F.A.Q.

This is a short breakdown and crash course for those that are complete newbies to iDOLM@STER and want to know what the games and franchise in general entails without needing to google and read up on multiple articles.

For specific queries about the games, before asking questions on the thread, please check out the many resources linked below first.

>What is iDOLM@STER?

Idolm@ster is an idol raising sim from Japan with the occasional rhythm game elements. You play as the Producer of an Idol Agency and help the Idols of that agency become Top Idols!

>How do I play it?

iDOLM@STER started out in arcades, but obviously you can't play those anymore. It goes without saying, but unless stated otherwise and fan translations withholding, the games are untranslated and only in Japanese. The games that this franchise offers are:

The iDOLM@STER (Xbox 360)
The iDOLM@STER Live For You (Xbox 360)
The iDOLM@STER SP Perfect Sun / Missing Moon/ Wandering Star (PSP)
The iDOLM@STER Dearly Stars (NDS)
The iDOLM@STER 2 (Xbox 360/PS3)
The iDOLM@STER Gravure for You (PS3)
The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls (Browser/Android/iOS)
The iDOLM@STER Mobile i (iOS)
The iDOLM@STER Shiny Festa Harmonic Score/ Rhythmic Record / Melodic Disc (PSP/iOS)*
The iDOLM@STER Million Live (Browser/Android/iOS)
The iDOLM@STER One for All (PS3)
The iDOLM@STER Side-M (Browser/Android/iOS)
The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Gravure for You (PS3)
The iDOLM@STER Must Songs (Vita)
The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Starlight Stage (Android/iOS)
The iDOLM@STER Platinum Stars (PS4)
The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Viewing Revolution (PS4)*
The iDOLM@STER Side-M Live on Stage (Android/iOS)
The iDOLM@STER Million Live Theater Days (Android/iOS)
The iDOLM@STER Stella Stage (PS4)
The iDOLM@STER Shiny Colors (Browser)

*Games with an Asterisk denotes that it has had some form of an official English release.

The main games (1, 2, One for All, Platinum Stars and Stella Stage) are in Japanese, but the PS3 versions of 2 and One For All are region free so you can import them. It is also worth noting that Platinum Stars plays differently from previous games and is primarily played as a Rhythm game. Stella Stage is the followup to Platinum Stars and it fixes a few of the issues in the prior game while adding a lot of new and DLC content. iDOLM@STER 1 is not available on the PS3, and the 360 version is not region free - you will need a Japanese Xbox 360 to play it.

If you can't understand Japanese then go for the SP series on the PSP, most of the game routes are translated. Dearly Stars is also untranslated, but there is a translation/hacking effort that is in perpetual progress hell.

Live For You, Shiny Festa, and Must Songs (A Taiko game with an iDOLM@STER reskin) are Rhythm game spinoffs. The three different versions of Shiny Festa feature different idols and different songs. The iOS version of Shiny Festa is available in English; however, Bandai Namco ended service for the iOS version of Shiny Festa on March 15, 2016.

Cinderella Girls, Million Live and Side-M are the mobile game spinoffs of the franchise. They are primarily card battling/collecting games with a few gimmicks thrown in. All three largely play the same. You can play them through a browser on a mobile device, a browser with spoofing extensions or you can download the app and play on your device of choice. Please remember to create an account with the respective platform they are on. Mobage for Cinderella Girls and Side-M and GREE for Million Live. As of March 2018, the Million Live game service on GREE has shut down.

Starlight Stage is the Rhythm game spinoff/expansion of Cinderella girls. You can play by downloading it through the app store of your device. Android users can also opt to just download the apks and install them directly. It's not required, but it is highly recommended that you create a Bandai Namco ID for this game as some features are locked out without making one. And it's generally handy with account preservation and transferring. It cannot be stressed enough, but please set your region to Japan when creating your account.

Theater Days is the the Rhythm game spinoff/expansion of Million Live not unlike how Starlight Stage was to Cinderella Girls. Same precautions and reminders as Starlight Stage applies.

