#s.e.m

[ikuhara]

Artwork from VOL 4. of the SideM × FiFs Illustration exhibit “THREE ONE FIVE”

[incorrect-idolmastersidem-quotes]

Jupiter! DRAMATIC STARS! Altessimo! Beit! W! FRAME! 彩! High×Joker! 神速一魂! Café Parade! もふもふえん! S.E.M! THE 虎牙道! F-LAGS! Legenders! C.FIRST!

CHEERS FOR THE 16 UNITS THAT HAS COME SO FAR!

Happy 10 wonderful SAIKOU and PASSION years, SideM!

[365idolmaster]

DAY 2

The character randomly chosen today is Michio Hazama! Michio is our first SideM character, and is part of the trio unit S.E.M. A former math teacher, Michio decides to become an idol in order to inspire the youth. He is very serious and surely a perfectionist, but above all else he has tremendous passion and enthusiasm for what he does.

FUN FACT: Michio is the oldest idol in the entire iDOLM@STER franchise. At least as of now and as of 10 years. While not sharing the kanji spelling, Michio also has the same name as the voice actor Michio Hazama (you might have heard him in Nadia, Akage no Anne, SDF Macross, Monster, and more) , which is really cool!

I definitely don’t like this drawing as much, it’s a bit wonky, but it’s fine. I had some good fun, it’s my first time drawing him, and I guess that’s all that matters.

See you tomorrow!

bonus pictures:

[yryrdz]

[figurecollection]

S.E.M Garage Kits by One, from THE iDOLM@STER SideM

[merinsanity]

infinite possibilities ✨ ∞

[floorpancakes]

take my unbiased ranking of various ships

[hadukilina]

[wakasanyves]

Made a lyric video for QED

The thumbnail was 11MB somehow, had to compress it like 3 times

[jgthirlwell]

2024 Year In Review

2024 was another intense year. It was the first time in twenty years I wasn’t scoring a show for TV, and I got to concentrate on finishing albums and starting new projects. The year began with the premiere of my chamber symphony for Alterity Chamber Orchestra in Orlando and ended with guest-vocalizing with the Losers Lounge Band on a Bowie classic at Joe's Pub in NYC. I completed new albums for Xordox and Venture Bros, to be released in 2025. I released an Archer Soundtrack album and scored a Harry Smith film for L’Etrange Festival in Paris. Worked with Laura Wolf on a new project and premiered my Ensemble project at the Big Ears Festival in Tennessee. Recorded many overdubs for the next Foetus album, also to be released in 2025. Began a new series of sculptural wall pieces. We lost Phill Niblock in January and Steve Albini in May. We lost my colleague Roli Mosimann in September. I still woke up 5am in a panic on too many occasions. As a cultural omnivore, many sights, sounds and stimuli penetrated me.

Albums that I enjoyed in 2024

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum of the Last Human Being (Pelagic) Present This is not the end (Cuneiform) Tristan Perich/Ensemble 0 Open Symmetry (Erased Tapes) Drew McDowall A Thread Silvered and Trembling (Dais) Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan Your Community Hub (Castles In Space) Extra Life The Sacred Vowel (Bandcamp) Geordie Greep The New Sound (Rough Trade) D-en Haut D-en Haut (Pagan) Aksumi Fleeting Future + Lines (Tonal Union) Louis Cole Nothing (Brainfeeder) Uniform American Standard (Sacred Bones) Zeal and Ardor Greif (Redacted) Shellac To All Trains (Touch and Go) Bangladeafy Vulture (Nefarious Industries) Ekko Astral Pink Balloons (Topshelf Records) Kee Avil Spine (Constellation) Fennesz Mosaic (Touch) Marewren Ukouk Round singing Voices of the Ainu 2012-2024 (Pingipung) Elysian Fields What The Thunder Said (Ojet) Melvins Tarantula Heart (Ipecac) Blood Incantation Absolute Elsewhere (Century Media) Aoife O’Donovan All My Friends (Yep Roc) Anna Thorvaldsdottir Aerial (Sono Luminus) Grace Bergere A Little Blood (Casa Gogol) Bob Vylan Humble As The Sun (Ghost Theatre 2) Andy Akiho Kin (Aki Rhythm) Yannis Kyriakides Hypnokaseta (Unsounds) Big | Brave A Chaos of Flowers (Thrill Jockey) The The Ensoulment (Cinéola / earMUSIC) Beth Gibbons Lives Outgrown (Domino) Beak >>>> / Kosmik Musik (Invada) Sebastian Tropic OST (Ed Banger) Chaser Planned Obsolescence (Decoherence Records) Jesus Lizard Rack (Ipecac) Ex East Islander Norther (Rocket Recordings)

