Just want to talk about the now-ongoing voting for the next round of outfit SR cards for Theater Days. Happy Christmas, New Years, and cheers to another day commemorating the late civil rights leader.
For background and recap, the mobile-rhythm-idol-gacha game IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE: Theater Days (MLTD hence) has an election where players can earn ballots and vote for one of the 5 choices of outfits to be available (in gacha, but at least it’s not impossible to get for free) to be implemented in game later on. The second election has started today featuring the same 5 outfit choices from last election in 2019. Like last time, the voting is separated by each idol, but the choices are the same: a spring “one-piece” dress, a “china outfit” dress, some kind of swimsuit, a waitress or “maid” outfit, and whatever “sexy spy” meant. Spirited debate between players did occur in 2019 and will occur again, although every character now only as 4 choices as 1 of them have been implemented. Overall it took about a year for everyone’s Closet SR to be added to the game, although some were faster than others. It took about another year for the Closet cards to be added to the medal pool (free to play pool). There has been like 3 support tickets since in which you could have picked it up, so I don’t think it’s particularly egregious, given that the voting itself is part of the fun.
Unlike 2019’s election, we now actually know what the outfits look like and what the card art looks like, as well as the gist of the commu you get from pulling the card. This has further lowered the stakes of the Closet voting “game,” but the long wait time since 2019 means there’s still some significant incentive for Producers to rally up behind their ideal outfits. To me, a core aspect of IDOLM@STER game series is collecting the various outfits, so this event keeps being relevant to many players, yet still in a way that is “gloves on” versus, say, the annual Cinderella Elections. No P loses out on anything important in the end.
Thanks to Fleur from one of the MLTD discords I can read some tea leaves after the initial hours of voting, and give my own opinions on all of them. I will also highlight some meta undercurrents, as they say. This is super early impressions, so things will change!
The 2019 election breakdown was:
Spring One-Piece: 14
China Dress: 21
Swimsuit: 2
“Maid“: 10
Spy: 5
For one, there were some close battles from the first election that will leave the losing team seek re-election. I think most of them will end up winning, especially the second place outfits that were, as I put it, “on the right side of history.” Not every character’s Spring Dress or China Outfit looked good, I think that’s the big lesson learned. Only two idols selected the swimsuit, and waitress was significantly under-elected given people didn’t know what it really was. Both of those outfit categories can run a wide range, but now we know what they are. That being said, I’m still not sure if anyone else would look as good in that specific swimsuit as Karen.
To sum it up, though, the overall trend this year will be Maid versus One Piece. This would be the default template to break out of, whatever the P-hiveminds decide for each idol. Part of it is the aforementioned dynamics from 2019, but part of it is just math, as the possible choices are reduced.
I will walk the rest through one by one, with my favorite pick for each, plus what I project the eventual winner is using the very limited, unreliable, current data. Disclaimer: this is extremely preliminary data from less than a day’s worth of voting. Things will definitely change for some of these, especially ones projecting for One Piece dress.
Haruka: Overwhelming broke for One Piece in 2019, will she have the second cutest outfit as winner? My pick: Maid. Project: Maid.
Chihaya: The joke is that the maid outfit, being the Anna Miller style, accentuates, uh, the running joke. My pick: Swimsuit. Project: Maid.
Miki: One Piece Miki won overwhelmingly because we know this eternally photogenic kinpatsu bishoujo can rock that outfit. The same logic holds now, as she will look great in anything. My pick: Swimsuit. Project: Spy.
Yukiho: Maid and One Piece Yukiho duked it out in 2019, so One Piece probably will get its revenge. My Pick: Swimsuit. Project: One Piece.
Yayoi: Chinese Yayoi is actually a surprising good combination from 2019, but she will probably continue to get service garments–will she get Spy before One Piece I really don’t think so, that said. Yeah, isn’t it classist to vote Maid? LOL. My Pick: Swimsuit. Project: Maid.
