The iM@S franchise celebrates it's 10th annivesary today! The arcade game "THE IDOLM@STER" was first launched on July 26, 2005 and spawned a highly successful multimedia franchise consisting of games, anime, manga, radio shows, and multiple spinoffs. The story of the main game centers on the career of a producer who works with a group of prospective pop idols at the talent agency, 765 Production.
I've been a huge iM@S fan since I was first introduced to it back in 2007, when I saw expertly edited MADs using game footage in NicoNico Douga, which made me really interested with the characters used in the videos. It was a downhill slope from there - the songs, characters, and the seiyuu just drew me in, and of course, their live performances, which were such a treat to watch.
The live events are also a nice guage of iM@S' success, from Eririn and Mingosu's humble and awkward first mini-live in a roomful of fans to the recently concluded 2-day 10th Anniversary Live in Seibu dome, their largest event yet, it just makes you feel with pride when you look back and see how far they've gotten. I'm really happy for the iM@S franchise and with the successful Cinderella Girls spinoff anime currrently airing and another spinoff, Million Live, getting an anime series in the future as well, it's safe to say that iM@S will continue being the benchmark for idol anime for years to come.
