How do I get into Million Live?
With Million Live reaching its 10th anniversary and having no English localizations, it might be hard to know where to start. Maybe the mobile rhythm game Theater Days isn't accessible to you, or the franchise having 52 girls to learn about is just too overwhelming.
While this guide will have pages dedicated to each character and where to find translations for all of them, how do you even figure out what girl you will love? And more importantly, what is it about Million Live that people adore so much?
What is Million Live about?
Let's start with the basics: what even is Million Live? What identity does it have among idol franchises, and what place does it have within the Idolm@ster brand as a whole?
Million Live is the third largescale "branch" within the Idolm@ster series, introducing 39 new girls as well as including the 13 original girls from the first Idolm@ster branch. The theme of the franchise is "thanks," with the theme song being "Thank You!" and referencing the number 39 (san-kyuu; "thank you" in Japanese) in a vast number of ways. The franchise takes place in a theater owned by an idol agency, allowing for the girls to give off whimsical, fun performances of their songs. It is also the branch that focuses most on the live performances done by the voice actresses, with the in-game music videos (MVs) making heavy reference to the live versions of the songs, as well as the actresses influencing the characters' growth!
What do people love about Million Live?
Million Live's biggest appeal is of course the characters. 90% of people, when asked, listed "characters" as one of their absolute favorite things about it!
Million Live has a very fun cast, ranging from different age groups and walks of life. Each girl has a distinct, unique personality, and the character dynamics between all of them are a lot of fun! Despite having to balance 52 girls, each character gets the same amount of content, which is a huge plus. With 10 years of story content for every single girl (and almost 20 for the original 13!), you'll never run out of things to read and learn about this lovable cast of characters. Million Live also does not have a permanent unit system, focusing instead on the idols individually and constantly making new units with the girls which gives a lot of room to explore varying character dynamics!
Million Live, and particularly Theater Days, also has really gorgeous art, from the SSRs to the event illustrations. Here's some personal favorites:
And of course, the music! As with all Idolm@ster branches, Million Live has a very diverse discography, with pop songs, rock music, EDM, ballads, horror-themed songs, and many, many more genres! As linked on the home page, here is a playlist of every Million Live song available on Spotify:
The live concerts are one of the defining features of Million Live. The cast may be big, but the sheer joy and fun the actresses get out of performing for this franchise is an absolute blast to watch. You can really feel the depth of their love in every song they sing!
Here's some comments from veteran fans on why they'd recommend ML to a friend:
"the music slaps!! the game's SSR art has a variety of styles to look into!! the idols and their VAs are really good!!"
"Funnily enough, it being the idolmaster branch with the word "Live" in it, this is the branch that I can truly see the union of Performer and Crowd during every live. Every Million Live concert is an event where both those on stage and those in the crowd are equally part of the show."
"welcome to crazy theater shenanigans hope you like more of em :)"
"definitely the live aspect, and the way the seiyuus are so heavily part of million live’s core. i believe it’s difficult to be into ML and not like the seiyuus just as much as the characters, or not have any interest in the live concerts at all. the lives often embody a stage where both the idol and her seiyuu get to exist on the same stage simultaneously, and i feel that that is a strong part of ML’s charm that sets it apart from other franchises"
"There are a lot of different songs and stories which are really fun. The concerts are really enjoyable."
"Amazing characters, great song diversity, incredible seiyuu and live performances, and interesting idol commus with depth. The rhythm gameplay of Theater Days is simple but fun and the art is very nice"
"Has a strong roster that does not feel oversaturated. Characters bounce well off each other and with enough flexibility and characterization that each unit has a unique synergy. 2 songs + voice drama series per unit really solidifies the existence of each unit too, they don't just come and go. Also has some of my favorite card rendering, design, and composition."
"What separates im@s from other idol franchises is they're not afraid to do other music genres outside of the standard JPOP. Techno, Rock, Metal, EDM, Jazz, Ballads, you name it. It also gives character development to each character and you can really feel their image song is THEIR image song, and not some generic pop song that could be sung by anyone."
"I'm very passionate about imas music and I feel like if I had to choose a favorite I'd IMMEDIATELY choose ml's discography. Fun, memorable, diverse.. I love it to bits."
"I believe Million Live handles the idea of solo idols the best out of any animusic franchise at the moment, with the idols frequently mixing and matching into new units that cover the entire cast. Most franchises these days aim for a consistent unit, which I personally find far more bland in comparison."
"They're not afraid of trying different things for drama/songs, like horror for example: cannibalism, dark satanic rituals that require virgin sacrifices."
