20 anime similar to THE IDOLM@STER Side M based on genre, format, studio, and popularity
Looking for anime similar to THE IDOLM@STER Side M? Here are 10 anime recommendations that share similar themes, genres, or storytelling styles.
We selected these anime based on shared genres (Music), similar narrative structures, comparable art styles, and positive fan overlap. If you enjoyed THE IDOLM@STER Side M, these series should appeal to your taste.
Piano prodigy Arima Kousei dominated the competition and all child musicians knew his name. But after his mother, who was also his instructor, passed away, he had a mental breakdown while performing at a recital. This resulted in him no longer being able to hear the sound of his piano playing. Two years later, Kousei hasn’t touched the piano and views the world without any flair or color. He was content at living out his life with his good friends Tsubaki and Watari until, one day, a girl changed everything. Miyazono Kaori is a pretty, free spirited violinist whose playing style reflects her personality. Kaori helps Kousei return to the music world and show that it should be free and mold breaking unlike the structured and rigid style Kousei was used to.
Our protagonist, Sumisora Tsubasa, just got a job as a new A&R person at Gandala Music, one of the biggest record companies in the business. Almost like it was a trap, as soon as she started with the company, she was put in charge of the idol unit, "B-PROJECT." Being in charge of B-PROJECT meant that she was in charge of the three groups, "Kitakore," "THRIVE," and "MooNs." Because this is her first job, things don't go that well and she's faced with various trouble and accidents. Be ambitious along with the ten BOYS who are all very different! (Source: Crunchyroll)
Six Gravity and Procellarum are two rival male idol groups who happen to live in the same dorm. Six Gravity is made up of young men who represent the months of December to May, while Procellarum’s members represent June to November. Follow the daily lives of these twelve young men as they deal with the stresses of idol-hood, school, and living together. With music by famous Vocaloid producers! (Source: FUNimation)
One day, Miu Takigawa suddenly receives a letter notifying her that she has been chosen as a member of a brand-new project. Half in disbelief, she heads over to the location stated on the letter. There, she finds seven other girls summoned there in the same fashion. The girls behold a giant, top-secret facility. They stand in bewilderment as they are told: "You are going to debut for a major record label as an idol group." A new kind of idol, never-before-seen, is about to be born here… (Source: Aniplex of America)
Beautiful immortals have gathered in Harajuku to compete for a grand prize: Immense power! For years now the artists behind worldly culture and music have secretly been vampires, including those who produce Visual Kei. Now, they perform their most beautiful songs in the hallowed grounds of the Prison under the Scarlet Moon.(Source: Funimation)
Ichigo Hoshimiya is a regular, ordinary middle school girl. But when her best friend, Aoi, invites her to join the idol training academy, Starlight Academy, her whole world is turned upside down. As she encounters all kinds of rivals and learns what it takes to be an idol, she uses her Aikatsu Cards to challenge countless auditions. (Source: Anime News Network)
Although the idol group TiNgS is chasing after big dreams, so far their accomplishments have only been small — and now, suddenly, they're facing a potential break up! Hope seems lost, but when a new manager with a special skillset takes them under his wing, the members of TiNgS find themselves shooting for the stars all over again. (Source: Sentai Filmworks) Note: The first episode had an advanced screening at Tokyo's Yamano Hall on May 14, 2022.
Based on an idol-training mobile game produced by Liber Entertainment and Pony Canyon.The brand-new voice actor office "AiRBLUE" has no track record or experience. Aspiring voice actors with rich individuality are signed on to the office. They do their best to achieve their dreams, but it's a tough world out there. No matter how much they practice, not everyone will pass the audition.(Source: Anime News Network)
The war against invading aliens can’t be won by missiles alone! Team morale matters just as much as launching a counterassault, and that’s where Ginny and her friends come in. Instead of standing on the front lines with the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, the Luminous Witches of the League of Nations Air Force bring smiles to civilians displaced in the human-Neuroi war world with thrilling song and dance — not to mention aerial displays the likes of which the music world has never seen! While they might be non-combatants, these performers know the value of preserving the people’s smiles, and they’ll fight in their unique way to make sure those smiles never fade. (Source: Sentai Filmworks)
Theater has taken the entire world by storm in the 20th century, and teenager Kokona Ohtori aims to take the big stage. Performers who shine the brightest are called Dai Stars, and for Kokona, her first step into stardom is auditioning for the prominent theater troupe—Sirius. As she cultivates her unique sense for the stage, a story of passion and aspiration unfolds in this super-theater age. (Source: Crunchyroll)
There are many idols with long-established talent agency 346 Production. And now the company is starting a new program, the Cinderella Project! Girls leading normal lives... They are chosen to be aspiring idols and see another world for the first time in this Cinderella story. Can they all climb the stairs that lead to the palace? The magic begins now... (Source: Daisuki)
The second season of THE iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls.