Makoto: Having more of a dog in this race, I went with China in 2019 because I knew One Piece wouldn’t suit her. The unfortunate thing was that I was right. Still, the player base here is hell bent on cute for Makoto, so they are leaning in Maid Makoto for this round. I’m a lot happier with this choice now that we know what kind of outfit it is. Honestly though Spy would be the best–Agent is a Makoto song right? My Pick: Spy. Project: Maid.
Iori: Maid in 2019, but somehow the producers are leaning away from One Piece? My Pick: One Piece. Project: Maid.
Takane: She really sold the Sexy Spy outfit along with Azusa last year. As usual TakanePs are the ones whose taste I align best among 765Ps, so she might get a swimsuit next year? My Pick: Swimsuit. Project: Swimsuit.
Ritsuko: Last year it was between Spy and China and China barely won. Now it’s coming down between Spy and One Piece, but I think Spy probably will win out in the end. My Pick: Maid. Project: Spy.
Azusa: She’s going to get One Piece this year after really made a big splash as Sexy Spy last time, with a close win. There’s a bit of a push for China but I think AzusaPs know about stuff like, balance? I hope? My Pick: One Piece. Project: One Piece.
Ami: One Piece outfit edged out China in 2019, so Ami will likely go back to China by that logic–except now it’s Swimsuit? Are Amimami Ps trying to outfit match? Those two will come down to the wire probably. My Pick: Maid. Project: Swimsuit/China.
Mami: The only other Swimsuit for 2019, she is likely going to outfit match One Piece in 2022. I think it was great that she got swimsuit last time, it really showcases the diversity of this fandom lol. In a sense, so will Mami getting One Piece this time. My Pick: Maid. Project: One Piece.
Hibiki: A race between China and One Piece last time, she now breaks hard for “maid” because it’s the perfect match for Shiawase no Recipe, maybe? There are maids and there is that classic Anna Miller vibe, you know? I think China is not quitting without a fight though, because it will match her on-model. My Pick: Maid. Project: Maid.
Mirai: Following Haruka and broke hard for One Piece in 2019, Mirai now has a push for Maid, just like Haruka. I think Mirai has no wrong choices here because her character is more versatile than most. My Pick: Swimsuit. Project: Maid.
Shizuka: Went with One Piece too last year, but I have a hard time pairing her with the remaining options. The voting currently breaks for Maid, and that definitely does work. But I think China is the funniest. My Pick: China. Project: Maid.
Tsubasa: Went China easily with Maid in second, so now she’s going Maid very hard. I think maybe that she has a spy-like card kind of alleviates that demand? My Pick: Swimsuit. Project: Maid.
Kotoha: One Piece came in second after China in 2019, but Maid is making that close for 2022. I think One Piece probably still will pull ahead because JP Ps are kind of predictable when it comes to this, especially when the outfit matches in some clear ways. My Pick: Swimsuit. Project: One Piece.
Elena: One Piece squeaked out a win vs China in 2019, which was probably for the best due to art and model fit. The hivemind is going Maid now in abandoning China. I guess Elena does cook? LMAO. My Pick: Swimsuit. Project: Maid.
Minako: China dress on Minako was the most obvious choice in the last election and now that’s off the table. I expect a close match between One Piece and Swimsuit. My Pick: Swimsuit. Project: One Piece.
Megumi: China dress was a force to be reckoned with last time, because people were going for it for characters that are ambiguously popular and stylish, letting their imagination fill in the gap. Megumi is a good example. I think One Piece will probably do the same for 2022 here, if Megumi is our weathervane. Maybe less that One Piece is popular as much as the other three options are a bit of a split vote? My Pick: Maid. Project: One Piece
Matsuri: Hime is my main dog in the race, but I wasn’t particularly invested in any options last year–as long as it’s not One Piece, partly because she already has a better One Piece outfit. I think majority of MatsuriPs agree, with One Piece coming in at a distant 3rd in 2019. Since then, she’s also gotten a pretty okay swimsuit outfit in 2020. So, that means Maid Matsuri right? My Pick: Spy. Project: Maid.
