About

The iDOLM@STER SideM is a branch of THE iDOLM@STER series that features all male idols! There are 46 idols divided up into 15 units. They work together in their production, 315 (saikou) Productions.Each character had established jobs and/or occupations before becoming an idol. Although their life choices may seem absurd or irresponsible, each character has their own reasons and motives to why they switched their job to an idol. Hence the game's tagline:WAKEATTE IDOL 理由(ワケ)あってアイドル!
An idol for some reason!
There are currently two active mobile games and an anime adaptation.You can watch the anime with English subtitles on Crunchyroll, however the games are Japanese only.The original game is a card collecting and idol raising simulation game hosted on Mobage.GROWING STARS, the newer of the two, is a rhythm game adaptation.There was also another rhythm game, LIVE ON ST@GE, that has since been discontinued.Our goal is to help English fans get through the language barrier and enjoy THE iDOLM@STER SideM!Interested in helping out? We retweet all long-form SideM translations (such as event scenes, SideMemories, etc.), so if you have a translation you'd like us to share, please send us a DM!You can also help out on SideM Wiki!

Resources

Translations

SideM English Wiki
Translations for the idol's conversations, mobage comics, biographies, resumes, and song lyrics. General explanations of the game's mechanics are here as well. Event translations and cards are currently being transferred here! Feel free to help out!
SideM English TL Archive
Lists all English SideM translations for both MStage and Mobage, including event stories (and summaries), 1koma, drama tracks, misc. lines, interviews, and more.
Growing Stars Subs Youtube Channel
Watch translated stories from Growing Stars!
315 Pro Updates Instagram
Posts both Mobage and Saisuta news!
#SideMTL - Unofficial Translation Twitter Hashtag
A tag used by fans to share and curate translations.


Gameplay

SideM Wiki Guide
Explains the basics of playing the SideM Mobage game, all on one page! Although it is still a work in progress, 90% of the guide is complete, so it should be enough to explain how to play!
SideM Guides Twitter
An account that posts useful guides for playing the SideM Mobage game. Much more up-to-date than the SideM English guide, so please check them out!
MStage Border Twitter and Mobeemu Border Twitter
Tracks point border for event ranking in LOS and Mobage respectively.
315 Diary (JP)
Tracks point border for event ranking in both games; also has past data in graphs for viewing and other useful info.


Cards

SideM English Wiki
Mobage Wiki (JP)
LOS Wiki (JP)
Frameless Mobage SRs
Transparent LOS cards
LOS model (static image) archive
We're in the process of adding all transparent Mobage cards to the card data pages of the SideM English Wiki. If there's a particular card you're looking for that isn't on there, you can DM us to add it.


Community

GeneralLOS subreddit and Discord server
SideM Discord server
SideM Wiki Discord server
Unit-specificJupiter Discord Server
DRAMATIC STARS Discord Server
Beit Discord server
W Discord server
Sai Discord server
FRAME Discord server
Shinsoku Ikkon Discord server
THE Kogado Discord server
Altessimo Discord server
Mofumofuen Discord server
F-LAGS Discord server
Legenders Discord server
Have a SideM-focused server and would like to add it here? Let us know! No R-18 servers will be listed.


Misc.

Producer profile
Idol sorter

Mods

Mark

- The Forever 17 (31) mod
- HayatoP, NanaP, YumiP, SubaruP, HarukaP, ChiyokoP
- Mobage news
- HayatoP for 6+ years and my love for him hasn't changed since the day we first met!


Meri

- The sensei's little dummy mod
- MichioP, (CG) MizukiP, IkuP (+ several others I can't list out)
- SideM wiki & Saisuta Subs admin
- Stuck in SideM insanity since 2019!


Izzy

- The meme mod
- BeitP, SugarHeartP, HinanaP
- Saisuta Subs admin
- Birthday posts, graphic design, misc announcements
- Loving sideM since 2014!

F.A.Q

General

How do I get into SideM?
As it's a multi-media series, there's heaps of ways to 'get into' SideM! Many people start off by watching the anime, which focuses on only six of the units (though there is another short spinoff anime which features all of the units). You can also play the games, though it's absolutely not neccesary to to become a SideM fan (they're both in Japanese, after all).
Personally, we'd suggest checking out our short and simple character introduction thread and picking out a couple of guys or units who suit your interest! Then you can head over to their wiki page and click the tab that says 'magazines'. You'll be able to read their translated comics to see if you like 'em or not, and afterwards, you can pursue their longer stories in the translation masterlist.What's the difference between SideMoba, LOS, and GROWING STARS?
There are three SideM mobile gacha games: SideM (Mobage), LIVE ON ST@GE!, and GROWING STARS. LOS ended service in August 2021 and is no longer playable. Here is a short overview of the three games:

