❣❣ Freshly updated as of Spring 2018! ❣❣
If you follow me on social media (Twitter and Tumblr especially), my adoration for idol boys is NO secret…
They are the subject of many a mobile game, but at the current point in time, there are only a handful of anime adaptations to watch. Few enough that it’s not entirely unreasonable to list them here on a single web page~
Why idol boys? Well, as the descriptions listed below will indicate, they are often just positive and fun to enjoy!! There are some great songs in them, and they really go all out animating extremely captivating dance sequences.
Plus, I mean, there’s the fact that there are often dozens of characters in them, and each dude has a distinguishing personality that sets him apart from his fellow idol group members. No matter your favorite “type” – whether you like the cool, scholarly glasses guy; cheerful & friendly boy-next-door; angsty brooding loner; handsome & flirtatious prince; etc. – you’re sure to be able to find your favorite in these groups.
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This list is in alphabetical order and is a constant work in progress!
If you know of one I missed, let me know in a comment~
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B-Project: Kodou*Ambitious
A very cool and fun series!! There are three idol groups featured
who group together to become the “B-Project!”
The series follows each group and their members as they intermingle for different projects.
Some drama comes up that occasionally threatens their success –
you might get pretty invested!!
Especially as it becomes clearer that there may be more
ulterior motives behind the mishaps that seemingly follow them…
There is also a VERY cute and pretty heroine who ties them all together~
Watch:
Right here on BonBonBunny.com~
Crunchyroll
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Dream Festival & Dream Festival R
Dream Festival is heavily tied in with its mobile game counterpart,
where cards are collected to dress up the boys in different outfits.
Those cards are incorporated in the anime itself, and the boys are shown
transforming into the costumes, henshin-style, like magical boys!
It’s a bit silly, but really fun!
This one is one of my favorites, because it is light and fun
while also including emotional moments between the band members.
They often cry to one another and have to hug out their problems.
It’s………. rly cute………… ; w ;
Its second season, Dream Festival R, is a perfect continuation,
depicting more scenes of deepening friendship, especially
among characters that weren’t shown interacting as much in
the first season.
Watch:
Right here on BonBonBunny.com~
Crunchyroll
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Dynamic Chord
Forgive me for not having a thorough review of this one;
I did not watch much more than the first few episodes. nn;;
The character designs for the bands in this show are VERY cool,
and I love all their varied hair styles and colors!!
It is just paced odd, and, coming into it as someone
who isn’t familiar with the games, I rely on these anime adaptations
for characterization and background, and this one really
did not introduce the characters with enough information for me
to be able to follow what was happening very well. nn;
The animation is also an interesting aspect.
It’s pretty limited, especially in musical scenes.
I haven’t seen footage of Dynamic Chord’s gameplay but I imagine that
they are emulating the visual novel’s style of animation for the show.
If you’re an existing fan of the games and songs,
then you will probably enjoy it just fine~
Watch:
HIDIVE
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Ensemble Stars! The Animation
Upcoming anime with an unknown air date at the moment.
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IDOLiSH7
Forgive me for not having a review of this –
I actually haven’t watched it just yet!!
I really want to, though!!
Watch:
Right here on BonBonBunny.com~ (coming soon!)
Crunchyroll
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The iDOLM@STER SideM
This one is SOOOO GOOOOD!!!
I know, I could say that about anything listed here…
But, for real, for the quantity of characters in this show,
that ALL of them have featuring moments and distinctive
characterization… that’s quite a feat!
iDOLM@STER SideM is just FILLED with good fun.
The story is engaging, the moments between characters
are meaningful, and the songs and dances are fantastic.
It also has the perfect amount of drama and intrigue
to keep you captivated and caring about their struggles.
It really is just all-around GOOD and amazing.
Do you notice that they never reveal the Producer’s name,
because he is named by the player in the games?
Watch:
Right here on BonBonBunny.com~ (coming soon!)
Crunchyroll
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King of Prism & King of Prism: Pride the Hero
These are each single-episode features (actually, they are movies~).
They are related to the Pretty Rhythm series (female idols).
I haven’t actually watched Pride the Hero,
as I had a difficult time following along with the first one.
There is definitely some context and character relations you will be missing
if you watch these without any familiarity with the source material.
Forgive me, but I don’t feel that I can give an accurate review of it;
I truly did not know what to make of this. nn;
Maybe you can puzzle it out better than me?
Watch:
(To my knowledge, not available to watch online
on any legal streaming sites.)
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Marginal #4: Kiss kara Tsukuru Big Bang
An extremely cute and colorful series!!
Very much on the lighthearted and fun side.
The beginning episodes are very silly and follow the misadventures
of the idol group through their daily school lives, gradually
incorporating more “idol drama” as the series goes on.
They have simple, exaggerated personalities with singular interests/character quirks,
which I don’t think of as a negative aspect at all (uncomplicated is a positive for me!)~
The songs are featured as different sequences in the credits for each episode,
which is pretty cool because it allows for more air time for the actual subject material
of the episode~
Watch:
Right here on BonBonBunny.com~
Crunchyroll
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Shounen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 49
& Shounen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 50
For a more serious experience with idols, Shounen Hollywood features a more
realistic glimpse at the idol business, getting into the nitty-gritty of struggling stardom.
It is somber in tone, very much on the emotion & drama side of the subject
with nothing unnaturally sparkly or flashy about the character designs
and no magical dance numbers.
Watch:
Hulu
Funimation
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Tsukiuta. The Animation and Tsukipro The Animation
Tsukiuta is an exceptionally cute and endearing series!
The 12 characters are each associated with a month of the year,
and the episodes of the anime progress through the year one month
at a time, featuring each of them in turn.