Serika: She’s always a troublesome one! That said I was glad China Serika won because that gives her something unusual at least. I think we’re going hard cute this time with either Maid or One Piece, and it will probably come down to the wire. My Pick: Spy. Project: Maid.
Akane: It is probably best to showcase the duality of Akane that she won One Piece in 2019, edging out China, but now is going Maid in 2022…showing the same one side: pure cute? That’s enough of a gap as is. My Pick: China. Project: Maid.
Anna: Ps got their daughter the One Piece, so we’re back to square one in 2022. It doesn’t help that China outfit would actually look good on Anna, so it’s going to come down to the wire here between that and Maid, which is a bit more traditional. My Pick: Maid. Project: Maid.
Roco: This creative won Maid in 2022 which made all the sense in a China-obsessed world. Now she’s getting One Piece, because other than the 30% of the core China dress fans in the game, that seems to be how the cards fall. My Pick: Swimsuit. Project: One Piece.
Yuriko: One Piece won handily in 2019, showing most Ps are still sane. Now it’s Maid versus China. You can definitely see less “split vote” happening here with the next cutest outfit on the lineup. I think either is fine given that One Piece Yuriko was disappointing. My Pick: Spy. Project: Maid.
Sayoko: The typical China case in 2019. It will come down to Maid and One Piece, and both suits her well. My Pick: Maid. Project: Maid.
Arisa: Arisa going Maid was one of the highlights for me in 2019. I think it’s a regression to go back to One Piece for her, but far from it for me to disagree with ArisaPs. The runner up this year is Spy which is more interesting to me personally. My Pick: Spy. Project: One Piece.
Umi: Umimi went with Maid in 2019, escaping the clutches of China by less than a percent of votes. She still looks good in China outfit, but One Piece seems to have spoken. It will come down the line between these. My Pick: China. Project: One Piece.
Iku: It’s not always so simple to know how existing card overlaps with the choices here can yield what results. Iku needed a waitress outfit and got one here, despite having cards for it. Or maybe, because she didn’t have an outfit despite having cards for it? One Piece Iku seems to be leading in 2019, overwhelmingly. Spy somehow has the next up, but Iku votes are probably too early to say. My Pick: One Piece. Project: One Piece.
Tomoka: The Holy Mother went China in 2019, but she will probably gain the One Piece outfit this year because, well, she is the Holy Mother. Frankly the personality/visual gap for Tomoka is quite strong and it will work with any outfit that’s not One Piece, so it’s a statement vote here. My Pick: Spy. Project: One Piece.
Emily: The British weeb won China dress, which is oddly very fitting. I think Maid is just the EmilyP’s second choice so she will likely land there in 2022. I mean you can’t deny that a Westerner in an Anna Miller outfit does a thing for this demo. My Pick: Swimsuit. Project: Maid.
Shiho: Shiho got her One Piece last time, leaning heavily and was a bit of an outlier. Marching to their own rhythm, ShihoPs are looking at the Maid choice seriously and it makes sense. It also seems odd that all the China dress vote went away, because I don’t think it would be a bad match. My Pick: China. Project: Maid.
Ayumu: The returnee got the Maid outfit in 2019, and that was a great fit (eeking out China dress by a few tens of a percent). This time there’s about equal push for One Piece as China. I don’t know which would win, but it does reflect well the duality of this character and her producers. My Pick: China. Project: One Piece.
Hinata: Her 2019 race probably will mirror many other 2022 races. It was down the wire between Maid and One Piece where Maid won by a bit. I don’t see how One Piece will lose this year, but I think the other outfits would expand Hinata’s character more than either 2019 frontrunners. Spy is a nice second option, that said. My Pick: China. Project: One Piece.
Kana: Maid convincingly won in 2019, and One Piece has taking a big lead in 2022. It’s likely that is game, set, winner for this one. Frankly, does anyone want to see Kana in any of the other 3 outfits? It is a question I don’t have an answer for. My Pick: China. Project: One Piece.
