This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while, especially now that I’ve been watching a lot of nicom@s videos again. Basically I’ll be sharing some of the nicom@s videos that I’ve recently watched on HPT every now and then. And I know it says weekly in the title but you know how I am with schedules. （≧ω・）
What is nicom@s?
Good question! nicom@s or idolm@ster MADs (Music Anime Douga) are typically im@s-related music videos created by youtube/nico nico douga users and shared to the internet. Most of them use material from the animes or videogames placed to accompanying music. I mention this a lot but NND has had a big role in idolm@ster’s history where “nicom@sPs” considerably helped idolm@ster’s popularity expand in the Xbox era and onward. Many famous nicom@s MADs can still be seen on NND today and the art of nicom@s making is continuing to expand again with the recent releases of the Cinderella Girls anime and Starlight Stage.
I became a big fan of nicom@s back when I was first becoming an im@s fan and they played a big role in the growth of my love for the series. My favorites were all the videos that would be created and uploaded on each idols’ birthday that would quickly be filled with congratulatory messages in the video comments. The amount of nicom@s videos uploaded has declined in the recent years but I am happy to find that nicom@s Ps have began to use content Starlight Stage to make videos now now.
(note that you do need a nico nico douga account to be able to watch their videos, it’s easy to sign up and there are a million guides to do it English now so I won’t be doing that here)
This Week’s MADs
A very heart-warming Kamiya Nao MAD made for her birthday. The visuals are great and the user makes excellent use of content from Dereste mixed with Nao’s static card art from the games as well. You can easily feel the creator’s love for Nao here ( ；∀；)
【ニコニコ動画】【デレステMAD】 這い上がれMY WAY 【森久保乃々】
I. Love. This. MAD. It’s a Nono MAD I’ve posted a few times on my twitter now since I just love it so much because I think it perfectly depicts what makes im@s MADs so enjoyable to watch. The creator creates a whole world and emotionally enveloping story in just 4 minutes using only visuals and music and little dialogue. Nono’s squeamish expressions in her self-doubt is definitely her charm point and is depicted clearly in this MAD. By the end of the video I felt myself rooting for Nono and her P… but now I want to her P too!
【ニコニコ動画】【MAD】I will be your shine【日野茜誕生祭】
A very cute Hino Akane MAD and another example of what Dereste MADs are becoming like.
If you’re a fan of Miho then this one’s for you. Very cute MAD overall just like Miho herself!
Another emotionally charged MAD for Hotaru this time. If you don’t know about Hotaru, she suffers from incredible bad luck and misfortune with all of her previous agencies becoming bankrupt and she places the blame on herself. That is until of course she’s scouted by P in Cinderella Girls.
【ニコニコ動画】【MAD】Cherish【アイドルマスター】(Short Ver.)
And now for something that isn’t Dereste, but will still make you cry. A lot. Using the Mana im@s manga is cheating…
【ニコニコ動画】【MAD】WELCOME TO THE CINDERELLA GIRLS
And finally an awesome Dereani MAD that’s gained 130k+ views in less than two weeks. Never thought I’d see My Chemical Romance used for something like this…
So that’s the gist of what these roundups will be like. I’ll be focusing mainly on recently uploaded MADs I find on NND but if there are any MADs you’d like to see featured on HPT as well then feel free to comment or send to me at my twitter. If you have any more questions or would like to know more about idolm@ster MADs then definitely check out this website all about idolm@ster MADs. The owner of the website has been posting MADs on a weekly basis since before I became a P myself but unfortunately it seems he/she has stopped updating since this past July. Still a great look into the history of idolm@ster MADs however so be sure to check it out.
Some useful terms and tags on NND to know:
wwww = lololol
88888 = clapping
泣いた = I cried
Dang, this really takes me back. iM@S MADs were the first things to give me a sense of community after the anime. All of the birthday MADs and MAD Festivals… I even remember trying to keep up with that website. wwww I’ll never forget those days.
Yeah same, they’re definitely something that I miss the most from im@s culture so I hope to see it come back