Series Review – Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls

I know this is going to be confusing. So, for those who do not know, there are many separate Idolm@ster titles under the single franchise of Idolm@ster. Since this will be the first of the series reviews from Idolm@ster, I’ll go over some basics of the franchise. Firstly, the official spelling is Idolm@ster, that is the general “A” in Master is replaced with a “@”. Secondly, as far as Weiss is concerned, there are five series to date in Weiss Schwarz specifically: Idolm@ster, Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls, Idolm@ster Million Live, and Idolm@ster Shiny Colours (Gakuen Idolm@ster is upcoming). Lastly, none of these franchises are directly connected to each other (except Million Live and Idolm@ster). There may be slight mentions of each of the other Idolm@ster titles in each title, but that is more or less of a callback or reference.

Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls, unlike its predecessor, the original Idolm@ster which debuted as an arcade game, began its origins as a mobile game. There have been several releases of different Idolm@ster games prior to Cinderella Girls’ release, but these games featured the original 765 Production cast. Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls was the first mainline title that featured an entirely new set of cast based in the same or a similar universe (brief mentions of 765 may be found).

Contrary to the original Idolm@ster’s push to raise a small handful of girls, the Cinderella Girls project aimed at producing a large cast of idols, the largest cast of idols in any Idolm@ster title to date. It can be considered rather confusing because Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls consists of two mobile games. The first is shown above, simply named Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls. This was a game similar to the original title’s idol raising venture and took upon the old mobile game system of collecting specific cards.

Cinderella Girls is confusing because of its double mobile game series. In 2015, Cygames partnered with Bandai to release a second mobile game, a rhythm mobile game, by the name of Idolm@ster Starlight Stage. This game was a fully functional rhythm game that carried a few idol raising aspects from the original Cinderella Girls. Furthermore, both the original Cinderella Girls and Starlight Stage ran side-by-side with each other until Cinderella Girls’ shutdown in 2023. As of the time of this writing, Starlight Stage is still running.

To add to the confusion, just like all the other mainline titles, Cinderella Girls also carries its own anime series (I have chosen not to include some of the smaller spin-offs). In the Cinderella Girls anime, it initially appears to feature a trio of girls: Honda Mio, Shibuya Rin, and Shimamura Uzuki. These three young girls are invited to join the grand Cinderella Project. Along the way, they show up and meet several other girls who are part of the same agency. Other girls from the mobile game are also introduced as mostly side characters. I will say the recently released U149 sub-unit (2023) series is peak though.

Cinderella Girls, from henceforth shortened to CG, came out in late 2015 with one of the most unique release products to ever release from any series. Unlike other series, CG released with three different TDs with different cards in each one. The girls from the CG series were separated by their in-game “typing” (Cute, Cool, Passion) and had their respective trial decks. Another oddity was that the Weiss series itself was solely based upon the anime rather than the mobile game. Later that same year, CG released its first booster, also based upon the first season of the anime. In the following year, CG2 also debuted, based upon the second season of the anime. It would then be a long frozen drought that only ended in late 2024, almost a decade since the release of the first product where CG would get support with the third booster specially titled “Next Twinkle!”. Unlike the first two booster products, CG3 would also be the first set in the series to be focused on game assets rather than anime assets. And almost as a callback to the original release, CG3 also came with three specialized trial decks based upon Cute, Cool, and Passion designations from the game series.

One of the key themes for CG is having mono-coloured designs. CG would reward players with certain effects should they build their way to orient these specific colours. CG isn’t a series where there’s very specific core designs and suggested builds. The series more so promotes choosing designs within a certain colour and then finding tools in said colour to supplement those ideas. While not exactly having the most explicit themes or even having units directly contributing to one another, there are often tidbits of synergies or callbacks to these groups.

The mono-colour theme isn’t universal however. Some decks heavily incentivize a mixing of colours. This is hinted at in some of their requirements or conditions for play or effects. Since there aren’t any direct archetype decks that are very obvious, for the rest of this post section, I’ll offer some sample decks that are on the site as is and maybe spoil some deck profiles in the works.

Beginning with the New Generations troupe, this deck profile works off of having all three colours (there are two Chihiro green cards in the entirety of the series) in Cinderella Girls. Combining the passions of Mio, the cuteness of Uzuki, and the coolness of Rin, the deck looks to combine colours to create a dazzling display of power and brilliance. Late game cards for the deck include a 2/1 Airi Alice combo that is a huge cross-turn and a 2/1 Akari finisher who takes a large shark bite out of your opponent.

The Jougasaki sisters are here and ready to cause trouble. Mika and Rika share a climax and are more than ready to nab you advantage throughout the early game. While being a very fun design with Rika supporting her sister from the back as Mika nabs you advantage from the front, the two don’t share any particular finisher. We have a deck profile here that plays around a full Mika and Rika deck, but feel free to play around with these two and either add in yellow colour synergies or add in some other late game play of your own.

Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls – Jougasaki Trouble (Y) [08/03/2024]

Nothing speaks more to elegance than the sub-unit known as LiPPS. Kanade and Syuko share the spotlight to blow your opponent off stage. Kanade needs to reverse for her combo, and Syuko acts as insurance to grant her that opposing fodder. Feel free to mix them in with other members of LiPPS (Mika Jougasaki, Shiki Ichinose, and Frederica Miyamoto) for a full theme or use blue synergies to help with your strategy.

The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls series is what I typically call with my friends a “toolbox” series. That is to say that the series doesn’t have many specified themes. That is not to say that you can’t attempt to create a themed deck based on the series itself with some canon relationships or interactions. It is more to say that the series carries more loose strategies which players can maneuver cards around. Instead of say having a deck that specifies running two or three characters only, Cinderella Girls has some less restrictive general motifs such as colour restrictions for certain abilities.

Nonetheless, if you are a fan of Idolm@ster, and more specifically, Cinderella Girls, play the mobile games, or are interested in the franchise as a whole, do feel free to pick it up. Each of the Idolm@ster series does carry its own specified charms. For Cinderella Girls, compared to the other series, it features the most amount of idols, and just like every Idolm@ster series, its art is made specifically tailored. Personally, some of my favourite idols are Uzuki Shimamura, Kaede Takagaki, and Yui Otsuki. Honestly, take some time to explore the games, or at least the games’ assets like me if you are not a fan of mobages. And also, while you’re at it, take a look at the other Idolm@ster series as well.