Idling Idol

"The basis of the game rule is Idling!"
No, not really. It's a time-management game with limited in-game days and your biggest friend is the pause button. This is not a "set and forget" game, as a true Idle game would be.
"There is no end to idol group development!"
Well, there is a pretty clear end to the run, which is after the in-game year ends. You can start another run after that, but there doesn't seem to be any metaprogression, so you just start from scratch.
The visuals are cute.
If that sounds like what you want, I'd recommend the game. But if you want an actual Idle game, this is not the game you are looking for.

Perhaps one of the most tolerable clicker/idle games with an idol unit management theme. Pretty solid but you are obviously still affected by some random dice roll elements. You can thankfully pause the timer and the management part of the game requires you to plan ahead like a chess match before hitting the resume button. Once your idol unit is complete with the best waifus (which can be a rather boring process of re-rolling until you get the right idol), it's time to get to work, earn that dosh and sign for venues. To the moon in terms of popularity!
It certainly won't make your PC sweat and can be cleared relatively quickly all things considered. Fairly challenging at first since some of the goals seem insurmountable but props to the champ who wrote the Steam guide as it really helped me reach 100% clear so also ideal for those who don't have much time to game.
Overall, if you like idols and watching numbers go up without any predatory microtransactions or sleazy whale-hunting mechanics, this is the way to go. Recommended!

This is not an idle game. It's a time management game, and a really fast-paced one at that. This is one of those times I wish I could give it a neutral score, because it's not a bad game for what it is. What it is is just not what the title implies, so it's not for me. (I'd like to note that despite my very small time playing it, I bought it a while back when its tags included Idle Game, which was as misleading as the title. They have since updated it to be more accurate.)
Because it's not an unenjoyable game, just one that I wasn't expecting when I bought it, I'm going to give it a thumbs up.

i'm having a lot of fun with this, it's really fast-paced and the rng keeps it interesting. each round lasts 1 year, and each day lasts about 2 seconds, so ur constantly feeling the pressure to make the right decision, & it feels good when your time management pays off and you score 2x or 5x higher than you last run.

I'm addicted to this game! I love the sound effects, the aesthetic and the time crunch.
Would recommend if you're a degenerate with time to waste n.n

This is a simplified version of Idol Master (which is superior but overwhelming). No tutorial or instructions that I could see, outside of the game description in the Store. (This is NOT an idle or even a clicker game.) I finally began to see the patterns and gameplay once I ran through it a handful of times. It's actually programmed well, and is charming. The leaderboards motivate me to keep going. The 4 seasons are a great way to leave us hanging and fire up a new game. Wish there was more to it, but the basics are hear for an enjoyable idol management game. No chance the dev would ever expand it, which is a shame, but it is good for what it is. I would give an A+ to a student if this was a school project.

So it's not an idle game, it's a fast paced, timed, management sim. The audio and visuals keep a cutesy style throughout and there's thankfully nothing 18+ about it, despite that the devs other games might lead you to assume.
I think it's just the right level of challenging to get good at it, making it fun and engaging without having to absolutely sweat it to 100% it. It took me about 10 hours of play to get the timing and selection correct to get S class, which I'm happy with, for just under a fiver.