Live on Stage is also the same as the aforementioned two games, but for Side-M.

The Gravure for you series is a dressup / posing game that was included as a bundle with the 2011 anime's CDs and other iDOLM@STER CD packages. They feature the 765 Idols and the three 876 Idols. These games can also be acquired through the im@s channel service. Likewise, the Cinderella Girls Gravure for you series is the fundamentally the same  game, with a few new gimmicks thrown in. They were bundled with the 2015 CG anime CDs and due to the massive cast of Cinderella Girls, it only features the Idols that the anime focused on.

Viewing Revolution is a VR game for the Playstation VR featuring the Cinderella Girls Idols. Simulate the experience of being in an actual live featuring select songs and idols. It had an English release in Spring 2017.

Shiny Colors is the latest sub-branch addition to the franchise and it's on the HTML5 Enza platform for Browsers.

>What are the Core iDOLM@STER games?

While iDOLM@STER is a franchise that has grown and expanded quite a bit since it started back in 2005, the core games of the franchise are arguably iDOLM@STER (Xbox 360), SP, iDOLM@STER 2, One for All and Platinum Stars. Simply put, they are the games that primarily star the thirteen 765 Production Idols.

One thing of note is that there exists two incarnations of 765 Productions: 1st Vision and 2nd Vision. The difference between the two is primarily setting details and the designs of the characters. All new games post-iDOLM@STER SP adapt 2nd Vision.

In terms of other media, the 765 Productions girls has had multiple manga spinoffs (both 1st Vision and 2nd Vision), the Xenoglossia series in 2007 (which is a very loose Mecha Reinterpretation of the setting), OVA in 2008 (accompanying Live for You), an anime series in 2011 (a loose adaptation of iDOLM@STER 2), an OVA series in 2011 (accompanying Shiny Festa), a web short anime series adapting one of the gag manga (Puchimasu!) and a Movie in 2014 (which is a continuation of the anime storyline)

>What is Dearly Stars?

A NDS iDOLM@STER where in a change of the usual formula, you play as the Idol themselves. You take the role of one of the three idols of 876 Production and play through their story arcs interspersed with traditional iDOLM@STER gameplay.

Each of the three main Idols have separate manga adaptation that depicts each of their respective story arcs. The three leads also make a cameo in the 2011 anime and a short promotional appearance in the Cinderella Girls mobile game.

>What is Cinderella Girls and Starlight Stage?

Cinderella Girls is the first major card mobile game spinoff of iDOLM@STER. You play as the Producer of an agency that handles one hundred eighty three new Idols; ranging from the mundane to the bizarre, young and old, and from all walks of life. It is of note that while the thirteen 765 Production Idols are also in the game, their presence is more for posterity's sake as outside the rare cameo in events and commemorative cards, the 765 girls are treated as practically non-existent by the game. Cinderella Girls has also had a short lived Korean port that introduced three New Korean Idols. There are currently no news of the three Korean Idols moving over to the Japanese version.

Starlight Stage is the Rhythm game expansion of Cinderella Girls with a lot of other features. It features all 183 of the Cinderella Girl Idols, each with their own unique 3D Model for use in performances.

Due to it's Massive cast, not all Cinderella Girls Idols are voiced at the moment. As of the time of this writing, seventy seven out of it's one hundred eighty three Idols are voiced; each with their own unique voice actress and with more presumably to get voiced in the future.

It is of note while the original game has no specific Production Agency named, the anime introduces the Cinderella Girls as affiliated with 346 Productions. Likewise, Starlight Stage and most recent Cinderella Girls material also adapts the setting of 346 Productions. So keeping in line with the naming scheme of the other agencies in the franchise, it is assumed that the official setting of Cinderella Girls is 346 Productions.

