Idol anime phenomenon

I'm not much of a fan of idol group music, but the craze of anime created around the subject has been intriguing.

With the success of titles like iDOLM@ASTER and the more recent Love Live School Idol Project series, I've wondered what other peoples thoughts are about it.

I've found iDOLM@ASTER to be an interesting portal into the world of professional idols. I never realized how much competition there was, not only within idol groups but also between groups and their production studios. I think the series did a good job giving some snapshots into what life as an idol might be life day to day.

Love Live took a different approach with the focus being on non-pro school idol groups where the drama shifted to the school grounds. I'm not sure how common this sort of group setting is, but again, it did a good job of giving viewers a sense of what idols might go through day to day as they struggle to keep friendships, grades and idol work in balance.

I think even AKB48 has some sort of idol anime, which may add yet another dimension to idol anime.

So, what do you think of this idol anime phenomenon?