Ensemble Square (アンサンブルスクエア Ansanburu Sukuea?) is an entertainment company that exists on its own miniature island in Japan. Introduced in EP:Link, Eichi Tenshouin, the agency president, and Ibara Saegusa, his collaborator, intend to use Ensemble Square to revolutionize the idol industry.
It is the parent entertainment company of dozens of talent agencies, which are housed inside the building. Of Ensemble Square's agencies, STARMAKER PRODUCTION, COSMIC PRODUCTION, Rhythm Link and NEW DIMENSION contain the main units present in the game.
Though the construction for Ensemble Square began much earlier, its existence is not unveiled until after the current year ends[1]. Its activities begin July 1st, following graduation.
Units[]
About[]
That day, I saw an idol for the first time.
The sensation I felt was... light. A brilliant glimmer as if something had exploded. Overwhelmed by the brightness, I cried out in shock.
—Just what are idols?
I came to this city without knowing left from right, and I formed an idol unit with friends I don't know all that well.
"I will destroy idols."
Though that was my goal, and I'd been dead set on accomplishing it— before I knew it, we were on the verge of being fired.
I want to know just what kind of power idols hold... to have changed my brother entirely.
I'm here to find out these answers.
Welcome to Ensemble Square! We have everything for idols in here!
In the heart of the downtown where countless people come and go, a brand new building stands tall—This is Ensemble Square!
Here, there exist four agencies, vast as planets. Colorful idols from each of these agencies bustle about day and night while singing and dancing; while crying and growing angry—while laughing, these idols live their lives.
And you are more than welcome to visit! Here, you will find a fascinating tragicomedy in the portrait of their lives; one you'll never find anywhere else!
Here, their emotions will swell, cross, clash, and erupt free!
These idols have been waiting for you so you can be a witness to their miracles!
Ensemble Square works with the business side of the entertainment industry and provides a larger net of connections and protection to each of its affiliated agencies than each would have if they operated in isolation.
The specifics of Ensemble Square and its agencies are not yet fully known, but each agency is said to have its own policies and standards which Ensemble Square does not interfere with. Ensemble Square is meant to provide work-related opportunities to each agency, and the agencies are meant to select which of its talents to assign to each job.
Abbreviated as STAR PRO, it is an idol production office established by Eichi Tenshouin, the graduate of Yumenosaki Academy. All the students enrolled in Idol Course of Yumenosaki Academy will be automatically assigned to offices on Ensemble Square, and they are free to choose their ideal ones. Many students prefer STAR PRO since it's warm like a big family. The principle of STAR PRO is "Creating Happiness both for Fans and Idols".
Shorted as COS PRO, COSMIC PRODUCTION is operated by Reimei Academy and Shuetsu Academy, which target at fostering young talents in entertainment industry. All elite idols cultivated by Reimei Academy will be dispatched to Shuetsu Academy, who takes over everything since then. This production line ensures the quality of idols and gradually stabilizes COS PRO's position in the industry. However, impacted by [SS], COS PRO is a little stagnant now. The slogan of COS PRO is "Reaching the Crescendo in Entertainment".
Ibara Saegusa is the vice president of Cosmic Production.
A time-honored, modest-sized idol office on Ensemble Square, which is called Rhyth Lin for short. Except for idols, Rhythm Link also gathers bands, creative singers, and other types of artists. Live shows are frequently held here. Rhythm Link insists the principle of "Communicating Souls with Music".
A newly established office on Ensemble Square, abbreviated as NEW DI. The agency is still in the early stage. Though its idols are not overwhelming others in number, NEW DI gradually expands its theater operation, actor cultivation, and program production and other new business. NEW DI aims at "Creating Multi-Talents".
Tsumugi Aoba is the vice president of New Dimension.
Location
The Ensemble Square building is located on an island in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and the island is dedicated to Ensemble Square facilities and Ensemble Square idol activities. This island was once owned by the Shinkai-led religious sect, hence its fish-like shape, but was later purchased by the Tenshouin conglomerate.
Facilities
Ensemble Square facilities range from practical (helioport, airport, parking structure, etc), standard (practice rooms, training halls, stages, etc), and enriching (gardens, gyms, recreation, etc). Food and costuming services also exist on the island. Ensemble Square facilities are state-of-the-art and designed to meet every idol's needs as a performer and individual. (See background gallery)
Some facilities, such as clothing and training rooms, require L$ to access (リッドル, riddoru, or li'dollars, a pun on "little," "idol," and "dollars"). See the ES Life tab for more information.
Dorms
Seisou Hall (星奏館 seisoukan, lit. Star Harmony Building, sometimes translated as Starmony Dorm) serves as the dormitory for Ensemble Square idols. Housing at the dormitory is free. While it's not mandatory by ES policy that ES idols must live in the dorms, it is expected that they do.
While the dorm appears to have certain rules, the only known one at present is that women are not allowed into the dorms, and evidently cannot go any further than the gates.
Upon entering the dorms, characters are assigned roommates. View dorms to see the assignments.
L$
Written L$ but pronounced "Lii dollar", L$ is the virtual currency (via the supplied smartphones) of ES that is needed for all idol-related things. L$ cannot be used outside of ES, and it is not permitted to exchange L$ for yen. Although the value can fluctuate, 1 L$ is roughly equivalent to 100 yen. When it comes to non-work-related services in ES, like buying food, those who are not tech-savvy may choose to pay using yen.