Like with the 765 Production Girls, Cinderella Girls also has had two anime series. An anime series in 2015 and an anime short series in 2017 adapting the in-game Cinderella Gekijou strips. Likewise, as with the 765 girls, there are quite a few manga adaptations as well.

>What is Side-M and Live on Stage?

Side-M is the third major card mobile game spinoff of iDOLM@STER. You play as the Producer of 315 Productions, an agency that handles the Production of Male Idols. It goes without saying, but this is the iDOLM@STER spinoff that is targeted towards the female game (and indirectly, Fujoshi) market. There are currently forty six Idols, of which includes the primary rival unit in iDOLM@STER 2 and one of the lead Idols in Dearly Stars (Yes, one of them is a man.)

The cast is still assumed to be growing, so the final head count of Idols is still yet to be finalized. But as of the time of this writing, all of the current forty six Male Idols are voiced with their own actors. There are also a few other Side-M idols that were audition candidates to be added to the game, but like with the Korean Cinderella Girls, they are in perpetual limbo and whether they will move over to the game proper is still up in the air.

Live on Stage follows the coattails of Starlight Stage and Theater Days and finally adds the 3D twist to Side-M for mobile devices. Although it differs from the aforementioned two in that the Rhythm Game aspect is downplayed a bit in favor of an experience closer to the original browser game.

The aforementioned rival unit of 765 made appearances in the 2011 anime and movie. But Side-M eventually got a proper anime series in 2017 with a prologue OVA preceding it. And like with the other franchises, it also has a few manga adaptations as well.

>What is Shiny Colors?

In a move that surprised everyone, Bandai Namco introduced another Female Idol focused branch in 2018 for their recently launched Enza platform on HTML5. You play as the Producer of 283 Productions, an agency that handles the production of sixteen idols, all of which are fully voiced with their own actresses.

While still adapting the gacha based gameplay of the more contemporary games, Shiny Colors harkens back to the more management based gameplay of the earlier idolm@ster games.

As the youngest branch in the idolm@ster family, there hasn't been much yet in it's media mix. But just as with it's siblings, it will presumably see multiple manga adaptations and possibly some form of anime adaptation down the line.

>What is Xenoglossia?

A love story between a girl and her giant robot. It was a creation of Sunrise's weirder times. The only thing it shares with iDOLM@STER is the name of the characters and loosely, their character designs.

This particular incarnation also appears in one Super Robot Wars game.

>What is iDOLM@STER KR?

iDOLM@STER KR is a live action Korean Drama that was aired worldwide on Amazon Prime. It is an entirely brand new story with a cast and setting that is independent from any of the games. The main cast was decided via a series of fan votes on Youtube and Instagram. The Korean CGs are not in it, and likely never will be.

>I can't make sense of all of this! Are they all connected?

Each iDOLM@STER adaptation/incarnation or manga/game is it's own thing. While the base setting, character backgrounds and lore are generally consistent with each other, and there may be some allusion to another entry in the franchise here and there, they are all largely independent from each other. Don't try to think too hard about it.

The anime continuity is probably an incarnation that links all of them together though, as there are explicit references that connect each part of the franchise here and there. But again, try not to think about it too hard.

>I don't really want to play the games, can I still get into iDOLM@STER?

Very much so. While the games are the primary meat of the franchise, iDOLM@STER is known for being a multi-media franchise. The other major part of iDOLM@STER is it's massive library of songs. Be it from the core 765, Cinderella Girls, Dearly Stars, Million Live or Side-M; there won't be any shortage of CDs through traverse through. There are also alot of Drama CDs to listen to.

And as mentioned, there are the anime and the plethora of manga too. And the mobile games in particular have this built in in-game manga as well. Not to mention that in-game story events are often ripped or uploaded somewhere so you can just check out Youtube, Nicovideo or one of the many archiving sites out there if you want to get into them without bothering to play the games themselves.

