Summary of THE iDOLM@STER 2: Palpitating Summer Days

Summary of THE iDOLM@STER 2: Palpitating Summer Days

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Prologue
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Ritsuko has an interview for a manager position at Saionji Productions but gets rejected. One of the interviewers tells her "we never thought there'd be a person who swallows the exam manual we sent out", and explains that the purpose of the exam is to fail an applicant like Ritsuko, because the manual contains false information on purpose and they can't entrust a manager who can't distinguish them. Afterwards, Ritsuko decides to do an internship at 765Pro during the summer break.

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Chapter 1 - I'll Win This Producer Showdown
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7/21 - Ritsuko comes to the agency for the first time. It mentions about Azusa and Yayoi having their posters on the wall, but no appearance. Kotori gets a call from Yukiho saying she's in trouble during her work, so after they introduce themselves to each other Haruka drags Ritsuko out. Ritsuko is excited for her first work as a manager, but it turns out that Yukiho just encounters a puppy on her way back to the agency.

They return to the agency and meet Ayano Miki who holds the title "legendary producer" and is in charge of producing Haruka and Yukiho. Miki looks down on Ritsuko, saying she's too young and President shouldn't hire her if he's serious about rebuilding 765Pro. On the other hand, Ritsuko recalls her first impression on Miki during the interview at Saionji Pro and says she doesn't believe Miki deserves the title "legendary producer". After Ritsuko argues that even she can't do a perfect job when producing two idols at the same time, Miki takes her word as a challenge and asks President to let her produce Ritsuko also. President refuses since he wants Ritsuko to work as a manager, but then Miki challenges Ritsuko to produce either Haruka or Yukiho so that Ritsuko will admit how incompetent she is, and Ritsuko accepts.

Ritsuko interviews Haruka and Yukiho, taking notes based on her first impression. "Haruka = hasty person and birdbrain" and "Yukiho = very pessimistic person" (and yes, she digs a hole.)

7/24 - Ritsuko hasn't made a decision yet. From her point of view, Haruka is clearly more suitable to be an idol, but then she's curious why Yukiho passes Miki's audition, so she goes ask Miki directly. However, Miki says she'll teach her if Ritsuko pays for a lesson, which costs 5 million yens, a half of her two month contract at 765Pro. Ritsuko gives up on trying to get information from Miki and finally decides to produce Haruka.

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Chapter 2 - Complete Defeat, and...
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7/25 - Ritsuko takes Haruka out to visit several places and do a greeting, but they're not successful since they didn't make an appointment in advance. They go to a TV station and meet Tazaki Megumi, a self-producing idol from Saionji Pro. Megumi says she can ask her president to employ Ritsuko, but she rejects since she still holds a grudge against that agency. Her music producer, Kounoin Ryousuke, shows up and recruits Haruka to their company as well. They ignore them and return to the agency. Ritsuko starts writing a project.

7/26 - Haruka has a work at department store to hand out balloons in a bear costume. Haruka is disappointed that Ritsuko doesn't come with her, saying she wants to continue working on writing a project. After a while, she goes to see Haruka and they meet a lost child. Ritsuko goes ask a security guard for help but Haruka wants to help him find his mother by herself, and somehow Haruka trips and release all balloons.

7/27 - Ritsuko and Haruka go to Kane no Oto publisher to offer a tie up project for the magazine "Aichu!" Editor-in-chief says her plan is interesting, but they still have to pay for advertisement on the magazine. Ritsuko persists, and Haruka drags Ritsuko out before she begins to quarrel, leaving their project on the table. Ritsuko scolds Haruka for interrupting her business and speaking too much, and says she should have chosen Yukiho who would never talk back. "You're terrible", says Haruka, and then she runs away in tears.

Ritsuko goes back to the agency. Kotori tells her Haruka just called and said "sorry for being selfish". Miki comes later and presents President a project that is identical to Ritsuko's. Ritsuko accuses Miki for stealing her plan, but Miki explains that she went to Kane no Oto publisher after Ritsuko left, and editor-in-chief imposed the condition that Miki uses this project. Ritsuko accepts her defeat and she is about to leave the agency, but then Miki says Haruka will have to be fired as well. Ritsuko begs Miki since it's not Haruka's fault. Miki proposes that Ritsuko competes with Haruka and Yukiho in the project, in which Miki'll pick one of them to produce in the end, or else she will fire Haruka. Ritsuko has no other choice but to go along.

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Chapter 3 - Taking the First Step to Become an Idol
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7/28 - Dance lesson. Just a dance lesson. They dance, and they pant.

7/31 - Interview with Aichu! magazine at the agency.

"Please tell us about your dream"
Ritsuko: "I'll stock up experiences while working as an idol, and then become a manager and produce my own idol."
Haruka: "My dream is to have my CD debut. I'm not very good at singing, but since I love it, I've been waiting for a day that I have my own CD debut."
Yukiho: "I-I want all scary dogs and men to disappear from the world!"
"Please write 'I want to become a top idol!' with an exclamation mark.", Ritsuko covers for Yukiho.