Nao: Nao got a China outfit was unsurprising for 2019 (with >66% of votes), but following up with a Maid outfit is also surprisingly unsurprising. I think this is going to also come down to One Piece and Maid. My choice: Spy. Project: Maid.
Chizuru: It was between Maid and China in 2019, but this year it’s… One Piece and Spy? Anyone is game I think so far. My Pick: China. Project: Spy
Konomi: China Konomi was a duplicate in a way because she has a SSR China dress as well, so now we have Spy in 2019. For 2022, the options seem to come down to Maid vs One Piece again. At least for this matchup, I don’t think I a better outcome could really come from it. My Pick: One Piece. Project: Maid.
Tamaki: Tamaki is following the One Piece->Maid pattern from 2019 to 2022. I think Spy or Swimsuit would be more interesting though. My Pick: Spy. Project: Maid.
Fuka: Fuka also went Spy in 2022 along with Azusa and Takane, but she will likely go One Piece this time, and probably for the best. My Pick: One Piece. Project: One Piece.
Miya: Miya went China and now we’re back to decide between One Piece and Maid. My Pick: Spy. Project: One Piece
Noriko: Noriko China was an easy pick in 2019 but now One Piece is going up against Maid and also Spy. I think this is a better illustration of that “split vote” effect between Spy and Maid. One Piece Noriko actually would be a slight variation to her normal style though, so that’s commendable. My Pick: Swimsuit. Project: One Piece.
Mizuki: Makabe is mostly back to the One-Piece train after electing China in 2019. Another case where the P-dom has to decide between having a race between Maid and One Piece or something else. My Pick: Spy. Project: One Piece.
Karen: Being the daring swimsuit card from last time, we might have a dynamic that’s more interesting than going back to 2019. Karen swimsuit did pay off, so maybe she can pull a Miki and do a great One Piece this year–or any other card really. My Pick: Spy. Project: One Piece.
Rio: Spy Rio was good, but One Piece will likely get their way in 2022. This is a good match since she doesn’t have too many of these types. My Pick: Swimsuit. Project: One Piece.
Subaru: Looks like SubaruPs are united on Cute. Having won 2019 on One Piece with a small margin over the China trend, will anyone fight against Maid Subaru? There’s a gap moe there for sure, but I think that can come on the other options just as much. My Pick: Maid. Project: Maid.
Reika: In 2019 Reika was hard on the China bandwagon. In 2022 she has the same Maid/One Piece thing going, but it’s hardly settled at this point. My Pick: Spy. Project: Maid.
Momoko: Another race that can reflect 2022 back in 2019, One Piece Momoko went and lost to Maid Momoko in 2019. One Piece will likely win supreme this year but it’s not outright done. My Pick: Spy. Project: One Piece.
Julia: The rocker had One Piece in 2019 with the runner up being Spy. Currently it’s settling in as Maid and Spy being runner up. I think the race will tighten but Maid is likely to prevail. My Pick: Maid. Project: Maid.
Tsumugi: Being on the China bandwagon last time, One Piece will seek victory after taking second last time. Again it’s a bit hard to imagine the other options with Tsumugi, but it’s not out of the question something orthogonal like Spy to gain. My Pick: Swimsuit. Project: One Piece.
Kaori: Last but not least, Kaori had a similar 2019 as Tsumugi but will see a different 2022 between Spy and One Piece. I think the recent Diamond event help cement this. Plus, does Mary Poppins need another spring-y, white, one-piece dress? My Pick: Spy. Project: Spy.
This is enough tea-leaf reading for an afternoon. Time to plan on farming some votes! Seems like you can get votes from daily logins, doing dailies, buying certain gem packages, the daily 60-paid rolls, and from playing and placing in the upcoming event. Last time, people posted sketches and commissioned sketches to solicit votes. It’s the usual fun stuff. It’ll be fun.
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