The third season of Uta no☆Prince-sama. Haruka Nanami now works under Shining, the same agency with ST☆RISH and veteran idol group QUARTET NIGHT. With an upcoming international sports event looking for performers for its opening ceremony, fierce competitions between idols are surely expected.
After the war, women have taken over ruling politics in the Chuo ward and have banned and destroyed weapons. This has caused men to fight through rap battles using Hypnosis Mics, which can be used to affect people's sympathetic nerves and influence their thought process. However, the legendary rap group, The Dirty Dawg, has split up into four groups, each representing a division of Tokyo, Japan and are engaging in territorial battles using words and the HypMics. (Source: Anime News Network)
The fourth season of Uta no☆Prince-sama.The six members of ST☆RISH, who have made their shocking idol debut, and Nanami Haruka, who has just begun her career as a composer, have advanced to Saotome Academy's master course. As they continue their lessons in earnest to learn how to be top idols and composers, they join Shining Agency and begin to work as entertainers. But before that, some senpai idols and strange foreign idols with a few odd habits stand before them, and they end up getting dragged into the race for a mysterious "Newcomer Award."(Source: Crunchyroll)
Entering her Master's course, Nanami Haruka is facing an even more difficult time. And she isn't the only one. The main six members of Starish are assigned new seniors to watch over them! But the seniors aren't having the best attitudes about it. Watch Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji LOVE 2000% and find yourself completely engaged in a whole new adventure mixed in with comedy and romance!
With dreams of becoming a composer and someday writing a song for her favorite idol, Haruka enters the Saotome Academy, a prestigious performing arts school. If successful there, she’ll be able to join the Shining Agency after graduation. However, it won’t be so easy when Haruka is already surrounded by potential idols and composers. On top of that, her homeroom teacher is a current idol, the headmaster was a record-breaking singer, and the academy itself is a chaotic place where anything can happen. Which prince of song will be paired up with Haruka?! Uta no Prince Sama is an exciting, coming-of-age romantic comedy that will be like sweet music to your eyes and ears! (Source: NicoNico)
In a lonely corner of the world, on the edge of No Man’s Land, sits Clocktower Fortress. It’s home to the 1121st Platoon of the Helvetian Army, and their newest member is a 15-year-old volunteer named Kanata Sorami, who enlisted to learn how to play the bugle. When she was a child, Kanata was saved by a beautiful soldier and found inspiration in the clear, golden sound of her trumpet. From that day forward, Kanata decided music would be her life. As the other platoon members train her how to be a bugler and a soldier, Kanata's enduring optimism will inspire them to look for happiness and beauty, even in a world haunted by war. (Source: Right Stuf, Inc.)
OVA bundled with the 11th Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso manga volume. The OVA focuses on Kousei, Emi and Takeshi when they were younger, showing their troubles during their competitions and the beginning of their rivalry. (Source: Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso Wikia)
765 Production Studio manages the unique talents of 13 professional idols as they slowly make their way to the top and become country-wide celebrities. But the girls' journey is far from just fun and games: hard work, sweat, and tears are some of the prerequisites needed to flourish in this industry—and for 765 Pro in particular, a watchful eye out for their rival, the infamous 961 Production. As the girls' fame grows, however, their time together as a family diminishes, and now the very popularity they sought is threatening to tear them apart. A difficult balance of work and bonding must be achieved, or they risk everyone going their separate ways. The personal and professional ordeals of these idols can't be conquered alone, but with each other's loving support, any obstacle or hardship can be overcome!