Aikatsu!

3. One of the best parts of Aikatsu is how it consistently shows how the industry works. Not just the songs, dresses, and training, but the backstage and scheduling that everyone has to deal with. It's those details that helps sell the idol industry as somewhat realistic and even positive at times. Mio also gets a decent amount of fleshing out, from how she gets inspiration for dresses (seriously, is it normal for idols to make their own dresses?) to how she can improv to how she shows her cute side. Mio is definitely the star so far, helped by her getting the first solo of the series. Now Aine has a lot of catching up to do, and not only in the idol business.

4. Can we dump Aine? She's still bland with nothing to her aside from being good at making friends. The designer has already gotten more compelling development than her. And then the penguin and Mio's awesome faces stole the spotlight. Hopefully the third girl will bring something better. She's definitely teasing something good.

5. Nice intro to Maiko. Another expert in the idol world, but not without her flaws. I think I'll like her. Glad to see Aine losing when punching too much above her weight. There are some things she just shouldn't be doing yet.

Yeah this was another good episode for Aine. I like that they seem to be doing a mixture of Ichigo and Akari's stories with her. Maika might be our Juri? Though it does feel like they're trying to add too much to her character, particularly that scene with her being afraid of ghost which could have been saved for later.

I like Ema. I haven't seen past episode sixty of Stars! so I don't know if that has one but I think this is the first time we have an older sister like character? Yeah Seira's a literal older sister but she doesn't really fit that role among the cast and while you could argue that Mizuki is the older sister to the original cast/Ichigo is the older sister character to Akari and her cast, Ema feels different. I do hope we get to see Maika and/or Ema perform soon though. I've avoided looking into the arcade game but I've heard Maika's song is really good so I definitely want to see her performance since so far she's my favorite of the main cast.

Yozora was an older sister, both in actuality and narratively. Mahiru herself basically acted as the mature one of the main cast past the first half of season 1.

6. So I'm still a bit down on this, but I do think this cast is starting to come together. Aine is panicking a lot too herself when she doesn't know what to do, but thankfully she isn't being thrown out to the wolves. Mio is on point about keeping up her image, and she's really drawn to Aine. Maika is the sane and slightly snarky one of the group. And Ema is the unexpected older one, being a lot sharper than she appears at first. And cruel to Coco. I just felt sorry for the AI. Good to get a feel for their long-term goals. Helps set up expectations and an arc for all of them.

I meant narratively and I'm not quite sure either Kasumi sister fits the bill, though I guess that could have changed since I didn't watch most of the second season.

edited 14th May '18 8:02:15 PM by Chariot

So.... so far is it more like the quirky and fun Ichigo era Aikatsu or the plain everything else?

I'd describe it at more like early OG Aikatsu mixed with early Stars! thus far.

Definitely more fluffy idol sol OGkatsu than the drama-filled Stars. Except duller because Aine is still just bland as a protagonist, even compared to season 4 Akari. Mio, Maika, and Ema are cool though.

7. The Idol Witch looks like a villain protagonist to me, turning those innocent men in suits into animals for her own amusement. So Aine is suddenly called on to guest star in a show, something she has no experience in. And what does the school do? Train her and make sure she's prepared like any good business should do. Feels almost novel after some other shows I've seen. Still find Mirai to be a fairly generic senpai, but she did get a bit of fleshing out at least. Plus she had a god-tier performance, so that makes her good in my book.

8. Mio seems rich. As she should be. Aikatsu has always been upfront as idols being part of the corporate machine, playing a massive role in marketing. Gives them a bit more practicality than just singing and dancing. The ones that know how to sell their product are the ones that get ahead in the business.

9. Yet more Coco bullying. That will never get old. This episode is about self-promotion, where Aine gets to throw a mini-festival all to promote herself at the request of her fans. Idols really do have a certain sort of ego only they are allowed to have. Just make sure they don't get sick. That kind of ruins the point. Also, I think Mio was trying to poison Aine with that mushroom.

10. Maika = refined lady. Ema = wild gaijin wannabe. Though she likes the Switch, so I've got to give her some points. Yay, another Precure reference. Kind of a lowkey episode for one that got the first formation of a unit. At least Maika had an ace performance as expected.

11. So there's been a subtle undercurrent about the show on what separates Friends units from just actual girlfriends. Based on current observations, not much. Mio spends the entire episode trying to confess to Aine in a manner just like any other romantic couple. Swap out a few words and it would be just that. It was amusing how she wanted it to be all dramatic at least. Of course it's easily formed after getting through a misunderstanding, because Aine would be mad to turn down someone of Mio's status. Meanwhile Karen loves dramatizations of her own life. Oh the ego of idols.

12. Turns out Mio is one of those people that's embarrassed to even hold hands with her girlfriend. She needs to do something about that. The entire sequence with Aine's family felt like a scene where they're approving of their relationship. Also confirmation that Mio doesn't see her family much, but that isn't a surprise.

13. How do these middle school idols have more volumes written about them than years they've lived? If Karen is winning all these diverse competitions (which even Aine points out means Karen must be a god) while still maintaining a healthy lifestyle, this can only mean one thing, corruption. Yes, the Aikatsu industry has set up Love Me Tear from birth to create the greatest idol unit ever. Dark secrets they don't want you to know. In all seriousness I came out of this liking Mirai more, contrasting Karen as the more casual senpai. Not much to Karen other than her being perfect. And definitely subtly telling Mio to not care about winning, because Karen is going to keep smacking her down if she tries to compete. Good song from Karen, though Mirai reigns supreme.

14. Really going full speed ahead on the differences make them stronger angle eh. Well the gap appeal is always important and makes for more interesting dynamics, so go for it. Making dresses to fit both them as individuals and the group theme would be a pain in the neck. Good song for them and really, really on the nose.

15. About time Aine realized she's been leeching off of Mio's popularity this entire time. Well at this point there's no way for Aine to completely disassociate herself from Mio, so she'll just have to live with that advantage. Figuring out the mess that is social media on Youtube is not something I envy for a young idol. Aine doesn't know how to Youtube, though you'd think the penguin would stand out a bit. She is excellent at Twitter however. A master of connections she is. An even more useful skill than the whole idol thing. But enough about her, mysterious goth girl is on her way.

16. Is it okay for a 5 year old to go diving into a river? Seems that Pure Palette's preferred plan of action is putting up weird videos on Aitube and hope they go viral. Nice song, though their new dress is way more suited for Mio than Aine.

17. Why are the goth idols always the most chunni? That or Sakuya is from the moon. Either explanation is believable. She runs a fortune telling site, which means she's excellent at scamming people. Which she demonstrated this episode on Aine and Mio. She's going to go far in this industry. Decent performance from her.

18. Forget sleep, forget your home, forget all but idolhood, because you must devote every fiber of your being to stand a chance in this world. Too bad Maika is being stalked by moon ghosts. Speaking of those, who was that with Sakuya?

19. So the message of the story is always stay connected to Twitter even when you need some serious training? Eh, I don't know about that. Sometimes need to really focus in their training for special events, and it's not like they don't know their fans are cheering them on. Another part of Friends being too simple and saccharine for its own good. At least the moon twins still look mildly interesting.

20. Once more the lesson for young girls is, do everything you want to, no chance you won't burn yourself out participating in too many activities. Maybe Ema can get away with it in middle school with everyone supporting her, but good luck trying to be a champion at two different activities at the same time. Great solo for her at least.

21. Idols get no breaks, not even on their summer vacation. Honey Cat gets spied on by future rivals while Pure Palette gets someone job hunting and a dick. The life of tour guides. Okay episode, but once again nothing too special.