outside of the atmosphere.

The main character, Amami Haruka, is a bright and energetic 16-year-old girl who is intuitive but has a strong will that won't agree with anything wrong. She pilots an iDOL called "Inbel" and struggles to protect the Earth with her friends. Haruka's classmate, Hagiwara Yukiho, is kind-hearted and shy, and wants to become more positive. Minase Iori is the type who says what he thinks out loud, but he is actually a hard worker and grows together with his friends.

The story follows Haruka and her friends as they meet the iDOLs and grow, while also depicting their battles to protect the Earth, their bonds with their friends, and their pursuit of their dreams as idols. The new story woven by the giant robots and the girls will move and excite viewers.

character

There are many unique characters in "The Idolmaster Xenoglossia." Below are the main characters.

• Haruka Amami : 16 years old, 158cm tall, birthday April 3rd, blood type O. A girl who is always positive and full of energy. She has a bright and intuitive personality, but she also has the strength of mind to not agree with things that are wrong. Because of her ribbon, she sometimes gets given strange nicknames.
• Yukiho Hagiwara : 15 years old, 158cm tall, birthday December 24th, blood type A. A girl with a kind and gentle personality. Shy and withdrawn, she wants to become more positive. She is in the same class as Haruka, and has the special skill of being able to sleep anywhere.
• Iori Minase : 16 years old, 156cm tall, birthday May 5th, blood type AB. Haruka and Yukiho's classmate. She's the type who says what she thinks out loud, but she's actually a hard worker. Her nickname is "Deco-chan" because her forehead is always shining.
• Yayoi Takatsuki : 15 years old, 154cm tall, birthday March 25th, blood type O. She loves cute things and has been Haruka's best friend since kindergarten. Her dream is to become a big idol. She is currently the main personality on a radio show.
• Kikuchi Makoto : 16 years old, 163cm tall, birthday August 29th, blood type O. A genius idol master with a cool personality. She hardly trains or puts in any effort, but whenever she sits in the idol cockpit, she always performs at her best.
• Ritsuko Akizuki : 18 years old, 165cm tall, birthday June 23rd, blood type A. A senior to Haruka and the others, she is a big sister type. She is an inventor who loves robots and machines. She has a refreshing personality and is an athlete, and her hobby is giving people nicknames, and she likes to play pranks.
• Chihaya Kisaragi : 17 years old, 167cm tall, birthday February 25th, blood type A. An idol ace pilot belonging to Turiavita. Well behaved, calm and collected, always polite in her speech, and full of elegance.
• Azusa Miura : 20 years old, 168cm tall, born July 19th, blood type O. Mondenkind, head of the idol team in the Idolmaster department. A former Idolmaster, she gently leads Haruka and the others and is always available to give her advice.
• Futami Ami : 12 years old, 148cm tall, birthday May 22nd, blood type B. A real idol who was active in the entertainment industry, and Mami's twin sister. Even though she is still in elementary school, she has good manners and judgment. In some ways, she is the most sensible person. She can use the Harmonizer.
• Futami Mami : 12 years old, 148cm tall, birthday May 22nd, blood type B. Ami's twin sister who went missing with Tempestas seven years ago. She was asleep for seven years, so she didn't grow mentally and her mental age is stuck at five years old.
• Rifa : A mysterious beautiful girl who is 9 years old and hangs out with Chihaya. Her favorite food is candy.
• Munekata Nase : 25 years old, operator and leader of the Idolmaster department.
• Daido Naruma : 23 years old, the only male operator in the Idolmaster department. In charge of data analysis.
• Suzuki Soraha : 21 years old, operator in the Idolmaster department, and the youngest.
• Chikako Minamoto : 25 years old. A member of Mondenkind, responsible for the maintenance of the Nebra.
• Yasuhara Hotaru : 26 years old. Mondenkind medical officer. Quiet, calm, and serious, but sometimes mischievous!
• Sakukyo : Leader of the iDOL investigation team directly under Mondenkind HQ.
• Karas : A mysterious, beautiful young man from Turiavita's side.
• Joseph Shingetsu : Head of the Idolmaster department at Mondenkind Japan. He is calm and collected, always wearing a bow tie and standing with good posture, just like a butler.
• Serika : Mondenkind JP maintenance crew member. 16 years old. A bit of a sexy, soft-skinned girl.
• Nazuna : A member of the Mondenkind JP maintenance crew. 16 years old. Timid and a bit laid back.
• Gojo : A member of the Mondenkind JP maintenance crew. 16 years old. A boyish, lively girl.
• Hakobe : A member of the Mondenkind JP maintenance crew. 16 years old. His good nature is his selling point.
• Buddha : Mondenkind JP maintenance crew member. 16 years old. A kind and caring girl.
• Suzuna : Mondenkind JP maintenance crew member. 16 years old. A curly, coquettish girl.
• Suzuhiro : Mondenkind JP maintenance crew member. 16 years old. Cute, cool and adorable.