Some books I enjoyed

Yuval Noah Harari Nexus Chris Stein Under A Rock Bill Buford Among The Thugs Patricia Highsmith The Talented Mr Ripley Sy Montgomery Soul Of An Octopus Malcolm Gladwell Revenge Of The Tipping Point

Some films I enjoyed

Furiosa ZEF Story Of Die Antwoord Joker Folie A Deux Kneecap Bad Faith Rebel Ridge Hundreds Of Beavers Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Behavior Teachers Lounge

I saw hundreds of concerts in 2024. Some highlights:

01.24.24 The Chisel at Bowery Ballroom 02.15.24 Jack Quartet play Austin Wulliman at Roulette Intermedium NYC. 03.09.24 Louis Cole / Genevieve Artadi at Brooklyn Steel 03.14.24 Kate NV at the Atrium at Lincoln Center 03.18.24 Sleepytime Gorilla Museum at Elsewhere in Brooklyn 03.23.24 Secret Chiefs 3 at Big Ears Festival 03.23.24 Hatis Noit at St John’s Cathedral in Knoxville TN for the Big Ears Festival 03.24.24 Kenny Wollesen’s Sonic Massage at Knoxville Art Museum for the Big Ears Festival 03.24.24 Elliott Sharp’s Void Patrol (with guests Cyro Batista and Colin Stetson) at Big Ears Festival 03.24.24 Aoife O'Donovan with the Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra at the Big Ears Festival 04.01.24 Caleb Landry Jones at The Sultan Room i 04.06.24 Lovely Little Girls at Hart Bar. 04.19.24 Keith Fullerton Whitman performs ‘Playthroughs’ at Ambient Church 04.23.24 Mandy Indiana at Elsewhere in Brooklyn 04.26.24 Knower at the Brooklyn Bowl 05.04.24 Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, directed by Tim Weiss, play Alex Paxton at Long Play Festival 05.04.24 Fuji|||||||||||ta at Long Play Festival 05.05.24 Ligeti Quartet perform Ligeti + Anna Meredith at Long Play Festival 05.17.23 Swans at Music Hall of Williamsburg 05.23.24 The Rolling Stones played at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey. 05.24.24 John Zorn’s ensemble, the New Masada Quartet 06.08.24 Rebekah Heller’s Bassoon Ensemble 06.25.24 Mdou Moctar at Bowery Ballroom NYC 07.12.24 C.Gibbs Review at Barbes 07.23.24 Bangladeafy at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn 08.18.24 Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds at Union Pool 08.23.24 Alarm Will Sound play Marcos Balter’s Code-Switching, 09.30.24 Uniform at Bowery Ballroom 09.04.24 King Dunn aka King Buzzo (Melvins) and Trevor Dunn (Mr Bungle etc) at Music Hall of Williamsburg + White Eagle Hall in Jersey City. 09.13.24 Steven Bernstein and Nels Cline with the Arturo O'Farrill Latin Jazz Orchestra, playing James Bond themes. At Bryant Park in NYC. 09.15.24 PJ Harvey at Terminal 5, NYC 10.11.24 John Zorn’s Cobra in a 40th anniversary performance at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn 10.17.25 The The played at the Beacon Theater 10.22.24 Die Antwoord at Brooklyn Steel, 10.23.24 Boris played at Racket in NYC. 11.01.24 William Basinski for Age Of Reflections 11.04.24 Growing performing for Abasement at Artists Space in Manhattan 11.06.24 Pioneer Works presented a concert of Louis Cole Choral Music. 11.08.24 Lankum at Warsaw in Brooklyn 11.17.24 sunn o))) at Lincoln Center for the Unsound Festival 11.21.24 Extra Life at TV Eye. 11.24.24 Zeal and Ardor at Le Poisson Rouge NYC 11.25.24 Axiom, comprised of Juilliard students and conducted by Jeffrey Milarsky playing Solstice Ritual by Augusta Read Thomas 11.26.24 Blood Incantation at Elsewhere 12.01.24 Pharmakon’s awesomely unhinged performance at Union Pool. 12.11.24 Jesus Lizard played a great set at Brooklyn Steel 12.28.24 Grace Bergere / Jon Spencer / Gogol Bordello Capitol Theater Port Chester

Honorable mention to the multiple concerts I attended at the Abasement series at Artist Space, as well as multiple shows by S.E.M. Ensemble and Wet Ink Ensemble

[ikuhara]

Artwork of the SideM Saikou Day 2024 commemorative goods for

[incorrect-idolmastersidem-quotes]

Michio, Rui and Jiro: (observing their blueprint for a new building) Random guy: (phones his friend) Oh, hi! Haven't seen you in a while, how is your thing with the blah blah… Rui: Is it really necessary to have this conversation in the museum? Random guy: Oh right, sorry! (leaves) Michio: Why did you do that? Rui: They were being rude. Michio: (to Jiro) But why did you have to sound like you're ready to physically fight them? Jiro: I was.

