New Reader Guide

=== Ensemble Stars! vs. Ensemble Stars!! ===
* Ensemble Stars! is the first installment (sometimes called (!) or just "!"), which is exclusive to the Ensemble Stars!! Basic app. It starts from the beginning of the school year in spring until graduation, ending with EP:Link. It covers the cast's time in Yumenosaki Private Academy, with the unit Trickstar being the protagonists.
* Ensemble Stars!! is the second installment (sometimes called (!!) or just "!!"), which can be read in both Ensemble Stars!! Basic and Ensemble Stars!! Music. It starts out one year after the start of the start of Ensemble Stars!, with brand new characters and units. All characters have aged up by a year, and none of the previous units have split up. This time, the unit ALKALOID are the protagonists.
*Ensemble Stars has multiple writers for the series. is the head writer who determines the characters, plotlines, and character arcs. There are also additional writers, one of the well-known ones are , but some aspects of their stories and characterizations may be later revised by Akira at later points.
*Ensemble Stars has quite a few terms for different types of stories that new readers may tend to be confused with. For more information and explanations, expand the guide below.
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*Main Storyline Installments introduce the main conflicts of the game, following Trickstar (in Ensemble Stars!) and ALKALOID (in Ensemble Stars!!) as the protagonists. Other story types, such as events or scouts, will sometimes reference or build on the conflicts established in the main story. Main story installments introduce overarching plot; they do not necessarily serve as complete introductions for all units. Units are typically fully introduced through event stories.
*Event Stories are stories unlocked by playing events. For example, playing the Requiem＊Sword of Oaths and the Repayment Festival event unlocked the event story, Requiem. Event stories are typically 9-30 chapters long, but can occasionally be fewer or more chapters. Event stories typically introduce and explore units, characters, and character relationships on a deeper level.
*Scout Stories stories are stories unlocked through the Idol Road of cards from certain gacha banners. For example, cards scouted from the Devil's Mansion banner will unlock the gacha story, Devils. Scout stories are typically around 8 chapters, but can occasionally be fewer or more chapters.
*Sub Stories (known as Idol Stories in Ensemble Stars!!) are stories that are unlocked on certain cards' Idol Roads, like Introduction Scout cards, or through other means, such as completing an in-game goal. These stories focus on a particular idol and may involve the idol interacting solely with the producer, or may involve that idol interacting with other idols. These are typically shorter side stories.
*Special Stories are lengthier side stories, typically released during April Fool's. However, all special stories are canon. Of the four special stories released throughout the Ensemble Stars series, three of them heavily involve the teachers Jin Sagami and Akiomi Kunugi.
*Management Stories and Conversation Events are short conversations involving characters interacting with one another or with the producer.
*Chinese Version Stories are original stories exclusively written for the Chinese version of the Ensemble Stars! app, accompanied by new sets of cards not found in the Japanese version. These stories and cards are also available in the Taiwanese version of the app, and used to be available on the now-defunct Korean version of the app. These stories are written by a subwriter, Mitsuki, who only writes for the Chinese version of the game. At the moment, Happy Elements does not have any plans to bring these stories over to the Japanese version of the app.
*Collaboration Stories are crossover stories with other IPs, some of which are Happy Elements's other games. In-App collaboration stories are stories that can be read in the Ensemble Stars apps; Off-App collaboration stories can only be read by downloading another app and unlocking the story there.	 	
===How to Read ===
*You don't need to start with Ensemble Stars! to get the flow of Ensemble Stars!!, due to the fact that (!!) assumes that the player is new and re-introduces important plot points from (!). If you're still willing to, you may download the Ensemble Stars!! Basic app and use Diamond x1 to unlock one chapter. The Basic app does not have an English server, so you would need to translate the stories on your own.
*You can start reading stories according to the release date or chronological order. Due to the release of the Ensemble Stars!! EN server and the removal of fan translations from the wiki, it's recommended that you read according to release date. It will take time for the EN server to catch up to the JP server, so if you want to start reading beyond of what the English server currently has, you may download the Japanese server version and translate the stories for yourself.
*You are not obligated to follow the above example. Ensemble Stars has a wide cast of characters, so you may want to start reading a story from any unit or character you're interested in and start off from there. It can also give you an idea on how different characters interact and the personalities of the cast.
===Recommendations===
If you're a new reader and want to get started, here are some stories for you to check out.
*If you'd like to get to know a certain character more, read up on Idol Stories. They're a great help in learning their personality and their relationship with certain cast members, since other chapters include other characters as well.
*Each character page has a Story Index, which serves as a list of stories where that character appears in. If your goal is to read stories your favorite character is in, then use the Story Index.
* Hierarchy is the first chapter from the main story of (!). It introduces you to the protagonists of Ensemble Stars! which is Trickstar.
*Underachievers is the first chapter from the main story of (!!). It introduces you to the protagonists of Ensemble Stars!! which is ALKALOID.