2016: Taking the Wheel
In 2016, IDOLM@STER gained a huge boost of popularity due to the Cinderella Girls anime and the release of THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Starlight Stage mobile rhythm game. This year was also when we decided to kick things off a notch and started to participate in more events.
After returning to BIJAC for another year, a thought crossed my mind while I was awake in the middle of the night: “Now that IM@S has gained momentum, I think it would be best to hold a livescreening event.”
When I was out scouting possible venues, Road to Kaori Expo was announced. I took my chances and asked if I can held the liveviewing event there (under the IM@S ID name); thankfully they agreed to it. Preparations took 2-3 months, but combined with my relatively tight schedule and our appearance in the local doujinshi market Comifuro 7, you could say I just barely made it.
6 August 2016 was one of the most important date for me and IM@S ID. An hour before the livescreening started, Basu and have gang came bringing a box of Ultra Oranges (disposable lightstick of high brightness in orange color) and dozens of callbook (booklets used for calls on several songs)*. He did already inform that he was going to bring Ultra Oranges and callbooks, but I didn’t expect to be this much!
Anyway, the livescreening managed to gather lots of people and also bystanders. We also thrown in a short THE IDOLM@STER Platinum Stars live gameplay session and opened a free demo until evening. I was afraid things won’t go as predicted, but thankfully everything went well.
It was after Road to Kaori Expo that I found out about Basu. As a member of “international Producer group” Houkago P Time, Basu has been attending various IM@S lives since 2012 and has built a massive following through his Twitter. With the end of Road to Kaori Expo, IM@S ID’s run in 2016 came to a close.
2017: Taking a Break
Being in a fandom for 4 years has its ups and downs. I’ve met new people, made new friends, but at the same time I’ve also had people talking behind my back. Then again, as they say, “you just can’t please everyone”. Sometimes I wonder where did I go wrong or questioned myself if I really did the right thing, but there’s no use wallowing in self-pity. What’s done is done.
With 2017 currently almost halfway, I think it’s time to take a break from IM@S ID for a while. Ever since December 2016, I’ve been considering how IM@S ID would go on afterwards, and I think it will be alright for me to let go for a while. I have friends whom I can trust on handling this community while I’m away.
The main reason why I decided to take a break is education. I’m currently in my final year, and my thesis is coming up soon. I’ve decided that I need to step my game up and focus on graduating as soon as possible.
That doesn’t mean IM@S ID will be inactive, though. In early January we returned to Comifuro for the second time, and became the partner for THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Party Project 2017. Held on April, THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Party Project 2017 is a themed cosplay cafe where people can meet their favorite idols and hang out with fellow Producers. There were minor problems during preparation but everything turned out fine.
There you have it, a story through 4 years of my life in THE IDOLM@STER fandom. Being in a fandom can be pretty fun or stressful, depending on how you spend your time. You can hang out with other people, be proactive, or just silently read through the group chat; it all depends on you.
* Further reading on Ultra Oranges and Callbooks can be found here.
The Indonesian Anime Times | by Videtra Reynaldi | The writer is a fan of electronic music and has been a Producer for 4 years, currently preparing for his thesis.
My boyfriend likes im@s CG. He can remember half of the charas and has lots of CG songs. But when I introduced LL, he remembered nothing and disliked it. We don’t talk about LL anymore, but im@s