r/idolmaster

Sup guys. 👋

To preface this, I’m a 30 year old dude that’s lived in the Midwest his whole life. I’m a casual fan of anime, and other Japanese media, and got invited to Acen for the first time by a group of friends and have been having a blast. I look forward to attending it again next year.

Now for Idolm@sters. Before the con, I asked some people familiar with Acen on what the most anticipated events were for this year and every single one of them said the IMAS show by far. The fact that it was their first ever performance in NA, and that people were flying out to Acen just to see it, peaked my interest. I’m not super familiar with Idols and idol culture, other than playing Haruka’s section in Yakuza 5 and watching a documentary about the subject years ago, but I’m an open minded guy and love a good concert, so I decided to check it out.

The line formed at 2 PM and the actual show started at 6 PM, so that initially made me hesitant to attending. After wandering around the convention, I checked my phone to see it was 2:20 PM and had to make a decision: do I take a chance and get line? Get in line later? Or just not go? I decided to head to the line right then and there.

There was already a decent sized line when I reached it and a bunch of people got in line behind me after I got my spot. Once the line got ridiculously long behind me, I realized I was in too deep and might as well see what the hype was about. I chatted with a group of four that were ahead of me and were incredibly cool and made the time pass. We also were under a bunch of trees the whole time and the shade made the waiting much more bare-able. Godbless those who waited 3+ hours in full cosplay attire under the sun; talk about troopers.

Once they opened the doors—and dealt with some confusion with line and how to get in—I made into the venue. I opted not to get merch because I was exhausted when I got in and did not want to get into another line.

Now for the show. The first thing I noticed was just how invested the audience was the whole time. Almost everyone had light sticks and were waving them to the beat of every song and chanted during certain sections of each song, on queue, in unison, every time. It’s one thing to read about it, it’s another to see it in person. I found it endearing. The energy and joy they displayed was infectious and made the experience better.

The moments where the performers talked to the audience, and everyone sat down, were a god send for my back. The display of mutual respect for concert etiquette is something more audience goers should partake in to be honest. I enjoyed the performances of both Cinderella Girls and Miki Hoshii, but I liked the latter a little more because I’ve never seen a virtual character perform in person before and loved the novelty of it, not to mention the songs were excellent.

Overall, I felt the performance was worth the wait and found the whole experience memorable and incredibly fun. I wouldn’t say I’m an Idol or IMAS fan per-se, but I have a newfound appreciation for the Idol scene and would see another Idol performance if they host more of them next year at Acen. I might even watch the IMAS anime if there’s a version with English subtitles.

Just wanted to share my thoughts with you all. Thanks for reading ✌️

Hi, does anyone know where I can buy a happi coat here in the USA at a reasonable price? I checked eBay but the prices are crazy, I just want a Haruka happi coat