There was a day, likely very long ago, that someone was watching an idol in real life in Japan, and they had an idea.
They had an idea that they could transfer that brand loyalty of idol fans to an idol made of actual perfection that didn’t age, demand payment, or engage in scandals about them having very human needs – an idol given form in anime.
Seeing how obsessive people can be over animated characters today, it is no wonder that idol anime has become such an increasingly large part of seasonal offerings. These moe anime idols can’t grow old, can’t disappoint you with marriage, and can’t quit. Perhaps it is best for all if the most popular idols are those in anime.
If you enjoy your cute anime idols, there is an abundance of idol anime recommendations for you to get deeply lost in. Although, if you are looking for male idol anime, those princes are in a different castle.
Idol Anime About Girl Groups
Love Live
Through a large cast and an increasing amount of new seasons, love Live has cemented itself as one of the queens of modern idol anime.
In the original Love Live, their goal was to stop their school from closing, which is as noble a cause as they come. However, what makes this series great is, of course, the nine girls and how unique each one is.
Anyone can watch Love Live and each one will come out with a different best girl to hype from it.
Locodol
Typically, when an idol anime follows an main character, they always wanted to be idols. They knew they were pretty, they knew they could get up on that stage, and to do so became their fondest dream. A dream-chaser is laudable. However, they are so much more endearing when they don’t want to be an idol, but do it well anyway, right?
That is what Locodol is about. Nanako didn’t want to be an idol, but her uncle pushed her into it to hype the region on a national scale. Of course, you get to see her joys and failures since being an idol isn’t as simple as it seems.
Wake Up, Girls
Like many other idol anime, Wake Up, Girls starts with a familiar premise. The production company is on the verge of closing, so they take one last gamble at creating a new idol group. This idol group sticks, but not without issues.
Of all the other idol shows on here, Wake Up Girls one remains one of the most realistic about the struggle, which is particularly refreshing considering all the gloss and glitter that usually comes with idol anime.
Zombieland Saga
How does one set a new idol anime apart from every other one that came before it? The same way idol groups do in real life, you have to have that hook, man!
In Zombieland Saga, the “hook” is that the girls are zombies and were harvested from across Japanese history to become modern day idol.
Zombieland Saga is more comedy than traditionally cute idol tropes, but it is wonderful as a comedy.
AKB0048
AKB0048 is another one of those idol anime series that wanted to make itself different with a hook. It is also one of those idol anime series that hypes real idols, namely its namesake, AKB48.
In the world of AKB0048, humanity has fled into space, but music has been deemed evil and thus made illegal. So now idols put on guerilla performances and warm hearts in secret corners of space, cutely dodging the law at every turn.
The IdolM@ster
While IdolM@ster’s heyday has come and gone as audiences are distracted by constant new and shinier streams of cute idol anime, age doesn’t change quality.
Although it started as a game series, the IdolM@ster anime follows the many aspiring female idols managed by the same production company, but all of them want to be the very best like no one ever was.
It’s full of beauty and success, but also drama and tears as you watch this more management-focused series unfold.
Aikatsu
Aikatsu tells the tale of a school that trains great idols. However, you can practice all day long and have the natural talent, but according to this show, the key to success is friendship.
Yes, this is a power of friendship sort of show. Though I’m sure real idols would disagree on that being the key to success. Still, it maintains the bright and colorful illusion that fans of idols all want to believe.
Symphogears
Are you what can be described as “idol curious?” Do you think you would like idol anime, but also need your anime to have just a bit more than slice of life cuteness, professional and personal character struggles, and the occasional dope beat? Then you might want to explore idols in the form that Symphogears offers.
Symphogears is more action anime than idol anime, but the characters fight aliens through powers they have to sing songs to use. So, while they are fighting any enemy, they are also singing – what turns out to be – really good songs.
Furthermore, there is an actual canon idol group in Symphogears, but this is an anime that doesn’t really focus on their “path to fame” or “struggles in the industry” like many other series.
Oshi no Ko
There have been enough popular, cheerful idol anime series now that it is this genre’s turn to go to the dark side. Like magical girls had their goth phase after Madoka Magica, so too must idols have one, and it will probably be kicked off by the outrageously popular Oshi no Ko.