L$ is not ordinary money. The amount one earns also reflects the judgement of their abilities to a certain extent, the fans' support and the unit/idol's popularity with surprising accuracy. The harder they work, the more popular they are, the more L$ they earn. L$ is earned mainly through completing assigned work, and each idol is expected to manage their balance well to participate in idol activities, as most activities require an entry fee - whose participation boosts reputation.
If an idol or unit doesn't participate in idol activities, L$ will be deducted regularly from their account like a tax. Along with that, if someone is to be found acting inappropriately as an idol, a fixed amount of L$ will be confiscated. Therefore, idols also have the responsibility to be self-aware with their words and actions to not upset higher-ups and risk losing L$.
Allegedly, idols in ES only started to work hard after this system was created.
Although it's never officially revealed what the "L" in L$ stands for, most fans think it means "Love" since how much love an idol receives is embodied by L$. The L$ each idol holds is recorded and revealed to the public, and fans check the amounts regularly - the ranking of L$ is regularly updated on ES's official website.
The top three are called the 'big three' and the L$ they have earned has reached a maximum - ten million L$ - the counter doesn't go further than that. It's unsure if the maximum means a stop of the counter or a halt in receiving L$, such rules are often discussed on fan sites.
The current 'top three' are fine, Eden and Knights.
Hold-Hands
Producer Recruitment[]
On November 15, 2019 9PM (JST), the official Ensemble Stars twitter posted a fictional recruitment page titled "Ensemble Square: Recruit 2020." On this page, additional information about Ensemble Square's function and facilities were revealed, as well as information about its producer application process. It is hosted on the recruitment page of the website.
Every year, more than 10,000 boys and girls long to become idols, praying they'll one day perform on that glittering stage... Japan has entered an age where so many are idol hopefuls. But among all those people, only a handful ever have the chance to ever stand on stage...
Let's make ONLY YOUR STARS.
With your hands, you can create a constellation.
These are the units that will revolutionize the new era.
Ensemble Square, a brand new, multi-agency entertainment company, cultivates these dazzling idols and guides them to the stage.
Please, lend them your help.
Agencies
Among the many agencies hosted in Ensemble Square, four are currently recruiting. Once accepted into Ensemble Square, new employees will be assigned to an agency office based on each office's needs, the employee's personal preferences, and their suitability.
Facilities
Within Ensemble Square, we have prepared ES-brand live show stages for performances, dance rooms and training halls for practice, and many more facilities necessary for the enrichment of our idols. Additionally, idols of all agencies are free to use our common area, meeting room, as well as our helioport for ease of commute.
Application Process
The application process occurs in the following order:
- Screening process
- Matching applicant to suitable agency
- Interview
- Entry into company
Producer Applications
In conjunction with Ensemble Square's grand opening, we are currently seeking staff to produce our idols. Your responsibilities will include managing your assigned idol's schedule, planning meetings, accompanying them to filming locations, planning productions that are suitable to your idol's personal strengths, supervising them, and conveying information (news, assignments, instructions, etc.) to them.
Location: Tokyo metropolitan area (Tours available)
Application Prerequisites: Must have driver's license (An Automatic Transmission (AT) Restricted license[2] is acceptable.)
We will record your answers to the following eight-question aptitude exam. Once each agency sees your aptitude scores, they will forward you an offer.
You can take the quiz here (scroll down to マッチングエントリー).
Exam Questions |
1. Would you say you have a cheerful personality? 2. Do you focus on one goal until it's complete? 3. You prefer to use shortcuts. 4. You find it easier to associate with people who are calm instead of energetic. 5. You're the type to think things over carefully instead of acting immediately. 6. You don't pay attention to small details. 7. You value others people's opinions more than your own. 8. You're the type to stay in the background and let someone else take charge of the situation. |
Match Complete
Through an AI utilizing big data processing systems, we have determined your suitability for each individual agency below.
We have a special offer for you
Upon seeing your high aptitude score as a producer for their office, [Agency Name] has reached out with a special offer.
[Agency Name]
Agency description (see Agencies header below).
Message from the Agency
(To add a translation, edit this page)
アンサンブルスクエア合同求人へのご応募ありがとうございます。
我々[Agency Name] では、所属タレントと二人三脚で活動領域を広げていけるメンバーを求めています。 今回ご登録頂いたマッチングエントリーによる適性チェックにおいて高い適性値を出されたあなたへ、ぜひ弊事務所で活躍して頂きたいと思い、オファーを出させて頂いた次第です。
ご本人の希望等もお聞きして話を進めさせて頂きたいと考えておりますが、弊事務所としましては[Unit Name]担当のプロデューサー職に就いて頂きたいと考えております。
つきましては、以下にてご担当頂きたいアイドルユニットの説明と、弊事務所の所属アイドルとの担当適性値を記載させて頂きます。
Our preference as to which unit we would like you to produce
Unit description (click on a unit under the Units header below to see their official description).
Idols with whom you have the highest compatibility
※Please note that these results purely reflect your individual suitability and do not take into account which unit the agency may want to assign you.
Idol Comments
An introductory remark from the idol you have been assigned. See the Idol Comments tab for all comments.
Estimated Annual Income
Numbers are typically in JPY, so convert to your own currency as necessary. While most income is in JPY, some results will produce payment via other means, like acorns.
We sincerely appreciate your time and understanding.
Year/Month/Date
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Gallery[]
Sources[]
- ↑ Category:Repayment Festival
- ↑ Like many places, if you test with an automatic vehicle in Japan, your license will not qualify you to drive manual vehicles.
- ↑ Translation