And it's not for everyone, but the live concerts are worth checking out too. iDOLM@STER is a massive franchise with a huge fan following and multiple media personalities involved. Thus there are plenty of things to dabble in outside of direct material as well. The actors and actresses actively engage with the fans and host multiple regular radio shows. And the fan community is never short of releasing creative fan projects that range from videos, games, illustrations and doujinshi. So there isn't really a shortage of things to dabble in.

Helpful Links and Wikis
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>General Info:
Project iM@S Wiki: http://www.project-imas.com/wiki/
Main Franchise Twitter: https://twitter.com/imas_official/
Downloads for all the app based games: https://apk.ksmz.moe/

>Assorted Material and Media Translations/Downloads (Manga, Game events, Fanworks, Etc)
765Pro Allstars: https://pastebin.com/7HAMC7bN
Cinderella Girls: http://pastebin.com/jf7CiTya
Side-M: http://pastebin.com/tiVgamsu

>Franchise Music CD Discography and Downloads
765Pro Allstars: http://pastebin.com/Ey7uyqDL
Cinderella Girls: http://pastebin.com/fX7fpxrU
Side-M: https://pastebin.com/u9UwbHH0

>Core Series Game Links
iDOLM@STER 2 Gameplay Wiki: http://imas2.wota.info
One For All Gameplay Wiki: http://idolmasterofa.wikia.com

SP Perfect Sun TL (Complete): https://nyaa.si/view/266966
SP Missing Moon TL (Chihaya Only): https://nyaa.si/view/344579
SP Wandering Sun TL (Iori and Yukiho Only): https://nyaa.si/view/386372

Shiny Festa PSP TL Patch: https://a.pomf.cat/akukyi.zip
Shiny Festa PSP DLC: https://a.pomf.cat/dmakxt.zip

>Cinderella Girls and Starlight Stage Game Links
Cinderella Girls Various Archive Site: http://deremas.doorblog.jp/
Cinderella Girls Japanese General Card Database: http://imas.gamedbs.jp/cg/
Cinderella Girls Stamps Archive: https://www.mediafire.com/?dhcww7hfr9u2728

Cinderella Girls English Card Database: http://cgdex.project-imas.com
Cinderella Girls Panel Missions Translation: http://pastebin.com/yURkkA6C
S5 Rank Live Concerts Grinding ID List: http://mobamas.revivalgate.net/
Kirarin Dash Minigame: http://www27113u.sakura.ne.jp/kirarin/
Cinderella Girls Loading Screen Puchi Animation Archive: https://files.catbox.moe/c9ospc.rar (March 17, 2017)
Cinderella Girls Impression Charts from the 6th Election: http://idol-introduction.netlify.com/

Starlight Stage Event Guide and Comprehensive Resource Database:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1piHtf1IziDOKwRZQ3fPBXrFOd0tItW7pf2Kjqf_jkM8
/@/ Starlight Stage Producer ID list:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/152B6c0bOUUYnQs0x-jtt0rlc5rvfvpsmru3rIkStJVs
Starlight Stage Card Database and Event Timer: https://starlight.kirara.ca/
Starlight Stage Game Assets
Up to May 2018: https://mega.nz/#F!LBUXCBIL!0Dp33b2hDvzwlrQRqKMx_Q
May 2018 Onwards: https://mega.nz/#F!ZEhmzYKZ!D5OKZUxKT5AlAqL2SDe45Q
Starlight Stage Guide (Relatively Outdated): http://moeidolatry.com/starlight/
Starlight Stage Event Prediction Bots: https://twitter.com/cindere_border (Kaedebot) + https://twitter.com/cgss_predict (Arisubot)
Japanese Starlight Stage Wiki: http://imascg-slstage-wiki.gamerch.com/
High Resolution Starlight Stage Live Note Charts: http://seiga.nicovideo.jp/user/illust/405957
Chihiro MV Compilation: https://mega.nz/#F!wlkWED5R!w98B5WiV1Z3qtFEzvdbVew

>Side-M Game Links
Japanese SideM wiki: http://wikiwiki.jp/sidem/

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