SideM (Mobage)LIVE ON ST@GE!GROWING STARS
A.K.AMobage, SideMoba, MobaMLOS, Mstage, MsuteGS, Saisuta
ActiveYesNo (end of service)Yes
Release201420172021
GameplaySimulationRhythm/simulationRhythm/simulation
GuideSideM WikiTBATBA

SideM (Mobage) refers to the first and main game which started in 2014. It is hosted on the game site Mobage, hence its nickname. The game is playable on mobile phone browsers and can also be downloaded. SideMoba is a text-based simulation game. The main objective of the game is to collect cards and play events to unlock various lines, stories, conversations, and comics to learn more about the characters. SideMoba is a social game, meaning that you can work alongside others in a team, battle each other, and trade cards with your friends. However, trading is limited to accounts verified with a Japanese phone number. It is also important to note that event gacha in SideMoba is paid only and you cannot obtain gacha cards without paying real money or trading.LIVE ON ST@GE! was the second SideM game. It was a rhythm game spinoff application that released in 2017. The game boasted 3D models and music videos to match its rhythm gameplay. It ended service in 2021.GROWING STARS is the newest SideM game. It is another rhythm game spinoff, though unlike LOS, it has 5 rhythm lanes instead of 1 and more difficult gameplay. The 3D MVs are pre rendered, as opposed to customizable like LOS. As with SideMoba, the main objective of the game is to collect cards and play events to learn more about the story and characters. It is fully voiced.Does SideM interact with the female branches of iDOLM@STER?
Yes! They don't interact within the games (outside of very few cameos), but since 2020, there have been more and more crossovers between the iDOLM@STER branches. Most notably, SideM is included in the puzzle spinoff game POP LINKS! which features every iDOLM@STER idol. Players are able to include idols from any branches into their team. PL! is also the source of crossover 4komas which have been translated by fans.
Aside from PL!, there is iM@S MOR, a radio show that features Hibiki Ganaha (and her seiyuu Numakura Manami) interacting with idols from other branches. Some of these have also been translated.There are also now crossover songs featuring all branches, including: Nandodemo Waraou, POPLINKS TUNE!!!!!, and VOY@GER. Of course, there's cross-branch merch too!What SideM related content can I share on Twitter?
Content from the games are OK to post, but sharing any content behind a paywall on a public account is discouraged. This includes photos and videos from lives, full songs, magazine scans, manga scans, and OVA footage. It's also discouraged to repost seiyuus' personal photos. Finally, it's considered common courtesy in the Japanese fandom to block out 'scout' and 'max bond' lines on newer cards since it's considered spoilers.
What is side_null?
You might catch a couple of your Japanese SideM mutuals using @side_null, @side_R18, etc. at the start of their tweets. They're used to allow users to 'filter' their SideM content so that only other people who follow those accounts can see them; this is to avoid spamming non-SideM fans' timelines.
side_null is for general SideM content, side_R18 is for NSFW content, and side_full is for shipping content. There's also other tags for specific units and such.


SideM (Mobage)

What is a mobage?
It's short for 'mobile game', but in the SideM Mobage game's case, it refers to the company Mobage, where the game is hosted. The game itself is simply called THE iDOLM@STER SideM, but ever since LOS released, English fans have taken to calling it the 'SideM Mobage' (SideMoba) to differentiate it from LOS. LOS is also a mobage in the sense that it's a mobile game, but it isn't part of the company Mobage.
How do I play SideMoba?
Check out the SideM Wiki for the basics! Although it's still a work-in-progress, it should be able to help a bit. SideM Guides Twitter also has some very useful and detailed information if you want to dive deeper!
SideMoba has been updating its UI since August 2021 and is currently still in the progress of doing so, thus any screenshots may be somewhat out-of-date.Where can I download SideMoba?
Since it's a browser game, download isn't required. You can access the game in mobile browsers here. If you'd like to download the game, you can do so on QooApp here. You can also download the game onto your PC through AndApp here.
What's account verification, and how do I get verified?
When your Mobage account is verified, you'll have access to trading with other users. You can verify your account by connecting a Japanese phone number to your account here.
How do I find people to trade with?
Try searching side_trade on Twitter. There are many people who trade through finding other users' posts there. You'll have to be friends with the other player for at least 14 days before the game allows you to trade with them.


GROWING STARS

How do I play GROWING STARS?
Guide TBA.
Where can I download GS?
You can download the game on JP App Store (iOS) or QooApp here (Android). If that doesn't work, try making a Japanese Google Play account to play it; there's a guide for that here.


If you have any other questions, feel free to DM us! We might miss your message sometimes; if that happens, feel free to send another DM and we'll try to get to it ASAP.