(the) Road to the Deep East

(continues from Part2. Part1)
Just like the player character, idols who appear in this game has three kinds of parameters. The idols appear in this game as a group, so, each idol has each parameters.

Love
The parameter which indicates how much the idol loves the player. When this parameter becomes maximum..?

Fame
How well the idol is know as a musician. The more this fame goes, the more events they can have, and more 'event mode' players can enjoy. However, when the idol group becomes too famous, the difficulty to reserve tickets or win the lottery to get them also rises. It depends on players's choice, but when you think the idol group you love is 'too' famous, you'll have to do something to drag their legs.

Stress
Idol business is not easygoing one. They are always pressured by record companies who requires money like salary-men, and they are also troubled with personal problems just like other students of their age. This parameter is hidden one. Players can't know exact value of this parameter. No matter how much they have mental problems, they will be just smiling and say 'Arigatou gozaimasu!!' to you. However, when she feels she doesn't want to get involved in this business and otakus anymore, she will suddenly leave this business for a 'health problem' or 'educational reason', without saying good-by to you. So, as a fan, player has to make efforts to ease their pain.

'Event mode' is a mode to control thee idol's parameters. On the event day, as a fan, can enjoy four kinds of events related to idol musician. And the action you choose on this time can influence idol girl's 'Love', 'Fame', and Stress. And in each event, player can enjoy some 'mini-game' just like original Idol M@ster. So, when you want to control the idol group as you like, you have finish these mini games perfectly. When your 'fame' and oather parameters are high, the effect of your action will be more bigger, too.

1. Concert
This event mode is very similar to the system of 'THE IDOL M@STER LIVE 4 U'. With the music, in a beat-mania esque style, by pressing buttons, you can do some Wota geis. Before the song starts, you have to choise which wota-gei you do, and allocate them to each buttons of your controller. The maximum is 10 wota geis.


You also have to care about Time, Place, and Occasion of the concert and songs before you do otagei. When you do too much wota-geis in sad ballad, or at the place common people also can see, no matter how you win at the mini-game, the fame and love from idol girls will just get down.

2. Handshake meeting
Sometime, this event is taken place together with concert. First, you have to choose how much items (they sell) at this event. Needless to say, the more you purchase the CD copies or photobooks, the more you can handshake with idols.

In each handshake, first few seconds will be allocated to you, and in these seconds, you can enjoy the conversation and communication with her. When the idol is not so popular, this time can be long, but when the idols becomes famous, the time for this handshake will become shorter. (You can give some presents to please idols, too.)


And when the time runs out, staffs comes to you, and try to get rid of you. If you aren't satisfied, by pressing 'X' button hard, you can resit and talk with her a little longer. However, if you do this action too much, it's sure you'll get bad reputation among fans.

3. Photo shooting
This also can be taken place with a concert. You can take the photo with idol girls. The photo will be saved, and you can enjoy them later. When the idol is not so famous, this event will be taken place frequently.

However, when the idol becomes nationally famous, the fee you have to pay for one handshake will shoot up. You may have to go abroad with the group, paying 200,000 yens.

4. TV(radio) recording
You can go and attend the recording of TV show or radio show. In this mini-game, you have choose proper reaction with the progress of the show. For example, when the idol girl said some jokes, you have to 'Laugh'. When the idol girl told some sad tales, you ave to 'Cry'. And to encourage the idol girl, you sometimes have to applause or chant their names.

If you chose proper actions, the show will success and the fame of idol girls will raise. However, when you made mistakes too much, it will just spoil the show, and you and your idol won't be invited to this show again. Then 'love' from idol girls and 'fame' will just decrease badly.


...
Basically, WotaM@s will continue by repeating 'Daily Mode' and 'Event Mode'.

There will be more 'special events' with the progress of the game. For example, When the fame becomes high, the idol group may be invited to the foreign country. And when the 'love' from idol girl becomes high and you are lucky enough, you will be invited to one-day dating with an idol girl.

But where's the goal of this WotaM@S??

It's a mult-ending game, so after one year in this game, with the parameter and actions you selected, you will see various defferent endings. In the next entry, I'd like to explain about them, and how you can get the one in detail.

(continues to Part4)

(continues from Part1)
THE IDOL OTAKU M@STER consists of two parts. 'Daily (Life) Mode' , and 'Event Mode'.

In Daily Mode, the player decides what he does in his free time.

Daily Mode


Freelancer can use 7 full days a week, but office worker can only 2 full days and some extra a week.
Event Mode


And 'Event Mode', you can actually go to the event can enjoy it. For example, concerts, radio recording, and handshake meetings.

In this entry, I'd like to introduce the details of 'Daily Mode'.

--
Not only 5 initial parameters (Body, Strength, Intelligence, Sociability, Charisma), there are four parameters which changes with the progress of the game.