Main robot and items

The following main robots and items will appear in "THE IDOLM@STER Xenoglossia."

• Idol (iDOL) : A humanoid heavy machine for removing meteorites. In the 107th year of the restoration, fragments of the former moon have formed four orbital rings around the Earth. The giant robot iDOL destroys meteorites that fall from orbit and onto the Earth outside the atmosphere. Only selected Idolmasters can operate the idols.
• Invel : One of the "Prometheus" series, the original iDOLs owned by Mondenkind. Total height 38.83m. Weight 232.27t. Master is Amami Haruka. Later equipped with the "Faust Schlag", an enhanced part for Invel.
• Nebla : One of the "Prometheus" series, the original iDOLs owned by Mondenkind. Total height 37.90m. Weight 228.4t. Masters are Kikuchi Makoto and Minase Iori. Later equipped with the reinforcement part "Ziedrat" for Nebla.
• Nubian : One of the "Prometheus" series, the original iDOLs owned by Turiavita. Total height 41.61m. Weight 234.2t. Master is Kisaragi Chihaya. Later equipped with the "Shoop Baller", an enhanced part for Nubian.
• Tempestas : One of the original iDOLs from the "Prometheus" series who went missing along with Futami Mami in an accident seven years ago. Total height 46.35m. Weight 256.3t. When it first appeared, its frame was destroyed, leaving only its core.
• Hiemus : One of the "Prometheus" series, the original iDOLs owned by Turiavita. Total height 40.87m. Weight 249.4t. Master is Kikuchi Makoto. Turiavita obtained the core that was sleeping in Iceland.
• Epimetheus : One of the "Epimetheus" series, an artificial iDOL newly constructed by Turiavita. Total height 31.63m. Weight 227.5t. Piloted by Rifa. Mass-produced later.

Broadcast information

The Idolmaster Xenoglossia was broadcast for a total of 26 episodes from April 3rd to September 25th, 2007. It was broadcast on TV Kanagawa, UHF, and AT-X, and the broadcast times for each station are as follows:

• TV Hokkaido: April 2, 2007 to September 24, 2007 (Episodes 1 to 26) Every Monday 26:30 to 27:00
• Kansai TV: April 3, 2007 to September 25, 2007 (Episodes 1 to 26) Every Tuesday 26:23 to 26:53
• Chiba TV: April 4, 2007 to September 26, 2007 (Episodes 1 to 26) Every Wednesday 25:30 to 26:00
• Teletama: April 4, 2007 to September 26, 2007 (episodes 1 to 26) Every Wednesday 26:00 to 26:30
• AT-X: May 21, 2007 to November 12, 2007 (Episodes 1 to 26) Every Monday 10:30 to 11:00

subtitle

The subtitles for each episode are as follows:

