Idolmaster: Xenoglossia

Idolmaster: Xenoglossia (アイドルマスター XENOGLOSSIA) is an anime television series by Sunrise, based on the Bandai Namco game series The Idolm@ster. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 4, 2007 on Kansai TV and various other UHF television stations. The series will also be broadcast over the internet on the Japanese website @nifty.

Many of the Sunrise staff working on Xenoglossia have also previously worked on My-HiME and My-Otome.

The word Xenoglossia in the title is a term taken from Greek for using a language (talking, reading or writing) that is completely unknown to the user.

Story
The show centers around mecha and reimagines the ten prospective idols as fighter pilots of those robots, eight of them also posing as students. The large robots in this case are called IDOLs and their pilots are called Idolmasters.

In the show, Haruka Amami, initially underconfident with herself, passes an audition to be a singing idol and she is sent to Tokyo to start a career in the entertainment. She does not know that the agency that recruited her is actually a front for a big task force which uses robots to save the Earth from falling fragmented pieces of the moon. Yukiho Hagiwara and Iori Minase, who also want to be idols, are also taken by the same task force.

Cast

 * Haruka Amami (天海 春香): Yuka Iguchi
 * Yukiho Hagiwara (萩原 雪歩): Yui Horie
 * Iori Minase (水瀬 伊織): Yukari Tamura
 * Yayoi Takatsuki (高槻 やよい): Ami Koshimizu
 * Makoto Kikuchi (菊地 真): Eri Kitamura
 * Ritsuko Akizuki (秋月 律子): Mai Nakahara
 * Azusa Miura (三浦 あずさ): Tomo Sakurai
 * Chihaya Kisaragi (如月 千早): Kaori Shimizu
 * Ami Futami (双海 亜美): Kaori Nazuka
 * Mami Futami (双海 真美): Momoko Saitō
 * R.I.F.F.A (リファ): Yukana
 * Naze Munakata (宗方 名瀬): Mamiko Noto
 * Naraba Daidō (大道 楢馬): Daisuke Ono
 * Sorewa Suzuki (鈴木 空羽): Mikako Takahashi
 * Chikako Minamoto (源 千佳子): Naomi Shindō
 * Hotaru Yasuhara (安原蛍): Ryōka Yuzuki
 * Hibiki Saku (朔 響): Takuma Takewaka
 * Karasu (カラス): Akira Ishida
 * Joseph Shingetsu (ジョセフ・真月): Kazuhiro Nakata

IDOL
IDOLs are robots used to destroy "Drop"s, remnants of the destruction of the Moon 107 years previous during an event called the "Lost Artemis". Humans found a special silicon on Earth, probably from fallen Drops, and started research to turn that silicon into IDOL cores. There are a total of five cores.

Normally, Drops are dealt with using missiles; however, since Japan does not have a missile system because they cannot build a nuclear warhead under the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, they were assigned and approved to use IDOLs in order to destroy Drops. IDOL pilots have to be girls, and they have to be chosen by the IDOL itself; those people are called Idolmasters.

The IDOLs are named after Lunar mare.

The Shuko, mentioned only in passing by a side character was to become the main focus of the show, however a budget cut meant that a core element to the over-arching story arc was left out.

Mondenkind

 * Prometheus–1 Imber
 * Master: Chihaya Kisaragi, Haruka Amami
 * Colors: white and indigo blue (episodes 1–7), white and pink (episode 8 on)
 * Name origin: Mare Imbrium


 * Prometheus–2 Nebula
 * Master: Azusa Miura (past) Makoto Kikuchi (episodes 1–13), Iori Minase (episode 14 on)
 * Colors: yellow and orange
 * Name origin: Palus Nebularum


 * Prometheus–4 Tempestas
 * Master: Mami Futami
 * Color: red

Turiavita

 * Prometheus–3 Nubilum
 * Master: Chihaya Kisaragi, Yukiho Hagiwara
 * Colors: black and red
 * Name origin: Mare Nubium


 * Prometheus–5 Hiems
 * Master: Makoto Kikuchi
 * Colors: white and yellow
 * Name origin: Mare Hiemis


 * Epimetheus–1 "Epi-chan"
 * Master: RIFFA
 * Color: blue

Terminology

 * Idolmaster
 * The female IDOL pilots are called "Idolmasters". Since only Japan must use IDOLs to destroy drops, all of the current IDOL pilots are Japanese. In order to find a new Idolmaster, the Japanese branch of Mondenkind holds auditions, which are actually a secret process in order to keep the truth about IDOL to themselves before the participants are actually qualified.