Although there are two idol groups featured,
they work together and intermix their members for songs and jobs,
which leads to very cute interactions and friendships between them. ♡
The mood of this one is positive, with sprinklings of more serious drama
but also some silliness and supernatural elements
(Shun’s mysteriousness in general, ghosts, ALIENS??).
Tsukipro is an interesting continuation,
because it moves on to 13 entirely new characters
(a pair of them are twins!) that are almost completely unrelated
to the previous cast – who do show up from time to time, still.
In tone and setting, it is a bit more mellow than its first season.
Still plenty of great songs, though!
Watch:
Tsukiuta: Funimation
Tsukipro: Crunchyroll
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Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji Love 1000%
Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji Love 2000%
Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji Love Revolutions
Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji Love Legend Star
My!! FAVE!!!!! idol boy anime!! And, truly, one of my fave anime series in general~
It was watching that opening dance number to Maji Love 1000% that had me
completely hooked on idol boys.
The colors!! The dancing!! The adorable song!
All of the positive little interactions between the characters!!
Oh, there was no hope for me after that.
UtaPri is the powerhouse of idol boy anime.
It leads the charts every time a new single is released.
The fact that it has four seasons available is a testament to
how long it has been running and how successful it’s been.
If you need a series to dip your toes into, I recommend this as a good place to start,
unless you really want something more heavily dramatic and less on the lighthearted fun.
If you just want endearing characters, sweet songs, and positive interactions
between them with the cute heroine, UtaPri is what you need in your life.
A fifth season was teased at the end of Legend Star,
but no title or air date for it has been revealed as of yet.
Watch:
Right here on BonBonBunny.com: 1000%, 2000%, Revolutions, Legend Star
Crunchyroll
Hulu: 1000% & 2000%, Revolutions, Legend Star
Yahoo View (1000% and 2000% only, for some licensing reasons)
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—– Special Mention —–
The shows below are not strictly about idols,
but involve cute & handsome dudes singing and dancing in each episode,
and so they are likely to be enjoyed by idol fans as well~
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Bakumatsu Rock
Also called “Samurai Jam: Bakumatsu Rock” (which made me unsure
where to list it in my neat little alphabetical list…).
A highly comedic series that parodies the Bakumatsu era of Japan
(the same setting as any media you might have consumed about any certain
Shinsengumi members), with electric guitars and rock & roll music
in the place of swords and historical battles.
Watch:
Crunchyroll
Hulu
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Dance with Devils
A dark and intense series, almost in the same vein as Diabolik Lovers or Amnesia,
to compare it to other otome media (of course, it’s not exactly the same as either of them).
It gets a mention on this list due to the musical numbers in each episode,
which are actually true to the definition of “musical” –
the lyrics are often the characters narrating their actions as they beat down vampires.
It’s pretty wild!
Watch:
Hulu
Yahoo View
Funimation
Amazon Video
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High School Star Musical (Starmyu)
You know, I’m not sure whether this goes in this section,
or in the real list of idol anime. Weigh in in the comments what you think!
I opted to put this here because it isn’t really about the characters rising to stardom
or becoming a publicly-known idol group in any way.
The setting is entirely contained in their school, and their talents
are more generalized to include drama and stage performance
rather than actually being about idols – more like “theater kids,” lol.
Anyway, it’s pretty fun, with a fair amount of dramatic intrigue –
it might make your heart ache for how hard these boys have to work and struggle
just for their time on the stage!! ; ^ ;
Watch:
Right here on BonBonBunny.com~
Crunchyroll (only seems to have season 2?)
Funimation (I think this is only season 1…)
Amazon Video (only season 1 again, I think?)
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Magic-Kyun! Renaissance
This one is extremely positive and heartwarming,
filled with fluff and happy feelings~
The characters are not idols, but attend a magical school for the arts.
Art media such as painting, floral arrangement, sculpting, calligraphy, culinary design,
and, yes, also singing and dancing, are all methods by which magic is created
in this setting (represented with lovely visuals of light & sparkles).
The heroine works together with each of the fellows featured
and they enrich one another to create more & more beautiful magic.
An insert song is included in each episode, often an extension
of the magical powers of their art manifesting.
I think it is very sweet!
Watch:
Right here on BonBonBunny.com~
Crunchyroll
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Show By Rock!!
Truthfully, I almost did not include this in the list at all,
since, as you can see, the protagonists are female idols
and this is supposed to be for idol boys!!
But, there are supporting characters in other bands
besides the main girl group – both Shingan Crimsonz
and Trichronika include VERY handsome dudes
with VERY impressive voice actors,
and provide some cool songs accordingly!
So, this series by Sanrio is an option for checking out
if you don’t mind the idol boys being side characters~
Watch:
Crunchyroll
Hulu
Funimation
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🌟 I very briefly mentioned the mobile game source material that many of these series originate from in the introductory post. The fact of the matter is that almost all of them also have a game of some form (often mobile or handheld, but a few PC or console releases exist here and there), where you can play alongside the characters featured in the show! They can take the form of rhythm games, dating sims, visual novels, etc., but the downside is that it is EXCEEDINGLY rare for any of them to be available in English. The bright side of the downside is that you can find guides online that lead you through how to play them, so that at least you can navigate the Japanese menus in order to reach the rhythm game itself (or whatever the core gameplay is).
If any of the series listed here sound of interest to you, definitely look into the source material for them! You will likely discover even more characters, and deeper backstories for the existing ones. Furthermore, there are often drama CDs and tons of character songs and other singles to listen to!! It is entirely possible to collect an entire playlist filled with music from idol boys…………….. You can trust me on this because I speak from great personal experience.
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