• Episode 1: Penguins Coming to Tokyo (2007/04/02)
• Episode 2: Idol's Master (2007/04/09)
• Episode 3: Idol and Master (2007/04/16)
• Episode 4: Gyoza and Corn Dogs (2007/04/23)
• Episode 5: Cold Hands, Warm Hands (2007/04/30)
• Episode 6: 20,000 meters (2007/05/07)
• Episode 7: I'm home. Welcome back (2007/05/14)
• Episode 8: Konpeitou Night Talk (2007/05/21)
• Episode 9: Keyboard (2007/05/28)
• Episode 10: Dissonance [Noise] (2007/06/04)
• Episode 11: Niflheim (2007/06/11)
• Episode 12: Muspelheim (2007/06/18)
• Episode 13: Room 501 (2007/06/25)
• Episode 14: It's hard to move (2007/07/02)
• Episode 15: Hangar Heaven (2007/07/09)
• Episode 16: Idols and Idols (2007/07/16)
• Episode 17: The Lost Rabbit (2007/07/23)
• Episode 18: Night (2007/07/30)
• Episode 19: Goodbye (2007/08/06)
• Episode 20: The Way Home (2007/08/13)
• Episode 21: The Last Pudding (2007/08/20)
• Episode 22: The Key and the Bat (2007/08/27)
• Episode 23: RUN! (2007/09/03)
• Episode 24: 108 years of reconstruction (2007/09/10)
• Episode 25: Spring Snow (2007/09/17)
• Episode 26: The Moon and the Penguins (2007/09/24)

Theme songs and music

The theme songs and insert songs for "THE IDOLM@STER Xenoglossia" are as follows:

• OP1
  • Slight fever SOS!!
  • Lyricist: Aki Hata
  • Composer: Katsuhiko Kurosu
  • Arrangement: Kaoru Okubo
  • Vocals: Hashimoto Miyuki
• OP2
  • Let cruelty become hope
  • Lyricist: Aki Hata
  • Composer: Nijine
  • Arrangement: Nijine
  • Vocals: Aira Yuuki
• ED1
  • Eternal Traveler ~Dear Boy
  • Lyricist: Saori Kodama
  • Composer: Hiroyuki Maezawa
  • Arrangement: Hiroyuki Maezawa
  • Sung by: Snow*
• ED2
  • Let cruelty become hope
  • Lyricist: Aki Hata
  • Composer: Nijine
  • Arrangement: Nijine
  • Vocals: Aira Yuuki
• IN1
  • Love is a Thing - Beginner's Edition
  • Lyricist: Aki Hata
  • Composer: Tomokazu Tashiro
  • Arrangement: Tomoki Kikutani
  • Sung by: Yayoi Takatsuki (Ami Koshimizu)
• IN2
  • LIVE for LOVE
  • Lyricist: Aki Hata
  • Composer: Katsuhiko Kurosu
  • Arrangement: Katsuhiko Kurosu
  • Singer: Haruka Amami (Yuka Iguchi)
• IN3
  • Moonlight Labyrinth
  • Lyricist: Aki Hata
  • Composer: Katsuhiko Kurosu
  • Arrangement: Nijine
  • Vocals: Hashimoto Miyuki
• IN4
  • Summer sky brooch
  • Lyricist: rino
  • Composer: rino
  • Arrangement: Nijine
  • Singer: Haruka Amami (Yuka Iguchi)
• IN5
  • Slight fever SOS!!
  • Lyricist: Aki Hata
  • Composer: Katsuhiko Kurosu
  • Arrangement: Kaoru Okubo
  • Vocals: Hashimoto Miyuki

Ratings and Recommendations

"The Idolmaster Xenoglossia" provided a fresh surprise for fans of the original game, and its innovative setting of fusing giant robots with idols became a hot topic. The story will move viewers by depicting the battle to protect the Earth and the growth of the girls. Also, the drama woven by the unique characters is not to be missed.

Particularly noteworthy are the story of Amami Haruka's growth, her bond with her friends, and the battle against the giant robot "iDOL". The technical capabilities of Sunrise, the animation production company, are also outstanding, and the quality of the mechanical design and battle scenes have been highly praised. The theme songs and insert songs also add to the atmosphere of the work and capture the hearts of viewers.

This title is recommended not only for fans of idol training games, but also for those who like giant robot anime and sci-fi anime. For those who want to enjoy the world of idols and robots from a new perspective, "The Idolmaster Xenoglossia" is a work not to be missed.

In addition, there is also a related work, "THE IDOLM@STER XENOGLOSSIA Video Bonus," which allows you to enjoy the work even more. Please be sure to check it out.