Oshi no Ko follows the children of an idol who died brutally due to her fame. The main character, unbeknownst to his mother and twin sister, is a doctor who cared for the idol in her pregnancy, died, and was reincarnated as he son. He aims to get revenge for his mother while also protecting his sister and friends who are struggling up-and-coming idols themselves.
While not the first series about “the dark side” of show business, Oshi no Ko is the most modern and does display modern idol struggles in the industry.
Idoly Pride
Idoly Pride takes a darker, but more palatable look at the dark side of the idol industry like Oshi no Ko. However, instead of addressing modern issues, Idoly Pride goes fictional by being set in a world where idols are, depressingly, evaluated as idols by AI and technology.
The series follows the manager of a huge rising star that tragically died as he starts representing her little sister (and the idol group she joins) that recently joined the industry.
22/7
You know how idols work really hard to be talented and successful enough to gain stardom? What if one day someone sent you a letter that said you were chose to be an idol? That’s what 22/7 is about.
22/7 follows a timid girl who receives a letter stating that she was chosen to be in an idol project. She joins with many other girls who are then put through a rigorous training program that will turn them into stars.
If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die
Idol anime can be a bit heavy with the drama if not sickly sweet with the female friendship, but if you are in the mood for something a little more comical and would like to see things from a fan’s point of view, OshiBudou has it covered.
If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die is a comical series following one obsessed female fan endlessly hyping (and stalking) the minor idol that she fell in love with.
Selection Project
Selection Project is, well, if you’ve seen other idol series, you’ve seen it before. It is just more of what you enjoy, but lacks any fun hooks to really set itself apart.
The plot of Selection Project follows a girl who has a weak heart and frazzled nerves, but who has always dreamed of being an idol. She gets her shot when she is invited to the Selection Project, a brutal series of competitions that have bred countless stars. While she dazzles on the stage with song, her nerves end up getting her disqualified until the winner gives up her spot to her because she feels she was more deserving.
D4DJ First Mix
D4DJ is an idol anime wearing DJ clothes.
The series follows a girl recently returning from Africa to Japan in order to attend a school well-known for producing great DJ groups. From there, I think you can guess what happens. She joins a group of girls, they form a DJ unit, aim for stardom, ect.
Dropout Idol Fruit Tart
It isn’t that Dropout Idol Fruit Tart tells a new story, but it tells a familiar story with a new attitude to it. The series offers a more comedic look at idols struggling on their rags-to-riches journey.
Dropout Idol Fruit Tart follows a newly formed idol group that discovers, though their brand is established, they are broke-ass broke as a group and on the verge of being disbanded. Now, they must struggle to fame like any other idol group, but with the distinct motivation of needing to pay off a massive debt in order to survive to be stars.
Shine Post
Instead of following the rag-to-riches journey from the very beginning, Shine Post follows the rise of a long-established middling idol group on the verge of disbandment.
Floundering in mediocrity, the idol unit, TiNgs is given an ultimatum – fill 2,000 seats at their anniversary concert, or be disbanded. This seems impossible for them, but they manage to recruit a jaded young manager to help their cause.
League of Nations Air Force Aviation Magic Band Luminous Witches
With a title I get tired just reading, League of Nations Air Force Aviation Magic Band Luminous Witches offers a very Symphogears-meets-Strike Witches twist on the idol genre.
In this series, humanity is fighting off aliens, and a retired witch in the army proposes that she form a “music squadron” to boost morale. While its premise is belittles it, this series is also a war anime and does inject a surprising amount of emotional impact that makes it both different from its peers and worth watching.
Music Girls
With a title that blends into the mass, Music Girls isn’t a series that sets itself apart from other idol anime in any profound way, but it does do idol things in a likable way.
Music Girl follows a struggling idol group as they try for success. Their latest strategy is to bring in a new girl. What follows is, honestly, more CGDCT than idol struggle, but the character personalities are likable and that is usually what people come for in this genre.
Idol Incidents
Finally, some good new idol hook. It has been so long since we had a truly inventive one, but Idol Incidents is here to save the day!
In Idol Incidents, Japan is a hot mess – politically speaking. To combat the rising discontent over unaddressed issues, politicians are replaced with idol political groups who support each district with the power of song and dance.
The premise is laughably odd, and is designed to make you laugh. However, don’t expect it to be too serious about political issues.
Do you have more idol anime recommendations about cute girl groups? Let fans know in the comments section below.