[mintydad]

Found a teacher tournament here. S.E.M time

[imasallstars]

The cover art for THE IDOLM@STER SideM 10th ANNIVERSARY P@SSION 12 S.E.M album has been released and the album is set to be released on April 2nd 2025. It will feature two new songs and a handful of the unit’s old songs

The crossfade of the album is located here

Tracklist:

[DISC 01] Tr.01　Around Find World! 　Lyrics: Yohei Matsui　Music&Arrange: Hajime Mitsumasu Tr.02　Dear My Light, 　Lyrics: Yohei Matsui　Music: Ririsya 　Arrange: T4K Tr.03　∞ Possibilities Tr.04　Study Equal Magic! Tr.05　Sa-yo-na-ra Summer Holiday Tr.06　From Teacher to Future! Tr.07　√EVOLUTION Tr.08　Happy's Birthday Tr.09　Multiple Entertainment Show! Tr.10　Dance in the school! Tr.11　BeSide EMotion Tr.12　Life's Side Menu! Tr.13　Eterniteen Age!!! [DISC 02] Tr.01　Around Find World! (Off Vocal) Tr.02　Dear My Light, (Off Vocal) Tr.03　Sa-yo-na-ra Summer Holiday (Michio Hazama solo ver.) Tr.04　Sa-yo-na-ra Summer Holiday (Rui Maita solo ver.) Tr.05　Sa-yo-na-ra Summer Holiday (Jiro Yamashita solo ver.)

[the-monkey-ruler]

Why has like only two people talked about Yellow Brow at all, he's very much doing the same thing the S.E.M. did to steal enlightenment for himself?

Well I'm not sure what you mean like two people but there have been a few movies with him as the villain in it! He isn't a particularly interesting villain I am sad to say story-wise as while his goal is to stop Sanzang from reaching vulture peak is to eat him and then take the scriptures himself feels more like an afterthought as he was battling Wukong.

While I'm sure that Six Ears wouldn't have been against eating Sanzang that wasn't his ONLY goal. Yellow Brow makes this wager to Wukong for him to give up the fight but Wukong knows how to win. Yellow Brow is a villain who already believed he was above the Buddha, hence why he made his own monastery. I don't think he was going to the scriptures for the sake of enlightenment but rather as a way to prove that he was superior to Wukong in that regard as well.

I suppose if you want my personal thinking as to why the Six Ear arc is more engaging I can think of two main reasons.

The doppelganger trope is always a classic even 400 years ago, nothing beats having to fight your evil self who also MADE also EVIL clones of your pilgrims as well! That is perfect nightmare fuel.

The Six Ears fight is one-on-one but in the Yellow Brows arc, Wukong needs Nezha, King Li, General Turtle, General Snake, some third prince somewhere, and hundreds of fodder that mostly get trapped in a bag until Wukong finds Maitreya to help make a plan to beat him up from the inside out. While it does make it kinda like an epic does make it more of a team effort than a dramatic showdown.

The arc in the Six Ears arc even started differently than the Yellow Brows arc. While in the Yellow Brows arc it was clear from the start that Wukong KNEW it was a demon trap and thus it was within the same chapter that Wukong calls him out and the gang is kidnapped. He says he is going to eat them and it is treated like a monster of the week format. The talk about Yellow Brows taking over the journey isn't even mentioned until halfway in the arc, making it more of a tag on goal than to make it the main goal since the start.

Six Ears arc starts with Wukong being banished, already a huge blow, and then a monkey that we think could be (but no way could be) Wukong comes BACK and attacks Sanzang. He doesn't kill them, though he could, but his goal is the LUGGAGE and the travel papers. From the start, this monkey's goal is to steal the journey and the next time we see him Wukong and Wujing see this imposter with FOUR OTHER IMPOSTER ready to take their spot! We still don't know WHO this demon is until the END with Buddha explains and then he dies. To me this plays as more of a three act structure with a start, a build-up, a climax, and a resolution and thus translates over to other media very well.

I do think that MORE can be done with Yellow Brows (I think Black Myth really made him interesting making him a sanctimonious bastard who cares more about winning than finding the truth) but at least I haven't seen a lot of directors really take off with the character besides being given the same 'monster of the week' treatment.

[merinsanity]

happy 9th anniversary🎉