 * Lost Artemis
 * The destruction of the moon 107 years previous to the story. This event caused numerous fragments to fall onto the face of the Earth, which killed about one quarter of the Earth's total population.


 * Kompeito/Confeito
 * The remaining fragments of the moon, left over from the destruction of the moon, orbiting around Earth.


 * Drop
 * A meteoroid created by the destruction of the moon that falls onto Earth. If the "drop" is big, resulting in a moderate threat to the Earth, then it will be call Mint Drop or Lemon Drop according to sizes. Mondenkind's job is to handle any Drop that is bigger than Lemon–class; while the other countries of the world have missiles to handle Drops, Japan is currently the only country who uses IDOLs to destroy Drops.

Broadcast stations
Idolmaster: Xenoglossia also broadcast over the internet on the Japanese website @nifty as of April 9, 2007 and will continue to be updated with new episodes every Monday at 17:00.

Other media

 * Manga
 * The manga version of the anime has been serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Comp Ace as of February 26, 2007 starting from volume 12. It will not be a direct adaptation from the anime and will feature a different story line.


 * Light novel
 * Idolmaster: Xenoglossia is also written as a light novel published in a monthly magazine. There are currently 2 adaptations.
 * Idolmaster: Xenoglossia ~Bonds~ (アイドルマスター XENOGLOSSIA ～絆～) is published in Gekkan Dragon Magazine since the July issue.
 * Idolmaster: Xenoglossia Iori Sunshine! (アイドルマスター XENOGLOSSIA 伊織サンシャイン!) is published in Charano! (Hobby Japan) since the August issue.


 * Internet radio
 * The radio adaptation of the series is called Haruka and Yayoi in the Spring-style Radio (春香とやよいの弥生式らじお). It is currently broadcasting on Lantis Radio, BEAT☆Net Radio! and nifty as of March 9, 2007.

Staff

 * Original Concept: Bandai Namco Games (The Idolm@ster)
 * Planning: Sunrise
 * Original Work: Hajime Yatate
 * Director: Tatsuyuki Nagai
 * Series Composition: Jukki Hanada
 * Character Design: Hiroshi Takeuchi (Studio Live)
 * Mechanical Design (IDOL): Junichi Akutsu (Bee Craft)
 * Guest Mechanical Design: Hiroyuki Ōkawa
 * Set Design: Tomoyuki Aoki
 * Art Director: Toshiyuki Tokuda (Studio Easter)
 * Colour Design: Sayoko Yokoyama
 * Photography Director: Hidekatsu Ōishi (Anime Film)
 * Editing: Kazuhiko Seki (Seki Editing)
 * Music: Tsuneyoshi Saitō
 * Sound Director: Yōta Tsuruoka (Rakuonsha)
 * Sound Production: Rakuonsha
 * Sound Effects: Mitsuru Kageyama (Fizz Sound Creation)
 * Music Producer: Shunji Inoue (Lantis)
 * Music Production: Lantis
 * Music Coordination: Sunrise Music Publishing
 * Producers: Naotake Furusato (Sunrise), Toyota Todoroki (Bandai Visual)
 * Production: Sunrise, Bandai Visual
 * Producer: Naotake Furusato (Sunrise)
 * Music: Tsuneyoshi Saito
 * Music production: Lantis
 * Production: Sunrise, Bandai Visual
 * Copyright: (C)2007 SUNRISE INC.・Bandai Visual

Theme music

 * Opening themes
 * "Binetsu S.O.S!!" (微熱S.O.S!!)
 * Vocal: Miyuki Hashimoto
 * Lyrics: Aki Hata
 * Composition: Katsuhiko Kurosu
 * Arrangement: Kaoru Okubo


 * "Zankoku yo Kibō to Nare" (残酷よ希望となれ)
 * Vocal: Aira Yūki
 * Lyrics: Aki Hata
 * Composition and arrangement: Nijine


 * Ending theme
 * "Yūkyū no Tabibito ~ Dear boy" (悠久の旅人～Dear boy)
 * Vocal: Snow*
 * Lyrics: Saori Kodama
 * Composition and arrangement: Hiroyuki Maezawa