Xenoglossia

Xenoglossia is Evangelion

This, at this point, has obviously been picked on, but for my own records I decided to write this down. Megavideos is a bitch and won’t let me finish the series in a god-blessed long weekend. Oh well, I was busy with COD anyways. Basically, Idolmaster Xenoglossia, which in itself isn’t a good series but isn’t a bad series, is an eerie copy of Eva. You have depressed children, Shinji Syndrome (in at least every character), the Captain (who is cool), Misato/Azusa, and the friend on the outside. I mean, even the basic set up of the bridge bunnies is similar; two girls one guy in Xenoglossia vs two guys one girl in Eva. Granted, Yukiho breaks the balance in Xenoglossia, but that’s not all. Yes, I know that a lot of series tried to copy Eva after its huge success, but Xenoglossia at times does it too well.

First are the iDols, basically created shortly after a major disaster, namely, the Lost Artemis incident where the moon was blown up and meteors crashed down on the Earth. Eva, as we all know, has Second Impact, which ravaged the Earth from space and instigated the invention of the Evangelion, born directly of Adam’s shape. The iDols are also of extraterrestrial design, and though the origin is fundamentally different, the basic concept is the same. Also, while we still have Second Impact/Lost Artemis in our heads, both series feature extended shots of a part of Japan that’s underwater.

Back to the iDols, which are also housed under the city, they are also sentient (not if you’re Makoto) giant robots capable of feeling and personality. Where the iDols differ is that Imber is a gigantic pervert and enjoys looking at Haruka. Haruka, disturbingly enough, reciprocates these feelings. Mechaphilia is weird guys. While Evas are the souls of mothers housed into a plug, iDols are children growing up. Both are capable of bursts of power well beyond what was reasonably understood, both are capable of synchronizing and rejecting pilots, and both are subject to harmonics tests.

The Mondenkind organization, altProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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ugh it should be more reasonable Japan based due to Japan’s inability to shoot missiles at asteroids (which makes absolutely no sense at all, but hey I respect international policy), has branches in America and Europe. Thinking on it now, it would be more reasonable to spread the fate of mankind across the globe and have support in America and Europe, thus reaching out to a greater workforce and allowing for more data to flow in. NERV is similar, having branches in the same places, etc etc. Within the operations sector you have a captain (Joeseph in the IXG corner, Gendou in the NGE corner), a vice captain (snarky asshole Saku in IXG, Fuyutsuki in NGE), an operations commander (Azusa in IXG, Misato in NGE; both have big boobs), and bridge bunnies (Sorewa, Naraba, and Naze in IXG; Maya, meganeto, and closet fag in NGE). THE MAIN MAINTENANCE CHARACTERS ARE BOTH NAMED RITSUKO. But IXG Ritsuko was most likely named before Xenoglossia without Xenoglossia in mind, so no points.

Haruka, Iori, Makoto, and arguably Chihaya are all Shinji. Haruka less so than Iori, Makoto and arguably Chihaya because she’s such a ditz and no so much depressed. I forgot Yukiho, but her Shinji Syndrome only lasted about an episode anyways. But yandere Makoto wins the prize for not getting enough praise from a higher figure and absolutely bawling about it when she does get affection from Azusa, who is as much a bitch as Iori and Makoto. And then, being happy, MAKOTO GETS SHOT DOWN and leaves Mondenkind. That was a slap to the face of proportions so amazing we were all expecting it but at the same time not really. Seriously, I think Ami was half-right; iDols make you bitchy, not sad. And speaking of Iori, why couldn’t Odeko Sunshine be voiced by KugiRie like she was in the game? It makes tsundere that much more believable.

Now the scenarios is what gets me here. One of the last things I watched in Xenoglossia is the attempt to retrieve

I just watched the last episode of Xenoglossia, and I came out of it asserting that Xenoglossia was more good than bad, despite the obvious copies. I can honestly say I enjoyed it for someone who otherwise had very minimal exposure to IdolM@ster, because when you look at it with a little bit of research, the characters don’t rely too hard upon their in-game personalities, and even then it wouldn’t be too much of an issue.