8/2 - Staff at Saionji Pro talk about 765Pro's special project on Aichu! homepage, featuring daily updates from idols.

[Scenery from a lesson: Amami Haruka]
Sweats gushing out
Falling down in pain
Old fashioned composition, but it shows her appeal well

[Today's message: Hagiwara Yukiho]
"T-This is Hagiwara Yukiho. I met a dog on the way to the agency today. Because of that, I went to a lesson late... and made Producer angry... uuu..." (the second half only has her weeping voice.)

[Bulletin board]
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470 Name: I love [idol name]: 08/01(Tue) 21:44:00
Akitsuki Ritsuko, the girl with glasses, is strong in a good sense. My impression is that the other two are not capable.
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471 Name: I love [idol name]: 08/01(Tue) 21:44:13
Glasses = +50 pt
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472 Name: I love [idol name]: 08/01(Tue) 22:12:52
Glasses this, glasses that, you guys are annoying. Are you okay with anyone as long as she wears glasses?
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473 Name: I love [idol name]: 08/01(Tue) 22:15:21
>> 472 Yes.
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474 Name: Akitsuki Ritsuko: 08/01(Tue) 22:52:04
>>473 I'm happy that you support her, but glasses are just a tool, so glasses = not me. Please post a comment above that you understand.
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Then someone from Saionji Pro says he'll interfere their project.

8/3 - Ritsuko starts to complain to Miki that they only take basic dance lesson. Miki ignores her and tells them she'll declare who'll get to debut the night before the event, and then lets them listen to a debut song she wrote.

ときめきの　Summer Days (Palpitating Summer Days)

照りつける陽射し　波の音
Shining sunlight, wave sound
ここはふたりだけのプライベートビーチ
This is our private beach
ちょっと背伸びビキニ
Bikini that is a bit too revealing
うすくひいたルージュ
Thinly worn lipstick
気づいてほしいの　この想い
I want you to notice this feeling
にぶいキミには無理かもね
But you're dull, so it may be impossible
ふたりだけの Summer Days
Summer Days with just two of us
ときめきの　Summer Days
Palpitating Summer Days
夏が終わる前には気づいてね
Please notice it before the summer ends
私の熱い　この想い
My passion

Ritsuko persists and asks Miki the same question again, so Miki tells them to get ready to leave tomorrow to have a special training camp for a week.

8/4 - Miki has them wear a blindfold so that they don't know where they are going, and drive them to a boardinghouse which used to be an elementary school. Miki gives each of them a portable music player containing their debut song. Their first lesson is to follow Miki dance step, and since they can't keep up, Miki will give them a basic strength enhancement tomorrow instead.

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Chapter 4 - Idol Debut!
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8/4 - Bath scene. Some massaging. Ritsuko is a victim.

After taking a bath, they go to a kitchen but there is no food for them. Miki gives them ingredients and tells them to make curry themselves. If their curry is bad, she will give it to a dog and they won't have dinner. As expected, it's not edible.

8/5 - Training. They pull something (like a cart) around. They fail to make an edible curry again. They try to sneak out to buy food but Miki sees that coming and leaves a dog at the entrance to block them. She takes their money after she catches them red-handed.

8/6 - Same training, but while wearing iron clogs. Another failed attempt to make a curry. Another attempt to sneak out. Ritsuko didn't bring all of her money out last night, so she still has money left. she uses GPS to find a supermarket nearby, and has Yukiho escape from the window while she and Haruka buy her time at the entrance. As planned, they meet Miki, so Ritsuko starts throwing her random question like "how many digits of pi can you remember?", "what's the atomic number of Helium?" and "what's the capital of Sri Lanka?" for over thirty minutes. They succeed and Yukiho gets back safely, but all she bought is chestnut Manju.

8/9 - More training. Their curry passes this time. Miki tells them that Ritsuko lacks carefulness, Haruka concentration, and Yukiho ability to look at the whole picture. (So Miki has them cook to develop skills they're missing.)

8/11 - Last day. They can now keep up with Miki steps.

8/18 - Their interview that's supposed to be featured in the magazine is replaced by a column of Megumi from Saionji Pro. Their website taken down, and their event cancelled.

Miki takes them to a studio of her friend, who has a glasses fetish, to record their debut CD. She comes up with a new plan to hold a surprise event at street musician nearby on the same day.

8/25 - They update details about the surprise event on their new website. Chihaya comes to see their lesson and she is very impressed in how strict and serious the lesson is.

9/10 - The date of the event. Miki is supposed to come and announce who she'll produce, but she's not present, so they all sing on stage. They find out while singing that the song they listened during the camp only contains their part, and the pitch is adjusted accordingly so that it harmonizes with the others when they sing together. The audience ask for an encore, but policemen come so they have to disperse.

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Epilogue
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After the event, they get on a car and meet Yamazaki Takenori, Miki's junior, who substitues Miki as a new producer of the unit called "Proro". President reveals that at first Miki wants Haruka and Yukiho to debut as a duo, but she sees potential in Ritsuko, so Miki provoked Ritsuko on purpose so that she can force Ritsuko to become an idol in the end.

"Thank you, Producer..." they mutter to themselves in their heart.