Idols Doing Things that Aren't Very Idol-y
Anime
The title should, this time, be entirely explanatory. Idols, as all are (or should be) familiar with, are musical groups consisting mainly of vocalists and dancers, with excessive focus put into the performers as personalities. Often care is taken to have (or at the very least, present as) a wide range of different personalities, so as to appeal to an equally wide audience and aid in creating more unique music for the group.
Typically, Idol anime follow one or more of these groups as they aim for stardom, with a variety of different conditions depending on the premise. Some, though, take a far different approach, standing out as particularly notable, be that for better or worse.
Listed are entries given the theme tag "Idols," but whose content differs from what one would expect from the genre. Specifically, if either A) the aims of the Idols in the shows differ from simply acquiring popularity or winning a contest, or B) if the route through which the Idols seek those goals heavily involve something other than simply singing.
Shows where the Idols are themselves the "not very Idol-y things" (e.g, Zombieland Saga) are not shown, as their actual exploits are more in line with what the genre is known for. Some shows that are not tagged as "Idols" but otherwise fulfil the conditions laid out (e.g, Visual Prison) are shown, out of the curator's discretion. Sequels are not listed for brevity.
Typically, Idol anime follow one or more of these groups as they aim for stardom, with a variety of different conditions depending on the premise. Some, though, take a far different approach, standing out as particularly notable, be that for better or worse.
Listed are entries given the theme tag "Idols," but whose content differs from what one would expect from the genre. Specifically, if either A) the aims of the Idols in the shows differ from simply acquiring popularity or winning a contest, or B) if the route through which the Idols seek those goals heavily involve something other than simply singing.
Shows where the Idols are themselves the "not very Idol-y things" (e.g, Zombieland Saga) are not shown, as their actual exploits are more in line with what the genre is known for. Some shows that are not tagged as "Idols" but otherwise fulfil the conditions laid out (e.g, Visual Prison) are shown, out of the curator's discretion. Sequels are not listed for brevity.
TV, 2012,
13 eps
Me:-
Author:10
Since only a fraction of the cast are Idols by profession, Symphogear is by nature an outlier in the genre, being more of a music-engrossed Mahou Shoujou series with heavy Mecha and Tokusatsu elements. Instead of solely being used to put on performances, most of the cast's musical talent is instead used to aid in punching alien monsters to death. As one does.
TV, 2017,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:-
Winston Churchill once said: "democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others that have been tried." Idol Incidents portrays one that certainly hasn't been tried. And perhaps shouldn't. As can have been worked out by now, it's about Idols being politicians, for some indeterminate (and boy have I tried to determine it) reason. Well, it's better than yet more Eton graduates.
TV, 2007,
26 eps
Me:-
Author:-
Xenoglossia is not an Idol show, strictly speaking. It's a spinoff of an Idol franchise, as the title suggests, but is actually an alternate universe taking inspiration from Mecha stories, somewhat lampooning the very idea of Idols themselves. It gets an honorary place on this selection, in no small part due to franchise reputation. Though unrelated in plot, much of the show is based around seeing how the cast has been changed from their original counterparts, so some familiarity with iDOLM@STER is necessary.
TV, 2021,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:7
Although traditional performances are part and parcel of the cast's exploits, they play second to fiddle to playing a children's card game in virtual reality. Mahou Shoujou elements also crop up, with many encounters being a strange though entertaining combination of multiple styles and genres, both in terms of the musical and narrative senses. Though technically a spinoff to preceding WIXOSS anime, there are absolutely no connections outside the eponymous card game itself, so this can be freely gotten to without seeing the prior.
TV, 2012,
13 eps
Me:-
Author:-
AKB0048 changes the trend slightly, by keeping its cast on near-enough regular Idol activities. However, this is all with the caveat of being in a post-music society, making each of their performances an act of guerrilla warfare. Like Xenoglossia, though, it is best with some existing familiarity with the real AKB48, though with the sheer size of that group, it's unrealistic to expect everything to be fully comprehensible even so.
TV, 2023,
13 eps
Me:-
Author:-
Where there is science fiction, its mirror image is not far behind. In the same spirit as Xenoglossia, Sunshine in the Mirror takes the group from the respectively named Love Live! series and reimagines them in a magical setting. Genuine Idol performances are still the focus, but with the protagonist's growth as a magician riding shotgun. Of the entries highlighted here, this is easily the most "normal" Idol show.
TV, 2015,
6 eps
Me:-
Author:-
Venus Project is more in line with WIXOSS Diva(A)Live, where the more conventional is mixed with combat, as part of a strange music/robot wars hybrid. Being far shorter than the rest of this selection, it doesn't have much time to get into the mechanics of how or even why this is supposed to work, but leaning back and letting it all wash over suffices. It's good for a long evening.
TV, 2022,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:-
Extreme Hearts is in much the same direction, though instead featuring the cast competing in a truly random variety of team sports. Its idol-ness is a little tenuous, given that it only really comes up as an afterthought for most of the cast, but nevertheless fits this category. It is, however, probably the weakest entry here.
TV, 2021,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:7
And finally, Visual Prison provides a spot of male representation for this selection. Like AKB0048, it plays the performance angle almost entirely straight, but this time it's all as part of an esoteric ritual under the instruction of an eldritch satellite capable of altering reality. With plenty of supernatural lore and surprisingly intriguing B-plots, even if not an Idol anime on paper, it's worth mentioning here.