All in all, it was a decent series. I realize that a lot of people might find it forgettable (I’ll forget about it, but when I remember it I’ll have some fond memories, at least) and average at best, but when you overthink shit like I do everything begins to grow on you. Though, it was a huge effort to actually finish that last episode when I splurged. There is one complaint I will put down as unforgiveable, one that I thought of and realized was the ultimate frustration for me; what happened to everyone else after Imber saves the world? Haruka and Yayoi continue being idols, but what about Iori, who fought to have Nebula accept her after so long simply to watch him sacrifice himself not even a month later? Or the Futami twins, what happened with them? Yukiho, who never really had closure; the rest of Mondenkind, now out of work; Saku (not that I really care)? My biggest question has to be of the character I was most ambivalent about; Makoto, who spent her whole life with the now operationally defunct Mondenkind piloting the now nonexistent iDols, what will she do now, now that Azusa’s dead? LET US WRITE FANFICTION LETTERS OF COMPLAINT.

ARBITRARY LIST TIME. NOW.

Favorite Idolmaster Idols (Wait a few weeks for my obsession to fade, but it’s a little sickening)
1. Amami Haruka (“He’s my boyfriend,” despite dangerous claims of mechaphilia, turned IXG into a love story for me)
2. Miura Azusa (I honestly don’t know why.)
3. Kisaragi Chihaya (AOIIIII TORIIIIII, don’t even talk to me about Xenoglossia Chihaya’s strange fringe thing)
4. Takatsuki Yayoi (The Xenoglossia one; “Yoyoyoyo”)
5. Hagiwara Yukiho (Xenoglossia one’s dangerously narcoleptic to a comedic extent.)

Can I ask why Miki was the only idol who didn’t show up? Interesting, non?

I wrote this two weeks ago. Now I’m suitably equipped to talk about the differences between Xenoglossia and The iDOLM@STER. Sort of. Not really. I’m going off the iMas wiki here, and what I can see.

Amami Haruka: iM@s Haruka is very happy, and her hair is not as cool as Xenoglossia Haruka’s. Xenoglossia Haruka is very sad and suffers from Shinji Syndrome: Self-Confidence. Xenoglossia Haruka is a little delusional at times, though, and we see it most when Yukiho leaves to go become Chihaya’s *** *****; she also still suffers from that self-confidence issue, which makes her, to say the least, an interesting character that had potential come the idol arc.

Minase Iori: She is not a crazy loli in Xenoglossia; in fact, comparing Xenoglossia Iori to iM@s Iori will probably be the biggest. Hair color, body size, personality, general physical appearance, outlook on life; Iori’s character changed almost completely. She retains an inferiority complex, but gets over it when she finally is given clearance to make love to Nebula. Xenoglossia Iori is one of my favorite characters; she’s blunt but tsundere, and she deals with touchy situations in a way that’s both bold and honest. She isn’t a hypocrite, and deals with her own problems just as harshly as she does with Haruka’s. I think. Maybe? iM@s Iori, on the other hand, seems like token Rie Kugimiya tsundere loli character who looks cute. Serious guys, Xenoglossia Iori looks like a goblin sometimes, especially since she’s always angry. iDols have already made her bitchy. Shinji Syndrome: Rejection, by the way. By Nebula and all, but she becomes the Asuka of the series, kicking major ******* *** in the form of too many god damn Epimetheuses.

Kikuchi Makoto: A total personality flip. I wasn’t really much of a fan of Xenoglossia Makoto until her Shinji Syndrome: Superior Acceptance kicks in. Then I was all “d’awwwwwww yerstillabitch.” But then she got hit by termination and I sort of sympathized with her; having Azusa do it was simply too harsh, since Xenoglossia Azusa is a bitch. On that note, iM@s Azusa would’ve just forgotten. iM@s Makoto is a happy boy-girl, so I see, and I like that, but Hiems is a BAMF with metal-plate boobies and unlimited ammo.

