Talk:M4/@comment-27685482-20171112155316/@comment-26426093-20171114003445

True, but there is a good reason or two as for why M4 have been neglected while WITH have had some modest but solid progress:

i) There's Dream Festival- aka the male version of Aikatsu. Since Bandai is able to sort both boys and girls into different franchises, it makes sense that the opposite sex in the latter wouldn't get much coverage or character development. On the other hand, Takara Tomy does not have a separate series paralleling Pretty Rhythm/ Pripara, but opts to mix both genders together, which results in more screen time for male characters and better chances of performing live.

ii) The anime adaptation for Aikatsu/Stars! has always been hamstrung due to being tied to the arcade game, which releases collections every few months or so. This leads to stagnation, since there's not much room for the plot to maneuver in, so what avaliable space there is will be reserved for the female characters. Pretty Rhythm/ Pripara doesn't have that kind of restraint, which works to their advantage since the writers are able to chart a more free-flowing plot that provides unlimited scenarios.

So in other words, WITH has the freedom of not being restricted by the arcade game and room to maneuver, while M4 does not have that same luxury.