Fame
Your fame as an idol otaku. There are two kinds of fame, good one and bad one. When you do something bad at concerts or events, you'll get a bad reputation, and get involved in some troubles with other fans. When fame becomes plus, you can change your class. To become more otaku of higher level is one of purposes of this Wota-M@S.


Money
The allowance which you can spend for idols. When you choose 'Office worker' in the beginning, 200,000 yens will be automatically charged a months, but freelancers have to earn this somehow in another way.
Love
How much you love the idol. (Don't get confused. It doesn't mean how much you are loved by the idol. )
Hit Points
Just like other RPG or simulations, when this value becomes zero, you'll be dead, or get sick.

'Daily mode' is a main part of this game. Everyday, you have to choose one or two things you do on that day. There are two kinds of actions. Some requires one whole day while others just require a half day.

As I mentioned above, freelancers can use all 7 days a week, so they can choose all events everyday. However, Office workers can use 2 days on Saturday and Sunday. From Monday to Friday, office workers can choose only the ones which consumes 0.5 days. (sometimes, at random, they have to work overtime and can not select any. )

And with the action you select, the parameters will be changed.

For example,
Baito(part time job)
(Strength ↑up, money↑up, Body↑up, HP↓down )
For freelancer, this is the only way to earn the allowance. When the character's parameters are high, the ammount of money he can earn becomes higher.
Shopping (Shibuya)
(money↓down, Strength↓down, Intelligence↓down, Charisma↑up)
To make yourself fashionable, go to Shibuya and purchase some fashionable clothes . You don't have to choose this option when you want to be a realistic idol otaku. You can purchase some presents for idols, too.
Shopping (Akihabara)
(money↓down, Strength↓down, Intelligence↓down, Charisma↓down)
To make yourself unfashionable, go to Akihabara and purchases some hentai games. You don't have to choose this option, but when you think your intelligence and charisma is not necessary for your life, you can choose this option. You can buy some useful items there, too.
Play with otakus
(money↓down, Sociability↑up, Fame↑up, HP↑up)
Go out with other otakus. Your name will be recognized by other otakus.)
Rest
(HP↑up)
Idol Event
Go to idol events, and 'Event mode' starts.(Details will be cleared in the next entry.)

The actions above require one whole day, so Office workers can choose them only twice a week. And the actions bellow consumes 0.5 days. You can use 2 of these when you can use one whole day for idols.

(Caution: The rest of this entry contains an obscene picture. Confirm that you are alright to see those pictures before you click 'Read more' )

For International Wotas – or, people who are living in foreign countries and interested in Japanese idol music, the wild behavior of Japanese idol otakus must be　a pretty unknown world. Especially, their very unique behavior at the concert hall called 'Wota-gei' can't be compared with any other cultures in this universe.

Thanks to the Internet, especially youtube, now their ecology is revealed little by little, and it seems some foreign idol fans have already begun to practice and enjoy wota-gei with other idol pop fans. However, the joy to do wota-gei at concert hall in front of the living idol girls can't be experienced in other countries except for Japan. And if they do it at the concerts of the idols (or young female singers) from their original country, I'm sure they'll be taken to the police, or a mental hospital.

But now, another Japanese products gives you a perfect simulation of wota-gei. Idol M@ser Live 4 U.


Needless to say, this video game from X-BOX is a sequel of Idol M@ster, which is a simulation game to bring up an idol girl as a producer. In this sequel, a player can direct the live concert of these virtual idols characters as a representative of fans. And during the virtual concert, you can 'support' these girls, with wota gei, in a beatmania-esque style.

Seeing ins believing. Clip from youtube. (from 2:58)
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=xAYDO477w5A


As you can see, when I watched this clip, I couldn't help laughing out loud, as an ex-idol otaku, because it simulates the wota-gei from idol otakus in a perfect way. And the part of the song they do wota-gei and which wota-gei to do then are also perfect. With this game, it's sure you can understand the exact and realistic wota-gei, and learn a lot.

However, as an ex-idol wota, I have to say again, this virtual wota-gei is the only realistic point of L4U or, Idol M@ster series. Especially, the previous Idol M@Ster are filled with a lot of fictions, which doesn't reflect the real idol culture in Japan.

For example, in Idol M@ster, TV appearance is the only way to increase the number of fans. No matter how they do live concerts or promotional activities, the number won't be increased at all. The creators should know, how difficult it is for a minor idol groups to make a TV appearance. Even Perfume took almost 5 years. In addition, sometimes they receive the presents from fans and the producer can use them as equipments for idol girls. However, as far as I know, these presents are usually discarded as soon as possible, because they suspect the fan may attach some improper materials on the clothes.

Then, I'd like to advocate more realistic simulation for the sequel of this series. Namely, Idol Otaku M@Ster. In this Wota-M@S, people can enjoy more realistic simulation of idol world in Japan, as a Japanese idol otaku.

Just in case, all rights of these ideas belongs to ME so when Bandai-Namuko is interested in this sequel, please pay one billion yens to me.

To begin with, I'd like to introduce the opening of this game.