Miura Azusa: The first time iM@s has prevailed over Xenoglossia, soz. iM@s Azusa is just too cute! And serious Azusa is too serious; after introducing Haruka to Mondenkind she immediately stuck a rod up her ass and kept it there. And then they had Xenoglossia Azusa with that old scientist guy. Mechaphilia is bad, but somehow the only actual human romance repulsed me. Well, only human romance besides Ritsuko’s affection for Yayoi’s penguin boobies.

Takatsuki Yayoi: Yoyoyoyo~ I like Xenoglossia Yayoi; she’s older, cooler, not a strange glutton loli, and not a 13 year old idol. Sorry if you like that. I don’t have much more to say, really, since she’s a minor character who only ever shows up while wearing a costume. But Xenoglossia Yayoi was one of my favorite characters.

Hagiwara Yukiho: Had potential to succeed in Xenoglossia, but fell amazingly short. She had the best potential for a mental breakdown, characterization, strengthening, etc etc etc. Well, Chihaya got the break down, but okay. Really, for some reason Yukiho doesn’t appeal to me as a character in either version, but Xenoglossia more than iM@s because I’m biased like that, but both versions have a tick that I really like. Xenoglossia Yukiho has violent narcolepsy; yea, you tell that loud and bitchy Iori to shut the hell up with that steak, Sleepy-chan. iM@s Yukiho has a propensity to be really moe by claiming she’ll dig holes. HNNNNNNG.

Akizuki Ritsuko: I have nothing to say here really, I’m least familiar with Ritsuko overall.

Futami Ami/Mami: Ami was simply uninteresting in Xenoglossia; she was accused of being a Sue, and god dammit, maybe she was after all. She was too quiet and boring. Though, when she was hit by ZA WARUDO at the slaughter of the technicians (one of the most chilling scenes, it marked a step up in the pace of the series), I was wholly intrigued by what would happen to her; nothing. Mami, on the other hand, held more points simply because she could be seen as a personification of the iDols; children who know what’s up but at the same time not really. Okay, not really. Also, Mami’s voice actress sounded a lot cooler than Ami’s. I guess I was just fed up with Ami and was glad that Mami wasn’t just like her. iM@s Futamis win because Shimoda Asami does a great job with them. Listen to Danketsu, towards the end the Futami twins come on. That voice is so good, and that’s why it’s also Len/Rin’s. I really like Rin’s voice.

Kisaragi Chihaya: That hair fringe on Xenoglossia Chihaya’s head really disturbed me for some reason, and for an extremely long time I found myself staring at that thing. Chihaya, though, I thought had the best dramatic twist to her, besides Makoto’s slap to the face. She fucking sleeps naked with Imber. She goes crazy and alienates Yukiho, who devoted her life to not having a friend like Haruka and becoming Chihaya’s hand-fetish slave. She’s the tragic, misled villain who dies for the wrong reason in the end. Chihaya, hair fringe and super pads aside, was probably my favorite character to hate simply because she goes ******* **sane. Mechaphilia in the bad sense.

Hoshii Miki: Wait, shit, she didn’t exist. With some thought, you could probably say R.I.F.F.A. was the closest we got to Miki. They both are blond, young, speak in the third person, fawn over whomever is managing them, and are pretty much carefree. Except R.I.F.F.A. is hard to type, a ******* *xe murderer, and, as Karasu puts it nicely, we want to chop her legs off.

Naraba Daido: was voiced by Daisuke Ono, making him somewhat equivalent to Hosaka but not really because Hosaka is his grandfather. And Koizumi is his grandmother. Eeeew, incest. But seriously, he gets my vote for being Producer.

Joeseph Shingetsu: is awesome.