"Charming characters and the music. ML music is full of incredible songs that cycle between many different genres, and the 765Pro idols are all so full of charisma that it's impossible to not take a liking to them, and once you get to learn more about them, you'll eventually learn about their seiyuus and how most of them are incredibly close to each other and have a strong connection, which is then transmitted full force to the live concerts, where you can see all of them having fun and sometimes getting emotional. Once you're completely attached to Million Live, it "feels like a family... Feels like a harmony", quoting the lyrics of HOME, SWEET FRIENDSHIP."
"The acting shown during some live performances is absolutely stunning (Kuraki Hoshi, Tooi Tsuki in particular was impressive), plus, the more theater like setting of MLTH allows for some absolutely wild and fun songs you wouldn't easily get in other games!"
"Just the absolute massive range of songs that it has. Into old school idol music? Start with the All Stars covers. Into more modern music? Theres plenty to choose from! And with the range of characters there's bound to be someone that's your favourite"
"Do YOU want to see idols having fun?! Hanging out?! Singing amazing songs??!?!?! This branch is FULL of idols who are just.. having fun being themselves. It's not something story rich like Shiny Colors, but it's FANTASTIC for something lighthearted and fun. And the LIVES ARE AMAZING. AND THE SONGS. Million is my life."
Where do I start then?
There's a lot of ways you can dive into Million Live. The most obvious one is to download the Theater Days rhythm game app and keep up with the franchise that way, as it's the main way Million Live gets content. If that's not available to you for whatever reason, there's plenty of other ways to enjoy and learn about Million Live!
- Listening to the songs
- Reading translations (or raw footage) people post from the game
- Reading the manga (there are 5, and all are translated)
- Watching the anime
- Watching footage of live concerts if available to you
Links to these will be shared on the Translations/Guides page.
Anything else I should know?
Despite the series having no localizations in English, only 8% of respondants say that not knowing Japanese makes it very hard for them to enjoy ML. Don't be afraid to take a chance with it even if you don't know the language!
Also, here is some advice from vetaran fans!
"Learn at your own pace! I’ve been semi into ml for 4 years and still only feel like Im scratching the surface. But what I do know is that I adore the music and want to see where it goes in the future!"
"Coming from a veteran who's been into the branch for 5 years, I just make sure to have fun along the way! Also don't forget to stay critical when the situation is needed ;)"
"Even if they are said to be tied specifically to the original 765 All-Stars, being familiar with them is not required. Please, do feel free to enter Million Live with no prior experience to THE iDOLM@STER."
"In Million Live, lives are insanely important to the franchise, so remember that. Also, if you're into ML as a newcomer, interact with some of the older people on twitter. They'll have valuable information to share about it! Like me: @dguo94 (shameless self promotion lol)"
"It can be overwhelming to start but just keep in mind that even the veterans are still learning things. Participate as you wish."
"While it was mentioned, I would really like to further highlight the importance of lives! Even ignoring how live-centric ML is, they're also just great ways to discover music from the series that you may not have looked into otherwise. I find them to be really nice jumping off points, though I can imagine for newcomers it might be a bit difficult getting to the point where you can recognize all the seiyuu."
"watch enough of the live concerts and you'll find yourself having fun. that's all that matters!"
"Try not to be overwhelmed by how many girls there!! I know it seems a lot but there will be one for you!! Don't feel like you have to know everything about everyone!"
"the game and characters are wonderful but if you get to enjoy the concerts and the vas the enjoyment will be doubled so do check out the seiyuus as well"
"Don't let the language barrier stop you, research on your own, search for the songs, read the manga, look at the communications and share your discoveries with others. And don't stick with just one Imas franchise, you could be missing out on something good."
"you must watch the lives its essential. it can help you pick a favorite or make you love your favs/the entire cast even more"
"like whatever you like, but if you like the songs, check out the live performances too. Some ML cast members are pro entertainers. The series also always had a live performance aspect that is a big part of the series."
"Idol franchises are first and foremost about the music. If commus are too daunting, just listen to the albums and check who you like more!"
"Value the feeling of exploration and be led by curiosity, even with a language barrier there's so much to get hooked on. A lot of my enjoyment comes from learning about characters and seeing their art by finding them in songs. The project-imas wiki will be your best friend."
"39 new characters, a library of songs and commus might feel overhelming at first, so just take your time, get to know the characters, listen to the music at your own pace, just enjoy yourself"
"MILLION IS THE BEST!!! Enjoy the branch in the way you want!!!!! Don't let people make you feel bad about things/characters. 765 is like a family, take your time and get to know everyone!"