An update? An update! Today’s interviewed P in the Better Know a P series is Shin the Yayoi P who perhaps needs little introduction to anibloggers and/or lolicons around the world of the internet. It’s a bit hard to describe Shin due to his internet repertoire and personality but behind the shitposting tweeter that he’s known to be is someone I’ve known to exhibit unexpected sophistication and reason and generosity. There are times I still don’t believe the person I met in real life was really Shin, but the one memory of him I will share with you involves a 1000 yen dollar being shoved into his pants when I first met him. (^◇^;)
1. How did you first learn about “The iDOLM@STER”? What were your first impressions?
Via Nico Nico Douga. Watched a medley video and a particular portion of the songs used stuck to me, and in case you were wondering which one, it was Agent! The concept was intriguing to me at that point because I was already into idols (Morning Musume), and much of it felt familiar, from the types of songs to even some of the girls themselves.
2. Have you played any of the idolm@ster games? Which is your favorite?
iDOLM@STER SP was what I started with, followed by iDOLM@STER 2 and One for All on the Playstation 3. Tried out the original arcade and Shiny Festa spin-off for a bit. Favourite is probably SP, since it also kicked everything off by characterising all the girls for me.
3. Which idol is your favorite and why?
Takatsuki Yayoi. Putting aside my preference for young blood, I like that she’s the most grounded and down to earth. Her positivity and tenacity has been a shining beacon for me to move forward in facing the daily grind. In a way, she symbolises the working class idol for the working class producer.
4. What is your favorite idolm@ster song and why?
This is a difficult one, but if I am going with just impact alone, then it has got to be Tonari ni. Having seen it performed live with full orchestral accompaniment was an experience I will never forget.
5. What’s your favorite aspect of the idolm@ster series?
The camaraderie among its fans is unlike any other I have experienced before. It’s one thing to be fans of a franchise, but a lot of these people whom I have met go beyond just having similar interests, as they see their fellow Producers as comrades in arms and would often times go all out to help one another out. It’s thanks to this that I have made so many friends that I otherwise normally would not have.
Furthermore, as a fan of parodies and referential humour, I love the fact that iM@S has pretty much entrenched itself into popular otaku culture, and its influence can still be felt today!
6. When and how did you become a “Producer”? That is, when did you consider yourself an idolm@ster fan?
When I got a first taste of the game through iDOLM@STER SP. I was fairly inactive then, since I didn’t have the resources to commit too much. However, with the franchise receiving a proper anime treatment in 2011 and the Playstation 3 getting the port, accessibility was no longer an issue. From then on out and I knew I wanted to be part of the experience for a long time to come.
7. Have you ever been to an idolm@ster live concert? Please share your experience or any particularly special memories if so.
Two so far. While I have been to anison concerts in the past, none of it could compare to what was to be one of my very first overseas concerts. Everyone remembers their first time, and for me, it was the 8th anniversary live. I have already gushed over what I thought about it as an event, but what really made it special was everything else leading to it.
If not for the help of two fellow producers and the girl whom I lovingly call my imouto, none of it would have happened. It was also a time when I only knew a small handful of like-minded iDOLM@STER fans, so something such as pooling ticket wins was a luxury I never got to experience. I was devastated when my own entries failed, but the two of them came through for me. And being able to make that trip with them made the experience that much sweeter. My entire experience as P up to that point has culminated at that very moment.
8. Do you play any of the mobile game series such as Cinderella Girls and Million Live?
Million Live when it first launched, but I eventually decided that tapping on screen round the clock wasn’t my cup of tea. Same goes for Cinderella Girls, although the login bonuses did come in handy for another title I was playing!
9. Are you watching the Cinderella Girls anime? What are your thoughts?
Of course! The first cour was enjoyable for the most part but much like what plagued the original anime series, some girls were given the spotlight in favour of others. With the cast much larger than ever before, it became a lot more glaring, and I’m not just saying this because I’m bitter over the fact that my favourite CG idol only showed up towards the very end for about 5 seconds tops…
10. Do you have any favorite seiyuu related to the idolm@ster series?
Kugimiya Rie definitely. When I first discovered iM@S, she was the anchor to my interests in the franchise, since she was the most notable seiyuu at that point in time. I also very much like Fuchigami Mai (Seiyuu) for reasons which I will address in a bit!
11. Shout out your love about the idolm@ster series, say anything you’d like!
What started as a passing interest has integrated itself as part of my life. I am glad to have grown side by side the franchise for the past half decade, and the memories I have made throughout the years is something I would not trade for anything in the world. There is still much for me to learn, and I hope to forge new bonds along the way.
ζ*’ヮ’)ζー iM@S 最高!
12. [From Omo] Tell us Shinn-nii, what is Maimai’s secret sauce? What’s so special about her? And as a CG Producer, how does her role in Cinderella Girls help you get to know her and get to like her?
When the anime adaptation for Cinderella Girls was first announced, I was not particularly interested in the spinoff beyond the few songs I have listened to prior. All that changed when I came across a certain Hojo Karen while randomly looking up profiles for the CG idols. It was infatuation at first sight.
The fact of the matter is that I was already fond of MaiMai long before I knew about her involvement in Cinderella Girls, although it was limited only to her anime roles. It was my love for Karen which got the ball rolling, as I started to look at MaiMai beyond her CV.
Up to that point, I always disassociated seiyuus from their characters, since I more or less kept things strictly two dimensional, and didn’t subscribe to the whole 2.5D shenanigans. But upon learning about MaiMai from a fellow producer, I began to open up the idea, and before I knew it, I had fallen head over heels for her.
I don’t really have an explanation as to why she is the one, other than everything fell into place at the right moment. The timing between me discovering Karen and being reintroduced to MaiMai just aligned perfectly. But if I had to single out what I like about her is the probably the way she emanates the demeanour of a classy older sister, who also knows when to be playful (●´艸`)ヾ(恥)
13. Say something about the next interviewed person (Basu), also please ask them a question.
Basu and I are probably examples of how producers inherit traits from their idols. I am not sure if it has anything to do with him repping Iori and me Yayoi, but from the very moment I met Basu, I knew right away that we were going get along very well. Everyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I do not open up so easily, but with the both of us having so much common ground, it made flag tripping an inevitability.
As for my question, how does one practice responsible DD‘ing? I notice that there are individuals who designate the title of wife to just about every seiyuu they come across and fancy, to the point it seems to diminish its sanctity and meaning entirely. Or could it be just me who is incapable of loving several individuals with equal intensity? Would it be better in this case to assign each of them a value, where one wife could be more wife than the other? Then again, wouldn’t this be unfair to them? What are your thoughts?
You can follow ShinP on Twitter @shinn87
<Better Know A Producer>
#01 – [Exciel]
#02 – [Kurotsuki]
#03 – [vota]
#04 – [Seraph]
#05 – [Shinikenshi]
#06 – [Erwin]
#07 – [JT]
#08 – [garbejP]
#09 – [KenP]
#10 – [YashaFoxP]
#11 – [omo]
#12 – [ShinP]←Here
#13 – [Basu]
excellent answers, worth the wait
oh Basu is next, I’ll look forward to it, basu was one of the first producer that i met when i found out IM@S. will be funny read what he has to say.